mr speaker, i agree about the importance of the royal mail's universal service obligation, and as you will have heard from the minister this morning, we remain absolutely committed to ensuring that it remains as it is. a russian military plane crashes near ukraine. russia's defence ministry says ukrainian prisoners of war were on board. councils in england are set to receive half a billion pounds in emergency funding as some warn they could go bankrupt. another victory for donald trump as he wins the republican primary in new hampshire but rival nikki haley vows to fight on. and how a fertility breakthrough involving ivf could save the northern white rhino from extinction. and coming up on bbc news... a match he said destroyed him but still daniil medvedev makes the semi finals of the australian open, beating hubert hurkacz in five sets and four hours.

good afternoon. royal mail could be allowed to reduce letter deliveries to five or even just three days a week. these are amongst the options being considered by the communications watchdog, ofcom. it says a universal postal service risks becoming unsustainable following a large fall in the numbers of letters we send. the prime minister has said that he's opposed to any cuts in key services provided by the royal mail. here's our business correspondent, theo leggett. it has been the same for generations. every day from monday to saturday postal workers have been out and about delivering letters. it is a service royal mail is still obliged to offer by law, but it is struggling to maintain it. and that leaves people like peter from

ormskirk feeling frustrated. years a . o ormskirk feeling frustrated. years a . 0 cu ormskirk feeling frustrated. years ago you would _ ormskirk feeling frustrated. years ago you would know _ ormskirk feeling frustrated. years ago you would know your- ormskirk feeling frustrated. years ago you would know your post - ormskirk feeling frustrated. la" ago you would know your post or postwoman and it would be the same person week in, week out for quite a long time. now we find every time we have a delivery it is a different person so you get wrong deliveries, you get no deliveries, i don't think they know the rounds quite so well. now ofcom says the 60 service could be reduced to five or even three days a week. and deliveries could be slowed down, with most letters taking three days to arrive, although an urgent post could still be delivered next day. what although an urgent post could still be delivered next day.— although an urgent post could still be delivered next day. what we are sa in: be delivered next day. what we are saying today _ be delivered next day. what we are saying today is _ be delivered next day. what we are saying today is the _ be delivered next day. what we are saying today is the number - be delivered next day. what we are saying today is the number of - saying today is the number of letters we are sending since 2011 has halved. so something has got to give the service willjust be too costly and stamp prices will go up or it will become unsustainable. so we are opening up a debate on this today, we are not proposing a specific answer. what we want to do is hear people's views about something that remains incredibly important to us and we'll be in the future. , ., , , ., .,

future. the problem is too few eo - le future. the problem is too few people are _ future. the problem is too few people are sending _ future. the problem is too few people are sending letters - future. the problem is too few l people are sending letters these days and more and more of us rely on digital communication. that makes the service very expensive to run and royal mail is losing a lot of money. and royal mail is losing a lot of mone . . and royal mail is losing a lot of mone. . . ., and royal mail is losing a lot of mone. .., money. the postal operator says chan . e is money. the postal operator says change is badly _ money. the postal operator says change is badly needed. - money. the postal operator says change is badly needed. letters| money. the postal operator says - change is badly needed. letters have fallen from 20 billion a year to 7 billion a year as consumer behaviour has changed. we are only delivering about four letters per week and what we need, given the fact that royal mail lost about £190 million last year is a sustainable universal service and one that people really need. . ., service and one that people really need. _, , service and one that people really need. .. , , need. ofcom says the changes it is su: caestin need. ofcom says the changes it is suggesting could — need. ofcom says the changes it is suggesting could save _ need. ofcom says the changes it is suggesting could save hundreds i need. ofcom says the changes it is suggesting could save hundreds of| suggesting could save hundreds of millions of pounds for royal mail. but they need government approval and ministers don't seem enthusiastic. i and ministers don't seem enthusiastic.— and ministers don't seem enthusiastic. ., , . enthusiastic. i do understand letter volumes are _ enthusiastic. i do understand letter volumes are decreasing _ volumes are decreasing significantly, but nevertheless a six—day service is really important for our citizens, but also for businesses that rely on saturday deliveries. that is the magazine sector and the greeting card sector.

