people living in isolated northern areas tell the bbc of their desperate situation. when it comes to the flour people are using animalfeed, when it comes to the flour people are using animal feed, however animalfeed is starting are using animal feed, however animal feed is starting to become scarce in the market and people are not finding it. growing panic in rafah, after israel's prime minister orders the military to prepare for an offensive in the southern gazan city — where 1.5 million people are trapped. ukrainian officials say a russian drone attack has killed seven in the north—east city of kharkiv — three of them young children. police in london start searching the river thames for the body of a chemical attack suspect. as we've been reporting us,

the eu and the un have all warned israel that invading the city of rafah would be a disaster. it comes after the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu ordered his military to prepare to evacuate civilians from the city, ahead of what it says is an expanded offensive against hamas there. some 1.5 million palestinians are in rafah to seek refuge from israeli combat operations in the rest of gaza — aid organisations say it's not possible to evacuate everyone from the city, which has already come under attack from israeli aistrikes. ibrahim isbaita is resdient of gaza who has been dispaced four times since the war began. he is currently in rafah, and he spoke a short time ago to my colleague nicky schiller.

daily life right now in rafah is different than before because the air strikes didn't stop in rafah which is supposed to be a safe area according to the idf. it was given as a location according to the idf again. people for the last few days are thinking about what is the next step and where we should go after they announced about the ground invasion coming to rafah so the situation on the ground is chaos. people are traumatised. situation on the ground is chaos. they have no idea about where we should go or what is the next step. before we were thinking about starvation, for the food, for the shortage of water and electricity but now we are traumatised about what is the next step where we should go. this is our daily life right now. where are you and your family considering going if you do have to leave rafah? actually no idea.

since the morning we are packing our bags and we are thinking where we should go because rafah is the last city before the egyptian border and it contains 1.5 million people who are located here. all of them asking the same question, where we should go, should we go back to the middle area like deir al balah but we are thinking and asking the same question where we should go. no idea and we are just ready but we have no idea where we should go. i understand your mother has to have hospital treatment. i assume that is another huge consideration for you about whether you leave rafah? exactly. this is our biggest concern because when we came here in rafah my mother needed

dialysis a few times a week. according to the shortage of electricity she had itjust one or two times if she is lucky with one or two hours. that's why we stuck beside el—najar hospital. el—najar hospital is the only one in rafah with dialysis machines. they only have 17 machines for more than 700 patients. i live beside el—najar hospital because of my mother and we are trying our best and trying to find a solution. if we go to a safe place, this safe place contains a hospital that if we go to a safe place, this safe place must contains a hospital that can help my mother or not.

that was ibrahim isbaita who has been displaced to rafah speaking to my colleague nicky schiller earlier. it's now a week since northern ireland 5 devolved government was re—established — and one of the issues on the agenda is a planned new stadium, in west belfast, to host matches in the 2028 euros. however, it's far from simple. the location, history and funding of the venue are causing controversy and debate, as our ireland correspondent chris page explains. casement park has been derelict for a decade, but in four years�* time, a new stadium here is due to host matches in europe's biggest football tournament. the sporting authorities think it'll be a landmark moment for northern ireland's journey out of conflict. the euro 28 competition is a wonderful example of how far both belfast and the irelands here have progressed in the last 30 years. but historical divisions are still an issue. casement park is in a part

of west belfast where political violence was particularly severe. the stadium's named after an irish republican revolutionary from the early 20th century. cheering and applause this was the last match at the ground in 2013. gaelic games are played mainly by members of the irish nationalist community. supporters of the northern ireland soccer team tend to come from a unionist background. northern ireland fans don't, day by day, go into west belfast. we're not sure how we would even be received. a majorfans group is concerned. opposition to the plans has been on display in the grandstands during northern ireland's home football matches. i think there is so much uncertainty around casement park because at the moment, we don't know how much it's going to cost, we don't know who's going to build it, we don't know how long that's going to take. we absolutely want to see northern ireland host games during euro 2028 but our first argument is why not at the football stadium? the national football stadium at windsor park has been redeveloped

