of terrorists, as streets empty, and prison guards are held hostage and police kidnapped. i'm sumi somaskanda. thank you forjoining us. just moments ago, the final republican presidential debate, before iowa voters take part in monday night's caucuses, wrapped up. the debate, aired on cnn, featured just two candidates, florida governor ron desantis, and former un ambassador and south carolina governor nikki haley. once again the republican front—runner donald trump, opted to take part in his own event instead, as polls show a tight race for second place in the state. any time the going gets tough, any time people come down, she caves. when you need someone standing and fighting for you, don't look for nikki haley. you will be able to find out if you

had a search warrant.- had a search warrant. thank ou, had a search warrant. thank you, governor. _ had a search warrant. thank you, governor. governor- had a search warrant. thank - you, governor. governor haley. ithink_ you, governor. governor haley. ithink i_ you, governor. governor haley. ithink i do— you, governor. governor haley. i think i do with _ you, governor. governor haley. i think i do with russia, - i think i do with russia, china, _ i think i do with russia, china, north korea, russia every— china, north korea, russia every day, no one said i caved, i defended _ every day, no one said i caved, i defended america that i fought— i defended america that i fought for america. the debate came just hours afterformer newjersey governor chris christie dropped out of the race. and it's clear to me tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination, which is why i am suspending my campaign tonight for president of the united states. let's go live now to the bbc�*s bernd debusmann, who's at the debate site in des moines. very good to see you. in this debate, what stood out to you? well, what stood out to me was how combative and how fiery it was, right from the very beginning. we have the candidates both come out swinging. wejust had a bit of that now at the outset of the programme. desantis for example programme. desa ntis for example was programme. desantis for example was criticising nikki haley as

being mealy—mouthed and criticising herfor what being mealy—mouthed and criticising her for what he said was her flip—flopping criticising her for what he said was herflip—flopping on certain issues. she criticised him for lying. she unveiled the website ron desantis lies .com. and i think the aggressiveness of that approach shows how important this debate was to them, even though they are both 30 points or more behind former president donald trump in the poll, they really need a good result in iowa next week to give them momentum going into new hampshire, and i think that's what we saw on stage. it wasjust the two that's what we saw on stage. it was just the two of them on stage, and early in the day we saw former newjersey governor chris christie saying he is dropping out of the race. what impact, if any, dropping out of the race. what impact, ifany, do dropping out of the race. what impact, if any, do you think that has?— impact, if any, do you think that has? ~ ., that has? well, some of those voters will _ that has? well, some of those voters will certainly _ that has? well, some of those voters will certainly turn - that has? well, some of those voters will certainly turn to - voters will certainly turn to ms haley or mr desantis but at the same time he was poling very, very low compared to them. he was in the single digits here in iowa and nationally, so it is really not that many voters that need to be redistributed. i don't think

in the long run it does much of a material impact on those campaigns, because at the end of the day, it was a very small percentage of republican voters that had said they would vote for mr christie. 50 that had said they would vote for mr christie.— for mr christie. so you mentioned _ for mr christie. so you mentioned that - for mr christie. so you i mentioned that massive for mr christie. so you - mentioned that massive lead that the former president has built up in the polls in iowa. where does that leave nikki haley and ron desantis, looking ahead to next week? what are they looking to achieve?- they looking to achieve? well, one thing i _ they looking to achieve? well, one thing i have _ they looking to achieve? well, one thing i have heard - they looking to achieve? well, one thing i have heard over . they looking to achieve? well, | one thing i have heard over and over today here in iowa is that this debate and this caucus for them is a base to second place. the outcome of next week is kind of a certainty now, given that commanding lead that mr trump has, but going forward, if either candidate has a very strong showing or conversely a very bad showing, that could either breathe life into their campaign as they get into new hampshire, or it could kind of in some ways be the death knell for the in some ways be the death knell forthe campaign, if in some ways be the death knell for the campaign, if they perform less well than they expected. so i think what we're looking for here, or what they are looking for here is a very

