this is a major initiative involving us forces, which president biden will announce in his important state of the union speech tonight. the red bull racing boss christian horner speaks out, as an employee who made allegations against him is suspended on full pay. as far as i'm concerned, as far as red bull is concerned, we move on. discovered on the somerset coast — what's thought to be the world's oldest fossil forest — almost 400 million years old. and from the hotly tipped oscar film to the real place — we report from los alamos on the legacy of oppenheimer's work there. on newsnight at 10.30 — in the state of the union speech tonight, joe biden is set to announce he will unilaterally build a new port to get aid into gaza. will it bring a cease—fire closer?

good evening. presidentjoe biden is expected to announce tonight that the us military will build a port in gaza to get more humanitarian aid to people. the united nations has been warning that a quarter of the 2.2 million population is on the brink of famine. the port on gaza's mediterranean coast would enable ships to bring in food, water, and medicine. but there would be no us troops on the ground in gaza — raising questions about how the aid will be distributed. from israel, here's our chief international correspondent, 0rla guerin. her report contains images some viewers may find distressing. heading for gaza, another airlift, today by belgium. these supplies are urgently needed. 0n the ground, children are dying of hunger. un experts have accused israel

of intentionally starving gaza. this isjust a drop in the ocean and aid agencies say it's inefficient and a last resort. when help trickles in, the desperate come running, seizing what they can carry. this man managed to grab a sack of flour. this man wasn't so lucky. he had to try to scoop some up from the ground. it's better than eating animal feed, which many gazans have been reduced to. childhood now is a struggle for survival. president biden wants the us military to set up a port in gaza, but that will take weeks and there'll be no american troops the ground.

so who will secure the aid once it arrives? and who will prevent a repeat of this? crowds swarming aid trucks last week. there was chaos and gunfire from israeli troops. some were crushed to death, more than 100 were killed. how long will it take to get aid to fardy al zahn, wasting away in hospital in northern gaza? he has cystic fibrosis and has gone months without treatment. now he is struggling for every breath. "he needs a particular kind of milk," says his mother. "we used to get it from the hospital and we used to get his medicine, but from the start of the war, we couldn't get either.

he used to walk but look at him now." president biden says israel must let in more aid, no excuses. —— let in more food, no excuses. he says children's lives are on the line. aid agencies say while he is pushing for more humanitarian help he is still arming israel's war machine. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tel aviv. joe biden will announce the temporary port during the us president's annual state of the union address tonight. 0ur north america editor sarah smith is in philadelphia. how significant is this decision to build that port? it's a major new initiative and it does mean us forces getting more involved than they have been previously. it's coming about because joe previously. it's coming about becausejoe biden has been under pressure at home over gaza, where a

significant number of voters recently have been refusing to support him in elections because of his support for israel, and the state of the union speeches his chance to make the case for why he should get another four years chance to make the case for why he should get anotherfour years in chance to make the case for why he should get another four years in the white house so he needs to address these things, starting with the high cost of living. in this philadelphia warehouse, they're packing up almost twice as many food parcels as they had to just a couple of years ago. as food prices have shot up, more people can't afford to feed themselves without help. we need help more than ever from the folks that we are serving and we are seeing less and less assistance coming from washington. the high price of food hits everyone. voters say the economy is the issue they care about most, with many feeling worse off sincejoe biden became president. that does not bode well for his re—election. wild caught, that's expensive. do you know how much this is in the supermarket? this woman gets one of the food boxes delivered every month. in her tiny apartment, she explains why she can't, any longer, pay for all her own groceries. but the food is just outrageous. example, you go to a supermarket,

a pound of cheese, $3.99. it went up to almost $6.98. now, for a person who has a limited income, that's like, what? so you start eliminating, no cheese. people across the country who have noticed food prices going up, are they, come november, going to blame the president? they blame the president, honey, if they get a cold. this is america. we want our president to be sitting right up here on the right side ofjesus, 0k? president biden will be campaigning here in philadelphia tomorrow. pennsylvania is a key state that he needs to win and it's also where he's from, where he gets his credentials as blue—collarjoe, who understands the struggles of the working class voters. he's got to start making the case to them that he's not the problem, he's the one who's got the answers.