but it isn't big enough to meet the requirements for the euros. the governing body says increasing capacity more isn't going to be possible. there isn't any more public money available to redevelop the stadium further, so if we wanted to be part of the euros and if we wanted to have that ambition for northern ireland as a country, to show how brilliant a place it is and what a great city belfast is, then the casement park redevelopment project was our only option to be part of that. the project's previously been delayed, not least by legal challenges brought by local residents. but the owners of casement insist the goal is now in sight. we would've liked to have delivered the project many years ago. unfortunately, there were a number of stumbling blocks that were, we would say, outside of our control. now, with the euros coming, we feel that's there we feel that there's is a new momentum, there's fresh impetus to deliver the project. for the first time, we do have fixed time periods. we want to get started

later this summer and we want to finish by the summer of 2027. people in the area say they are looking forward to that. needs something that gets on the road. it's going to bring so much for the businesses as well, you know? i think it'll be brilliant. it'll bring a lot of people - into the area and i don't know, i think i'd love to go to it! the devolved government says it cannot talk about what the estimated cost is for commercial reasons. the uk government has said it wants northern ireland to benefit from euro 2028. the ball�*s rolling and the clock is running. chris page, bbc news at casement park in belfast. i want to show you these live pictures we have overlooking the river thames from chelsea bridge. just in the last few minutes we saw some activity there are around chelsea bridge. there was... sorry, that's my colleague louisa pilbeam getting ready for her next live.

these were pictures we saw earlier of police getting ready for their search operations. they presume abdul ezedi jumped from the bridge and they say they're looking for his body. that search started at around 9am gmt here in the uk and we will bring you an update on that story as the morning and there it goes on on bbc news. celebrations are taking place around the world to mark the start of the lunar new year. hundreds of people made their wishes for the year of the dragon, placing sticks of incense at a temple in hong kong. vietnam celebrated with a colourful firework display in the skies above hanoi. worshippers flocked to temples across taiwan to light incense and pray for prosperity in the new year. and the chinese community in peru celebrated the year of the dragon in style — with dragons leading the festivities through the streets of lima's chinatown.

earlier, i spoke to letao wang — an astrologist in hong kong. he began by telling me about the significance of the year of the dragon. i am really looking forward to 2024 as an astrologist and there are several reasons. first, if we add all the digits together, 2+0+2+4, numerologically speaking this is a year that carries the numerological vibration of eight which is very much about the practical and grounded aspects of life. for example the key phrase for 2024 is i accumulate and this is a number associated with growth, abundance, prosperity, acquisition, power and also control. and in fact, many of us in the spiritual community would call this number the divine fortune. meanwhile, in chinese astrology, as we all know, this is the year of the dragon which is a symbol of power and good fortune and this

is why in ancient days chinese people used to believe that our emperors were the incarnations of dragons. so we can see 2024 is going to be a year filled with power and momentum. and more specifically, this is a year of dragon that carries the element of wood which symbolises trees and trees grow upwards and downwards and so this is about expansion. letao, we don't have a lot of time and i want to get to other parts of the story. as you mention, it is a very powerful year. my understanding is there are a lot of people who want to have a baby in the year of the dragon. tell us about the culture around this. so, actually, for chinese people, right, there are lots of superstitions around it. i have to say the year of the dragon is the year most favoured in chinese culture, as i mentioned earlier dragon favoured in chinese culture, as i mentioned earlier dragons

are a symbol of power and strength and good fortune. so chinese families usually consider a child born in the year of the dragon especially auspicious. and you know, people born in the year of the dragon are seen as wise and charismatic, as we would see a successful emperor. as i was preparing for this interview and is a lot of people around the world would probably see in their local newspapers, and maybe on blogs, a lot of publications try to tap into the lunar new year and maybe advise people and finding out which year they were born. do you think it is a year that people who are not chinese or not celebrating the lunar new year can tap into and to try to read the future for themselves this year? absolutely. because spirituality is really a shared treasured by humanity. whatever culture that you grow up in, i really believe that by making this connection between our physical self and whatever our spiritual belief is, this will definitely help

