despite leaked papers suggesting he had doubts. this hasn't been tried before in our country. i mean, it's fair to say it is novel. i've been very clear that this is a novel scheme. of course it's novel. but actually we should have more confidence today that it will work precisely because we've got a returns agreement with albania that is working incredibly well. polls close in bangladesh's election. early indications suggest a low turnout of voters, and the current prime minister is expected to win a fourth consecutive term. the us transport safety board says no passengers were seated next to where part of a plane fell off mid—flight. and hollywood rolls out the red carpet for one of its biggest nights — the golden globe awards.

hello. i'm luxmy gopal. jordan's king abdullah has warned the us secretary of state, antony blinken, of catastrophic repercussions of the continuation of israel's military campaign in gaza. mr blinken is on a tour of the middle east as the us tries to prevent the conflict in gaza from spreading. earlier he met thejordanian foreign minister. king abdullah also urged blinken to put pressure on israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. later mr blinken will head to qatar for talks with the emir. as the diplomacy continues, so does the fighting, with israel carrying out air strikes overnight in the city of khan younis in southern gaza. the official palestinian news agency reported many dead and wounded. in the west bank, palestinian officials said six people had been killed in an israeli air raid on the city ofjenin. an israeli border officer has also been killed in operations there. and an israeli civilian was killed in what has been described as a shooting attack in the west

bank. the israeli army says it has completed what it claims is the dismantling of hamas�* command structure in the northern gaza strip. a spokesman said hamas fighters could operate only sporadically in the area. live now to our correspondent shaimaa khalil injerusalem. just bring us up to date on some of the attacks that have happened, because we also understand that there have been drone strikes which have led to casualties as well. that's right. we have been getting lines and updates about the fighting in khan younis. we understand from our sources on the ground that the updated member now, as a result of the bombardment on khan younis, has gone up to 50 people, that includes isp —— children. we also now a note from the aljazeera network reporting that a journalist and

cameraman were killed among other journalists as they were on the road between khan younis. according to an aljazeera correspondent, they were on their way day to film north—east of their city. this was a reported safe zone, according to the israeli army, but it had experienced some bombardment. the team was on their way to cover that when their vehicle was targeted awestruck by a drone strike. we have seen live pictures, we have been watching live pictures of the aftermath of that vehicle after it was struck, but also the al jazeera correspondent himself standing next to the body of his son for a final goodbye, holding his hand. he is the same correspondent

who had lost his wife, his grandchild, his 15—year—old son, his seven—year—old daughter, in a separate strike in october, early on in the fighting, but who himself was wounded when his cameraman was killed when they were filming last month. this is the latest we are getting from khan younis, but also the bombardment continues in central gaza. also worth saying that the bbc has reached out to the idf to get their response to this particular incident. we are still waiting for that response. but this shows you the difficult picture that antony blinken faces with the fighting on the ground, with the continued tension in the west bank, including six palestinians dead, one israeli border officer killed and others wounded when their vehicle was struck an explosive device. this is a complicated picture and a complicated situation that antony

blinken wants to calm down, and also make sure that the fighting and the conflict does not spill over into other areas of the region, specifically in lebanon. thank you. our correspondent _ specifically in lebanon. thank you. our correspondent in _ specifically in lebanon. thank you. our correspondent in jerusalem . specifically in lebanon. thank you. i our correspondent in jerusalem with an our correspondent injerusalem with an update for us. the polls have now closed in bangladesh's general election. voting took place amid tight security after violence on the eve of the poll. at least 14 polling stations were set on fire. on friday, a busy commuter train was allegedly set on fire, killing four passengers. prime minister sheikh hasina is trying to gain a fourth straight term in office. bangladesh's chief election comissioner has described the violence as an attempt to sabotage the vote. the main opposition, bangladesh nationalist party, has asked people to shun the poll. and international observers, including the un, have said the poll is taking place in a repressive environment. this was prime minister, sheikh hasina, voting a little earlier. the initial results are expected by early monday.

