florida governor ron desantis drops out of the race for the white house and backs donald trump. and anticipation builds as los angeles prepares for oscars nominations announcement tomorrow morning. —— for oscars nominations announcements tomorrow morning. very warm welcome to the programme. we begin in the uk, where people are waking up this morning to the effects of storm isha, which tore through the country overnight, bringing rain and gusts of wind of up to 99 mph. a red warning, meaning danger to life, was issued for coastal areas in the north—east of scotland. tens of thousands of homes are without electricity and uprooted trees are blocking roads. flights and trains have been

cancelled and travel disruptions are expected to last well into monday. aruna iyengar has this report. —— well into today. storm isha has hit hard, lashing the coast of ireland. this was a sea sidewalk in county louth. the harbour in county louth. the harbour in county antrim. an inland torrential rain and strong winds in the town of avoine. wales and solar winds reaching 90 mph. this was the coast of anglesey. in scotland, roads were closed due to falling trees. this tree came down in the clinic. luckily, nobody was injured. storm isha has also caused power cuts for tens of thousands of homes in northern ireland, north west england and wales. the somerfield in cumbria suspended operations

overnight, staff told there were no safety issues but the closure was a precautionary step. there's disruption the railways. this tree fell onto trucks in north lanarkshire. scott bell has cancelled all of its rush—hour trains this morning. its rush-hour trains this morning-— its rush-hour trains this morninu. ., morning. the extreme weather conditions _ morning. the extreme weather conditions were _ morning. the extreme weather conditions were brought - conditions were brought about by storm isha meant it would not be safe to run passenger trains. that's in the interests of passengers and staff. services will not start up until later in the day because we have to check every track and every route to make sure it is safe. �* ., ~' and every route to make sure it is safe. �* ., ~ ., ., is safe. and network rail have im osed is safe. and network rail have imposed 50 — is safe. and network rail have imposed 50 mph _ is safe. and network rail have imposed 50 mph speed - imposed 50 mph speed restrictions across many roots. in the air, travel is proving tricky. more than 100 flights were cancelled at dublin airport yesterday. and the conditions some planes from landing at heathrow. film! conditions some planes from landing at heathrow. 0h! she's u -i she's landing at heathrow. 0h! she's up! she's down. _ landing at heathrow. 0h! she's up! she's down. she's - landing at heathrow. 0h! she's up! she's down. she's gone! i up! she's down. she's gone! people are being warned to be particularly careful many

coastal areas because of flying debris. weather conditions are expected to quieten down and then, get ready for another storm heading our way related in the week. —— later in the week. aruna iyengar, bbc news. of course we have wept the microphone weather updates on our website. they are all there for you to have a look at. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has again rejected the idea of creating a palestinian state, despite a phone call with us president biden, who said he believed that might still be possible. mr netanyahu also rejected hamas's demands for israeli forces to withdraw from gaza in return for the release of the israeli hostages. the death toll in gaza has now surpassed 25,000, according to the hamas—run health ministry. with the latest from jerusalem, here's mark lowen.

lives on a list that grows by the day. an overnight air strike adding them to a new milestone — more than 25,000 killed in gaza since israel's offensive began, says hamas. numbers out of date by the hour. israel's focus is now southern gaza, pounded from the air, backed by naval, but there have been clashes in the north, too. israel's army — vastly superior to hamas — is still facing significant resistance across the territory. the israeli defence forces released pictures of a new tunnel they say they found, booby—trapped and more than 800m long. and, they say, it's likely to have held israeli hostages. translation: in the tunnel, we found five cells. _ each had a toilet and a mattress, enclosed by metal bars. according to testimonies

we have, about 20 hostages were held in this tunnel at different times, in difficult conditions — without daylight, with stuffy air, very little oxygen, and terrible humidity that makes it difficult to breathe. but more than three months in, israel still hasn't destroyed hamas or got the remaining hostages home, and splits are growing here. anti—war protesters — still few — scuffled with police. most israelis have rallied around their flag but not their prime minister, and his continued opposition to a palestinian state is angering allies. i think it's very disappointing that benjamin netanyahu has said that. it's not, in some sense, a surprise — he's spent his entire political career against a two—state solution. but the point is, which other routes is there to seriously resolve this? here in israel, public patience with the war isn't limitless