last year royal mail settled a bitter dispute with employees represented by the communication workers union over pay and conditions. but now the union is angry once again. it said we are not resistant to change, but we will not sign up to a three—day universal service obligation. it could destroy royal mail as we know it and impact thousands ofjobs. with fewer and fewer people sending letters, changes to postal services are widely seen as inevitable. delivering a solution that suits royal mail, its employees, its customers and politicians is likely to be an uphill challenge. a russian military transport plane has crashed in the southern belgorod region bordering ukraine. mobile phone footage captured the incident. at least 65 people, ukrainian prisoners of war, were killed according to russia's ministry of defence. there is as yet no independent confirmation of this. the ria novosti news agency said another nine people were on board,

including six crew. live now to our russia editor, steve rosenberg in moscow. steve, what more do we know about this? so this is what we know so far. early this morning about 11 o'clock local time a russian military transport plane crashed in russia's belgorod region. belgorod is one of the regions that borders ukraine. shortly after, this mobile phone footage emerged, showing the plane following from the sky and seconds later this giant fireball rising from the crash site. then the russian defence ministry said that on board the plane had been a 7k people, including 65 ukrainian prisoners of war. moscow says they were due to be part of a prisoner swap later on in the day, but we cannot independently confirm that. interestingly, later this morning, the head of the russian parliament's defence committee made a statement

in parliament. he said there had been a second plane in the air carrying another 80 ukrainian prisoners of war, but that plane had turned around. now, russian officials say no one survived the crash and an investigation has begun at the crash site. russia is making it clear it believes ukraine shot the plane down or stop the russian defence ministry says it observed two ukrainian missiles. sitting here it is impossible for us to confirm this. this is what russian officials are saying, but as i say they are making it clear they believe that ukraine shot the plane down. steve, thank ou ukraine shot the plane down. steve, thank you very _ ukraine shot the plane down. steve, thank you very much. _ rishi sunak has moved to bat away suggestions he �*doesn't get�* britain. at prime minister's questions, the labour leader, sir keir starmer asked whether mr sunak was surprised one of his own mps said he wasn't listening to what people want. in a newspaper article, the former levelling up secretary, sir simon clarke, accused the prime minister of not getting the country

and called for him to be replaced. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. rishi sunak leaving downing street today. is it time for you to go? a former cabinet minister wants him to go permanently. sir simon clark was a close ally of liz truss and he has denounced what he sees as rishi sunak was an inspiring leadership and writing in the telegraph he says, the unvarnished truth is that rishi sunak is leading the conservatives into an election where we will be massacred. i know many mps are afraid another change of leader would look ridiculous, but what would be more ridiculous than meekly walking towards unavoidable annihilation. the labour leader didn't look this political gift horse in the mouth.- didn't look this political gift horse in the mouth. , , horse in the mouth. they slacken off behind his back _ horse in the mouth. they slacken off behind his back and _ horse in the mouth. they slacken off behind his back and they _ horse in the mouth. they slacken off behind his back and they cheer - horse in the mouth. they slacken off behind his back and they cheer him i behind his back and they cheer him in here. —— they slagged him off. so was he surprised to see one of his