our south asia correspondent, samira hussain, is outside a polling station in the capital, dhaka, and told me the latest developments. well, in previous general elections there has been quite a bit of violence as well, but also, more concerningly, there was a lot of vote rigging, which is why this election, prime minister sheikh hasina was determined to have what she could call free and fair elections. of course, the challenge is that the main opposition party, the bangladesh nationalist party, did not participate. polls have just closed. i am near a polling station and they are going to start counting the votes shortly. but if you look at voter turnout, i mean, just half an hour before the polls closed, we heard from the election commissioner that in fact there was about a 27% voter turnout. that is pretty low. by comparison, in the last general election in the uk, you had a 67% voter turnout.

in the last presidential election in the united states, you saw more than 50% of voters turn out. so it then calls into question whether or not these results will truly be reflective of the will of the people, given the low turnout and the fact that the main opposition party did not contest. and just briefly, what are we expecting the opposition party to do, because we know that they have in effect boycotted this general election, but where does that leave them and any potential for voting for an opposition for people in the coming weeks, months, years perhaps? exactly, and that is a question that i put to one of the senior leaders of the bnp, the bangladesh nationalist party. you are not contesting in these elections, it seems that prime minister sheikh hasina is all but guaranteed another five years in office,

what is the opposition�*s plan? and to them it is a matter of continuing to exercise their democratic right, to try and oppose this government and oppose what they say is a crackdown on freedom of expression and on protest, but they have said they are committed to doing this within the democratic process as much as possible. britain's prime minister has denied he had doubts over the rwanda scheme when he was chancellor. rishi sunak told the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg that his job as chancellor was to "ask probing questions of every proposal" that crossed his desk." here's our political correspondent, georgia roberts. rishi sunak and the opposition leader keir starmer both on the airwaves this morning as parliament prepares to return tomorrow, and plenty to ask rishi sunak about. he was asked about reports this morning

that the post office could be stripped of its role in appeals when it comes to the horizon it scandal. he confirmed the government was looking at legal options to review the post office's role in that. but he was asked about immigration and reports yesterday that the bbc had seen number ten documents from march 2022, when rishi sunak was chancellor, that seemed to suggest he had doubts about the flagship rwanda policy to send those coming across the channel on illegal boats to rwanda, and he is someone who said this is something he did not have doubts about and he said that as chancellor it was his job to recklessly look at all the options. —— rigorously. i recklessly look at all the options. -- rigorously-— recklessly look at all the options. -- rigorously. i absolutely believe in the value _ -- rigorously. i absolutely believe in the value and _ -- rigorously. i absolutely believe in the value and importance - -- rigorously. i absolutely believe in the value and importance of. in the value and importance of having deterrence and albania and rwanda are linked because they are both returns agreement that allow you to have deterrence. in terms of this scheme, i was chancellor at the

time, myjob was to make sure we get value for money for taxpayers. i would expect the same thing of the chancellor now, so of course i would rigorously scrutinise any proposal that crossed my desk, but ultimately i agreed with the prime list and we fended the proposal. fine i agreed with the prime list and we fended the proposal.— i agreed with the prime list and we fended the proposal. one issue that his backbenchers _ fended the proposal. one issue that his backbenchers in _ fended the proposal. one issue that his backbenchers in the _ fended the proposal. one issue that| his backbenchers in the conservative party, particularly on the right of the party, is whether or not individuals may be able to lodge appeals and keep the rwanda scheme bogged down in the courts to stop them being sent to rwanda, and he was asked about the issue of a section 39, whether or not he would let foreign courts, namely the european court of human rights, block any flights to rwanda that his backbenchers are so concerned about may take place and keep this rolling on through the courts. let's listen to what he said.— to what he said. there is in there but i am determined _ to what he said. there is in there but i am determined to - to what he said. there is in there but i am determined to the - to what he said. there is in therej but i am determined to the boats to what he said. there is in there - but i am determined to the boats and

