benjamin netanyahu says an assault on rafah will go ahead as the un secretary general says nothing can justify what he called the collective punishment of the palestinian people in gaza. wrong and unacceptable — prime minister rishi sunak condemns comments from a suspended mp about the mayor of london. these are live pictures of brussels where farmers are protesting. these protests have been happening in countries right across europe. let's go now to hungary. this is inside the parliament. they are expected to ratify sweden's membership of nato,

the final block to stop sweden joining. around £4] billion is going to be given to northern areas. to help with their transport. better transport connections for millions of people living in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. that's the promise from rishi sunak as he makes the case for cancelling the massive hs2 rail upgrade. the north of england will receive £2.5 billion over a seven—year period from next april, and the midlands £2.2 billion. the money will be distributed by local councils from a central local transport fund,

with residents able to have a say and mps given oversight to ensure value for money. all we seem to ever get over the last ten years, let alone actually over the last 14 years, is a series of promises which never actually seem to change how people can live their lives in the north, the opportunities that are afforded to us here in the north. and all we are going to hear, i think, today is another funding commitment that is never going to solve the problems that we face today. all this is aimed at putting flesh on the bones to explain how part of the £36 billion budget for hs2 would be reallocated in england and wales. money is also being pledged to resurface roads, extend the £2 bus fare cap across england and install more electric vehicle charging points. but labour said these were "back of a fag packet" calculations, and amounted to a re—announcement of projects which had been promised a decade ago. there will be at least one spending review and a general election before this money can even be turned into tarmac. but rishi sunak is taking his cabinet on a road trip to east yorkshire later today to lay out how he plans to improve transport options for millions of people.

marc ashdown, bbc news. reuters is reporting russian opposition politician alexei navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap at the time of his death, along with two us nationals. with more on this, i'm nowjoined by vitaliy shevchenko, russia editor at bbc monitoring. this comes from maria pevchikh, a close ally of alexei navalny. she said that talks to release him had reached the final stage. according to maria pevchikh, he was going to be exchanged for a russian state security service assassin who is currently serving a life sentence in

germany. together with alexei navalny, two american citizens were said to be exchanged. according to her it was the result of a long and complicated project which had lasted for two years. interestingly, vladimir putin brought up the subject of a possible exchange in an interview with tucker carlson earlier this month. he suggested that an american journalist could be exchanged for that russian assassin currently in germany. he room —— his remarks in a way give credibility to what maria pevchikh has said. according to her, vladimir putin was so opposed to see alexei navalny walk free out ofjail that he killed him. that is the claim from alexei

navalny�*s camp. just him. that is the claim from alexei navalny's camp-— navalny's camp. just an extra line here coming _ navalny's camp. just an extra line here coming out _ navalny's camp. just an extra line here coming out of— navalny's camp. just an extra line here coming out of that _ navalny's camp. just an extra line here coming out of that alexei - here coming out of that alexei navalny is spokesperson. i want to bring you one quick update again from reuters. an alexei navalny spokesperson said they want a public place where supporters of alexei navalny can bid him farewell. funeral arrangements have yet to be announced. here in the uk, police have adopted a new tactic in their fight against antisocial behaviour on public transport. it's called a �*trojan bus'.

officers in south shields, near newcastle, are using decoy public transport rather than police cars to give them an element of surprise. our north of england reporter rowan bridge has the story. behaviour like this causes fear and intimidation for communities across the country. children causing misery for those who are targeted. tonight, we've joined the fight against it in south shields. this is northumbria police's trojan bus. it gives the element of surprise. they've gone on the platform of the train station. it allows them to get close to trouble without being recognised. we'rejustjumping back on the metro to go down towards the, erm, city centre. this is the new front line in tackling anti—social behaviour. we'll quickly go through the briefing for our operation tonight on the trojan bus. tonight's operation began a few hours earlier with a briefing at south shields police station. whispering: as you can see, they'rejust running through the operation at the moment.

