on their ability to continue attacks on vessels in the red sea. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome to the programme. let's start in taiwan, where william lai has won the election and is set to become taiwan's president. he is from the governing dpp, and is set to succeed the current president, tsai ing—wen. mr lai has been labelled a "troublemaker" by china, and beijing had warned people against voting for him. in his victory speech, he pledged to use dialogue instead of confrontation in exchanges with china. he also said he hoped that beijing understood that peace will benefit both sides. as for china, it says reunification with taiwan is still inevitable despite the vote, and opposes separatist activities. rupert wingfield—hayes

reports from taipei. onto stage, the man who will now be taiwan's next president. in the end, william lai won the election by a larger margin than expected. china's campaign to intimidate voters here not to choose him failed. his supporters say, if anything, it had the opposite effect. china warned the people of taiwan not to vote for this man. they said he is a troublemaker who will take the island closer to war. well, tonight they have given their answer — by electing him their new president. speaking to the international media following his victory, president—elect lai was quick to offer beijing an olive branch. translation: over the last

eight years we have tried - continuously to extend goodwill. unfortunately, china has not responded to these gestures. we hope in the future china will realise peace serves the interests of both sides. for taiwan's main opposition party, the kmt, it was another humiliation. it had run on a platform of getting closer to china. the kmt is the party xi jinping would prefer to see running this island. instead voters gave the party he loathes an historic third presidential win. now, everybody is waiting to see how china's leader will respond. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei. mr lai's presidency will likely be judged by how well he manages an increasingly aggressive beijing and whether he can avert a major crisis in the region.

the chinese communist party has never ruled taiwan but claims the self—governing island is part of its territory. from beijing, here's our china correspondent, laura bicker. we've just had a statement from the taiwan affairs office which says that the results of these elections in the taiwan region show that the democratic progressive party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island. that's obviously a nod to the result that william lai, the new president of taiwan, new president—elect of taiwan, got 40% of the vote. so they're saying he cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island. "taiwan is part of china," obviously reiterating china's belief on that. "these elections cannot change the basic framework "and direction of cross—strait relations." now, the statement is very much what we would expect from beijing at this time. they reiterate the point that taiwan is part of china, that these results are local elections and that

unification will happen. but there is no mention of force in this statement. it says that the taiwan issue and achieving national reunification remains consistent and unwavering, their position on that, and they firmly opposed separatist activities. remember, they see the winner of taiwan's presidential election as a separatist. they see him pushing for independence and that's something that they will not tolerate. now, i've actually been to the province that's closest to taiwan here in mainland china. we spoke to a number of people there, and they say that they feel that taiwan is part of their family. they feel part of one family. and that's certainly a message that china propagates, that beijing is continually pushing this message of familial ties, that they are one family and that one day they will be unified. but i think the message that the world has heard increasingly

over the last few years is certainly beijing's intent that if peaceful unification cannot be achieved, it will do so by force. and i think having seen china's... certainly they've been building up its military. they've seen militaryjets, warships heading to the taiwan strait, increasing their presence around taiwan. and that has involved the us coming to the aid of taiwan and saying it will defend it if necessary. and i think when it comes to china's actions towards taiwan, what the world has seen is an increase in aggression. i think what we're seeing in recent weeks is an increase in outreach. and certainly the chinese diplomats have been to the united states in the last week, and their tone there has been very much about peaceful unification. and as long as the one—china policy is adhered to, china will continue to push for peaceful

reunification with taiwan. that was laura bicker. ijust want to bring you some live pictures from washington of pro—palestinian protests, and as you can see, there has been quite a turn out as pro—palestinian protests have also been taking place in london. many there have been calling for an immediate ceasefire in gaza. president biden says the us has delivered a private message to iran about the houthi movement in yemen, which iran backs. he said the us and its allies are well prepared for any further attacks in the red sea.

