live from london. this is bbc news the european union says a maritime aid corridorfrom cyprus to gaza could start operating this weekend meanwhile, the united states says it could take up to 60 days for a temporary port to be built a london fertility clinic has its operation licence suspended after "significant concerns" were raised over errors in the freezing of embryos a new award for public servants who die in the line of duty. the elizabeth emblem is a form of national recognition for their families. absolutely overwhelmed, fantastic, elated, humbled, all those rolled into one, i think _ a pentagon report on ufo sightings says it's found no evidence aliens have visited earth.

hello, i'm samantha simmonds. we start with the situation in gaza. and a ship carrying humanitarian aid is expected to set sail to the territory from cyprus this weekend, as part of a planned maritime aid corridor. it's a joint operation between the eu, us, uk and united arab emirates — aiming to bring supplies from cyprus to the coast of gaza. the un says a quarter of gaza's population is on the brink of famine, and children there are starving to death. organisers hope the plan could allow large amounts of extra aid, but say it will be �*complex' and continue to press israel to allow more deliveries by road. the european union's ambassador to the us told the bbc a little more about the plans for the maritime corridor. hopefully the first pilot try to get aid over the weekend but it takes

some time to make sure that it's not only once in a time but it has a sustainable way to supply aid to the people in gaza and palestine to make sure we ease the situation in the region. cyprus for a long time had been a part of the way to the region so hopefully this could help because five of the eu member states is on board and we see the possibility to increase the aid and to have the possibility to provide it as soon as possible. here's pentagon spokesman patrick ryder importantly there will be no us forces on the ground in gaza, finally in terms of time and we are looking to set this up as quickly as possible but we expect it will take several weeks to plan and execute and once operational the exact amount of aid delivered

will depend on many variables and the likely scale over time however we expect deliveries to provide more than 2 million meals to the citizens of gaza per day. for the latest on the maritime aid corridor efforts, i spoke to our middle east correspondent wyre davies injerusalem. there are several possible routes into gaza, a huge humanitarian crisis exists there, 300,000 people especially in the north of gaza without any real adequate food or aid, some trucks getting in but clearly not enough so the eu, the uae and other organisations have come up with this plan of a sort of maritime corridor and this would entail a ship leaving cyprus today towing a barge and on that will be around 200 tonnes of aid but the problem is when it gets to gaza, there is no port, there is a war going on and no obvious way to safely remove

and distribute the aid and it's a logistical nightmare. we've been asking questions but have not had satisfactory answers, this is a test run this weekend and if this works it will become a regular route for aid from cyprus towards gaza but we then have a separatejoe biden plan to build a temporary port facility off the coast of gaza that would be built by american army engineers but no american military boots on the ground. but that is two months away at the very least. all the while, the aid agencies say the best way to get aid into gaza is through israel and let's try and persuade the israelis and i know lord cameron, the uk foreign secretary, has been talking to the israelis about opening up a port in the north of gaza, a huge containment port, 30 or a0 minutes away from it crossing into gaza and that would be, the aid agencies in particular say it would be a much more practical way

of getting aid into gaza. meanwhile that is not happening and there is a disagreement between the israelis and various agencies and there is no ceasefire, the maritime corridor is the favoured method of getting aid into gaza although it probably will not be enough. what are the israelis saying about the military campaign and the latest from there? interesting. the ceasefire that everybody had hoped would be in place this weekend has not happened. benjamin netanyahu reiterated his priority a couple of days ago at a military graduation ceremony saying israel would continue its military operation in southern gaza, not to do that would be to admit defeat despite the international pressure. mr netanyahu acknowledged the level of pressure he is coming under to agree to a ceasefire and to allow more aid in but i think reading between the lines for him, his priority is as he would see it, the unfinished military

business in gaza. what more hopes of ceasefire talks with ramadan approaching and just hours away? good question. i think they have not given up on that. hamas has left cairo now but the qatari and egyptian mediators are ready to talk to hamas and the israelis indirectly, hopefully get them back around the table and agree to a a0 day ceasefire, the paris framework. if that does not happen the war continues but if that happens there are significant obstacles to allowing it to happen, if it happens one of the big beneficiaries would be more aid officially to get into gaza through roads, through israel which is a much more effective and efficient way of getting aid to the people who need it. a fertility clinic in london has had its licence to operate suspended due to "significant concerns" about the unit. the homerton fertility centre has been told it must not start