i am but i am determined to the boats and iam determined... but i am determined to the boats and i am determined... let me tell you why i think it is important, i think it is a simple matter of fairness. it is not abstract or practical, it is about fairness. i don't think it is about fairness. i don't think it is right for people to jump the queue. is right for people to “ump the cueue. ., . is right for people to “ump the i ueue. ., ., ,., is right for people to “ump the cueue. ., ., ., , ., queue. you have said that before, ou have queue. you have said that before, you have said _ queue. you have said that before, you have said it _ queue. you have said that before, you have said it many _ queue. you have said that before, you have said it many times, - queue. you have said that before, you have said it many times, i - queue. you have said that before, i you have said it many times, i would like you _ you have said it many times, i would like you to _ you have said it many times, i would like you to address their specific... like you to address their specific. . ._ like you to address their secific...~ . ., ., , _ ., ., specific... which i am happy to do. i have specific... which i am happy to do. i have been — specific... which i am happy to do. i have been very _ specific. .. which i am happy to do. i have been very clear— specific... which i am happy to do. i have been very clear about - specific... which i am happy to do. i have been very clear about this. i j i have been very clear about this. i will not let a foreign court to stop our ability to remove people once we have been through our process of parliament and our court system, i have been crystal clear about that. what has at the leader of the opposition, keir starmer, sed? keir starmer was being interviewed on sky news and he was asked about labour's plans, given we are approaching a general election and labour are retaining approaching a general election and labourare retaining a approaching a general election and labour are retaining a roughly 20 point lead in the polls. keir starmer was asked about his plans for tax cuts, giving the prime minister floated for tax cuts, giving the prime ministerfloated more for tax cuts, giving the prime minister floated more of them

for tax cuts, giving the prime ministerfloated more of them in for tax cuts, giving the prime minister floated more of them in a newspaper. keir starmer would not be drawn on what taxes he would want to see, besides saying he would like to reduce the burden on working people. but he was also for —— agitating for the prime minister to set a date for the prime minister to set a date for the general election. the prime minister said this week that it was a working assumption that we would see a general election on the back end of this year, in november time, but keir starmer said he was putting vanity before country. what but keir starmer said he was putting vanity before country.— vanity before country. what you are seeinu at vanity before country. what you are seeing at the _ vanity before country. what you are seeing at the moment _ vanity before country. what you are seeing at the moment from - vanity before country. what you are seeing at the moment from the - vanity before country. what you are i seeing at the moment from the prime minister_ seeing at the moment from the prime minister is _ seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he — seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he is— seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he is floating _ seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he is floating tax— seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he is floating tax cuts - minister is he is floating tax cuts but he _ minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is — minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing _ minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing that _ minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing that in _ minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing that in his- minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing that in his own i minister is he is floating tax cuts i but he is doing that in his own self interest _ but he is doing that in his own self interest he— but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has— but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has run— but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has run out— but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has run out of- but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has run out of ideas, i interest. he has run out of ideas, they— interest. he has run out of ideas, they are — interest. he has run out of ideas, they are desperately— interest. he has run out of ideas, they are desperately thrashing i they are desperately thrashing around — they are desperately thrashing around and _ they are desperately thrashing around and trying _ they are desperately thrashing around and trying to _ they are desperately thrashing around and trying to find - they are desperately thrashing . around and trying to find dividing lines _ around and trying to find dividing lines to— around and trying to find dividing lines to go— around and trying to find dividing lines to go into _ around and trying to find dividing lines to go into the _ around and trying to find dividing lines to go into the election. - around and trying to find dividing lines to go into the election. it . around and trying to find dividing lines to go into the election. it is not part— lines to go into the election. it is not part of— lines to go into the election. it is not part of a _ lines to go into the election. it is not part of a strategy— lines to go into the election. it is not part of a strategy for- lines to go into the election. it isj not part of a strategy for growing the economy, _ not part of a strategy for growing the economy, it _ not part of a strategy for growing the economy, it is _ not part of a strategy for growing the economy, it is simply- not part of a strategy for growing the economy, it is simply pickingj the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts — the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts that _ the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts that the _ the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts that the prime _ the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts that the prime ministerl tax cuts that the prime minister thinks _ tax cuts that the prime minister thinks might— tax cuts that the prime minister thinks might create _ tax cuts that the prime minister thinks might create a _ tax cuts that the prime minister thinks might create a dividing . tax cuts that the prime minister. thinks might create a dividing line going _ thinks might create a dividing line going into — thinks might create a dividing line going into the _ thinks might create a dividing line going into the election. _ thinks might create a dividing line going into the election. that- thinks might create a dividing line going into the election. that is. thinks might create a dividing linel going into the election. that is the wrong _ going into the election. that is the wrong way— going into the election. that is the wrong way to— going into the election. that is the wrong way to govern, _ going into the election. that is the wrong way to govern, whichever. going into the election. that is the i wrong way to govern, whichever party you in, _ wrong way to govern, whichever party you in. it _ wrong way to govern, whichever party you in. it does— wrong way to govern, whichever party you in. it does not _ wrong way to govern, whichever party you in, it does not matter— wrong way to govern, whichever party