and us intelligence is reported to have concluded that israel has only killed between 20% to 30% of hamas fighters and that the group has enough weapons to continue striking back for months, raising the spectre of a prolonged conflict. and prolonged suffering on both sides. for children, wracked with fever but unable to get medicine as gaza's hospitals run desperately short, and a lack of clean water makes disease rife. doctors resort to a weak syrup to treat the young, often orphaned, but it does little to dull the pain of gaza's war. mark lowen, bbc news, jerusalem. with me is mohamed taha from bbc arabic. good morning. we are starting another week, we're coming into another week, we're coming into another new week in whole war between the two. netanyahu, a

lot of pessimism about what he has been saying?— has been saying? indeed, lots of pessimism _ has been saying? indeed, lots of pessimism because - has been saying? indeed, lots of pessimism because he - has been saying? indeed, lots of pessimism because he told | of pessimism because he told biden last week that he might be open for a two state solution and then a day after that he turned back and said there is no way for a two state solution. and this is basically the situation and the basis of his government because netanyahu of my government is based on refusing the two state solution, according to the what might ring ministers in his cabinet like ranvir. we saw in lebanon overnight bombarding to the bernese villages and the hezbollah retaliated to israeli settlement in the north. we saw that netanyahu does not accept even the palestinian authority

to stay in the west bank. he wants to take the security control in the west bank as well. and as mr schapps said in the programme, it is really disappointing. what is the way out of this accept way a two—state solution? hamas has the power to stay in this war for several months and the israelis are really keen to continue on this war. and as it continues. _ continue on this war. and as it continues, the _ continue on this war. and as it continues, the numbers - continue on this war. and as it continues, the numbers are i continues, the numbers are going up and up, surpassing 25,000, according to become hamas one health ministry, who have died in the situation. indeed, it is very dire and not only the number of deaths, 80% of the houses in gaza are destroyed, people are living in tents, there are 20,000 children born during this time, they are really in need of vaccination, healthcare. there are 50,000 pregnant women and

the israelis, part of their war, even they are getting out of the bodies of the dead people from the graveyards, searching for evidence of hamas leaders killed or evidence of the hostages killed, so there is no way for them to get the hostages without a deal with hamas and this is the mounting pressure is on benjamin netanyahu inside his — inside israel to accept a deal with hamas to get these hostages out but apparently, netanyahu cares more for the continuation of war more than returning back the hostages from gaza. that's what people — the hostages from gaza. that's what people are _ the hostages from gaza. that's what people are saying, - the hostages from gaza. that's what people are saying, isn't . what people are saying, isn't it? , . , ., what people are saying, isn't it? , a , ., a , it? the perception currently. thank you — it? the perception currently. thank you for _ it? the perception currently. thank you for your _ it? the perception currently. thank you for your latest - thank you for your latest update on what is happening in israel. in the united states, the governor of florida, ron desantis, has dropped

out from the republican presidential race and endorsed donald trump. the surprise video announcement comes ahead of this week's republican primary in new hampshire, where mr desantis was polling in the single digits. his departure leaves nikki haley as mr trump's only significant rival. here's a snippet of the governor's message to his supporters. if there was anything i could do to produce a favourable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews — i would do it. but i can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory. accordingly, i am today suspending my campaign. trump is superior to the current incumbent, joe biden. that is clear. i signed a pledge to support the republican nominee and i will honour that pledge. he has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old republican guard of yesteryear — a repackaged form of warmed—over corporatism that nikki haley represents.

so, what has been the reaction to that announcement? joining me now from los gatos, california is larry gerston. he's professor emeritus of political science at sanjose state university and author of trumpism, bigotry, and the threat to american democracy. it's good to talk to you again, larry. were you surprised to see ron desantis dropping out now at this point? ida. see ron desantis dropping out now at this point?— now at this point? no, not at all. he now at this point? no, not at all- he did — now at this point? no, not at all. he did not— now at this point? no, not at all. he did not do _ now at this point? no, not at all. he did not do nearly - now at this point? no, not at all. he did not do nearly as i all. he did not do nearly as well as he had hoped to in iowa, where he invested more than $100 million and basically camped there for the last several months. coming in the distant second did not bode well for him or his sponsors, for that matter, and going onto new was also bleak because of nikki haley of my position there and the fact that so many independents were likely to vote for her —— new hampshire. so he had nowhere to go and it was best off, he believed, to