strong second—place showing after mr trump. find strong second-place showing after mr trump.— strong second-place showing after mr trump. and bernd, we mention mr _ after mr trump. and bernd, we mention mr trump _ after mr trump. and bernd, we mention mr trump held - after mr trump. and bernd, we mention mr trump held his - after mr trump. and bernd, we | mention mr trump held his own label event on fox news. what came of that?— label event on fox news. what came of that? well, he repeated man of came of that? well, he repeated many of the _ came of that? well, he repeated many of the same _ came of that? well, he repeated many of the same talking - came of that? well, he repeated many of the same talking points| many of the same talking points we have seen at a lot of these events over time, but one thing i thought was interesting was that he made some very pointed attacks on the candidates tonight. at one point, he, as he has in the past, took credit for ron desantis �*s rays in politics, and one thing i thought was interesting was even as i was sitting here watching ms hayley and mr desantis, my inbox was full of trump campaign e—mails making very pointed, very colourful attacks against both of them, which shows that his campaign was paying close attention to what was happening here, and that he is taking them both very seriously as competitors, even without lead. shill very seriously as competitors, even without lead.— even without lead. all right, bernd, thank _ even without lead. all right, bernd, thank you _ even without lead. all right, bernd, thank you so - even without lead. all right, bernd, thank you so much i even without lead. all right, l bernd, thank you so much for yourfrom iowa tonight. and here in washington, two republican—led committees approved a resolution holding hunter biden, the son of president biden,

in contempt of congress. the oversight and judiciary committees passed the measure because hunter biden didn't comply with subpoenas to sit for a private deposition. there was a raucous hearing in the oversight committee, wednesday morning. hunter biden surprised members when he showed up in person, sparking fierce reaction from republicans, who accused him of a political stunt. democrats lashed back, urging republicans to allow hunter biden to testify in public straightaway. the president's son has offered to testify at a public, televised hearing, but republicans on the committee want to speak to him behind closed doors. tuesday's drama is the latest in republicans�* investigation into presidentjoe biden over allegedly peddling his influence through his son. plus, house republicans continued with an impeachment hearing of homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas. the inquiry into secretary mayorkas comes as record numbers of migrants attempt to cross the us—mexico border. the republican lawmaker leading the hearing, representative mark green, accused secretary mayorkas of intentionally encouraging illegal immigration by failing to enforce laws.

if we take a look at those record numbers, the year 2023 saw almost 2.5 million people apprehended at the us—mexico border. compare that to just a few years earlier, in 2019, just over 850,000 people were apprehended. in december of 2023, us officials said up to 10,000 people were crossing the border every day. if the impeachment proceedings is successful, secretary mayorkas would be the first us cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years. the move would however be largely symbolic, as mr mayorkas would almost certainly be acquitted in a trial in the democrat—controlled senate. earlier, i talked with texas democratic congresswoman jasmine crockett about us efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country through the texas—mexico border. republican say that the homeland security secretary mayorkas, he may not have committed a crime but he is responsible for gross

incompetence for not enforcing laws at the us border. what is your response to that? my response _ your response to that? my response is _ your response to that? my response is that they can call him — response is that they can call him incompetent, they can do a lot of— him incompetent, they can do a lot of things, but impeachment is completely improper under the circumstances. they said the circumstances. they said the final— the circumstances. they said the final part out loud. i feel as if— the final part out loud. i feel as if we _ the final part out loud. i feel as if we need to take my colleagues on the other side of the iowa — colleagues on the other side of the iowa back to basics civics 101. _ the iowa back to basics civics 101, and _ the iowa back to basics civics 101, and educate them on what it looks — 101, and educate them on what it looks like to impeach someone. they have to commit high _ someone. they have to commit high crimes or misdemeanours. it's high crimes or misdemeanours. it's not — high crimes or misdemeanours. it's not good enough that you disagree _ it's not good enough that you disagree with their policies or you feel— disagree with their policies or you feel as if they are failing at their— you feel as if they are failing at theirjob. it has to be high crimes— at theirjob. it has to be high crimes or— at theirjob. it has to be high crimes or misdemeanours, and they— crimes or misdemeanours, and they know— crimes or misdemeanours, and they know that they don't have that but — they know that they don't have that but they want to push forward _ that but they want to push forward anyway.— forward anyway. 0k, congresswoman, - forward anyway. 0k, congresswoman, do| forward anyway. 0k, . congresswoman, do you forward anyway. 0k, - congresswoman, do you think that secretary mayorkas is failing at his job? that secretary mayorkas is failing at hisjob? i’m that secretary mayorkas is failing at hisjob?— failing at his “ob? i'm not sa in: failing at his “ob? i'm not saying that. _ failing at his job? i'm not saying that, i'm - failing at his job? i'm not saying that, i'm saying i failing at his job? i'm not i saying that, i'm saying even failing at his job? i'm not - saying that, i'm saying even if you accept their argument, it is still not enough, is the only point that i'm trying to make. i can tell you that congress is failing, because

