administration in dealing with events in the middle east. first, presidentjoe biden has approved sanctions on four israeli settlers accused of attacking palestinians in the occupied west bank. biden signed the executive order saying violence in the region had reached intolerable levels. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the vast majority of settlers are law abiding — but israel takes action against law—breakers and there was no need for the measures by washington. violence against palestinians in the west bank has spiked since hamas launched an unprecedented attack on israel on october 7th. the united nations estimates about 370 palestinians have been killed in the west bank since then. here in washington, the us state department urged israel's government to do more to stop the violence against civilians. there is no justification for extremist violence against a billions whenever the national origin,

against civlians whatever the national origin, ethnicity or religion. concerns been raised about israel and palestinian counterparts in violence in the west bank and stresses that israel must do more to stop violence against civilians and hold accountable those responsible. the second development in the us actions in relation to the middle east is the approval of plans for strikes against iranian personnel and facilities in iraq and syria. thisis in response to the drone attack sunday which killed three american soldiers in jordan. our us news partner, cbs, says the action will be launched over a number of days. several iran—backed groups have increased attacks on us and israel—linked entities since the israel—hamas war began. us defense secretary lloyd austin called on iran to stop supplying weapons to houthi rebels in yemen. he adds that although the us does not want a wider conflict, it reserves the right to respond to attacks on american personnel in the region.

so this is a dangerous moment in the middle east. and we will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict in the region. but we will take all necessary actions to defend the united states, our interests, and our people. and we will respond when we choose, where we choose, and how we choose. bbc verify has been analysing the impact of those strikes and, if they're making any difference. our correspondent nick eardley has more. there have been 11 sets of strikes in yemen in the past three weeks. many have been limited. the most recent were last night, focused on houthi military targets. the uk has been involved in two sets of the strikes so far. but are they working? let's start off back in november, in this area off the coast of yemen. this is where houthis — backed by iran — have been launching attacks on ships. the first few are mostly here, in the red sea.

many are near a pinch point, the bab al—mandab strait. here's an example, when houthis seized a part—israeli—owned cargo ship, the galaxy leader, and released this footage. after the initial attacks, the us and uk launched air strikes on the houthis on the 11th of january. there were more joint strikes 11 days later, too. the us has also launched several attacks on its own and intercepted this vessel, which it says was transporting iranian weapons to the houthis. all the while, though, houthi attacks continue. they're starting to move south, into the gulf of aden. one example — the marlin luanda, a tanker with links to the uk. it was set on fire after being hit by a missile. the frequency of houthi attacks, though, hasn't fallen. in the three weeks before the first us and uk strikes, there were six. in the three weeks since the us and uk action, there have been nine. and here's the impact — there's a lot less traffic going through the red sea now. instead, vessels are sailing around africa, which takes a lot longer.

and it costs a lot more too. this is the increased cost for transporting freight — it's shot up. those growing costs will have an impact here. it'll take longer for some goods to get to the uk, and it could mean higher costs for customers. i discussed all of the developments in the region with david makovsky, former senior advisor to the special envoy for israeli—palestinian negotiations, and director of the koret project on arab—israel relations at the washington institute. let's have a look at that move byjoe biden today, the sanctions on the israeli settlers in the relation to the attacks carried out in the west bank. what impact do you think that will have? it's a signal that the administration that it will not tolerate these attacks by those vigilantes among the settlers who have been attacking

palestinians since october seven. i was over the and talked to senior us military officials and israelis and leaders as well, there is an understanding that it cannot stand and i think the white house wanted to be clear that this is something that was a priority and was time, interestingly, the president went to michigan which is the one state where he had some problems with arab americans. it was a signal to them that mistake support for israel during this war with the kind of blank check when it comes to settlers and i expect there will be more sanctions to come. is it a sign then, from what you're saying, perhaps the president's patience is wearing a little thin? there's a break perhaps