stan greenberg has been advising democratic presidential campaigns for decades. this year, he's really worried about the polls that suggest donald trump's currently ahead ofjoe biden. the issues are prices, prices, prices for voters, —— prices, the border, and crime and homelessness and part of his job will be in the state of the union to show he has made progress on this. today, mr biden isjoking with actors who have played the president. well, sir, in my capacity as president, all i had to deal with was a meteor. tonight it's serious, as he makes the case for his re—election. sarah smith, bbc news, philadelphia. the red bull racing boss christian horner says it's "time to draw a line" under claims he acted inappropriately towards a female member of staff. he was speaking after it emerged that the woman who made the claims has been suspended from the team on full pay. mr horner said the intrusion on his family had been "very trying"

since he was accused of inappropriate and controlling behaviour — which he denies. 0ur sports news correspondent laura scott reports. for all that christian horner tries to block out the noise, the controversy continues — all stemming from allegations made against him by a female colleague, which he denies. in saudi arabia today, every question from the media —— he credited his spice girl wife for standing by —— he credited his spice girl wife forstanding by him. figs -- he credited his spice girl wife for standing by him.— -- he credited his spice girl wife for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned. _ for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as _ for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as far _ for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as far as _ for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as far as red - for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as far as red bull - for standing by him. as far as i'm concerned, as far as red bull is l concerned, as far as red bull is concerned, as far as red bull is concerned, we move on and we look to the future and my wife has been phenomenally supportive throughout this, as have my family. at this, as have my family. at lunchtime it emerged the woman who accused horner of inappropriate and controlling behaviour had been suspended on full pay by red bull racing. the bbc has learned the reason given to the employee was that she had allegedly been dishonest. red bull racing declined to comment, saying it was an

internal matter. whilst horner maintains his team are unified, the father of max verstappen suggested otherwise saying it was driving people apart. his son said it was not a liar. as well as rival teams red bull racing plus my own sponsors have been calling for more transparency. 0ne have been calling for more transparency. one of their key partners, honda, told the bbc, we do not have full details on the matter at this point there for honda are not in a position to make any detailed comment. we look forward to full clarity as soon as possible. much like the sport it is engulfing this story is fast moving and has power dynamics at its heart. for as long as key stakeholders still have questions about how the matter is being handled, horner�*s problems persist. laura scott, bbc news. the prime minister has defended the use of taxpayers' money to settle a legal dispute between the science secretary michelle donelan and an academic. the government has paid £15,000 in settlement to a professor who ms donelan falsely suggested supported hamas.

here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. just to rishi sunak�*s right, michelle donelan in the pinkjacket with a £15,000 legal bill. the prime minister says it's right taxpayers should pick up the cost. there's a long—standing convention stretching back many years over different governments of all different parties, including labour, that the government will fund those legal disputes when it relates to government ministers doing their work. so was it work? this is professor kate sang. last 0ctober, she tweeted a newspaper article about hamas. michelle donelan misinterpreted that. the minister wrote to the research body, where professor sang was an adviser, expressing disgust and outrage. she said hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation. it's unacceptable for anyone to express sympathy or support. after being sued for libel, this week, she said: i fully accept professor sang is not an extremist or a supporter of hamas.

there is no evidence that she is. people know their public services are crumbling. and then you've got a minister who says something she shouldn't have said. then has to pick up a legal action and pay damages and costs. and then says the taxpayer is going to pay for that. totally insulting. ms donelan�*s team have said her original letter was drawn up and published with advice from government lawyers and scrutinising appointments is one of her responsibilities. cabinet colleagues have been rallying round. in the dying days of borisjohnson�*s time, michelle donelan was made education secretary. 36 hours later, she resigned. today, we are reminded she could have taken £16,000 severance pay, but turned it down. and i think that speaks volumes about the honourable lady's character and how much she values the fact that it is taxpayers' money that we are talking about. but more than the money, others