new procedures, but can continue to see existing patients. the clinic said there had been three separate cases of errors in the freezing of embryos. the bbc understands as many as 150 embryos could have been affected in incidents involving up to 45 patients, although this has not been confirmed by the trust. 0ur correspondent zoe conway is outside the homerton fertility centre with the latest. the fertility centre it says in these incidents, there was an error in the freezing process that led to a tragic loss of a small number of embryos because they either did not survive or because they cannot be detected and the centre says it has called in external clinical experts to try and understand what has happened although they have not been able to find a direct cause yet. the metropolitan police were here at the clinic yesterday although they say they are not currently investigating. the centre also says it has tightened security measures

at the unit. and what the bbc understands is that we are talking about 150 embryos affected and as many as 45 patients although that has not been confirmed by the trust. we have spoken to one patient who says she is distraught and emotionally drained because she has discovered that one of her embryos cannot be found. the clinic has apologised to patients for any distress that has been caused and it says for those who have already started their treatment cycle, that will continue but for future scheduled treatment cycles, those have been suspended. this is not the first time the regulator, the human fertilisation and embryology authority has raised concerns about this clinic. two years ago the authority said that whistleblowers were concerned about the leadership, the welfare of patients and staff, and the working

conditions at the clinic. the health ombudsman for england has warned that an overstretched and understaffed nhs is putting cancer patients at risk. rob behrens says exhausted workers are under "unsustainable pressure", and the government should invest in the workforce. ministers say their nhs long term workforce plan will boost the number of staff. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes has more. a recent analysis by the bbc suggested cancer waiting times in england last year were the worst on record. now there are new figures from the health ombudsman who investigates unresolved complaints about nhs england government departments and other public organisations. they highlight problems in cancer treatment, misdiagnosis, poor communication referrals and end—of—life care. the ombudsman, rob behrens, says while everyone deserves safe and effective care, patient safety would always be at risk in environments that

are understaffed and where staff are exhausted and working under unsustainable pressure. i continually come across failures in service despite the excellence of so many dedicated clinicians and staff in the nhs. that is the reality we have to live with and confront. being shocked is not enough, what we have to do is to create a learning culture in the nhs. he has called for what he described as concerted and sustained action from government to make sure that nhs leaders can prioritise safety, and a key part of that, he said, would mean a long—term investment in the workforce. a spokesperson for the department of health and social care said a record number of cancer patients had been seen and treated over the past two years and the nhs long—term workforce plan would boost healthcare workers diagnosing and treating cancer. dominic hughes, bbc news.

more than 280 school pupils have been abducted in nigeria in the north west town of kuriga in kaduna state. reports say students between the ages of 8 and 15 were taken, along with a teacher. the abductions have been blamed on ansaru, a breakaway faction of the islamistjihadist group boko haram. victims of kidnappings usually pay a ransom to secure their freedom. a controversial law passed in 2022 made it a crime to make ransom payments, with a potentialjail sentence of at least 15 years. but many victims feel they have no choice but to pay. 0ur west africa correspondent, mayenijones, has this report. this has become an all—too—familiar sight — desperate parents begging the authorities for help. 280 children, some as young as eight, were dragged out of their morning school assembly by armed men and were taken into a nearby forest. some managed to escape, but hundreds are still missing. their parents are beside themselves. "please come and help

us," this mother says, "where is the president? where is the governor? "our school children were taken away. "seven children from one family were all kidnapped." this latest attack has shocked the community of kuriga — so many taken, so young. translation: we are ordinary civilians, what can we do? - they're treating us like we're worthless. we plead with you in the name of god, do something to secure the release of our children. the local governor is promising to bring every child back home. we are sending a strong message to the mothers and we made it clear to them that one of the most important roles of the government is to ensure that we protect the lives and properties of our citizens. but many say nigeria's government is failing to do this. it's the second mass abduction in less than a week.