us to make more achievements. and for some of us it's more about finding inner peace within ourselves. i know it is going to be days of celebrations for people who are marking the lunar new year, so how will you be celebrating? i'm going to have a dinner gathering with my families. i haven't seen them for a long time, actually, due to travel and work and so on. i have to say, i'm really looking forward to it. and a happy lunar new year to whoever is celebrating around the world. powers to ban pavement parking should be extended across england to make streets safer according to a report by the local government association which warned that wheelchair users, older people and children in pushchairs are among those at risk from vehicles parked on the walkways. 0ur correspondent ellie price has the details. when is a path not a path? when it's got a car parked on it. good girl. blocked pavements can cause a nightmare for all sorts of people

trying to navigate their way by foot. that's why in edinburgh, the council decided to ban parking on pavements and dropped kerbs and double—parking from the end of last month. motorists face a fine of up to £100 if they're caught, and it's something campaigners want councils across the uk to have the power to do. good girl. we know this has a real impact on people's lives. if you've got a vehicle blocking the pavement and you can't get past that, you've got to step out into the road. of course, if you're in a wheelchair, you may not be able to get down the kerb. if you have small children, that means putting your children in harm's way to go into the road to get round a parked vehicle. and that is obviously unacceptable, it's dangerous, and it's preventing people from completing their journeys. according to sustrans, 73% of disabled people would find a ban on pavement parking useful for them to walk or wheel more. its disabled citizens inquiry revealed that more than two in five disabled people often experience problems reaching their destination.

and proving the point in a different way, more than 200 fines were issued in edinburgh in the week after the law there came into place. the department for transport says everyone should be able to navigate their streets without obstacles. it points out local authorities already have powers to ban pavement parking, but it has consulted on further helping them to take action. the response to that consultation, it says, will be published in due course. chris theobald is senior policy and campaigns manager, at guide dogs — an organisation that helps people with sight loss. chris, thank you forjoining us on the programme. first of all, tell us how dangerous it is to have vehicles parked on pavements, just how life—threatening could it be perhaps if you have people who can't see or can't easily manoeuvre around the vehicles with mick good morning,

thanks for having me on. pavement arkin: is thanks for having me on. pavement parking is a — thanks for having me on. pavement parking is a problem _ thanks for having me on. pavement parking is a problem for _ thanks for having me on. pavement parking is a problem for everyone i parking is a problem for everyone and in particular people with sight loss because you may have to step into the road and you will not be able to see traffic and went necessarily you are able to rejoin the pavement. 95% of people with sight loss who we surveyed said they had a problem with pavement parking and having to walk into the road and fourin and having to walk into the road and four in five said they had a problem on at least a weekly basis. it is not just the on at least a weekly basis. it is notjust the impact of not being able to get past, it is a lottery because you don't know where this is going to be. and also there's the trepidation people feel about going out so it stops people from going out so it stops people from going out independently altogether. chris. out independently altogether. chris, i was asking — out independently altogether. chris, i was asking my _ out independently altogether. chris, i was asking my colleagues, - out independently altogether. chris, i was asking my colleagues, and - out independently altogether. chris, i was asking my colleagues, and we were wondering, who are usually the main culprits and what kind of areas might you have this problem in the uk? it might you have this problem in the uk? , ., , ., ., might you have this problem in the uk? ., ., , ., ., uk? it is a bit of a weird situation in the uk because _ uk? it is a bit of a weird situation in the uk because it _ uk? it is a bit of a weird situation in the uk because it is _ uk? it is a bit of a weird situation j in the uk because it is specifically illegal to drive up the pavement everywhere, in most parts of the uk

but london has had a law since the 70s in scotland has this law now but in the rest of the country in most parts it is not specifically illegal to park. so it does happen across the country. there is a busy different reasons why. some roads were simply not designed for cars. but at the moment local authorities have the powers but many councillors believe they don't have the powers. we want the law to be like in london are like the one has come into force in scotland so no matter where you are your counsel can manage that problem and they could make exemptions if that is necessary. thank you very much, chris theobald, senior policy and campaigns manager at guide dogs. a new treatment which can help obese people lose weight is being used for the first time on the nhs. it's a tablet which turns into a balloon after it's swallowed, making the patient feel fuller for longer, so they eat less. amanda parr has the story.