you in, it does not matter whether. you in, it does not matter whether you in, it does not matter whether you are _ you in, it does not matter whether you are conservative _ you in, it does not matter whether you are conservative or— you in, it does not matter whether you are conservative or labour, i you in, it does not matter whether you are conservative or labour, toj you are conservative or labour, to simply— you are conservative or labour, to simply go — you are conservative or labour, to simply go down _ you are conservative or labour, to simply go down the _ you are conservative or labour, to simply go down the road - you are conservative or labour, to simply go down the road of - simply go down the road of desperately— simply go down the road of desperately picking - simply go down the road of. desperately picking anything simply go down the road of - desperately picking anything that creates— desperately picking anything that creates a — desperately picking anything that creates a divide _ desperately picking anything that creates a divide rather— desperately picking anything that creates a divide rather than - desperately picking anything that. creates a divide rather than having a strategy — creates a divide rather than having a strategy for— creates a divide rather than having a strategy for the _ creates a divide rather than having a strategy for the country. - creates a divide rather than having a strategy for the country. so- creates a divide rather than having a strategy for the country.- a strategy for the country. so keir starmer and _ a strategy for the country. so keir starmer and rishi _ a strategy for the country. so keir starmer and rishi sunak - a strategy for the country. so keir starmer and rishi sunak going - starmer and rishi sunak going head—to—head on the airwaves today. they will of course be battling it out for the majority of this year if what the prime minister said this week is to be believed and the election is sometime in november, so plenty more when parliament returns tomorrow about the parties' plans and what they are setting up ahead of that big election taking place this year. 192 flood warnings remain in place across england and wales as the effects of storm henk continue to be felt. hundreds of residents were evacuated after heavy rainfall caused significant flooding and disruption in parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south. our reporter poppyjeffery has the details. desperate families have been left paddling in boats through flood waters to save what they can of their possessions. here, the river trent has reached a record peak.

it's funny to say and it's ironic, but when you see actually see it on telly happening and then it really happens to you. when you're not thinking how them people are feeling now, we are feeling same as what they would have been when they've been flooded. so yeah, it's terrible. absolutely terrible. it's about nine inch deep in water inside. so it's all... ..broken. flood warnings and alerts are still in place across england and wales, with the devastating impact of the water still very visible. from transport links like dunne and bridge between nottinghamshire and lincolnshire, where no car can pass... ..to sandbags protecting homes in gloucestershire. attention is now turning to how to help those affected, as the government announces a package of financial support. households in eligible areas can apply for up to £500 to help with immediate costs.

some houses and businesses will have 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months. and there's also money for farmers to help them recover, as well as cash to futureproof and make homes more resilient. although floodwaters may slowly be receding in areas like east yorkshire, that doesn't mean the danger is over just yet. it's going to take a while, even though we've got some dry weather in the forecast, thank goodness. we're really pleased about that. it's going to take a while for the peaks in the rivers to move down through to the sea and take the pressure off communities like those we've seen in recent days. although drier weather may be on the horizon, it's now predicted to get much colder. with a yellow, cold health alert in force until friday, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing. and for communities already trying to recover from the flooding

devastation, the threat of ice is definitely not going to be welcome news. now it's time for a look at today's sport. rafael nadal has pulled out of the australian open, which starts in a week's time. he made his comeback at the brisbane international after nearly a year out with a hip injury and he felt discomfort in the same area during his quarterfinal defeat to jordan thompson. a scan has revealed a very small muscle tear — nadal says it's not the same issue that required surgery injune but he's not ready to compete at the highest level in five—set matches and he's returning to spain for treatment and rest. one man who's been thwarted by nadal in the past, the former world number three, grigor dimitrov, has won his first atp title

in more than six years. the 32—year—old has seen off holger rune, a player in the world's top five and 12 years hisjunior, in straight sets. it was tighter than the scoreline suggests. the first set went to a tie—break and there was just one break of serve in the second. an emotional dimitrov said, "it's been a while since i held one of these", as he gripped the trophy. 19—year—old coco gauff has shown why she's one my my love affair started 11 years ago out here in brisbane and it continues. i am very thankful that i am able to play in front of you guys and lift that trophy again. it means and lift that trophy again. it means a lot to me for so many different reasons. i want to say thank you to my team. my parents are not here, they had to rush to the airport, so it is a shame they are not here, but i will send them a picture.

