some residents are grinding animalfeed into flour or eating grass to survive. a six—year—old girl who begged for help after being trapped by israeli fire in gaza is found dead, along with two paramedics who tried to rescue her. police are searching the river thames for the body of abdul shokoor ezedi — the clapham chemical attack suspect. detectives believe the 35—year—old may be dead after going into the water near to chelsea bridge in west london. and iraq's foreign minister tells the bbc his country could be pushed into conflict by attacks on its territory by iranian—backed militias and us forces. the metropolitan police is searching the river thames in central london to try to find a man suspected of throwing a corrosive substance at his ex—partner and her two children.

scotland yard believes abdul shokoor ezedi went into the water in the hours after the attack last month. a police boat has been seen circling between chelsea and vauxhall bridges. our correspondent, charlie rose, is at the scene of the search and has the latest. police started searching this section of the river thames at nine o'clock this morning, basically to take advantage of the low tide. why have they started searching the river? because, they say, here in chelsea bridge, here on chelsea bridge, this is where abdul shokoor ezedi was last seen, the wednesday before last, four hours after that horrific attack in clapham where a mother and her two young daughters were doused in a corrosive alkaline substance. now, police are going to have their work cut out because they say there are very challenging conditions. low tide is possibly the best time to search the river. there are obstacles in the way, there are also snags. but this is their latest theory,

that abdul shokoor ezedi has now met his end in the river and they are now concentrating their search efforts right here on the river thames. charlie rose there. if we get any updates on that we will bring them to you here on bbc news. housing charities have warned that new legislation could fail to fix what's being called a crisis for private renters. the government promised to ban "no—fault evictions", known as "section—21s", but campaigners believe the new law won't stop renters being forced out of their homes. our political correspondent harry farley has more. natalie allwood has had to move 12 times in the last 20 years. natalie, hi. i'm harry. hi, harry. nice to meet you. after twice being homeless, she's trying to settle into another new flat. it was a nightmare, so i spent £350 getting my stuff. the repeated moves have put her in debt that

will take years to clear, and they've affected her health. in the last 1.5 years alone, she received two no—fault evictions, or section 21s. i received a letter through from my agency, saying that the landlord wanted to get their property back and i had to find somewhere new. and that was the first section 21. and that was pretty — pretty awful. i wouldn't wish this situation on anybody. like countless others, natalie found that when she was evicted from her home here in brighton, rents had risen so much, she couldn't afford to stay. she now lives an hour outside the city, away from friends and work. the government promised to ban no—fault evictions in 2019. 11.5 years on, it hasn't happened. the housing secretary, michael gove,

has brought a new bill that would make it happen but it still hasn't passed through the house of commons. a group of campaigners met mr gove this week, and i spoke to one of them afterwards. this bill was always going to have a rough ride from a group of tory backbenchers who are landlords. but at the moment, the government is being far too weak in the face of that pressure. the charities want longer eviction notices and protections to stop landlords abusing new no—fault removals. itjust isn't going to offer the comprehensive set of rights for renters that most other civilised countries have and that renters in england are desperately crying out for. a government spokesperson said its renters reform bill would create a fairer private rented sector for tenants and landlords and it would abolish section 21 or no—fault evictions. some conservative mps worry that in banning no—fault evictions, the bill already goes too far

and risks reducing the number of rental properties available, but people like natalie argue stability and protection is vital. it's supposed to be the 21st century and we are living in the dark ages, as far as i'm concerned. it's just beyond ridiculous that people are struggling...for a place to live. natalie hopes this time, her new flat will be the stable home she needs. harry farley, bbc news. the latest figures on rough sleeping in england are due in the coming weeks, but some areas are already reporting a rise. one charity in nottingham says that more than 1,300 people spent at least one night on the streets of the city last year — an increase of 85%.

jeremy ball reports. are we all right to just open up the bag a little bit? imagine spending a night like this. 5am in the centre of nottingham. we've got concerns about your health. jack and reese are checking this man is still breathing. car parks are the bane of our lives, aren't they, really? nottingham street 0utreach team does these welfare checks every night of the year, but there are still surprises. someone�*s left their belongings, including their dog, on the street. seeing that massive dog without an owner was quite unusual! they mayjust have — they've probably gone to score, to be honest. at the royal concert hall, two men have moved here from out of town. they're offered what's known as reconnection, back to the local council area where they qualify for housing. hello, mate. you 0k? and down the road, this. it's just coming up to six o'clock here on clumber street and they've found another man sleeping, hidden behind four rubbish bins here. this man's just been released from prison with nowhere to go.