the us and the uk launched dozens of strikes against houthi targets in yemen on thursday night, and there was a fresh air strike last night on a radar site which it says was being used by the group. the action is in response to houthi rebels attacking vessels in the red sea, causing huge international shipping delays. for more on that, let's listen to hugo bachega. before and after — these satellite images show the impact of the american and british attacks on houthi targets in yemen. the us says airfields and weapons storage depots were destroyed. overnight, the us carried out more strikes, targeting a radarfacility in the capital, sanaa. british forces were not involved. american officials say the strikes are designed to reduce the ability of the houthis to attack ships in the red sea and called them "legitimate and proportionate". the houthis, who captured a ship in december, say they are acting to support palestinians in gaza

and to hit israel's allies. iran gives them weapons and training and the houthis say the attacks will continue unless there is a ceasefire in gaza. the attacks have disrupted the key red sea trade route — commercial vessels are now travelling around africa. it means delays and extra costs. the houthis accuse the us and its allies of an escalation on israel's behalf. they say the attacks have had no significant impact on its forces and threaten with what they describe as a very harsh and painful response. so far, their reaction has been muted. they fired a missile yesterday which didn't hit its target. also yesterday, a huge protest against the strikes was held in sanaa. the americans say they don't want a major confrontation but are warning the houthis they are ready to respond. hugo bachega, bbc news, beirut.

we've had some new pictures in of houthis holding military exercises after this latest us strike in yemen. they show targets marked with israeli and us flags bombed from houthi drones. a large number of houthi officials were gathered at the yemeni—saudi border outpost of al buqa for the exercises. the houthis warned of a "strong and effective response" to earlier strikes by the us. the un special envoy for yemen has called for maximum restraint from all sides. hisham al—omeisy is a conflict analyst and the head of pathways for reconciliation in yemen at the european institute of peace. he has also advised and worked with the us state department.

thank you so much forjoining us, we really do appreciate your time. i want to ask you, given your knowledge and expertise of all of this and the fact that the houthis have withstood years of bombardment from saudi arabia, is this sort of action enough to deter them? definitely, it would deter them. if anything, it will anger definitely, it would deter them. if anything, it willangerthem, deepen the grievances and they will definitely retaliate. you have to remember they are riding on this popular wave of discontent with gaza, and this is a message that resonates well with their popular base and attacked, theyjust announced yesterday a call for a holyjihad with many yemenis lining up holyjihad with many yemenis lining up tojoin their holyjihad with many yemenis lining up to join their ranks so they feel empowered and emboldened, they will regroup and retaliate. you empowered and emboldened, they will regroup and retaliate.— regroup and retaliate. you are talkin: in regroup and retaliate. you are talking in terms _ regroup and retaliate. you are talking in terms of— regroup and retaliate. you are | talking in terms of recruitment regroup and retaliate. you are i talking in terms of recruitment as well, that this is helping their recruitment cause, but could you also explain how this is making them

more popular at home? it is. also explain how this is making them more popular at home? it is, because this has been — more popular at home? it is, because this has been framed _ more popular at home? it is, because this has been framed as _ more popular at home? it is, because this has been framed as an _ more popular at home? it is, because this has been framed as an attack - more popular at home? it is, because this has been framed as an attack by. this has been framed as an attack by a foreign power and it has been framed as a war between the west and islam, and the houthis have been pitching themselves as the vanguard of the nation and they are hoping that this will also increase their regional recruitment drive and in a sense, this is a golden opportunity for them to increase their personnel and their reach and bolster their presence in the region so they will definitely not back down. the? presence in the region so they will definitely not back down. they also known as ansar _ definitely not back down. they also known as ansar allah _ definitely not back down. they also known as ansar allah which - known as ansar allah which represents their religious motivations. could you just explain that? motivations. could you 'ust explain that? ., ., ., , that? you have to remember the houthis are _ that? you have to remember the houthis are a _ that? you have to remember the houthis are a religiously - that? you have to remember the houthis are a religiously inspiredj houthis are a religiously inspired group and they feel they have a divine calling and they are the continuance of the prophet muhammad and should lead to the muslim nation