a great win for him. 19—year—old coco gauff has shown why she's one of the favourites to win the australian open, which starts in a week. the us open champion has came from a set down to beat elina svitolina and retain her auckland classic title. and at the brisbane international, the former wimbledon champion, elena rybakina handed aryna sabalenka a reality check ahead of her australian open title defence with a crushing win in the final. rybakina too good, winning 6—0, 6—3, to end sabalenka's is—match winning streak on australian soil. avenging her defeat in melbourne a year ago. there are eight more games to come in the english fa cup on sunday, with premier league sides unscathed so far in the third round. could there be an upset across the coming hours? luton, manchester city, nottingham forest and west ham are all at home to lower league opposition, whilst west brom of the championship face non—league aldershot town. the pick of the games is at the emirates, where arsenal play liverpool. they're battling for the premier league title too,

but what do both managers say? it is special for me and i have so many memories of playing against them and that is because they are a top side so it requires a big operation and a lot of detail in everything that we have to do. that was proven again a week ago when we played them at anfield, for both teams. if we want to win these games, we want _ if we want to win these games, we want to— if we want to win these games, we want to go— if we want to win these games, we want to go to the final but we want to go— want to go to the final but we want to go to _ want to go to the final but we want to go to the next round as well, but it is probably a tricky draw you can .et it is probably a tricky draw you can get and. _ it is probably a tricky draw you can get and, yeah, it will be a tough one, _ get and, yeah, it will be a tough one. but— get and, yeah, it will be a tough one, but the game here was a good one, but the game here was a good one and _ one, but the game here was a good one and let's hope we can show a good _ one and let's hope we can show a good performance there as well. golden state warriors forward draymond green has been reinstated following his suspension for striking phoenix suns center jusuf nurkic last month. green has missed 12 games, and according to the nba has taken steps that

demonstrate his "commitment to conforming his conduct to the standard expected" of players. golden state host the toronto raptors on sunday. while green is eligible to play, he's expected to need time to work his way back into game shape. and that's all the sport for now. ijust want i just want to share with you the latest pictures from the secretary of state to's middle east tour. this is a antony blinken meeting king abdullah ofjordan, and as you may have heard, if you have been watching for the past hour or so, the king ofjordan, king abdullah, warned of catastrophic repercussions of the continuation of israel's military campaign in gaza. the king also told antony blinken that washington had a major role to play to put pressure on israel to agree

to put pressure on israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. those pictures of the latest to come out of that middle east tour. alaska airlines says it's again halting flights by 18 of its fleet of boeing 737 max 9 planes that had returned to the air following safety inspections. one of the carrier's planes had to make an emergency landing on friday after losing part of its fuselage mid—flight. a second american airline, united, says none of its max 9s will now resume flights. let's get the background from our reporter, leigh milner. this video footage was taken by a passenger on board flight 1282 shortly after take—off. look closely and you can see a hole in the side of the plane, a panel has been blown out. just 20 minutes after take—off, flight 1282 made an emergency landing back at portland international airport in oregon. luckily, no—one was injured.

we are very, very fortunate here that this — we are very, very fortunate here that this did not end up in anything more _ that this did not end up in anything more tragic. nobody was seated with that dog _ more tragic. nobody was seated with that dog plug is. —— where that door plu- that dog plug is. —— where that door plug was _ these pictures show the full extent of the damage. in what was a terrifying experience for those on board. there was a kid in that row, his shirt was sent off and out of the plane. his mother was making sure he didn't go with it. last night, the uk civil aviation authority said it had written to all foreign owners of boeing 737 max nine airport demanding that inspections are carried out before they can operate in uk airspace. the us federal aviation administration has ordered the temporary grounding of 171 boeing 737 max 9s as investigators try to work out