any secretary that we have can only do what the law allows them to do, and as far as immigration reforms, something that we've needed in this country for quite some time, something that the democrats have a number of bills that the republicans failed to bring up, they haven't proposed the policies, and building a wall isn't a policy, just fyi. qm. isn't a policy, 'ust fyi. ok, that seems _ isn't a policy, just fyi. ok, that seems to _ isn't a policy, just fyi. ok, that seems to be - isn't a policy, just fyi. ok, that seems to be something both parties agree on that there needs to be some thought of reform, but if we look at what the white house has done, after title 42 expired, the pandemic error policy, the biden administration did bring new policies. they were supposed to encourage illegal migration and discourage unlawful migration. we know your district is not directly on the border but it is in texas. why do you think these policies have not worked? think about it like this. number one, we have to have resources to carry out any policy. we used to say don't give us an unfunded mandate, that's what used to talk about when i was in the statehouse. so you can see everything that you want to say but if you

don't actually give the people on the ground the tools that they need, whether it is money or technology, then it is all for naught. it is not going anywhere, and so while the administration has tried to do something, you see that this is the most unproductive congress that we have had in modern day's history, and therefore we do not have the funding. in fact our speaker went to the border and said they don't want the funding. that is not true in the conversations i have had, and i know that when people show up to work, they want to be paid. i know that with these types of numbers of crossings, these are common sense fixes that the republicans don't even understand the very basics about that we need to get to. what about how the american people see all of this? there was a cbs news poll released this week that found 63% of americans want stricter border policies, 45% of americans now say there is a crisis at the border, republicans have made this essential issue to their campaigning. with the iowa caucuses just around the corner

do you worry that voters are going to turn away from democrats over immigration? i don't. i do realise that it is a very real problem, and that is not to say that americans don't want us to address it, but we know that the republicans are not going to address it because they do want to campaign on it, and as you mentioned, he said it was a centre issue, it is the only issue that they have. and so therefore the last thing that they want to do is fix it, because then what do they campaign on? we have heard people like chip roy from texas say, hey, we don't have anything to campaign on. all they are looking for something to campaign on while democrats are fighting for democracy, democrats are fighting for reproductive freedom, democrats are trying to save this country from gun violence, democrats have a number of policies that we are pushing through, try to make sure that we don't have children in poverty, trying to make sure that we are feeding america. ., , , ., ., america. congresswoman, ifi could just _ america. congresswoman, ifi couldjustjump_ america. congresswoman, ifi could justjump in _ america. congresswoman, ifi could justjump in quickly, - america. congresswoman, ifi could justjump in quickly, do| could justjump in quickly, do you think democrats need to do a betterjob, then, of

communicating on immigration? i absolutely do, i won't disagree with you on that, because one thing that the republicans do is they are going to get out there and they are going to say there and they are going to say the same thing over and over and overagain, the same thing over and over and over again, even if it's not true, and so i do think that it not true, and so i do think thatitis not true, and so i do think that it is important that we educate the general public about what effective immigration looks like. when people say we need strict immigration laws, you can ask the average american, what are the average american, what are the immigration laws right now, and the average one cannot tell you! to know that, right? but it is because of the rhetoric that we've gotten from the republicans, and they have honestly been very effective in seeping into the psyche of the american people, but if they sit back and ask themselves, what are the laws right now, what are the laws right now, what are the rules, i can tell you that most can't tell you what it is that they want to tighten up on. to south america now, where ecuador�*s president announced that foreign prisoners in his country are being deported. president daniel noboa made the announcement wednesday, one day after masked gunmen stormed a public tv studio during a live broadcast in the city of guayaquil. president noboa hopes to cut down on ecuador�*s prison

population, as more than 120 prison guards are still being held hostage by inmates across the country. nationwide unrest began a few days earlier — on sunday — when a notorious gang boss escaped from a maximum security facility. it's unclear whether the attack on the tv studio was related to the disappearance of adolfo macias villamar, or fito, as he is better known. after the escape, but before the tv studio attack, a 60—day state of emergency was issued in ecuador on monday. earlier, i spoke to todd chapman, former us ambasador to ecuador and now a non—resident fellow at the centre for strategic and international studies. ambassador, i want to ask you first of all what we saw ecuador�*s president noboa say, in talking about the crisis this country is going through. he said his government is fighting against terrorist groups, and said "they want me to call them groups of organised crime, because it is easier. when they are terrorists and where we live in