are pointing to conduct in office, saying ms donelan should be investigated and if she's found to have fallen short, should resign. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. the uk has pledged a further £125 million to supply ukraine with drones to target the russian army and its black sea fleet. the defence secretary, grant shapps, made the announcement during a visit to kyiv for talks with president zelensky. in eastern ukraine, russian forces continue to advance after capturing the town of avdiivka last month. ukraine says it is stabilising the front line but a slowing of western support is affecting their ability to halt the russian advance. cities like kostiantynivka have been next to the front line for a decade, but they now fear they are next. from there, our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, reports. eastern ukraine is being eroded. russian forces are approaching,

taking village after village. and for the people living here, death or occupation feels imminent. valeri and his grandson denis have taken up the offer of evacuation. their home in toretsk is in russia's sights. here it's making its size and ammunition reserves count. ukrainian forces are going backwards. and with valeri's town now constantly shelled, it's time to go. translation: i lived my life already, but i need _ to save the little one. police take them to kostiantynivka, a place of relative safety, but increasingly less so. the city is used to being close to the battlefield, but its risk of being captured is growing. when ukraine liberated territory more than a year ago, there was hope, but the tide hasn't

just changed, it's approaching. now there is fear that cities like kostiantynivka will be gradually destroyed and its people will be forced to flee. this is what russia does when it tries to take ukrainian territory, and this is what moscow still calls liberation. "please leave, we're begging you," says this woman's daughter on a video message. the russians are just three miles away. she refuses. "you're staying here for two goats?" replies the volunteer. but strikes on their city have left tatiana and her daughter, maria, with a difficult choice. translation: we are tired all day. we have bad moods and panic attacks, constant depression. it's scary to go outside. so, are you both going to leave?

i've already left twice. what's the point? it's scary everywhere. the whole country is on fire. while tatiana is staying, maria is already sending her belongings west. today it's the tv taking the route she and her son eventually will go. translation: i hope she will follow. my mum only has us. and we only have her. ukrainian troops are preparing for a new front line, but there are no guarantees the russians will be contained. the donetsk region is at the coalface of this war. with ukraine only receiving enough help from the west to hold on, its territory is being chipped away, leaving these people in the east with an impossible decision — to stay or leave. james waterhouse, bbc news, the donetsk region.

a mother who went on the run with her newborn baby and partner has denied doing anything to harm her child and says she did nothing but show her love. constance marten and mark gordon deny manslaughter and other charges over the death of their baby victoria while they were living in a tent on the south downs last year. here's daniel sandford. the subjects of a nationwide manhunt. this was constance marten and mark gordon injanuary last year, trying to evade the authorities, following the birth of their baby victoria, seen here in cctv footage shown at the trial. they were worried she'd be taken into care, like their previous four children. seven and a half weeks later, police found victoria's body in a shopping bag in a shed on a brighton allotment. today, constance marten wept as she told the jury that she and mark gordon loved their children more than anything in the world. asked if she'd been cruel to baby victoria, constance martin said, "no. i did nothing but show her love."

talking quietly and with a very well spoken accent, she described how she became estranged from her wealthy family because of a traumatic event in her childhood, arguments over her grandmother's will and because herfamily disapproved of mark gordon. she said she met him in a shop in london and they married in peru, but their first four children were all removed from them. when their fifth child, victoria, was born, they tried to avoid the authorities, but the plan went wrong when their car caught fire and police realised they'd had another baby. so the couple took to a tent on the south downs, where constance marten said the baby died while she slept sitting up. she tearfully told the jury, "i held on to herfor a few hours. then i wrapped her in my black scarf i was wearing and i said some parting words to her and then placed her in the bag for life." where's the child, madam? where is the child? when constance marten and mark gordon were arrested last february, they didn't tell police where victoria was.