in the relationship with benjamin neta nyahu 7 the main event is the guise of war. the settlor violence has gone down since october seven, the us officials tell me not just on that is israeli side, there's a fear that both at home abroad but the president support for israel is being mistaken to say he will tolerate these attacks. i don't think, those wider issues that need to be dealt with in terms of humanitarian aid getting on but the settlor issue is an issue where they all agree that no—one should mistake that. there is a zero tolerance policy. i don't see it as part of a wider break at all. this is something that needs to be dealt with and it has do notjust happen but it has to be seen to have been happening and that is why the us made move. you mention the perception

of the us abroad though, there are some who would say that it is us and president biden alone who can influence benjamin netanyahu when it comes to easing off the attacks on gaza. when it comes to getting humanitarian aid in there. using the die situation day in and out? looking into the future than if we can and you have been involved previously in israeli palestinian negotiations, there are talks under way at the moment. what is your view on the prospect of those talks, particularly when we are waiting for us action in the region as well in relation to the killing of those three soldiers? is a great question and i think really what the us would like to see is a package deal. it would like to see a hostage deal that israel is doing with qatar and egypt and the united states, they had the cia, they would like to see a deal that hamas releases hostages in return for a 45 day pause. the us would like to pivot of that is possible to get aid, more humanitarian aid in and also to try and restart a saudi an israeli movement and have a message that says look, here is the broader

regional story and make some sort of statement about a two state solution if possible. that would be a part of that package. in the middle east, you don't noise get a lot of windows of openings and i think the administration wants to use this as offramp to create some sort of diplomatic momentum in the region. that's the focus, but it starts with the hostage deal. we'll wait to see what happens over the coming days, david, now at the washington institute, thank you forjoining us. delighted to be with you, any time. in france, farmers�* unions have called for the suspension of nationwide roadblocks after the government promised more financial help. farmers from across the european union have taken their protests to brussels, blockading roads and burning tyres as eu leaders met there for a summit. farmers in the region have been protesting against government regulations and cheaper imports from countries like canada and ukraine. our paris correspondent

andrew harding reports. from early this morning, farmers from across europe gathered in the belgian capital. their target — the european union's headquarters. the farmers are, as you can see, angry and increasingly united by concerns about cheaper imports, rising prices and new eu regulations designed to help tackle climate change. without agriculture, without farmers, there is not life. we produce food, the food is life. in france today, more signs of anger. motorways blocked by farmers insisting their way of life is becoming unviable. some here huddled around a television to hear the french prime minister promise more reforms to support local farmers. but would it be enough to prompt an end to these protests ?

the police here are treading very softly. they know that what these farmers are doing is overwhelmingly supported by the french public, that these protests reflect broader frustrations here with the rising cost of living. in a medieval town outside paris, this couple summed up the mood. "it's not just about farmers," said louise herzog, "it's about the fact that we're all having problems right now." "we french like our food," alain added, "so we need to stand by those who make our wine, "who produce our meat." across the nearby river, yves showed me his grain store. new eu environment rules mean he now has to set aside 4% of his land. he's not happy. "as a result," he says,

"i lose 100 tonnes of wheat. "that's the equivalent of 300,000 baguettes "that never get made. "it's the same for all my neighbours." this afternoon, though, a breakthrough. french farmers unions agreeing to halt their protests, at least for now. andrew harding, bbc news, paris. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making the news around the world. police in london are looking for a 35—year—old man suspected of attacking a mother and her two girls with a corrosive alkaline substance as they sat in a car in clapham, south london. the suspect has a "significant injury" on his face. police have advised people not to approach him, but instead to call the authorities. a british consulting firm that compiled the so—called steele dossier has welcomed a uk high court decision to throw out a lawsuit by donald trump. the former us president had sought to sue the company under data protection laws. christopher steele's dossier

linked donald trump to russia, and contained unsubstantiated claims of bribery and sex parties. formula i legend lewis hamilton will leave mercedes at the end of the upcoming season and join major rival ferrari next year. hamilton has won six of his seven world titles driving for mercedes. the 39—year—old will be on a multi—year contract at ferrari after driving for mercedes for 11 years. you're live with bbc news. the european union has voted unanimously for a $54 billion aid package to ukraine. this decision comes after hungarian prime minister viktor orban vetoed the package in december. eu leaders said they were determined to provide sustainable military support to kyiv in its war against russia. european commission president ursula von der leyen says the aid package sends a strong message to russian president vladimir putin. the new funding promise comes as aid from the us — the largest provider