a state of war, other laws apply". what you think that means, what will this allow him and his government to do? it is and his government to do? it is a pleasure _ and his government to do? it is a pleasure to — and his government to do? it is a pleasure to be _ and his government to do? it 3 a pleasure to be with you and talk about this very serious matter. of course, ecuador has been threatened by narco terrorist for many years regrettably, as it's only two land borders are with peru and with colombia, and that brings all sorts of nefarious actors who wish to use ecuador for transiting cocaine to markets in the united states and europe. but in recent days these narco terrorists have gone to further extremes to create havoc in the prisons, to bring chaos in the streets, and to take over a television station while its projecting live, all to advance its message, that they wish to have control of the state. and so president noboa, who has only beenin president noboa, who has only been in office something like i believe this is day a8, has

taken bold steps that will try and galvanise society and mobilise his internal security forces to address this threat. you said yourself, armed gangs, this type of violence, it is not new to ecuador. why do you think we are seeing things spiral out of control in the last few days?— spiral out of control in the last few days? the last few da s is last few days? the last few days is really _ last few days? the last few days is really the _ last few days? the last few l days is really the culmination of the last few years, in which these groups have become more aggressive, more thirsty within the country to bring about its terror, to try and control this territory so they can use it for their nefarious purposes, and like any new president, they get tested, and these narco terrorists are bringing new challenges chew the new government to see what this president is made of, and i must say president noboa is showing tremendous courage and leadership by first executing this executive order that is supported by 90% of ecuadorians to seek to bring greater

control and order to the streets of ecuador, and especially in that area, so these are foreign controlled groups that are using ecuador, and really it's just enough is enough, and the ecuadorian people are raising up together, united, to confront this terrorist challenge. you say the majority. _ terrorist challenge. you say the majority, the _ terrorist challenge. you say the majority, the vast - terrorist challenge. you say i the majority, the vast majority of people in ecuador do support these measures. i want to ask you about how this looks in the region because we know in el salvador we have seen the president there take a very controversial approach in his crackdown on criminal gangs there. do you think we are going to see something similar in ecuador? are you at all worried about what the replications might be for everyday citizens? firstly we will see a — everyday citizens? firstly we will see a greater _ everyday citizens? firstly we i will see a greater involvement of the armed services. just like in the united states and the country generally, an army, navy, the military is not deployed for internal necessary means to control what is going

on in your country but this is different. this is an internal armed conflict. that is what president noboa has called an idiot that is what it is, because these groups are heavily armed. they were waving hand grenades in front of television cameras when they invaded the television station, so these are ruthless killers, and so the military working with a very capable police force would see that the united states —— which the united states —— which the united states has been involved with intensive training over the years and we are very pleased with that, they are going to take action, and the kinds of violence that the terrorists are perpetuating our perpetuating on the population, now you will see a very aggressive military go after them, i believe.— aggressive military go after them, i believe. just a quick last question, _ them, i believe. just a quick last question, we _ them, i believe. just a quick last question, we have - them, i believe. just a quick| last question, we have about them, i believe. just a quick - last question, we have about 30 seconds left, what do you think the us and the international community can do to support ecuador in this? i community can do to support ecuador in this?— ecuador in this? i think the international _ ecuador in this? i think the international community i ecuador in this? i think the | international community has ecuador in this? i think the i international community has a great role to play and especially the united states. number one, greatly increased training and technology that is provided to the governor of

ecuador, and that we can do right away —— to the government of ecuador. number two, just like 20 years ago, more than 20 years ago in colombia, we established a plan to help colombia do exactly what is needed to do in ecuador to control internally armed groups and repress the use of cocaine to corrupt society. we need to do it in ecuador. we need to see a play in ecuador. and number three. see a play in ecuador. and numberthree. it see a play in ecuador. and number three. it is important we are providing a great means for economic renewal in ecuador, the idea act, a bipartisan act in congress right now, which is the innovation and development act innovation and development act in ecuador has bipartisan support. the biden administration can get that passed immediately to provide expanded trade and investment opportunities for the ecuadorian people. opportunities for the ecuadorian --eole. . ., ecuadorian people. ambassador, will have to _ ecuadorian people. ambassador, will have to live _ ecuadorian people. ambassador, will have to live it _ ecuadorian people. ambassador, will have to live it there - ecuadorian people. ambassador, will have to live it there but i will have to live it there but thank you forjoining us. thank you for “oining us. thank ou. thank you forjoining us. thank you. pleasure _ thank you forjoining us. thank you. pleasure to _ thank you forjoining us. thank you. pleasure to be _ thank you forjoining us. thank you. pleasure to be with i thank you forjoining us. thank you. pleasure to be with you. | around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other