exactly what happened. this is the latest incident involving boeing's best selling model that was launched back in 2015. in october 2018, a 737 max operated by indonesian airline lion air crashed shortly aftertake—off, killing all 189 on board. in march 2019, an ethiopian airline 737 max was involved in a similar crash, killing all 157 passengers. that led to all boeing 737 maxs being grounded for the next 20 months. after this latest incident, alaska airlines grounded its max fleet. boeing said they would cooperate with any investigation. let 5 get some of the day 5 other news now the us defense secretary lloyd austin says he takes full

responsibility for the secrecy surrounding his hospitalisation for an unspecified medical condition. the pentagon did not reveal the news for five days — prompting criticism, given his position in the us military chain of command. three more people have been arrested in connection with the january 6th assault on the us capitol building, on the third anniversary of the attack by donald trump supporters. nearly13—hundred people have so far been charged nearly 1300 people have so far been charged in relation to the riot. a us federal appeals court has reinstated a ruling that bars california from enforcing a new gun law prohibiting the carrying of guns in most public places. hollywood stars are gearing up for the golden globe awards after a huge year for cinema, which saw barbie and oppenheimer dominate the box office. the globes mark the first major ceremony of film awards season, which culminates with the oscars on march 10th.

there are some new categories at this year's golden globes, including one which recognises box office achievement. barbie has nine nominations and oppenheimer has eight. the event starts at 01:00 gmt on monday and usually lasts between three and four hours. this year's ceremony will be hosted by us comedian and actor, jo koy. you know, this is hollywood. this is a tough business. if you dream to be, in this business, you know it's hard. but you got to wait it out. it's all about waiting out and just capturing that moment when it finally happens. and i get to say it finally happened, bro, it's going to be a fun night. i can't wait. stay with us here on bbc news.

hello there. we've had a rather cold and frosty start to sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five degrees in parts of northern england and southern scotland. but for many of us, it's been a fine start with some clear skies, a bit of sunshine out there, but also one or two fog patches which may be slow to clear in parts of northern ireland and central scotland. but for the rest of today, for most of us, it's a case of sunny spells. now, the reason for the change in the weather from the recent stormy conditions is this big area of high pressure which becomes established across the uk today and indeed over the next few days. so it keeps things mostly dry. and i say "mostly" because there are one or two showers coming in across the north—east of england falling as snow or some wintriness over the higher ground, a few showers also in the south—east of england this afternoon. but elsewhere, dry with some sunny spells, maximum temperatures getting up to about two to six degrees celsius. but there could be some stubborn fog across some parts of scotland and northern ireland, which will reform again as we go through tonight. it's the northern half

of the uk most at risk, but there could be one or two fog patches even further south. a few showers still coming in across eastern areas. but the main thing about tonight really is how cold it's going to be. once again, temperatures widely below freezing, minus five celsius for northern parts of england and across scotland. we're beneath this area of high pressure where the cold air is sitting beneath that. and these white lines here across southern areas of england, indicative of some fairly brisk winds, which will bring in some wintry showers on monday morning. so if you're travelling, be aware of the fact that we could see some sleet and even some snow, even a hug over higher ground could be settling snow for a time on monday in the south east of england. there'll be a few showers coming in across the north—east of england. but on the whole, once again, it's going to be a dry day for most of us on monday. any mist and fog should tend to clear away. one or two may linger on into the afternoon. on the face of it, temperatures will be about three to five degrees celsius. but facts are in that rather chilly east or north—easterly wind. it will feel more like freezing across many parts. and for the rest of the week, little change really. it's going to stay dry for most of us. there will be some sunny spells,

but watch out for overnight frost and some fog, especially during the mornings. and that's the outlook really you can see dry for most of us and temperatures at orjust below the average for the time of year. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the us secretary of state antony blinken holds more talks with middle eastern leaders.

jordan's king abdullah warns mr blinken of the "catastrophic repercussions" of israel's campaign in gaza, and tells him that washington has a major role in putting pressure on israel to agree to a ceasefire. polls close in bangladesh's elections, which are expected to be a landslide for the current prime minister. most opposition parties boycotted the election, which was preceded by a wave of violence, with 1a polling stations being set on fire and police today firing shotguns to break up opposition protests. the head of the us transport safety board says no passengers were seated next to where part of a plane fell off mid—flight. meanwhile, the american airline regulator has ordered the grounding of 170 boeing 737 max 9 jets after the incident, while inspections take place. now on bbc news, the travel show: uzbekistan: the heart of central asia.