across the country in the northeast, the residents of the state of borno have been terrorised by islamist militants for 15 years. 2 million have fled their homes to live in camps and fortified towns protected by the army, but beyond the gates, the gunmen are in control. 150 kilometres down this road in the region of ngala, dozens of internally displaced women and children were abducted last week. we can't get there because the area still has a heavy presence of boko haram militants. although the authorities have worked hard to make this area a lot safer than it was ten years ago, large swathes of borno are still too dangerous to access. in april 2014, boko haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from the town of chibok. the group said it was against western education. many of the girls were forced to marry their captors. now boko haram is splintered and weakened. these days, kidnappings of children in nigeria are often motivated by money, with ransom demands

for their release. abduction, kidnapping, - became a way of getting money. even in the capital now, we have up to three kidnappings per week - just to have quick access to money. no word yet on the fate of the children now in the hands of the armed gangs and there is little sign that the government here has the power to rescue them or to bring their captors to justice. myenijones, bbc news. heavy gunfire has been heard near what remains of the presidential palace in the haitian capital, port—au—prince. there are reports armed gangs who control most of the city have once again invaded the international airport. a state of emergency and night time curfew have been extended for another month. haiti's main port has also announced that it is suspending operations due to worsening security conditions, following acts of sabotage and vandalism. it's after heavily armed criminal gangs took control of most of the capital, including attacks on the main airport — preventing the prime minister,

ariel henry, from returning from abroad. haiti has suffered years of instability and escalating violence since the assassination of presidentjovenel moise in 2021. eighteen year old 0liver bearman — from essex — is set to become the youngest briton to race in formula i later. he'll drive for ferrari in the saudi arabian grand prix, after one of the team's main drivers, carlos sainz, fell ill with appendicitis. this will be his full fi debut. after taking part in qualifying, he will start 11th out of 20 cars on the grid injeddah. 0ur reporter emily brown has been following this and spoke to me earlier. all eyes will be on all of this weekend, the youngest british driver to race in formula one history at the age of 18. the regular ferrari driver carlos sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and had surgery

yesterday and that meant a promotion for the formula to front this will be a big opportunity for him. lando norris was previously the youngest british formula one driver when he raced for mclaren at the age of 19 but yes, everyone is going to be watching 0liver. we know he is from essex, he started karting at the age of eight, in 2022 he made a step up to formula three and last year he made the step up to formula two. he has withdrawn from formula to this week, so he can take the f1 seat for ferrari. ,, . , week, so he can take the f1 seat for ferrari. ,, ., , ., , ,, ferrari. quite a bit of pressure, how do the _ ferrari. quite a bit of pressure, how do the experts _ ferrari. quite a bit of pressure, how do the experts thinking - ferrari. quite a bit of pressure, how do the experts thinking he | ferrari. quite a bit of pressure, - how do the experts thinking he will perform? how do the experts thinking he will erform? , ., ., ., perform? there is a lot of expectation _ perform? there is a lot of expectation from - perform? there is a lot of expectation from him - perform? there is a lot of expectation from him and j perform? there is a lot of i expectation from him and a perform? there is a lot of - expectation from him and a lot of people have been praising him over the years but also this week, yesterday in qualifying came 11th which is not a bad performance for his first time in a formula one car with ferrari but his teammate charles leclaire is a very

accomplished driver and no one will be expecting him to beat his teammate but charles has given him some praise as well on the grid and was really impressed with his performance in qualifying. but 0liver has not actually spent that much time in a formula one car and i think that is worth noting and not only is he going to beat the youngest ever british driver in formula one but also the first british driver for ferrari since 1999. everyone is going to be watching him at the race and he will start the saudi arabian grand prix in 11th position which gets under way injust a in 11th position which gets under way in just a few hours time and the world will be watching. the duchess of sussex has criticised the "seemingly endless toxicity" of social media, revealing she was targeted with "bullying and abuse" while pregnant with her and prince harry's two children. meghan was the keynote speaker on a panel marking international women's day at the south by south west festival in texas. she said she now keeps her distance from such comments for her wellbeing, saying people have "forgotten our

humanity" in certain parts of the media and online spaces. the bulk of the bullying i was receiving was online when i was pregnant with archie and lily and to really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful, it is not catty, it is cruel. police officers, firefighters and other public servants who have died in the line of duty will now be honoured after their death. the elizabeth emblem is the civilian equivalent of the elizabeth cross, which recognises members of the uk armed forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack. the announcement comes after years of campaigning by bryn hughes and paul bone, whose daughters, both police officers, were murdered in 2012. 0ur reporter abi smitton has more. why was its local mp jo cox shot and stabbed?