now, it's an ordinary stagecoach bus that's going to be driving around, but it won't be on a normal bus route. instead, it's going to target areas that are hotspots for anti—social behaviour. we've been out less than an hour and already police are dealing with trouble at the bus station. i've spoke to his mam, she's aware of the search. i've told her she can come down the station and see the body—worn if she wants to. children letting off fireworks. you have to leave right now, right? they're handed a dispersal order and banned from the area. how effective is a dispersal order in trying to tackle these sorts of problems? yeah, it's very effective. itjust shows by... we've dealt with it there and then. they're getting given a chance. they might have found themselves in a little bit of bother with the wrong group. this is your chance to go leave the area and you won't find yourself in bother. it's this kind of low—level crime that blights lives. it seems to be getting a lot worse at the moment around the area, especially down the seafront. at the moment, the last couple of weeks, there's been a couple of teenagers smashing all the windows and that. people don't want to come out

at night, basically, because of it. terrible. when you get on, it's full of them on their bikes and the abuse and the language isjust terrible. all on their vapes. awful. they've got no respect for anybody and they're just abusive. it's horrible. they're going on one wheel, running in front of you. - we've been in greggs and they've just went| in and pinched all the sandwiches, all the pop, and nobody's... - we've come and told the security and nobody's doing anything. - it's a waste of time. the next calls come in and we're back at the bus station. you go that way. they're in hot pursuit. police! stop where you are. give us that laser. he's 14 and accused of shining a laser pen at drivers and a police officer. it was green, shining in my eye. i could have caused an accident. i could have killed myself, or killed somebody else. you think that's funny?! no. no, it's not. it's a criminal offence. maybe i'll lock you up but we're not going to lock up.

right? police say they're determined to drive out the problem, but it's not yet been left in the rear view mirror, so there's still a need for tactics like this to confront the scourge of anti—social behaviour. rowan bridge, bbc news, south shields. the international court ofjustice in the hague is holding a final day of hearings looking the legal consequences arising from israel's occupation of the palestinian territories. it has been asked by the united nations to offer an opinion. that is not legally binding. the palestinian delegation has claimed that israel's actions are tantamount to apartheid. israel, which is not taking part in the hearings, has said an advisory opinion would not help attempts to resolve the ongoing conflict. anna holligan is outside the hague, and spoke to us earlier with the latest.

a range of views — a record 51 countries taking part in these proceedings. so we heard from the palestinian delegation on day one, in which they said israel's occupation was tantamount to apartheid, that there needed to be a two—state solution and that this court could help in achieve that ruling. they said the palestinian people at the moment were being denied their right to self—determination. on the other side, we heard from the us and british delegations in which they asked the court not to issue a ruling at all because they said it would undermine the existing framework, the idea that this advisory opinion could set the parameters for a

negotiated settlement, that is the palestinian position supported by a number of other countries. israel hasn't taken part in these hearings although it did submit a written statement saying that these hearings could be harmful because the question posed by the un general assembly was prejudiced in its nature. but separate from these proceedings, we have heard from the court today to report due from israel on the provisional measures in relation to the case brought by south africa to the icj accusing israel of violating the genocide convention in the gaza strip. that report is due today. the court will not save it as being received. these reports are generally kept confidential. israel was, as part of those provisional measures, required to allow humanitarian aid to access

the strip and prevent any acts that could be considered genocidal in nature. with regards to the current hearings, thejudges nature. with regards to the current hearings, the judges are expected to issue their advisory opinion within six months. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. bbc news bringing you different stories from across the uk. - transforming textiles into unique pieces of clothing. the aim of this charity in haverfordwest is to prevent waste and cut fast fashion by promoting sustainable fashion, which they say is on the rise. frame have donations from the community. so we take their memories, sort them, and then we upcycle them. people want to be bespoke. they want to look unique. and we've had, like, i would say, like a 300% increase in profits on actually why it is good to shop here and the amazing quality that you can get from charity shops.

pre—covid the charity's waste was around 20%. recent records show it's now 5%. a 15 point reduction in items that end up in landfill. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. - you're live with bbc news. let's have a look at brussels, where there is a significant farmer protest there in brussels as eu ministers are meeting. there has been water cannon. this is madrid, there are farmer protest there as well. there have been lots of

protests, farmers and their tractors out on the streets in european countries protesting against the challenges they face with bureaucracy, cost of living, with different regulations, with cheaper competitors. a mix of grievances across different countries, but all out on the streets. we are keeping across those protests for you. there's a warning people living with a rare eating disorder are being overlooked by the health service in england. one charity says calls to its helpline about avoidant—restrictive food intake disorder, known as arfid, are seven times higher than they were five years ago. they say it is vital people with the condition receive support and that extra funding is available for eating disorder services. abi smitton reports. the sheep is gone. the sheep has gone, yes. the sheep has gone. the sheep. sheep, baa. he was the most happiest, smiliest little boy i've ever come across. his soul was just kind,