of military support for kyiv — is being held up by congress. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky called this a strong signal of european unity and a sign that, with its allies, ukraine can withstand any challenge. the ukrainian defence ministry says it has sunk a russian warship in the black sea. the missile carrier went down off the crimean coast our foreign correspondent sarah rainsford has the reaction from kyiv. huge relief, all the responses stressing the fact that this is a united european response, the symbolism of that is important to ukraine as well as the fact that it means that the funding is now approved. because ukraine has been stressing all along that this is notjust about supporting this country, it's about the broader course of european security that ukraine is fighting for europe as well against russia's attempts to change the world order by force. but war cost a lot of

money and it's notjust about getting missiles and ammunition and shells and tanks from the west, it's about how to cash because the government needs to kyiv doing what a normal government in a normal country would do, that is paying steak sector salaries, paying pensions, it's about even keeping the heating on, the price is high and ukraine needs help with the money because anything else, all these other income is going to the war effort directly so this is important money in particular important as american funding to ukraine at the moment is being blocked by domestic politics there. another thing that the response you and ukraine has been underlining is about this is money which guaranteed for several years and it gives ukraine some stability as it looks to the future and it looks to continuing to fight a war that frankly two years ago, people here in ukraine didn't even believe was possible. throughout its invasion of ukraine, russia has been accused of taking children in their thousands. only a handful have been returned.

last year, the international criminal court ofjustice issued an arrest warrant for vladimir putin over the deportation of ukrainian children — a war crime under international law. but despite that, ukraine says russia has continued taking ukrainian children. to discuss ukraine's missing children and more, i spoke to dmitro lubinets, he's the ukrainian parliament's commissioner on human rights. dmitro lubinets, thanks indeed forjoining us on bbc news. if we can start by talking about theissue we can start by talking about the issue of ukrainian children that have been taken to russia, at this point, how many children do you think are in russia and do you know where they are?— russia and do you know where they are? exactly now we have confirmation _ they are? exactly now we have confirmation of _ they are? exactly now we have confirmation of about - they are? exactly now we have confirmation of about 19,546 l confirmation of about 19,546 children that were deported by the russian federation. i know that the number is much more bigger but the main challenge

for me — how to confirm which children are in the russian territory because russia never give us any information about our children. i want to send a clear message to everyone that russia deports ukrainian children from 2014, ten years, and the centre of europe, the russian federation, kidnaps ukrainian children openly, publicly... ukrainian children openly, publicly---_ ukrainian children openly, ublicl... publicly... russia, as you say, does not _ publicly... russia, as you say, does not deny _ publicly... russia, as you say, does not deny that _ publicly... russia, as you say, does not deny that it - publicly... russia, as you say, does not deny that it has - does not deny that it has ukrainian children there but it says it is caring for them in these camps and so on. how are your efforts to try and get them back for ukraine? from today we _ them back for ukraine? from today we have _ them back for ukraine? from today we have new _ them back for ukraine? from today we have new initiativesj today we have new initiatives from our international partners. we organised international cohesion of

representatives of countries for returning ukrainian children. the first meeting was one eighth of december in kyiv. i support that we will have a new initiatives from the united states of america, from the biggest strategic partner on this case. we can't stop the russians alone, but we can do it together. we should unite our efforts to return ukrainian children. . ., our efforts to return ukrainian children. _, ., children. ok. if we could move to talk about _ children. ok. if we could move to talk about prisoners - children. ok. if we could move to talk about prisoners of- children. ok. if we could move to talk about prisoners of war, | to talk about prisoners of war, we saw a prisoner swap this week. we also saw an aircraft downed last week. have you been able to get the names of the ukrainian prisoners of war that was said to be on that aircraft, or recovered there remains?— aircraft, or recovered there remains? , ., ,