and should lead to the muslim nation and this resonated well with their followers in yemen and that's what they have hundreds of thousands of followers in the men but we are seeing a dangerous trend now in the region that a lot of other people from arab states are also sympathising with the houthis and are seeing the houthis as the nation, and this is dangerous because they also now have sunni arab fighters in their ranks as well. ., . , arab fighters in their ranks as well. ., ., , ,. , well. you have been describing the itfalls of well. you have been describing the pitfalls of the _ well. you have been describing the pitfalls of the strike _ well. you have been describing the pitfalls of the strike but _ well. you have been describing the pitfalls of the strike but was - pitfalls of the strike but was donations would also say that global trade was being affected and ships were attacked and this was self defence. does this not make enough of the case for the actions they have taken, in your view? it of the case for the actions they have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the — have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the west _ have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the west but _ have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the west but it _ have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the west but it does - have taken, in your view? it makes a sense in the west but it does not - sense in the west but it does not resonate well with the local audiences. to them, they see this as, if you do a compare and contrast with gaza, they are thinking it has been bombed with three months with no intervention but as soon as the western economic prosperity was threatened, immediately the us and uk acted on that and it was not lost

on the local population in the region that the attacks happened on the same day that the case was presented against israel at the icj, so this actually adds fuel to the fire in the region and adds to the idea this is a war from the west against arabs in the region. the us would insist — against arabs in the region. the us would insist that _ against arabs in the region. the us would insist that this _ against arabs in the region. the us would insist that this is _ against arabs in the region. the us would insist that this is nothing - against arabs in the region. the us would insist that this is nothing to l would insist that this is nothing to do with the war, but i understand you are making the case that the houthis would be making. thank you so much for your time and explaining the situation there. israel's military says it will consider allowing palestinian civilians displaced from northern gaza to return there — once there is no danger to them from fighting with hamas. these are the latest images from beit hannoun in northern gaza — as you can see, it's reduced to ruin.

meanwhile, prime minister benjamin netanyahu has declared in a televised address that the lawsuit south africa lodged at the international court ofjustice, alleging genocide against the palestinians, will not stop israel pursing its war in gaza until total victory. he also said they have yet to decide on whether to take over gaza's border zone with egypt. israel is keeping up its bombardment of gaza in the meantime, with the crowded southern cities of rafah and khan younis bearing the brunt of the attack. the hamas—run health ministry says 23,815 palestinians have now been killed in israeli strikes on gaza since october seventh, most of them women and children. more than 60,000 have also been wounded. rockets were also fired from gaza into southern israel. and the israeli military says overnight, its forces killed three palestinians armed with knives, a rifle and axes, who were trying to break into a settlement

in the occupied west bank. official palestinian media says two were aged 16, and one — i9. let's bring you these live images fron the us. people have gathered in freedom plaza in washington dc to participate in a national march on washington for gaza. they are calling for an immediate ceasefire. as that is happening, here in london, thousands of pro—palestinian protesters have also marched through the centre as part of a global day of action in about 30 countries. the demonstrators called for a ceasefire in gaza. the metropolitan police said it had made several arrests "in relation

to offensive placards." but it is worth saying that those protests largely have been peaceful. our correspondent nicky schiller has been at the march for us. i am in parliament square, which is the end of the match. tens of thousands of people have taken part in the march through central london today, the first big pro—palestinian event of the year. you will remember there were a number towards the end of last year. this is the seventh national march and thousands marched through the centre of central london, including for the first time a 3.5 metre puppet, of a syrian refugee who originally was walked from the syrian—turkish border through to manchester in 2021. the reason itjoined the march today was to highlight palestinian

refugees and a number of palestinian children marched with that puppet. the march has ended up here in parliament square and speaker after speaker have called for a ceasefire now. this event is part of a number going on in a number of cities around the world. the organisers say in more than 30 countries. we know there has been a big demonstration in dublin today. all calling for a ceasefire now. one of the biggest cheers since we have been here has been for the former labour leader jeremy corbyn, one of a number of people to address the event, as well as calling for a ceasefire now, he and a number of others, including the palestinian ambassador to the uk, also praised south africa for taking its case to the international court ofjustice. accusing israel of genocide earlier in the week, something israel denies. but praise for south africa taking that case to the icj. there is a large police presence, as you would imagine, about 1,700 officers have been on duty today. some of those brought in from outside london.