own mps say that he doesn't get what britain needs, that he is not listening to what people want? in a tit-for-tat the — listening to what people want? in a tit—for—tat the prime minister focused on labour criticism of keir starmer. ihis focused on labour criticism of keir starmer. , ., , . ., starmer. his own party are now realisina starmer. his own party are now realising that _ starmer. his own party are now realising that he _ starmer. his own party are now realising that he simply - starmer. his own party are now realising that he simply doesn'ti realising that he simply doesn't have a — realising that he simply doesn't have a plan for this country, mr speaken — have a plan for this country, mr speaker. the member for dagenham and reynard _ speaker. the member for dagenham and reynard said it is difficult for him to find _ reynard said it is difficult for him to find the — reynard said it is difficult for him to find the purpose of his leadership.— to find the purpose of his leadershi -. ~ , leadership. the prime minister left it to his allies _ leadership. the prime minister left it to his allies to _ leadership. the prime minister left it to his allies to criticise _ leadership. the prime minister left it to his allies to criticise simon - it to his allies to criticise simon clark. if it to his allies to criticise simon clark. ., ., ,., . , clark. if we were to do something as foolish as have _ clark. if we were to do something as foolish as have an _ clark. if we were to do something as foolish as have an internal— clark. if we were to do something as foolish as have an internal argumenti foolish as have an internal argument at this stage, all it would do is open the doorfor at this stage, all it would do is open the door for keir starmer. it would take 53 tory mps to trigger a no—confidence vote in the prime minister. no-confidence vote in the prime minister. , , ., minister. the eyes to the right, 320, the noes, _ minister. the eyes to the right, 320, the noes, 376. _ minister. the eyes to the right, 320, the noes, 376. so - minister. the eyes to the right, 320, the noes, 376. 60 of - minister. the eyes to the right, | 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them minister. the eyes to the right, - 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them voted for changes — 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them voted for changes to — 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them voted for changes to the _ 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them voted for changes to the rwanda _ 320, the noes, 376. 60 of them voted for changes to the rwanda bill - for changes to the rwanda bill earlier this month. so simon clark's stinging criticism of rishi sunak

are shared privately by many more conservative mps, but some of the most prominent rwanda rebels, such as the former home secretary suella braverman, and the immigration minister robertjenrick, have not call for rishi sunak to go. so it would seem another conservative leadership contest is not in the mix. rishi sunak became prime minister partly to bring calm to previous chaos, but behind in the polls he is finding descent and division difficult to diffuse. ian watson, bbc news. let's go live now to our chief political correspondent, henry zeffman, who's in central lobby in the houses of parliament. henry, how damaging is this moment for the prime minister? it already felt this morning that sir simon clark was my challenge to rishi sunak was fizzling out a little bit. that was made abundantly clear when he arrived for prime minister's questions just before midday. it is fair to say it was performing tivoli raucous cheers from the conservative benches,

saying they still supported him. let's be clear, the conversations i have been having with conservative mps this morning and many of them agree with at least part of simon clark was much criticism. they agreed the opinion polls look very bad and the conservatives disagree with him that changing leader would do anything but make it worse. at prime minister's questions we got a taste for how rishi sunak will fight this year, assuming he stays in place. he really went for sir keir starmer over labour�*s green policies and other policies beside, but also over his legal record and also his own principles, calling him the human weather vane. sir keir starmer in turn renewed the previous charge that rishi sunak doesn't understand britain. he pointed to tory splits. and he mocked the cheers that rishi sunak was receiving from the conservative benches. a taste for what this general election year is going to look like, it is going to be personal. going to look like, it is going to be personal. a police chief has said more should

have been done to arrest a man who went on to kill three people in nottingham. valdo calocane, fatally attacked school caretaker ian coates and students barnaby webber and grace 0'malley—kumar, and on the 13th ofjune last year. the 32—year—old is being sentenced at nottingham crown court after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. let's cross live to the court. what happened this morning? first let's cross live to the court. what happened this morning?— let's cross live to the court. what happened this morning? first of all, that statement _ happened this morning? first of all, that statement that _ happened this morning? first of all, that statement that we _ happened this morning? first of all, that statement that we have - happened this morning? first of all, that statement that we have heard i that statement that we have heard from the assistant chief constable of nottinghamshire police, rob griffin, in that statement he said that an arrest warrant had been issued for valdo calocane after he failed to attend court in september 2022 over an alleged assault of a police officer. he was never arrested for that and nine months later we know he fatally stabbed three people. in that statement rob griffin says, i personally reviewed this matter and we should have done more to arrest him. he does,

however, go on to say that it is in his opinion highly unlikely he would have received a custodial sentence. in court today we began by first of all watching a video statement from barnaby webber�*s younger brother, charlie webber, in which he spoke of his brother, barnaby, as his hero. then we heard from three psychiatrists, talking about valdo calocane's history of mental illness. the court has heard that he has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and has experienced episodes of psychosis since at least 2019. the first psychiatrist we heard from, professor nigel blackwood, who was giving evidence for the prosecution, said the assaults injune 2023 would not have occurred in the absence of valdo calocane's psychosis. he went on to say that he would recommend a hospital order. that decision ultimately lies with the judge. we are currently expecting a sentence to be passed tomorrow.