doing what they dread, - investigating the death of one of their own. more than 100 nhs and care staff have now died with the coronavirus. they dedicated themselves to public service and all lost their lives doing their duty. now their families will be able to celebrate them with a posthumous award. the elizabeth emblem comes after years of campaigning from bryn hughes. i am absolutely overwhelmed, fantastic, elated. humbled. all those rolled into one. hard to sum it up and describe it one word. it is a massive achievement for everybody involved. his daughter, pc nicola hughes, was murdered in 2012 while attending a burglary. two years ago, he set out his vision of an award for the families of emergency services workers killed in the line of duty. that is important for me, really important that they are honoured and remembered. now his dream has become a reality. notjust for blue light services

but all public sector workers. once you see their reactions, i think that will bring it home. like you said, the magnitude of it. that is a sense of achievement as well. the elizabeth emblem will be open to families of public—sector workers across the uk, local council and in british overseas territories. it will apply to anyone who lost their life since 19118. each elizabeth emblem will be inscribed with the poignant phrase "for a life given in service". it has been backed by the king and pays tribute to the late queen. this emblem will bear the name of her late majesty queen elizabeth. we think of the decades of public service she gave our nation. it is only fitting that our tribute to public servants who have lost their lives in the line of duty should bear her name. paul bone, whose daughter fiona

died alongside nicola, will be one of the first to apply. the circumstances of wearing it will remind me of her loss. i think on the next remembrance sunday, i will be wearing it. families can apply online through the government website from today. abi smitton, bbc news. a us military report on ufo sightings says it's found no evidence aliens have visited earth. it also said there was nothing to support claims government agencies had covered up visits by extra—terrestrials and gained access to alien technology. the pentagon's report to congress said most sightings were of misidentified ordinary objects. some were probably caused by tests of advanced spy planes and space technology. we found no evidence that any us government investigation, academic

sponsored research or official review panel has confirmed any sighting of the lp represented extraterrestrial technology. let's speak to professor christopher french, who specialises in the psychology of paranormal beliefs welcome. how do you think those who believe they have seen any ufo will take the findings? the? believe they have seen any ufo will take the findings?— take the findings? they will basically say _ take the findings? they will basically say it _ take the findings? they will basically say it is _ take the findings? they will basically say it is a - take the findings? they will. basically say it is a cover-up. take the findings? they will - basically say it is a cover-up. at basically say it is a cover—up. at this report, out saying yes it looks like we had found evidence that et has visited the author would have welcomed the report with open arms but as it is, i can absolutely 100% guaranteed they will dismiss it as seeing it as part of a couple of. tell us about the psychology of believing in ufos because you used to believe in them, didn't you? i did, well into early adulthood and i can understand why people are fascinated with the topic. is there life out there and as it visiting earth? these are fundamental

questions about our place in the universe and as a lifelong science fiction fan i am absolutely fascinated by this. i think there's more or less a growing consensus amongst most scientists who take a serious interest in this issue that there probably is intelligent life out there, nobody knows but that probably is intelligent life out there, the universe is a very big place and to think it has only evolved on our planet does not seem all that plausible but that's a different question as to whether or not we are being visited by et. a lot of us would be so excited of that turned out to be the case, i for one will be amongst that group but i am not convinced by the evidence. what we have this evidence of people seeing things in the sky and they do not know what they are looking at but why shouldn't we be be able to identify everything, it is literally an unidentified flying object but the more recent claims of