i saw a police van from lancashire, the lancashire force here to make sure that everything went off peacefully. the met police say at the moment to arrests have been made, they say that was in relation to offensive placards, and at the beginning of the day they warned that they wouldn't hesitate to act if they saw any placards that went against any of the laws, and they were handing out leaflets to people, urging them not to display any offensive banners. as i say, two arrests have been made. today's protest, pro—palestinian, tomorrow there will be a pro—israeli demonstration, that will be in trafalgar square. but here in parliament square, the speeches behind me continue and you can see a lot of people who are taking part in the march have stayed here to listen to the speakers all, as i said, calling for a ceasefire now in gaza. that was nicky schiller. and the number of people arrested has now risen to six —

according to the metropolitan police. but of course, again, those protests were largely peaceful. let's turn to the war in ukraine, and regions across the country have been targeted in yet another overnight barrage of russian missiles and drones. ukraine's air force counted a0 attacks and said it had shot down eight missiles. the full impact of the attack is not clear, but buildings were damaged in both the sumy and chernihiv regions in the north. russia's defence ministry said the assault focused on ukraine's military—industrial complex, adding, without providing evidence, that all targets had been hit. a bear left injured after russian shelling of a zoo in ukraine has arrived at his new home in scotland. yampil, a 12—year—old asiatic black bear, was one of the few animals to survive the attack in the donetsk region.

named after the village where he was found, rescuers initially moved him to an animal sanctuary in belgium. he has now been permanently rehomed to the five sisters zoo in west lothian. now, let's move on to another story. officials in colombia say a landslide has killed 33 people in the northwest of the country — many of them children. after 2a hours of heavy rain, part of a mountain detached, crashing down on a busy road connecting the cities of medellin and quibdo. it is feared that more people may be buried under the mud, which engulfed several cars on the road. here in the uk, there's fresh anger over the post office scandal after it was revealed executives may have been overpaid thousands of pounds in bonuses. it comes as the tax office investigates whether the company underpaid as much as £100 million in corporation tax by deducting compensation payments to victims of the horizon it scandal from its profits.

our business correspondent, marc ashdown, has more. more questions for the post office — this time over who benefited from the mistreatment of hundreds of sub—postmasters. it seems compensation payments made to victims of the horizon it scandal were deducted from the company's profit before it paid tax, but seem to have been ignored when setting bonuses for executives. tax experts are questioning whether the company could have underpaid its tax bill, while possibly overpaying top bosses. companies pay corporation tax on their profits. you're allowed a tax deduction for legitimate expenses. persecuting postmasters for 15 years and paying them compensation is not a legitimate expense. that means that their real tax bill is a lot higher. that means that bonuses paid to executives who are running a supposedly profitable business should be looked at again. it's stoked yet more anger — and there are calls now for some of that money to be paid back.

i think our big concern is that the public's basically been double—crossed. it looks on first blush as if the post office has been underpaying its taxes and overpaying its bosses, and, frankly, that's what we've got to get to the bottom of this week. the post office said its financial information was appropriate and accurate, but its latest accounts state that it is engaged in discussions with the tax office regarding potential tax liabilities. an adverse outcome, it says, could be material. that could mean the post office is liable for up to £100 million in unpaid tax. now, if enforced, that could render the business technically insolvent — although the government is the ultimate owner and could step in. for those like janet skinner, who have had their lives ruined, it's yet another insult. do you know what? anything that they do doesn't surprise me in the slightest. undercutting their taxes but still able to pay themselves bonuses? i think it's absolutely disgraceful.