we can definitely try and vouch for you. behind the victoria centre, this man said he had to leave supported accommodation because he wasn't getting the help he needed. why am i not high priority? i've got mental health issues. he wants rehab for alcohol addiction and he's turned down the council's offer of a private tenancy. i don't want private. i want supported accommodation. i need help, i need support, i need, like, a key worker or somebody. it has been really cold, hasn't it? what's it been like here on the streets? freezing but, obviously, i can't even get into, like, a emergency — you know, like, these night places, yeah? because they reckon all are full. 0utside this charity shop, a couple who've hit rock bottom. they've been sleeping rough for months. most people that we do see, we can get them into accommodation. the problem is there is long waiting lists at the minute. a lot of people suffer from quite complex behaviours. their behaviours can result in them getting evicted. but this man said he did

have a home to go to. you missed your bus? where do you live? the buses will be starting in a minute. then reese takes the call on the street 0utreach hotline. someone has been sleeping at a tram stop. where were you before? the man's called the hotline, too. he's one of 50 newly recognised refugees they found in nottingham recently. and when did you get asked to leave? they've had to leave asylum hotels after being granted residence permits. this woman's alone, walking the streets, so they'll try to find her somewhere safe. it's just gone eight o'clock now and we've spent the last hour driving around nottingham, responding to reports of people sleeping rough and we've just arrived at a cemetery. they've had a call from a man who set up camp inside. but with the gates still locked, getting in is going to be a challenge. if you're an entrenched raw sleeper, paying your bills, dealing with letters can be quite difficult and it's those difficulties that people face that cause them to go back onto the streets.

we can see people anywhere. at the tram stop, the person reported sleeping rough has gone. and this is about so much more than tackling homelessness — it's about rebuilding shattered lives. jeremy ball, bbc news. it s a week since northern ireland's devolved government was re—established, and one urgent issue for it to tackle is a new stadium planned for west belfast which is expected to host matches in the 2028 euros. but it's far from simple. the location, history and funding of the venue is 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 islands 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 there 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. it 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. a new treatment to help 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. 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. held 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 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 then they are able i 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. powers to ban pavement parking should be extended across england to make streets safer. that's 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 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 drop 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, then 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 curb. if you have small children, that means putting your children in harm's way to go into the road to get round the 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. ed larkin is a stage actor who sings, dances and even performs while suspended from wires. he's also the first actor who uses a wheelchair to play the lead in a west end musical, and that role could see him win a major award this weekend. emma ruminski has the story.

my name's henry fraser. when i was 17, i had everything in front of me. then, my life changed. ed larkin is flying high on the west end. he's playing henry fraser in the musical the little big things — a show based on the true story of a teenage rugby player paralysed in an accident on holiday. he's been nominated in the best performer in a musical category for the annual whats0nstage awards. when you're in a rehearsal room, we always think, "0h, "we've got something special" but you never quite know. and some big names in there. how do you feel about being up against those big names? yeah, some really big names. i mean, yeah, the likes of the likes of nicole scherzinger, marisha wallace. you know, there's some amazing performers in there, so i just feel very grateful that i get to be in a room with them and be nominated alongside them is a real honour. nick butcher regularly performs on the west end stage, but when he read henry's story, he knew he could write his first musical and that ed will be its star. we watched ed's tape and it was one

of those rare moments where everyone in the room realises you have found your star player. and he had this uncanny resemblance to henry fraser but also, his warmth and his enthusiasm and you just felt incredibly safe in his hands. this is the first time an actor using a wheelchair has played the lead role in a west end musical. i feel very, very proud but also feel a little bit frustrated that it's 2024 and we're... you know, i'm very thankful to be the first but why am i the first? so, hopefully, the show can open up conversations and doors for myself and myself and disabled artists. people about actors being triple—threats — being able to sing, dance and act. but ed could've been a competitor, as well as a performer. he was in the gb squad for wheelchair rugby. his team—mates say his love of rugby helped him with the part. he wasn't ed any more, he was playing henry. he was playing the role and he played it, ithink, perfectly.

| definitely inspire other disabledj people to get into the same sort of role, same sort of career, i and just prove it can be done. i think wheelchair rugby has helped out a lot with his career on the stage. i think it's given him confidence. i want to move on with my life! i want to go back to the life i had before. thisjoyful and uplifting musical allows ed's acting talent to take centre stage — something he hopes to repeat at the awards ceremony in london. emma ruminski, bbc news. it's one of the world's biggest sporting events, and american football's biggest game of the year — the super bowl. it takes place on sunday, but this year the usual excitement about the game and the half—time performance is being overshadowed by a celebrity superstar — taylor swift. here's our north america correspondent nomia iqbal to tell us why. it's one of the most watched sporting events in the world.

more than 100 million people tune in to the super bowl every year. but the person dominating the headlines isn't in the football line—up or even performing at halftime. the romance of pop icon taylor swift and football star travis kelce means it might as well be renamed the taylor swift bowl. yep, taylor dominated the grammys. if you thought she was on your tv a lot last night, wait till next sunday. and when i say bet on the game, i, of course, mean bet on taylor swift. for this family in kansas city, it's the perfect collision of two things they love — taylor and football. two, three... i'm fine, but i wasn't sure... four—year—old ella is a dedicated swifty. # snuck into the garden gate...# tell me about what you want to be when you grow up. i want to be taylor. you want to be taylor? yeah.