dave from yeovil is feeling pretty relaxed about this morning's procedure. it will be in and out, very simple, no endoscopy, no hospital bed, no theatre time or anaesthetic. he has worked out the best mental approach too. everybody�*s sort of like opinion is, you know, you are overweight, you need to put your fork down type of things. down type of thing. but there's lots of different reasons why people are overweight. it could be medical, it could be tablets, it could be a whole load of things. thank you to dave for letting us watch how it is done. here is the balloon capsule. it's attached to a thin tube, swallowed into the stomach. an x—ray checks the position, then water is pumped into the balloon, and the tube is removed. it takes up a fair bit of space. it's this big, if you hold it in your hand. after four months, a valve opens, the balloon empties, and it passes naturally. when i first looked at the

possibility of any type of gastric surgery, i looked at it as a failure, i think. and i think that's what a lot of people do. you've sort of failed, so this is like a last resort. but what i look at this one is, the balloon itself is just a tool, and it's a tool that will help me lose weight. things can only get better. so, i'm feeling positive. the hope is it will change lives. we have a tsunami, or a tidal wave, of obesity—based wave, of obesity—related disease facing the nhs. and we're having to pay for that as taxpayers. we can at least attempt to try to help patients who have the problems, and we can do so by surgery very effectively. and the balloon is a bridge to help patients get fitter for surgery, and any other procedure they might need, such as hip replacement. it's a really, really good piece of kit and we just hope - it helps people get to the surgical part of the pathway, _ and that they are able . to enjoy their lives again. they say no other public health care system in the world

is doing this, yet. but still we are scratching the surface. 0ur appetites are too big for our current food environment. people are getting larger and larger. yes, surgeons can help in these amazing new ways. but, they say, conversations around obesity, society, the economy, need to change too, if we are to live better and for longer. amanda parr, bbc news. i want to take you back to a story we are following on bbc news and show you these pictures that we have received in the past half an hour, which show a police search operation on the river thames near chelsea bridge. the metropolitan police said boat searches had commenced at around 9am gmt and they were taking place near the bridge and the

surrounding stretch of water. so this is part of the ongoing search operation for the body, the police say, of abdul ezedi, the man wanted in connection with a chemical attack on a mother and her two daughters. this is the commencement of the police search operation there on the river thames near chelsea bridge searching for the body, the police sake of abdul ezedi who is wanted in connection with a chemical attack on a woman and her two children in clapham. an exotic turtle — more common to louisiana than the lake district — has been pulled from a small lake in cumbria. the alligator snapping turtle — which has been named fluffy — was found near ulverston. danny savage has more. it is not a pretty sight, and certainly shouldn't be living in the wild here.

but this alligator snapping turtle is now residing at a vet's in cumbria. when they get larger, they can be fairly dangerous. they do have a nasty bite to them. the armoured turtle was hoicked out of urswick tarn near ulverston by a local, who donned three pairs of builders' gloves for protection and put it in a shopping basket. she then passed it on to the vet's. it wasn't in too great a shape. it was cold and lethargic. they weren't able to move very well, and the mouth was open, which is always what they do when they're in a sort of threat display or they feel a little bit cornered or defensive. the alligator snapping turtle is native to freshwater in the united states, has immensely powerfuljaws and is so—called because of its shell, which looks like the rough, ridged skin of an alligator. and they can weigh up to 12 stone. so what have its carers called it? fluffy, of course.