they should never have been allowed to pay themselves bonuses because of everything that's going on. as more and more details of the horizon it scandal are laid bare at the ongoing public inquiry, fresh questions and fresh anger over how the post office has been run. marc ashdown, bbc news. now, it's one of the most popular shows on television, and now thousands of fans of rupaul�*s drag race are attending a huge convention, dedicated to the hit programme. more than 190 former contestants will also be appearing. here's josh parry. applause and cheering. applause and cheering start your engines, drag race—mania has descended on london. the hit tv show sees drag queens from around the world compete to be crowned the winner, and it's become a global phenomenon. for the uninitiated, think of drag race as the olympics of drag, and dragcon here at the excel is the chance for the show�*s biggest fans to meet up, shop till they drop and have a meet—and—greet

with their favourite queens from across the globe. they spread so much love and they have so much love towards us that if i can give a fraction of that back to you and just show my gratitude for you coming here today and having a great time with everyone, let me do that. and it's not alljust about the wigs and dresses — drag has become big business. tens of thousands of fans are expected at london's excel this weekend, and similar events in the us have seen merchandise sales top more than £9 million in previous years. because it's so inclusive, anyone can watch it, anyone can be a part of it and it's all about love. it is a cultural phenomenon, it's changed so many lives. it changed my life. i'm obsessed, i love it. it's colourful, it's camp, it's chaotic, and from the reception the queens got here today, it's clear to see rupaul won't be sashaying away for some time yet. josh parry, bbc news, london.

finally, new zealand's former prime ministerjacinda ardern has married her longterm partner, clarke gayford, in a small private ceremony in the country's north island. the wedding was originaly scheduled for early 2022 but was postponed due to the strict restrictions she herself imposed during the covid pandemic. that is all from us but please do keep watching bbc news. although the weekend has started off on a largely fine note was some sunshine around, things will turn colder toward sunday, and into the start of next week it looks very cold as we open the floodgates to these arctic northerlies, bringing plenty of showers. you can see on the latter part of sunday the dark blue parts across the board. so there will be showers

across coastal areas and showers in northern scotland turning increasingly wintry as we pick up that cold and strong northerly wind and there will be a risk of frost and ice where there are showers and we hold on to cloud it will not be as cold. sunday is a chilly start and with some sunshine around an variable amounts of rain too, a few showers draped around eastern coastal areas, but showers turning increasingly to snow across scotland and as we move through the day, temperatures start to come down, still five to 7 degrees for england and wales. into monday, we're all into that run of very cold, strong northerly winds, strongest around the coast, they'll see some of the heavy snow showers, even affecting eastern coastal areas and some down through the irish sea into pembrokeshire and may into the high ground of south—west england and also coastal parts of northern ireland. but inland areas will stay dry with plenty of sunshine, look at these temperatures, between one and four celsius and you factor

in the strong northerly wind it will feel more like these temperatures suggest, —6 and —8 celsius. tuesday is a very cold day with plenty of sunshine and eastern areas and snow showers across scotland and we could see this feature running into northern ireland, and northern wales where there will be sleet and snow and there could be some disruption with this. but for the south it stays dry, but it is another day, but it is another cold day, particularly if you factor in the wind. this area of low pressure could bring some disruptive snow to southern britain and it doesn't look like that'll happen, it looks like it'll stay across france but it will stakeholder for much of this upcoming week, particularly the first part of the week is staying very cold with a risk of snow across northern areas which could be disruptive and nights will be cold with severe frost and ice to look out for.

this is bbc news, the headlines... william lai from taiwan's ruling party wins the presidential election and vows to defend the island from china's intimidation and maintain its democratic way of life. but china said "reunification" with taiwan was still "inevitable" after the election on the self—ruled island that beijing claims as its own. the us military says they have carried out a fresh new strike on a houthi target in yemen, a day after dozens of similar us—british airstrikes across the country. in what the us calls a "follow—up action" to thursday night's attacks, a us ship fired missiles at a radar site. and in the uk, the minister responsible for the post office has called forjail time for those

responsible for an it scandal in which hundreds of workers were falsely accused of theft. now it is sportsday with gavin. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm gavin ramjaun. lots on the way, including a cracking start to the late premier league between newcastle and manchester city. chelsea are hitting form — they continue their winning streak, with victory over rivals fulham. another chance to make history for ronnie o'sullivan, who sails into the masters final by beating shaun murphy.

and drama in the final moments again for exeter —