remains? the person who takes this procedure, _ remains? the person who takes this procedure, returning - this procedure, returning ukrainian children and civilian hostages, yes, i know all the details. i cannot say a lot publicly but for today we did not receive officially the least of ukrainian prisoners of war who were on these plans —— the list. in my position, we fought today, we do not have enough details that we can confirm that the 65 prisoners of war of the ukrainian army were on we as a country, we want and official criminal investigation with our international partners. for the next day after this accident, i sent to official letters from my institution, i2

sent to official letters from my institution, 12 united nations organisation and another to the international committee of the red cross. i emphasised that ukraine are ready for open investigation on this case. we do not want to cover anything. we can't get any information from the ukrainian side but we demand that russia will open all information that will allow international experts to visit this place to where the plane fell down. this place to where the plane fell down-— fell down. just on that point, talkin: fell down. just on that point, talking about _ fell down. just on that point, talking about being - fell down. just on that point, talking about being open - fell down. just on that point, | talking about being open with information, russia says that ukraine shot that plane down. can you say ukraine did not? again, for today, we want to receive all details. we are ready to check with international experts the

details of this plane. after that i can confirm this information or not confirm. but have ou information or not confirm. but have you been _ information or not confirm. but have you been able to check with your own military as to whether missiles were fired in that region at that time? for toda i that region at that time? for today i can — that region at that time? for today i can say _ that region at that time? for today i can say that - that region at that time? fr?" today i can say that i can't confirm that this plane was brought down by the ukrainian army. brought down by the ukrainian arm ., , , ., army. just in the news for toda , army. just in the news for today. the _ army. just in the news for today, the $50 _ army. just in the news for today, the $50 billion - army. just in the news for today, the $50 billion a i today, the $50 billion a package for ukraine, how critical is it to your country, to the war efforts, that the us congress follow suit and agrees to a package here? we appreciate _ to a package here? we appreciate the - to a package here? - appreciate the decision of the european union, the european commission. it will be fruitful for us, for our country, but it is not enough for us. we are

waiting and we support that americans, congressmen will vote for the same decision to open a new programme of assistance of the ukrainian country by military and financial interest. we need it. you know we are in a very bad situation in ukraine. i visited the frontline before new year's day. i spoke with our military soldiers and i visited exactly an area on the frontline, now the hardest position in ukraine, and all militarists said to me "we are ready to continue to fight but we don't want to simply die without

weapons." i am from the donetsk region and in my family came this war in 2014 — ten years. we fight and we are ready to fight. we are ready to continue to fight and we are even ready to fight and we are even ready to die fully willing to be an independent, democratic country, but we don't want to diet without weapons so please assist us. if someone from decision—makers. this video, please simply understand us. we are fighting for you to. fik. are fighting for you to. 0k. dmitro lubinets, _ are fighting for you to. 0k. dmitro lubinets, the - are fighting for you to. 0k. dmitro lubinets, the ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights, thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. much for “oining us on bbc news. . ~ much for “oining us on bbc news. ., ~ , ., much for “oining us on bbc news. . ~' , ., , much for “oining us on bbc news. ., ~ i. , . let's turn to some other news around the world. at least 165 people have sustained burns and other injuries after an explosion at a gas plant in south—east nairobi, kenya.

a government spokesperson said gas cylinders were being refilled when the fire broke outjust before midnight on thursday. a local official confirmed that the fire was caused by an explosion at a gas filling station. officials in turkey say police have freed seven workers held hostage by a gunman at a procter & gamble plant in istanbul. the local governor told reporters that police staged a raid when the lone gunman took a bathroom break. no one was injured in the nine—hour siege. the gunman has been detained and is unharmed. the first parent to go on trial in the us for a mass shooting carried out by a child has tried to place the blame on her husband. jennifer crumbley told jurors that the gun she and her husband purchased for their son was not her responsibility. her son is serving life in prison for killing four classmates in michigan in 2021. he was 15 years old at the time of the attack. a monkey that escaped from a wildlife park in the scottish highlands was found after an intensive four—day search.