go and cut now, if you will, to preserve whatever relationships he has 42028 —— cut bait now. make no mistake, he will be backin make no mistake, he will be back in 28. make no mistake, he will be back in 2&— back in 28. does his endorsement - back in 28. does his endorsement of - back in 28. does his i endorsement of trump back in 28. does his - endorsement of trump make back in 28. does his _ endorsement of trump make a difference? i endorsement of trump make a difference?— difference? i don't believe so. one of dissenters's _ difference? i don't believe so. one of dissenters's problems | one of dissenters's problems was that he could not get trump voters and he is in many respects let's call it trump light, very much like in terms of his values, so they were fighting for the same group of people and the trump voters but why should they change what we know what we have and are happy with it? the fact that the endorses trump, it's a nice feather in his cap but it doesn't mean anything in terms of changing votes.— of changing votes. what about nikki haley? _ of changing votes. what about nikki haley? what— of changing votes. what about nikki haley? what are - of changing votes. what about nikki haley? what are her i nikki haley? what are her chances?— nikki haley? what are her chances? , , . ., . , nikki haley? what are her chances? , , . ., . chances? her best chances are tuesday. _ chances? her best chances are tuesday. no — chances? her best chances are tuesday, no question, - chances? her best chances are tuesday, no question, 45% i chances? her best chances are tuesday, no question, 45% of| tuesday, no question, 45% of the voters in new hampshire are independent, the likelihood is most of those will vote for her and most of the desantis votes,

who were left, will vote for trump. i think we are looking for a five, six, seven point differential where everybody walks away happy. trump because he wins and haley because she comes in a strong second. but after this election it gets harder for her. after this election it gets harderfor her. south after this election it gets harder for her. south carolina is a state where trump was very powerful and popular and after that, most of the state primary is are such that trump is likely to carry the day because the winner takes all. whoever gets more votes than anybody else gets all of the delegates. this is probably her high point in new hampshire and then she no doubt will be thinking about 2028. is no doubt will be thinking about 2028. , ., ., ., 2028. is that it, then, for ron desantis? _ 2028. is that it, then, for ron desantis? that's _ 2028. is that it, then, for ron desantis? that's it _ 2028. is that it, then, for ron desantis? that's it for - 2028. is that it, then, for ron desantis? that's it for now. . 2028. is that it, then, for ron | desantis? that's it for now. he was very popular— desantis? that's it for now. he was very popular in _ desantis? that's it for now. he was very popular in florida i desantis? that's it for now. he was very popular in florida and j was very popular in florida and he won the election in 2022 with a 19 point edge over his challenger. he is out for now.

there's a rumour going about already that he will run for the senate against the republican incumbent which could be a very messy affair. it will be around. he is not going anywhere because trump will have four years if he gets elected and then, someone will have to take the baton from there. desantis thinks he is there. desantis thinks he is the one to do it. mil there. desantis thinks he is the one to do it.— the one to do it. all right, larry. very _ the one to do it. all right, larry, very interesting! i the one to do it. all right, i larry, very interesting! good to get your take once again. thank you for your time. good to see you. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the man and woman found dead alongside two children in a house near norwich both died from stab wounds to the neck, according to the postmortem. norfolk police have confirmed they're not looking for anybody else in connection with the deaths. the force has referred itself to the police watchdog after it emerged that officers didn't attend a call from the house on friday morning. kate brown a 17—year—old boy who died

after a stabbing in birmingham in birmingham city centre has been named by police as muhammad hassam ali. he was found with serious injuries on saturday and died later in hospital. west midlands police say they believe he was killed in a case of mistaken identity, and have renewed their appeal for information. the duchess of york, sarah ferguson, says she's been diagnosed with skin cancer. her doctors discovered malignant melanoma while she was being treated for breast cancer. according to sources, the duchess is back in the uk after initially recuperating in austria. you're live with bbc news. a landslide has buried at least 47 people in yunnan province in southwestern china. hundreds of others have been moved to safety. television pictures from zhenxiong county show rescue workers picking their way through the debris.

temperatures in the region are bitterly cold and there has also been heavy snow. india's prime minister narendra modi is set to open a hindu temple for one of the faith's most revered deities. it's being seen as the start of his election campaign. millions of hindus are celebrating the temple opening, saying it's a long—standing dream come true. but it evokes painful memories for muslims, a mosque that stood at the site was illegally torn down, triggering religious violence across the country. many accuse mr modi of violating india's secular constitution by opening the temple. from ayodhya, the bbc�*s south asia correspondent yogita limaye reports. a display of hindu faith in a manner that's perhaps never been seen before in modern india. "hail lord ram," they shout, in praise of one of their most