councils in england are set to receive half a billion pounds in emergency funding. a growing number of local authorities have been warning they are on the brink of effective bankruptcy. theatres, public toilets and even cctv are just a few of the services that could be cut. research revealed councils in the uk are facing a combined debt of nearly £100 billion. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been to somerset, where a "financial emergency" was declared in november. it's early on a freezing morning and protesters are gathered outside somerset council's offices. they're hoping to save their recreation centre, which is threatened with closure. i don't really understand it. like, why would they want to get rid of something that's so important to everyone? outside they met the council leader who said with funding so tight, they're looking at every option to avoid going bust. and that does mean cuts. anything that we can do, we will do it. it's tough times ahead. the council allowed us to film as they discussed the budget,

which will kick in from april. they say they have to save £100 million. and it's notjust here. right now councils around the country are going through a similar process. these are not things that we would ever wish to be considering. here they're asking the government to let them put up council tax by 10%. and they've been upfront about what might go, including funding for the recreation centre, which has caused such concern. it would be another nail in the coffin of the area of south somerset, which is recognised as one of the most deprived areas in the south west. later on we went to yeovil to see the sports facility. this is the only facilities we have around here which everyone can play, what did you think when you heard it might lose its funding and would be at risk? , , ., at risk? this is where i get to relax and _ at risk? this is where i get to relax and escape _ at risk? this is where i get to relax and escape reality - at risk? this is where i get to relax and escape reality a - at risk? this is where i get to | relax and escape reality a bit.

when you come along here, the strength of feeling is obvious. these are just the hockey players, but there's also the athletics club and the football club as well. they've mounted a huge campaign to try and save this, but this isn't the only thing that's at risk. the council is also looking at turning off all cctv cameras, closing public toilets, withdrawing funding for some support services like citizens advice. and there are some people who are really worried about the impact on the community. how long have you lived in taunton? about 55 years. in taunton i met local resident sue. she has ms, which affects her mobility, and she's concerned about feeling safe without cctv in the town. it would make me and others feel vulnerable. you know, if you've got any disability, you know, i walk with a stick. yes, ido yes, i do feel unsafe. the first thing they should look at is in how savings, where our savings to be made that could not hit the public? it isn'tjust here in somerset. councils around the country are trying to balance their budgets. the government is increasing the amount of funding they'll get from april, with a total of £61t billion for councils in england. but many are still

facing shortfalls. back at the council offices, they're looking at all the options before final decisions are made. but the leader says their choices are limited. there might be some people that go, "you know what? councils just have made bad decisions." the reality is the vast majority of councils are well managed, well run by people who care desperately about their local community. we need to have a national debate about local councils and how they are funded. it's clear local government is under pressure and it could be communities that pay the price. that is the situation in somerset but councils around the country are going through this process and there is pressure on the prime minister. in december the government said it would make £61t billion available to councils from april but a0 conservative mps vote to the prime minister saying you need to increase that and we understand that ministers will make an extra £500

million available, emergency funding. less than the council leaders wanted but it will be welcomed by the sector and go some way to easing some pressures that you heard about. but it is still likely that council tax will go up in many places and what the extra funding will not do is solve some long—term challenges of funding services like social care. storm jocelyn is bringing disruption to parts of the uk, two days after storm isha caused severe damage and left two people dead. in scotland rail services are getting back to normal after many routes were cancelled or disrupted. flooding has hit parts of yorkshire as a result of the storm with the city of york bearing the brunt of heavy rain. many parts of the city are underwater with homes and businesses flooded. in wales, a search has resumed for a woman feared missing at sea after it was suspended overnight. the alarm was raised in porthcawl, bridgend yesterday evening. and in the north east of the country, the tyne and wear