and he was soft and he was just so beautiful. on the bus. oh, on the bus. the sheep went on the bus. you cheeky monkey. there are memories of lucy's son, alfie anthony, everywhere you turn in their house. he was diagnosed with autism when he was three. although alfie was behind on a lot of things that i was aware of as a mother, the one thing that always, always worried me was his eating. he struggled to eat anything with texture or lumps, relying on just a few safe foods. and i kept voicing. he's losing weight. he wasn't alfie. he just wasn't alfie, he was a poorly, poorly boy. and again, he... it got put down to his autism. lucy asked for help, but didn't receive support. i was really fighting. like i thought, like,

i don't know what i thought. ijust thought... it was in my head, or like, nobody's... like i'm screaming out and nobody was listening. in 2021, he passed away at the age of seven. his cause of death was malnutrition. it was only after he died that alfie was diagnosed with arfid, an eating disorder that can be caused by sensitivity to food textures or smells. an inquest found healthcare professionals didn't pay enough attention to his diet. together we were invincible. no one else could come close. i shut myself away from those who i love the most. poetry has helped jess cope since she developed arfid. since she developed arfid. you have become my biggest secret, but i couldn't keep it up for long. she has a phobia of vomiting. one day she was sick after a meal. pretty much overnight, i stopped eating. my relationship with food

automatically changed overnight, in, while everyone else needed food in order to survive, all of a sudden i was learning how to survive without it. she went for three years without support until she met gemma from the eating disorder charity seed. hello, how are you? i'm good, how are you? oh, god, it's been too long. i feel like i'm starting to get back on track again. obviously, there's going to be ups and downs, but i feel like i'm feeling positive again and i've got a bit of a spark back. it's about treating the person and not the eating disorder, i and that it's so important - to like remember thatjess isjess. recovery is not a one—way street, like it's a recovery _ after recovery after recovery. so i'm just really proud of you. ijust can't thank you all enough for saving my life. so we need to get a meeting in then, i guess, ideally this week.

nicole and stacey both have loved ones with arfid. they were shocked at the lack of awareness and support available. in response, they set up the first dedicated arfid charity in the uk. if you can imagine going online and there being basically nothing about arfid, it was an information black hole, essentially. that was part of the frustration that i was experiencing is that i was dealing with doctors, paediatricians, dietitians who had never actually heard of arfid before. ready? steady. since alfie's inquest, stockport nhs trust has said they're deeply sorry they missed opportunities and have introduced new guidelines. hello. come here. lucy is now calling for better awareness of arfid, especially around its links to autism. i really, really want a pathway for understanding and knowledge for children on the spectrum.

i don't want it to happen to anybody else. so although this hopefully will help other families. i will continue being his mum, and i'll keep being his voice. just sadly i wasn't heard then, but i'll make sure i'm heard now. for viewers in the uk, if you have been affected by any of the issues raised help is available from bbc action line — just visit bbc.co.uk/actionline. the boss of budget airline ryanair is warning that the price of tickets could be up to 10% higher this summer compared with last year because the company is struggling to get hold of new planes. michael o'leary says the late delivery of some boeing aircraft will affect the number of available seats. simonjones reports.

after what has been a very wet and windy winter, it's hardly surprising that the thoughts of many are already turning to spending summer in sunnier climes. but that could come at a greater cost this year. ryanair was meant to bolster its fleet with the delivery of 57 new boeing planes, a type of 737 max, by the end of march. but it now thinks only 40 to 45 will arrive in time for the peak summer months. the airline's boss, michael o'leary, says lower than expected growth in passenger numbers would mean higherfares. and with other airlines also facing shortages of aircraft, he's predicting a higherfare environment across europe as they struggle to meet demand. ryanair�*s original forecast for the year to the end of march 2025 was that it would carry 205 million passengers, but it says with fewer planes than expected, it may have to revise that down to 200 million. it's predicting fare increases

of between 5% and io%. boeing has been under tight scrutiny from the aviation authorities in the us after part of one of its planes in the alaska airlines fleet came off in midair injanuary. it said it was taking the necessary time to make sure every aircraft it delivered met all customer and regulatory requirements. it deeply regretted the impact on ryanair. but higher prices will come as a blow to passengers facing cost of living challenges. ryanair says it hopes it will get some compensation from boeing, but its primary focus is on making sure planes are delivered. simon jones, bbc news. for more than 1,200 years, thousands of men wearing very little in freezing conditions would gather in shrines in different parts of ruraljapan to take part in one of the country's oldest — and strangest — traditions. the ha—daka matsuri, or �*naked festival�* is a ritual that is meant to bring in good luck and drive away evil spirits. this year, one of those festivals is allowing women to take part

for the first time ever. what you're looking at is one of japan's most ancient traditions. this is the matsuri or the naked festival, essentially hundreds and hundreds of men, if not thousands, wearing next to nothing. they huddle together, they push and shove, all to try and touch the chosen man, a man chosen by the shrine. this is to bring in good luck and drive away evil spirits. it is freezing out here, i'm wearing so many layers and i am shivering. i don't know these guys are doing it. they're barely dressed. and to make things interesting, they're being sprayed very cold water. in the more than 1,200 year history of this festival, women were never allowed to participate until now. for many years, women have been pushing to take part and it's finally happened. and no, they're not naked, and no, they're not in the men's big huddle, but they get to make their own offerings to the shrine, and that's no small feat.