the japanese macaque, otherwise known as a snow monkey, escaped from the highland wildlife park on sunday, sparking a huge search in the region. its capture comes after someone spotted the monkey eating bird food from their garden. iain macinnes sent this report. home safe and well after quite an adventure. this is the mysterious macaque on the run for five days. mysterious macaque on the run for five days-— for five days. really pleased from those _ for five days. really pleased from those who _ for five days. really pleased from those who were - for five days. really pleased from those who were able . for five days. really pleased | from those who were able to for five days. really pleased - from those who were able to get him. . , from those who were able to get him. ., , ., ., him. he was right at the window lookin: in him. he was right at the window looking in at _ him. he was right at the window looking in at me. _ him. he was right at the window looking in at me. did _ him. he was right at the window looking in at me. did he - him. he was right at the window looking in at me. did he look . looking in at me. did he look ha - ? he looked a little bit sad. he wasn't worried, i don't think, but looked a little bit sad. he's now been checked over by vets here at the highland wildlife park. he's actually in fantastic condition. he doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects

whatsoever. i guess we have all of the peanuts in the bird feeders to thank for that. these guys don't realise what a stir their little pal has caused, but i'm sure they'll give him a good welcome back now he's done monkeying around. iain macinnes, bbc news. that is it for the moment. i am katrina perry. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. full uk forecast in a moment. first of all, i thought i'd reflect on storm ingunn that came across the north atlantic wednesday and hit sweden and norway wednesday night, bringing what looks like being record—breaking winds, sustained winds of 122 miles an hour, parts of norway, and 116 miles an hour in sweden. unimaginable strength of the winds. there were even stronger gusts. the gusts that we recorded were even much stronger than those that hit southern england in the great storm of 1987 — one of the most powerful storms i've ever seen, storm ingunn. now it's the lovely end to the day on thursday, fine sunsets many of you spotted caused by the clear skies illuminating the cloud out west. but it is the cloud that's

going to be winning the battle, i suppose, over the next few hours, progressively turning quite cloudy, a few patches of drizzle around, some rain into western scotland, but very mild air, again flowing in off the atlantic. we see high pressure to the south, weather fronts to the northwest where it will be windy. gusts of wind reaching 50 odd miles an hour across northern scotland, where it'll be damp and drizzly across western areas. elsewhere, a lot of cloud to start the day. but given its quite windy, i suspect we will see some sunny breaks breaking through across parts of east scotland, to the east of the pennines, probably eastern parts of wales, and maybe eastern side of both antrim and downs. so you might see some glimmers of sunshine. either way, it will be a very mild day. the air gets a little bit cooler across northern areas on saturday, say cooler, temperatures coming a bit closer to average, sunshine and showers working in here. again, it's quite blustery. england and wales having the thickest of the cloud with some patches of light rain coming and going. temperatures 14 degrees, again, well above average for this time of the year. the average in london is nine degrees. for sunday's forecast, again,

we've got the mild air with us, but thicker cloud this time, so probably a higher chance of seeing some damp weather at times. the far north of scotland, again, quite blustery with some showers working in here. for most of us, temperatures again on the mild side, ten to 14 degrees pretty widely. but then after this mild run of weather, might be something of a shock to the system to see the weather turns a lot colder next week. and for some of you, that means a return of seeing some snowfall. now it's a little bit less certain just how cold it gets further southwards across england and wales. but it could be that we see some snow. for the time being, the models are picking up thick cloud with outbreaks of cold rain at times.

voice—over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme.

in september, 43 students disappeared from passenger buses in the mexican town of iguala, guerrero. they were in police custody, and then they're just gone. how do you disappear 43 people? it helps if the government tasked with investigating that disappearance is involved in carrying out that disappearance. carrying out that disa earance. q; carrying out that disa earance. x: ., , . disappearance. 43 were abducted accordinu disappearance. 43 were abducted according to _ disappearance. 43 were abducted according to the _ disappearance. 43 were abducted according to the municipal- according to the municipal police. they were members of the drug cartel.— the drug cartel. you're constantly _ the drug cartel. you're constantly asking, - the drug cartel. you're i constantly asking, "what the drug cartel. you're - constantly asking, "what part of the evidence can you trust?" there have been cases of tampering with evidence. the mexican government was officially stating that they were _ officially stating that they were simply a local gang, and

were simply a local gang, and we knew_ were simply a local gang, and we knew that not