metro has been disrupted between monkseaton and north shields as a result of the storms. the time is 13:18. our top story this afternoon. the royal mail could reduce deliveries to three days a week to save money, one of a number of proposals being put forward by the regulator. one of the uk's best known rappers and grime mcs, skepta, is moving into the world of movies with the creation of his own �*black james bond'. coming up on bbc news. ben stokes says he is devastated that spinner shoaib bashir�*s visa issues are preventing him from travelling to india for the first test as he picks the other three specialist spinners in his squad for the match in hyderabad tomorrow. donald trump has won the new hampshire primary — the second contest to decide who will be the republican nominee in this november's presidential election. he beat his last remaining rival,

former us ambassador to the un nikki haley, but she vowed to fight on despite the defeat. nomia iqbal sent this report. it was an election result donald trump accepted. well, i want to thank everybody. this is a fantastic state. this is a great, great state. new hampshire gave him a big win, but not a blowout. leaving his rival, nikki haley, still on for the fight to secure the republican party's presidential nomination. well, i'm a fighter. and i'm scrappy. and now we're the last one standing next to donald trump. that was a comment that trump really didn't like. and she was up and i said, "wow, she's doing like a speech like she won." she didn't win. she lost.

the race to win new hampshire was seen as a real test for donald trump's strength. nearly a0% of people here are independent voters. at this polling station, voters were greeted by others making their points loud and clear. amongst them, glen, who arrived early. nikki haley, who i support, is a good person who, while i don't agree with all of her conservative views, i'm sort of half liberal, half conservative, she is a strong person. but sue is no fan of nikki haley. she thinks she would be nowhere without trump, who once appointed her un ambassador. there is something to be said for loyalty. you don't see nikki haley as loyal? i don't. give him a shot, give him the second term that he deserved, frankly. but it is interesting that you are both here, and getting on very well. very well! i even made him hot chocolate! two different opinions,

two very different votes. but friendly neighbours in the snow. voters in new hampshire here play an outsized role in deciding presidential nominees. that's despite it being one of the smallest states in the country. mark is a registered republican who is voting for nikki haley. if trump were to win, i would be worried for the future of the nation. we'll see you on the trail! donald trump's path to the republican presidential nomination may be clearer, but to return to the white house, he'll likely face joe biden, the man who beat him at the ballot box four years ago. nomia iqbal, bbc news, new hampshire. 0ur north america correspondent emma vardy is in new hampshire. and, emma, what next for these two candidates? nikki haley has said she will fight on arguing that donald trump has been a disasterfor the republican party and just brings chaos. she points out that just a small

proportion of voters overall have been able to have their say so far so she will contest the next significant fight which is in south carolina. the problem for her is that new hampshire was her best chance of beating donald trump because there are more college educated and more independent photos here and the fact that donald trump had a convincing win here means he is overwhelmingly now likely to be the republican nominee to go on to fightjoe biden in the presidential election in november. what we saw in new hampshire is despite all his legal drama is donald trump still has strong support from the republican base, they love his style and his approach to issues like immigration. the bigger question for donald trump is how many undecided voters he could win over in an eventual presidential election as that would be much harder to do. emma, thank you. now a look at some other stories making the news today. a man is in a serious condition

in hospital after being attacked by a dog in south lanarkshire. the dog, described as a "large, bulldog—type" also attempted to attack an officer and wounded another man. it was shot dead by police. police scotland have said they are still trying to establish the breed of the dog. grassroots music venues across the uk are under threat of closure, and the charity the music venue trust say it's because of rising bills and rent increases. according to the charity's research, 125 locations were forced to stop providing music performances last year, and more than half shut entirely. hidden charges for online consumers are set to be banned under new laws. the rules would force businesses to include mandatory fees at the start of the shopping process, such as booking fees for cinema and train tickets. an international team of scientists has successfully implanted a southern white rhino embryo into a rhino for the first time. it's proof ivf is possible

in this species. they hope the technique can be used to save the northern white rhino, which is technically "extinct" as the only two remaining female animals can no longer carry a pregnancy because of their age or health. this report from our science editor, rebecca morelle. the last two northern white rhinos left on the planet. najin and fatu, a mother and daughter, living in a reserve in kenya. the species is all but extinct. now, a fertility breakthrough has offered some hope. in a world first, scientists have successfully carried out rhino ivf. but in a less endangered southern white rhino, a close cousin to the northern white. a southern white rhino embryo created in a lab from sperm and an egg was implanted into a surrogate mum. it's taken years and 13 attempts