it's not illegal to own, but the suspicion is it was dumped at the tarn, where it would have eaten the wildlife if left. the hope is to send it to a zoo — the plan is to make it snappy. danny savage, bbc news, cumbria. ican i can say i've never seen an alligator turtle before! if you fancyjazzing up your wardrobe — or your car, or your art collection — then here's some good news for you. sir eltonjohn is having a clear—out. the singer is selling the contents of his former home in atla nta. the sale is being called goodbye, peachtree road. the 950 items up for grabs include some of his outfits, his platform heels, his piano, a banksy painting and even his bentley car. it's all going on display at christie's auction house in new york before being sold later this month. experts say the collection is likely to fetch at least

$10 million. before we go, it seems everyone is getting swept up in the patriotic spirit ahead of the rugby union six nations clash between england and wales — even our canine friends. take a listen to this. dog howls along to tune of hen wlad fy nhadau this is rescue dog molly howling along to the welsh national anthem. her owner, donal banister, who's principal trombone at the bbc national orchestra of wales, says molly picked up the tune as he practised at home during covid lockdowns. no doubt they'll both be howling their support for the welsh side when the match kicks off later this afternoon. ——donal bannister. dog howls along to tune

of hen wlad fy nhadau certainly a story to cheer you up this saturday morning. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. hello again. we have a generally quiet weekend of weather compared to the last few days. there are still numerous flood warnings in force across england and wales after all that rainfall we have had rushing down into the rivers. this morning, though, has been quite serene and beautiful in wigan with the few bright spells. this is the satellite image through this morning. you can see the swirl of cloud here, an area of low pressure that will throw in some showers today but you can notice there are some breaks in the cloud to give us some sunshine as well. generally speaking it is mild as well but in the far north of scotland we still have some pretty cold air, so this morning there has been a bit of snow but that is generally going to clear away and for many parts of scotland is going to be fairly cloudy, some showers

moving in, some cloud developing with some rain affecting central and south—eastern areas, heavy showers into the south—west, maximum temperature is 9—12 c, but maybe 3-5 c in temperature is 9—12 c, but maybe 3—5 c in the far north of scotland. tonight this area of rain will continue to develop and move northward into eastern scotland. still some showers affecting the far south and south—west, some gusty winds to go with the showers as well. further north and west a little quieter, some clear spells, may one or two fog patches and overnight temperatures down to about 3-7 c. this overnight temperatures down to about 3—7 c. this area of low pressure is still with us as we go into sunday, bringing further showers and this little feature here running up towards the north and east that will bring outbreaks of rain on sunday morning. it will gradually move away to the north—east. then there will be some sunny spells followed by some showers moving on from the west. and maximum temperatures around about 7—11 c. not as cold across the far north of scotland. we lose that cold air. for the rest of

the week that area of low pressure moves away and then we still have the influence of the atlantic, so we will see some areas of rain moving their way in with low pressure close by. but for monday for most of us it is looking relatively dry, they will be some sunny spells, some showers coming into the north and west of those will be wintryjust over higher ground, really, not down to low levels, maximum temperatures around 7—10 c, bit below the average for the time of year and for the rest of the week temperatures perhaps coming up a little bit, 14 celsius in southern areas but mixed as we can see with some areas of rain at times but also some sunny spells. that's it from me. bye—bye.

live from london. this is bbc news as the united nations warns of looming famine in gaza, people in isolated northern areas of the strip tell the bbc of their desperate situation.

when it comes to flour people actually using animal feed however the animal feed is starting to get scarce in the market and people are not finding it. a six year old girl missing in gaza has been found dead — as well as the two paramedics despatched to rescue her. ukraine says a russian drone attack has killed seven civilians in the north—east city of kharkiv — 3 of them children leaders of rival parties in pakistan claim victory after the general election. even though the final results are yet to be announced. police in london start searching the river thames for the body of a chemical attack suspect. we begin this hour

in the middle east. there's growing concern over food shortages in gaza ,