stories making news. train drivers in germany have started a three—day strike, forcing the national rail operator to cancel services used by thousands of people. only one in five long distance deutsche bahn services ran on wednesday, while regional trains were severely reduced. the walkout was called by the gdl train drivers�* union over pay and working hours and follows nationwide protests by farmers. us transporation secretary pete buttigieg says boeing 737 max 9 aircraft grounded nationwide after one plane lost a door plug in flight won't return to service "until it is safe". the announcement came after alaska airlines cancelled all flights of its 737 max 9 planes. buttigieg says the us federal aviation authority is not committing to when the planes will be allowed to fly again. an avalanche at a california ski resort killed one person. reports say three others were injured. more than a 100 people took part in search efforts at the palisades tahoe ski resort in olympic valley. the search was called off after no other missing people were reported. monitoring officials had warned

of considerable avalanche danger wednesday. you're live with bbc news. the head of the world health organization is calling on israel to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to gaza. tedros ghebreyesus accused israel of repeatedly barring access. he said it was impossible to reach those in need. israel maintains that it is doing what it can to allow aid into the strip. meanwhile, us secretary of state antony blinken continues his diplomatic tour in the region. he met with palestinian president mahmoud abbas to discuss the palestinian authority's role on a visit to the occupied west bank. mr abbas assured america's top diplomat that israel's security concerns would be addressed, but that gaza and the west bank must remain united. mr blinken�*s trip comes amid fears that the war will spread in into a wider regional conflict as the iran—backed houthis continue attacking ships in the red sea. speaking from bahrain, the top diplomat said iran must reel in the houthis, or else.

as we made clear and many other countries made clear, there will be commercial consequences for the houthis�* action. we have also repeatedly tried to make clear to iran, as other countries have as well, that the support that they are providing to the houthis, including for these actions, needs to stop. it is not in their interest to see the conflict escalated and we are not the only ones who sent that message to iran. while antony blinken tries diplomacy against the houthis, the us and uk military is using force. on tuesday, the houthis fired 20 projectiles at ships in the red sea in their largest attack yet, but the us—led taskforce shot down all but two of them. on wednesday uk defence secretary grant shapps called the attacks unacceptable and said: "we will take the action needed to "protect innocent lives and the global economy". meanwhile, the un security council has adopted a resolution calling for a halt to houthi attacks in the red sea. earlier, the bbc spoke to retired marine corps general frank mckenzie about the potential for escalation

in the region. he was head of the us central command from 2019 to 2022. first of all, i think we should be careful about the use of escalation. it should not actually be our highest priority. if we want to prevent escalation we should go home, withdraw from the region. in fact, we're not doing that. there are objectives that are higher than preventing escalation and i would say the assured passage of commerce is more important than avoiding escalation. having said that, it is my belief from years of study and experience as the central command commander, if we strike back at the houthis, we will not necessarily escalate beyond that region. i don't believe that iran will necessarily take action against israel or us if we strike back at the houthis in yemen at those sites where they are attacking maritime shipping.

now to new action by some countries at the un against russia. members of the un security council have accused the kremlin of exploiting its country's position as a permanent member on the council by acquiring missiles from north korea to use against ukraine, calling it a violation of multiple un security resolutions. on thursday, the us and south korea condemned this transfer of munitions saying it has increased the suffering of the ukrainian people. the biggest tech companies in the world are descending on las vegas for one of the biggest conventions of the year, the consumer electronics show. many of the exhibits feature the latest innovations around artificial intelligence, including smart mirrors, toothbrushes and grills. 0ur north america tech reporter, james clayton, went for a look. there's a lot of weird tech at ces. take this hyundai prototype carthat, crab—like, moves sideways into parking spaces. 0r drone soccer, where the goal is to fly a drone through a doughnut—shaped goal, which is harder than it looks. now start using the left stick, and start moving.