for a rhino to fall pregnant. it is really a great milestone to achieve the first successful embryo transfer in the rhino. it's very challenging in terms of placing an embryo inside of the reproductive tract, which is almost two metres inside of the animal. with this achievement, we are very confident that we will be able to create northern white rhinos in the same manner. the material they need is held in a lab in berlin. this is a frozen ark. tissues from hundreds of different animals are perfectly preserved in liquid nitrogen inside these tanks. but the most precious samples are stored inside here. a small number of northern white rhino embryos, created by the scientists here. and they're the last chance of saving this species. there are just 30 of these lab made northern white embryos, but there's a complication. najin and fatu, the last northern whites, can't carry a pregnancy.

so instead the embryos have to be implanted into a southern white rhino surrogate mother. ivf across two subspecies has never been attempted before, but the team is confident it will work. the speed of progress we did, we will see relatively soon the first calf on the ground, and then i may retire before the first reintroduction into the wild will take place, but i think it is not too far away. it might be in10, 15 years. but the ivf success with the southern white rhino was struck by tragedy. two months into the pregnancy, the rhino died of an unrelated bacterial infection. a post mortem found the foetus had a 95% chance of being born, proof that the technique works. the team's attention is now turning to the northern white rhinos, so the first calf will be born while najin and fatu are still around. it's a race against time for this species. rebecca morrelle, bbc news.

scientists say they may have found the last unidentified emperor penguin colonies in the antarctic. the four previously unknown nesting sites were spotted by satellite. emperors, the tallest of the penguin species, are considered to be acutely vulnerable to climate change. this map shows all of the known penguins colonies marked with blue dots around the antarctic peninsula with the four newly identified colonies marked with red dots. and here you can see a satellite image of one of the new colonies close up inside the red square. and another one here. the colonies are traced by the stains the penguins leave behind, and are visible even from space. but scientists say the emperor penguins are facing an uncertain future as they constantly have to adapt to finding new nesting sites. the ice will decline with warming temperatures and that's going to affect the chicks and

the chicks will go into the water and not survive. so that's, it's quite a grim scenario. what we hope is that they'll be able to adapt and they'll be able to move to more stable ice. one of the uk's best known rappers and grime mcs, skepta, is swapping beats for the big screen. tonight in london he will debut a short film about a nigerian immigrant turned hitman, which features a 90% ethnic minority cast. yasmin rufo reports. everyone has to suffer a little in life. don't they? meet tribal mark. pain... the anti—hero of a new universe that centres around a nigerian immigrant moving to london, who ends up as a top secret service agent. the man behind it is rapper skepta, a pioneer of grime music. # when it's shutdown, that's not me. # and it's shutdown... #. the mercury prize winning artist has turned his hand to filmmaking, drawing on experiences

from his own youth and creating a character he feels is missing from the big screen. there was always talks of who's going to be the blackjames bond, and after a while ijust kind of got bored of that narrative. and, you know, james bond is white, so i wanted to make a character, a superhero, for black actors. i feel like this one now that we've made is that story. why? why is tribal mark tribal mark? and in the feature length film, i think we're just going to go straightjames bond with it. i'm interested in understanding to what extent you resonate with some of mark's experiences as a young boy and then as a young adult. i've always had an element of dissociation because of how i grew up in my house. it was like everything in my house is nigerian. but then when i stepped out my front door, i was in the uk. but it's not a skepta biopic though, because i'm not a hit man. # i stayed down till i came up... #. the movie also unusually features a 90% ethnic minority cast and production team.

after the black lives matter movement, major studios committed to creating more diverse films. but three years on, industry reports have found they're still failing to do so. that was one of skepta's motivations behind this film. the task here was to try and tell a story, but to try and get as much as the real emotion into it told through cinema. skepta! as he looks towards hollywood, skepta will be hoping his film franchise can reach the same heights as his music career. yasmin rufo, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. the weather this week has dominated with those storms but something overshadowed a bit is the feel of the weather. last week it was bitterly cold with a lot of lying

snow and temperatures