revered deities. ayodhya is described as his birthplace in hindu epics. and at the spot that millions believe he was born, a grand temple will now be opened by the prime minister. translation: a dream has finally become a reality. i it's like god himself has appeared before us. this city has shaped india. it sits on one of the country's biggest hindu—muslim fault lines. the temple, built at a spot where a mosque once stood. many see it as a declaration of hindu dominance. translation: we don't| want to destroy anyone's mosque, but what has been built on the birthplace of our gods, we will not tolerate that from now on. the site was given to hindus

by a supreme court order. hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on the temple, funded from private donations. but the prime minister's presence would turn a religious ceremony into a state event, many say. especially controversial because of the history of the site. until 1992, a 16th century mosque stood there. they raise the saffron flag... illegally destroyed after a mass campaign by hindu mobs. religious violence broke out across india. thousands were killed. a campaign which has now led to hundreds of deaths. for ayodhya's muslims, it was a painful time. this lady's husband, mohammad amin, was among 17 killed in ayodhya. "they cut his arms and legs off and stuffed his body in a sack," she tells us.

"on that day i lost my biggest support, "the person i shared my life with". herson, sohrab, had hoped the country's leaders would reach out to them. translation: they should have come to us and said . what happened was wrong. they should have showed compassion. but they haven't. many in the community told us they're worried there might be trouble again after the inauguration. and so they were leaving the city for a few weeks. all major political parties have sought to appease voters through this politics of religion. but for prime minister narendra modi's bjp, its support of the temple as part of its aggressive assertion of hinduism is the reason why

it's transformed from being a small party just a few decades ago, to being seen as one that is virtually undefeatable now. at a local bjp office, preparations are on for the inauguration. i met a member of parliament from the party, lallu singh. do you think it's appropriate for the prime minister of a secular country to be the main figure at a major hindu religious event? translation: it's 10096 right. the culture of the majority community in a country dominates the nation. this does not mean we do not respect minorities. the opening of the temple is being seen as the start of prime minister modi's re—election bid, and it's expected to give him another resounding victory. one that could further polarise the nation. yogita limaye, bbc news, ayodhya. o nto onto the movie industry. all eyes will be on los angeles tomorrow morning for

an announcement that will reverberate in film circles around the world. the oscars nominations will be revealed in an early morning press c0 nfe re nce . what names will be on that coveted list? what films will be recognised? the bbc�*s tom brook has been trying to find out. several films are expected to get multiple nominations, among them christopher nolan's oppenheimer. highest grossing film of last year barbie, the much respected epic... filmmaker yorgos lanthimos. ten movies will be nominated for best picture. but this year everyone agrees even the biggest names in the business there is no paucity of strong candidates.— there is no paucity of strong candidates. �* , ~ candidates. i've been thinking about the _ candidates. i've been thinking about the movies _ candidates. i've been thinking about the movies killers, i about the movies killers, oppenheimer, poorthings, so oppenheimer, poor things, so many. oppenheimer, poorthings, so many. the colour purple. so many. the colour purple. so many wonderful movies this

year. that is the most exciting part to be able to be here and other places around people that made those movies. 1th other places around people that made those movies.— made those movies. as per awards in — made those movies. as per awards in recent _ made those movies. as per awards in recent times, i awards in recent times, oppenheimer has prevailed. it could bring its leading actor cillian murphy gong. betrayal of an ancient history teacher at a privatejob private boarding school in the holdovers. you are getting a lot of attention for your work right now. does that affect your self—esteem? i right now. does that affect your self-esteem?- right now. does that affect your self-esteem? i guess it bum -s your self-esteem? i guess it bumps it _ your self-esteem? i guess it bumps it up. _ your self-esteem? i guess it bumps it up, sure, - your self-esteem? i guess it bumps it up, sure, how- your self-esteem? i guess it| bumps it up, sure, how could your self-esteem? i guess it i bumps it up, sure, how could it not? it is a very nice thing. i think it does. i think it takes it up and notch. not too much. best actress seem surprised destined for emma stone, who gives a marvellous performance in poor thing. that price could easily go to lily gladstone portrays and/or sage movie in

martin scorsese's killers of the flower moon. gladstone thinks it portrays a turning point in the lives of indigenous people. you like to have so much indigenous talents to be on display, telling the story that people have gotten very skewed fantasised versions of to get more real telling of that. and to have the osage nation involved so heavily. it feels a historic. british talent has a long tradition of picking up oscar nomination. in addition to oppenheimer�*s cast and crew, carey mulligan plays leonard bernstein's wife in maestro. and for the horoscope, holocaust zone, jonathan glazer. andrew scott could get nominated for his role in andrew hayes but gave a man's story all of us strangers. i love the fact it has been marketed without embracing the 93v marketed without embracing the gay love story out of it because that's what used to happen. i was thought it was a weird creepy thing to do and