alien contact and abductions, they are interesting from a psychology point of view but there is no hard and physical evidence and i think we have plausible psychological explanations in many cases. people must perceive things, they must remember things, we know people are prone to false memories and one of the main ways people attempt to recovery memories supposedly that the aliens had wiped out 4 million contact is by using hypnotic regression but we know that often in false memories but people sincerely believe what they now apparently remember were real events. people aren't going — remember were real events. people aren't going to _ remember were real events. people aren't going to miss _ remember were real events. people aren't going to miss remember - remember were real events. people aren't going to miss remember an i aren't going to miss remember an alien abduction? how does that work psychologically speaking? it’s psychologically speaking? it's widel psychologically speaking? it�*s widely believed the aliens can wipe your memory of being abducted but your memory of being abducted but you might get certain tell—tale signs, have you ever woken in the night and found you were unable to move and you are paralysed and there was a strange sense of presence in the room, et cetera? i would say

that's a fairly common phenomenon of sleep paralysis and we have done research into that, the ufo community would say it is evidence you have been abducted and now you need to recover those memory so initially the person did not have those memories but once they go through hypnotic regression, they feel that they have so it's often this 2—stage process whereby they end up becoming convinced that they have been abducted by aliens. bier? have been abducted by aliens. very briefl , have been abducted by aliens. very briefly. you — have been abducted by aliens. very briefly. you said — have been abducted by aliens. very briefly, you said you _ have been abducted by aliens. very briefly, you said you used to believe an alien life having visited this planet but what made you believe in that?— believe in that? many believe annette was _ believe in that? many believe annette was reading - believe in that? many believe annette was reading the - believe in that? many believe - annette was reading the uncritical coverage, we've seen a media frenzy with all the stuff that's been happening in congress and so on but when you examine it, it's the same people cross—referencing each other, the same people who have been around for decades who sincerely believe in all of this but there is no solid evidence. all of this but there is no solid evidence-— all of this but there is no solid evidence. ., , ,., ,., , evidence. professor, so interesting to talk to you _ evidence. professor, so interesting to talk to you and _ evidence. professor, so interesting to talk to you and thank— evidence. professor, so interesting to talk to you and thank you -

evidence. professor, so interesting to talk to you and thank you for - to talk to you and thank you for joining us. stay with us on bbc news. . there was a lot of dry weather on friday but cloud varied from place to place. southern england had some sunshine with temperatures reaching 12 degrees in hampshire, 13 degrees in sussex, the warmest spot in the country, eastern scotland, temperature struggling around 6 degrees. we had something cold the helm wind which blew across northern england, prevailing wind is a maximum 30 miles an hour, look at that, 71 miles an hour and the gusting winds were pulled into the eden valley with gusts reaching 55 miles an hour. that is the helm wind, the only name wind in the uk. at the moment we have a lot of cloud

across the country, gusty winds keeping temperatures around four or 5 degrees as we head into saturday. the weekend is dominated by an area of low pressure to the south, these fronts getting closer and start moving across the uk as we head through the weekend so some rain at times. the greatest risk of rain on saturday morning a south—west england, northern england, through the day we see thicker cloud in northern ireland and scotland bringing the threat of rain. that is likely to be light and patchy, on the east coast of england and scotland it is cold with the wind but they should be hazy sunshine for many areas including the midlands, boosting temperatures up to 13 degrees. the second half of the weekend we are looking at further outbreaks of rain from the south, more extensive and happier. some places that dodge the downpours, south—west england and south wales doing ok, temperature is lower and the whole below average for the time

of year but feeling cold around north sea coasts. next week, the weather becomes quieter for a time but we start to see weather fronts moving from the atlantic from the west and there will be an east—west split. forthe west and there will be an east—west split. for the east, the computer is pessimistic, some days that are dry and generally bright, probably tuesday and wednesday not looking bad but in the west, you are likely to see rain and that will be quite heavy at times especially towards southern wales and south—west england.

this is bbc news — the headlines... the eu says a maritime aid corridor from cyprus to gaza could start in the next few hours to try to ease the humanitarian situation there. these are live pictures from larnaca, where they are loading the ship. meanwhile, the united states says it could take up to 60 days for a temporary port to be built, as the un warns of famine in gaza. a london fertility clinic has its operation licence suspended after "significant concerns" were raised over errors in the freezing of embryos. police forces across england and wales are to each be given £1 million to try and tackle anti—social behaviour. the first seedlings recovered rom the sycamore gap tree — chopped down on hadrian's wall, sparking international outrage — are starting to grow.