they both deny manslaughter by gross negligence. daniel sanford, bbc news, at the old bailey. gunmen have abducted more than 100 pupils from a school in the northern nigerian state of kaduna. the incident comes days after dozens of women and children were reportedly kidnapped in the state of borno. our west africa correspondent, mayeni jones is there yes, this latest attack, eyewitnesses say happened early in the morning. the children were in assembly when armed gunmen on motorcycles drove in and took 100 of them into a nearby forest. some escaped but 280 are still missing and this is the second mass abduction in less than a week here in northern nigeria in borno state.

dozens of internally displaced women and children were taken near their camp while they were collecting firewood to cook late last week. they were taken by members of the boko haram islamist militant group and as we are approaching the 10—year anniversary of the abduction of the tube goals, the 276 goals taken from their school, we have seen a resurgence of the group in this region and a return to mass abductions. the foreign secretary, lord cameron, said today there was what he called "incredible unity" between allies when asked about a leaked call between german military officials about ukraine, which included details about uk operations. he was speaking on a visit to germany. jessica parker has more. an unverified tape released in russian state media, apparently of four german air force officials. it was a long day... one of the officers was staying in a hotel in singapore

for an aviation show. you can hear him tell colleagues about how it's nearly midnight, it's been a long day. then the serious discussions begin. but the call, it now appears, had already been compromised. and they want to communicate... the conferencing app they used has end—to—end encryption. but this expert thinks the officer in singapore may have made the mistake of dialling in on his mobile. what an attacker can do is they set up an antenna of their own. so the phone connects to the attacker�*s antenna and the attackerjust forwards all the phone calls. but in the meantime, just notes down everything that's being said or transmitted through the phone. this is chancellor olaf scholz�*s office. the message from the government here has been that they see this as a case of individual human error, not a sign of wider, sloppy security practices.

but it's an argument that not everyone is quite buying, abroad or here in germany. you have to choose a certain kind of disguise for this disaster, and it might be a personal mistake. however, it is a signal of a systemic failure. the uk foreign secretary, meeting his german counterpart in berlin. the now infamous call included highly sensitive discussions about german, french and british weapons aid to ukraine. but no public recriminations here. i don't want to play into the hands of some russian narrative - about divisions between allies. what i see is incredible unity between allies. . this is the russian embassy in berlin. now, the german government has described this leak as a disinformation attack, and warned, don't let it divide us,

that's what the kremlin wants. but germany has, it seems, been caught out, and it's having to do some damage limitation. jessica parker, bbc news, in berlin. it's being hailed as a maritime revolution — a fleet of remote controlled ships sailing around the world with almost no crew on board. robot ships, as they're being called. one of them is being trialled in norway. our science editor rebecca morelle has been on board. what you're looking at is a vision of the future. a ship that needs only a few people on board to sail it and that can be controlled from anywhere in the world. the vessel's being put through its paces in a norwegian fjord. the company behind this, ocean infinity, are building a fleet of 23 of these. they're being used for survey work for offshore wind farms and the oil and gas industry. we fitted this vessel with extra sensors, extra servers, extra cabling, extra information systems.

this is definitely going to be a revolution. there's almost no part of our operation which is going to be untouched by our approach to, to making it more robotic. this ship is 78 metres long, and usually a vessel like this would have a crew of a0 or 50 people. but this is operating with just 16. instead, some of the jobs that are being carried out by a crew more than 700 miles away. they're in a remote control centre, which in this case is in southampton. and this is that control room. everything you can see from onboard the ship, you can see here on these screens. and as more and more of the vessels come into operation, all of these will start filling up. eventually, even the captain could be here, in charge of multiple ships in oceans around the world. for now, though, it's tasks like watch keeping or launching underwater robots. it's exciting to know that there's an opportunity to me to work onshore

and still be involved in exciting projects. you can do almost everything that you do on, on the vessel. like, you can move around, you can steer it, you can have cameras, you can see the cameras here. some vessels are sailing with no—one on board at all. this boat is being tested in plymouth sound and its crew is in an office in aberdeen. could you show us how you can control it from here? like, could we do a figure of eight or something like that? yeah, let's go for figure of eight. so now i am moving forward, i said in command, "go forward." the captain has precise control of the boat in real time. that looks pretty good to me. it's definitely an eight. the technology is moving rapidly, but experts say the regulations now need to catch up, to make sure these new—style vessels are safe at sea. back on the dockside in norway, the next ship is being fitted out. the industry is gearing up for change, because the next wave