also slightly nonsensical. award season is of course taking place against the backdrop of some sobering realities of the outside world. the conflict in the middle east, ongoing war in the ukraine and very politically divisive presidential election campaign here in the us. but awards contenders maintained that the oscar nominations and the associated hoopla do have relevance in these strife—torn times. , we believe oscar season and some of the films are back and help people address problems in the real word and can unify our. yilba going into a movie theatre and sitting in the dark with strangers and filling your common humanity is the power of film. and it has helped society but now society is unimaginably confused. . , confused. entertainment is . reat confused. entertainment is great but _ confused. entertainment is great but we _ confused. entertainment is great but we are _ confused. entertainment is great but we are at - confused. entertainment is great but we are at a i confused. entertainment is| great but we are at a critical point — great but we are at a critical point on _ great but we are at a critical point on the planet. so i'm very— point on the planet. so i'm

very excited when a film actually goes after something in our— actually goes after something in our souland in actually goes after something in our soul and in our consciousness. something that we need — consciousness. something that we need to understand what we have _ we need to understand what we have done if we are to move forward _ have done if we are to move forward-— forward. audiences for the oscars have _ forward. audiences for the oscars have declined i forward. audiences for the oscars have declined in i forward. audiences for the i oscars have declined in recent times the event has become a diminishing spectacle but this year with two blockbusters, barbie and oppenheimer expected to be heavily nominated, be academy feels that more people around the world will tune in giving the telecast a significant and much needed ratings pump. tom brook bbc news, new york. we will be all over that of course, when those announcements come through— the nominees, the films, etc. we will also next at the top business story. we will bring you the very latest what is happening in the red sea to begin with a very important global trade route. i will be backin global trade route. i will be back in a moment and we'll see you then.

hello there. storm isha is likely to cause significant damage and disruption to parts of the uk as we push into monday morning. met office amber warnings remain in force for severe gales with these damaging gusts of wind and heavy rain. then this heavy rain combined with snow melt, because of the milder temperatures across northern areas likely to lead to localised flooding. the centre of storm isha passing just to the north of scotland, widespread severe gales on its southern flank pretty much covering most of the uk. these are the sorts of wind gusts we can expect, even inland up to 60mph or more, and in excess of 70, 80mph around some irish sea coasts. we could be looking at in excess of 90mph across parts of northern ireland and western scotland. this amber warning is valid until 6am this morning. these are the sorts of temperatures we can expect to start monday morning — 6—11 celsius. so, storm isha's likely to bring significant disruption to travel for the monday morning rush. stay tuned to your bbc local radio bulletins and also bbc breakfast for all the latest updates.

monday itself looks very windy, though storm isha pulling away into the norwegian sea, stays blustery with scattered showers, most of these in scotland, northern ireland with some snow falling on the hills. some of the showers will be heavy at times. best of the sunshine will tend to be across eastern parts of the country, and these sorts of temperatures can be 7 to 11 celsius. but as we move through monday evening and overnight, the winds will begin to ease down as a ridge of high pressure starts to build and the showers will also die off across northern and western areas. it'll turn dry, clear and cool across the north and east of the uk, but the next spell of wet and windy weather will start to work its way into western areas early on tuesday morning. here it is then on the pressure chart, the next low—pressure system to bring a spell of rain and gales. not as severe as storm isha, but still, a blustery day to come, wet and windy weather across western areas will spread to all areas through the day. could see some transient snow

on the mountains of scotland before the milder air starts to move northwards across the whole country, and it will be very mild indeed for the time of year with temperatures reaching 14, maybe 15 celsius. the weather remains quite changeable as we move through the rest of the week, wet and windy spells interspersed with drier and sunnier moments. and generally for the time of year, it's going to stay mild throughout.

live from london, this is bbc news. britain announce plans to upgrade its anti—aircraft

weapons to shoot down hostile drones over the red sea. also in the programme — bitter sweet: us candy producers count the cost of high sugar inflation. and fake olive oil: the escalating price brings threats to the integrity of the market as europol seek to tackle fake products. hello, good to have you with us. i'm sally bundock with the top business stories. we start here in the uk, where the ministry of defence has said it would spend £405 million pounds to upgrade a missile system to enable it to shoot down hostile drones over the red sea.

the defence secretary grant shapps said the royal navy