well, ijust think she's wholesome, and she really does seem like a genuine person, and she's always been this huge star. but then i think by her being in kansas city and going to the chiefs games, itjust made her more of like a relatable human. the taylor swift effect is in full force, notjust in kansas city, but across the country. i love it. her current music tour is already boosting the us economy by billions, and some believe she's getting new fans interested in the nfl. you know, we were able to double our sales from last year and it was bigger than any time the chiefs won the super bowl. but the swift effect doesn't stop at music and football. one of the world's most prestigious universities is analysing her impact. we got an announcement... we've come to harvard to find out why students think she's worth studying alongside some of english literature�*s greatest writers. we should offer courses organised around songwriting as an art form. and so part of the goal of this course is to just appreciate taylor as a major songwriter and say, "hey,

"this is connected to wordsworth." it's a such a great opportunity- to not only study her songwriting, but her media influence and how she has had such a social- impact on our generation- and the generation that she grew up with. but with all that power, there's questions if the pop star can politically influence the country. she hasn't endorsed anyone for the us election yet. # you need to calm down...# but at the moment, for most people, it's reallyjust about the music. oh, and the football. nomia iqbal, bbc news, kansas city. millions of people around the world are celebrating the start of the lunar new year. from hong kong to peru, the new moon has been marked in many diferent ways. 0ur reporter, courtney bembridge, has more from the newsroom. ringing in the year of the dragon in beijing — this display marks the start of 15 days of celebrations, and big public events like this haven't been held in recent years because of the pandemic.

but as you can see, they're back with a bang. in taiwan, worshipers gathered to light incense and pray for prosperity in the new year. and have a look at this as a slightly different way to celebrate in hong kong. tattoo artists say there's been an increase in the number of people requesting dragon designs. well, big icons, well—known around the world, this is the tokyo tower, have been lit up in red to mark the occasion. you can see the empire state building in new york here, too. and the celebrations went as far as south america. these pictures are from cuba. you can see the dragon front and centre here. it is considered to be the most auspicious of the 12 chinese zodiac signs. and these pictures are from lima in peru. again, lots of street performances there and crowds gathering to celebrate. it looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it? 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 atlanta, in a sale called goodbye peachtree road. the 950 items up for grabs include some of his outfits, his platform heels, a grand piano, a banksy painting and even his bentley car. that is 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. go down there and enjoy that if you do like eltonjohn. 0f go down there and enjoy that if you do like eltonjohn. of course, there's plenty more on our website. you can find all of the stories we have been covering this our, including that ongoing conflict in the middle east of course and a

six—year—old guys girl found dead. do you head to our website for the latest there. —— the six gazan girl. now, it's time for the weather. hello, there. it's been quite a quiet start to our weekend — welcome news, i am sure. but it was a murky one first thing for some — a little bit disappointing if you're out walking the dog early on. but that mist has lifted, we've got some sunny spells coming through, and look at this. when we've got saturated ground with localised flooding, i'm sure scenes like this, very welcome news. now, we have got some showers around today and low pressure still dominates the weather story. it's centred down towards the southwest and with this weather frontjust bumping into the far north of scotland in that colder air, still, some of those showers have been wintry first thing this morning, but it's chiefly going to be rain as we go into the afternoon, just snow with any elevation. so, this has been the story so far. we've had outbreaks of rain in scotland. we've got some showers developing across southwest england closest to the area of low pressure.

so, as we go through the rest of the afternoon, those showers are likely to continue to be on and off throughout the afternoon. we've got a little bit of nuisance rain starting to develop up through the kent coast into the east midlands by the afternoon as well. elsewhere, sunny spells, a little bit quieter and not as cold — five to 11 degrees. now, as we go through the night, that rain will continue to be a feature to the east of the pennines, running up through north sea coasts, into eastern scotland by the end of the night. some clearer skies out to the west here, we'll see low single figures, but generally those temperatures around three to eight degrees depending on the cloud cover. now, as we move into sunday, low pressure continues to be quite a feature with the story. we've still got this weather front to ease away first thing on sunday morning. it will do so. behind it, some sunnier spells developing and then a few scattered showers out to the west. so it's not a write—off by any means. it'll be a case of sunny spells and scattered showers.

you mightjust have to dodge those showers from time to time. seven to 11 degrees — the overall high. now, the low pressure systems will continue to feed in from the atlantic over the next few days. so looking ahead, it's likely that we will continue to see the wind direction coming from a south—westerly, so a milder source. but unfortunately there are no signs of any drier, settled, significant weather to come as we look through the week ahead. but those temperatures into the mid—teens in the south.

live from london, this is bbc news. fighting for food in northern gaza, where the un is warning of a looming famine, and children go without food for days. when it comes to the flour, people are actually using animal feed.

however, even the animal feed is starting to get scarce in the market and people are not finding it. a six—year—old gazan girl who was trapped in a car by israeli fire is found dead — along with two paramedics sent to rescue her. iraq's foreign minister tells the bbc his country could be pushed into conflict by attacks on its territory by iranian—backed militias and us forces. and pakistan's army chief calls for unity after the leaders of two rival parties both claim victory in the election. hello, i'm frankie mccamley. we begin this hour in gaza, where the death toll has now passed 28,000 — according to the hamas—run health ministry — and concern is growing over the shortage of food.

the united nations is warning of looming famine, with half