of shipping is already here. rebecca morelle, bbc news. this is minehead in somerset, and down here right by the sea is what is believed to be the world's oldest known forest — 390 million years old. the fossilised trees were found in this cliff near butlins holiday camp by a team of scientists from cambridge and cardiff universities. dr christopher berry takes up the story. this is a stunning find, because, first of all, it's so close to home, it'sjust across the bristol channel. these are the oldest trees in the world. they didn't have woody trunks, they had trunks which were made out of little strands of wood alljoined together and it's sort of like an internal eiffel tower. they might have looked a little bit like palm trees. this type of vegetation lasted for about 5 million years and it really set the tone and tempo for the evolution of both plant life on land and/or animals living on the land. it also just fills in a massive gap in our understanding british

vegetational history. we don't have these types of plants anywhere else in britain at this time. an extraordinary find. oppenheimer — the film about the creator of the atomic bomb — is up for 13 academy awards this weekend at the oscars. it tells the story of the manhattan project during the second world war, when, just over this ridge in new mexico, scientists built the atomic bomb which was later used onjapan. but as emma vardy reports, the production of nuclear weapons there continues to divide opinion, and some communities say they ve suffered decades of health effects because of oppenheimer�*s work. # take me out of the long game...#. fear over the most deadly of weapons still echoes in new mexico today, as it did in the time of oppenheimer. he chose this deserted location

for his scientific work that changed the course of history. this is a national emergency. the town of los alamos was created almost overnight and today, is still home to one of the world's top laboratories, making components for nuclear warheads. because of the film, the town's been attracting lots of new visitors. we've been seeing a lot of tourism increased, a lot of extra attention. we're selling a lot more merchandise. what about the moral aspect of what this symbolises? well, we definitely have a very sort of nuanced and balanced view of that. the bomb oppenheimer�*s team created killed more than 200,000 people. it's happening, isn't it? tour guides here tread a delicate line. so this is oppenheimer's home office. i think it's really easy for us 75 years later to sit in self—righteous judgment of decisions that were made in very different circumstances. christopher nolan's film wasn'tjust

about the development of the atomic bomb, but about the ethical dilemma facingj robert oppenheimer and his team of scientists. and after the second world war he himself called for restraint in nuclear armament. unbeknown to him, communities known as the down—winders claim they too were victims of oppenheimer�*s work. both my great grandfathers had cancer, they both died from that. my two grandmothers had cancer. my father had three different cancers he didn't have risk factors for. my sister has cancer. so the people of new mexico, ever since the time of the test, have been suffering a variety of different cancers. we firmly believe that we have been over—exposed to radiation. the government's provided compensation for people affected by nuclear testing and communities in new mexico are lobbying to be included. campaigners are calling for an end to nuclear weapons production at los alamos. many view the film oppenheimer not

only as a historical tale but as a warning that remains just as relevant today. emma vardy, bbc news, new mexico. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. thank you. good evening. as we head into tomorrow we see more sunshine, something we haven't seen for a while but it will feel colder because we will be drawing in a strong easterly wind that will take the edge of the temperatures. cloud into eastern parts of the country and eastern scotland, may be the odd spot of rain. most places dry with clear spells but because of the win, no problems with frost or fog. some colder air running around this area of high pressure, drawn in across the uk and a very strong easterly breeze. a lot more sunshine around for england, wales, northern

ireland, western scotland. when you factor in the win, it will feel quite cold, 30, a0 mph gusts, particularly strong along coasts. six to 10 degrees will be the high, factor in the wind, it will feel colder. at least we have the sunshine to compensate. saturday we see this area of low pressure pushing on across the south. for saturday it doesn't look too bad, a few showers across england and wales, but quite a lot of sunshine for england and wales and into was western scotland, rather dull and cloudy for eastern scotland, north—east england. some slightly warmer airfrom