0oh! engines whirr as you can tell, it takes a little bit of practice to fly. ok, so how would you how would you rate that out of 10? that was about a two. but the big theme of ces this year is al. it's everywhere. this is samsung's section, and probably more than any other company i've seen, they have gone fully on board with al. they have a! fridges, ai vacuum cleaners, even an ai washing machine. now, when you turn it on, you're going to see the ai... oh, so there's like an a! function? exactly. right. and so here, once you go into a different type of flooring, give itjust a second and you'll see that it's going to change. so it's definitely got some more power. ah, right. so you've not pressed anything now? i've not pressed anything. samsung's ai fridge can detect what food you have and suggest recipes. elsewhere at the show,

an ai mirror made by baracoda can analyse your face and tell you what skincare regime you need. this could be brutal. i'm quitejet—lagged. 0h, "eye bags noticeable." i'vejust got off a ten—hourflight. you don't need . to explain to me. i think it's quite good. so imagine it's your- personal mirror, all right? so how do i close that? close. and this you're i going to see every day, just to make sure that you have all the steps. i oh, so, wow... so it's literally giving me an eye bag routine. exactly. i need cleanser, peptides in my eye cream, a serum and retinol cream? yes. pretty harsh, but maybe ai is telling me what no—one else would dare to. there is one word of caution about all of these new a! products. two years ago, everyone here was talking about the metaverse. that is definitely not the case this year. it's notoriously difficult to know what's a fad and what's the next new tech trend. james clayton,

bbc news, las vegas. before we go, folks trying to get out the vote in iowa before state caucuses monday are also trying to get to warmth. the state has been hit with frigid temperatures and several inches of snow. this volunteer with nikki haley's campaign says canvassers will each knock on 50—100 doors. the cold weather is raising concerns in the state about turnout, with arctic cold expected. thank you for watching bbc news. do stay with us. hello there. on wednesday, we were all in the same area of high pressure. but despite that, the amount of cloud we saw from place to place varied a lot. the cloud was at its thickest across eastern scotland and north—east england, where we saw drizzle move in from this sheet of cloud from the north sea. but there was some sunshine. western scotland did 0k, and for east anglia and southern england also there was quite a bit

of sunshine around on wednesday, and what a difference the sunshine made to how the weather looked. for example, here in cornwall, barely a cloud in the sky. now, we're going to have the same kind of weather picture with us for thursday, with the cloud varying a lot from place to place. still got a bit of drizzle falling from it, mind you, east scotland around these eastern coastal counties of england, otherwise dry start to thursday, still some frost slowly melting away for southern england and western scotland initially. but it is across these colder parts of the country where we will have the best of the early morning sunshine. and the cloud across the north sea, i think it's going to thin through the day, so i would expect any drizzle to die away, the afternoon looking dry for all of us. cloud will tend to encroach across the midlands east anglia into parts of south—east england, leaving the best of the sunshine probably across central southern england, south west england, southern wales and probably western scotland. again, not doing too badly for some sunny spells. you might see a bit of sunshine as well in northern ireland. 0n into friday's forecast, that cloud comes further south again. so east anglia, southern england, a lot cloudier this time,

probably more in the way of breaks generally across scotland, northern ireland and probably north—west parts of both england and wales. temperatures give or take around about six degrees, so it is still on the cold side for the time of year. and the weekend has more of the same, really. high pressure stilljust about clinging on. so some cold and frosty mornings, largely dry weather picture with some of you seeing some sunshine, others staying a little on the cloudy side, but it will remain on the cold side. now, beyond that, next week, we get northerly winds diving southwards. they will bring some snow to scotland, i'm sure about that. we could see a weather system move into the cold air, which could bring some snowfall on its northern edge as well across parts of england and wales. but there's still a little bit more uncertainty about that. however, there is plenty of potential to see some disruptive weather with cold, icy and maybe snowy conditions next week.

v0|ce—0ver: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. one of the key drivers of human thought and behaviour throughout history has been knowledge of our own mortality. from childhood, each of us knows we will die. religion, philosophy and science all wrestle with that fact and have, in different ways, embraced the quest for immortality. my guest today, stephen cave, director of the cambridge institute for humanity and technology, is at the centre of a growing debate about the merits of extending human longevity. is it wise to seek to live forever?