this is the moment. they're making their way to the shinto shrine to make their offerings. this is something no woman injapan has ever done before. this has always been off limits for women. but for the first time, in more than a thousand years, women are now taking part and one ofjapan's most famous naked festivals. obviously, they�* re clothed. and after they give thanks and wish for good luck, the immensity of the moment sets in. japan's ageing population is a big issue for these festivals and one of the reasons organisers decided to include women. remember, the year started with an earthquake, a huge fire

at haneda airport, and it's been announced that japan is now in recession. so frankly, the country needs a whole load of good luck and all the help it can get from both men and women. let us show you what is happening right now. this is hungry, the mps debating there, they are expected to ratify sweden's sweden joining nato. also in geneva, this is the human rights council meeting now taken various contributions life. in brussels, in belgium, we are taking a look at what is happening on the streets there. you can see the water cannon being fired against

protesters, farmers, out in force. they are angry at eu bureaucracy, free trade deal is undermining their prices. we are expecting to hear from the pellet —— politicians there in brussels in the not—too—distant future. this is madrid. again, a farmer protest there in spain. there have been lots of different protest and lots of different european countries and beyond in recent weeks. this is the latest one. hello there. good afternoon. still rather blustery today towards the south of the uk, but there's a lot of dry weather around, especially in the west. lots of blue skies, sunshine

here today in swansea, as recorded by our weather watcher. further east, although there still be some sunny spells, expect to see some showers to blow in from the north sea and there's more of the same as we head through the rest of the afternoon too. some of these showers making their way as far west as eastern areas of wales, but across western scotland, northern ireland, west and wales, in the south west of england it is largely dry. a bit of wind chill too to factor into those temperatures towards north sea facing coast with a brisk north—easterly wind and it will feel a little colder than this out towards the east. highs between seven and ten degrees celsius. the strong winds across the channel islands eventually easing down as we head through the evening. overnight tonight, a couple of weather fronts just approaching the far north—west of scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, high pressure topples further southwards here. the winds will lighten and there will be some fog patches developing into tomorrow morning. for many a touch of frost. but temperatures will rise slightly

as we head through the small hours of tomorrow morning. so we'll start the day off with many of our temperatures just slightly above freezing, the fog lingering on across south—east england and then gradually clearing away this weather front, gradually slipping further southwards and eastwards, bringing some outbreaks of rain, but gradually petering out as it comes into the area of high pressure behind it. the skies will brighten again towards the north and the west, but expect to see a few showers, possibly a bit wintry over the higher ground. as we head through tuesday and into wednesday, another warm front approaches. so, again, a touch of frost for many, i think on tuesday night into wednesday. this weather front is going to drag behind it some milder—feeling air, but it's quite a wet start to the day across western scotland, northern ireland, down through western wales, north—west england, drier and likely to stay dry for much of the day. further east with again some hazy sunshine but clouding over will see temperatures creep back up again into double figures as that milder air starts to take hold. but then, as we head through thursday, colder air follows behind the second weather front that's going to sweep in from the west again. so some of the showers on thursday could turn a bit wintry, particularly over the higher ground.

but there'll also be some spells of brightness and sunshine to as the milder hangs on in the south and the east. bye— bye.

today at one. the prime minister condemns controversial remarks by the former deputy tory party chairman. labour accused lee anderson of islamophobia when he claimed the mayor of london is under the control of islamists.

lee's comments weren't acceptable, they were wrong, and that is why he has had the whip suspended. also this lunchtime, why royal mail is not delivering. the crucial letters that arrive late or not at all. i wasn't aware of any appointment. it was due to us not getting any post. you must have been furious? yeah, and upset. horn blows. chaos in brussels as angry farmers protest against eu rules on agriculture. all aboard! undercover police pretend to be bus passengers to tackle anti—social behaviour. we've dealt with it there and then, they've gotten given a chance to... look, they might have found themselves in a little bit of bother with the wrong group. this is your chance to go, leave the area. so, india win the series. and joy for india, but misery for england, who've lost the fourth test and the series.