live from london, this is bbc news. the first vessel to use the maritime aid corridor is loaded in cyprus. 200 tonnes of supplies will be shipped to gaza. armed men abduct another group of students from a school in northern nigeria. the army is already looking for more than 200 children kidnapped on thursday. in a major defeat for ireland's government, voters reject two referendum proposals concerning families and women. a london fertility clinic has its operating licence suspended after "significant concerns" were raised over errors in the freezing of embryos. and new life is springing from the sycamore gap tree. seedlings from the famously felled tree are starting to grow.

hello. this is bbc news. we start with the latest on the israel gaza war. in the past hours, we've heard that the heads of the us and israeli security agencies have met to discuss the hostage situation. the israeli prime minister's office said the cia and mossad bosses met on friday in efforts to "advance another hostage deal." in cypi’us, final preparations are being made for the first aid vessel to use the sea corridor to gaza. the un says a quarter of gaza's population is on the brink of famine, and children are starving to death. this is the scene live in larnaca in cyprus where 200 tonnes of food and medical supplies have been loaded onto a barge. it will be towed by a spanish charity ship to gaza. the sea corridor is a joint operation between the eu, us, uk and united arab emirates, aiming to take supplies from cyprus to the gazan coast.

this video shot today along the israeli border into gaza shows more aid being dropped. the parachutes carrying the boxes of supplies to the people of gaza. the us has confirmed that its troops conducted an airdrop into northern gaza today. our correspondent wyre davies reports from jerusalem. in the cypriot port of larnaca, they have been working around the clock. the spanish ship, open arms, is preparing to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food with medical aid all the way to gaza. it's a precarious, untested plan with obvious risks. translation: yes, we will tow this platform to gaza, _ where the last mile will be the most complicated operation. the disembarkation will be done on a pier that is being built right now by the world central kitchen. how the aid will be unloaded into gaza, where there is no port or functioning harbour, is not clear. air drops and some land

deliveries were often swamped by thousands of desperate, hungry people. some aid agencies say that the plan is misguided and ineffective. the humanitarian crisis is worsening by the day. the un says there is a danger of famine, and children are already reported to be dying from malnutrition. all of this is happening because israel and hamas have been unable to agree a ceasefire that would have allowed more aid in by road through israel — still the preferred, most effective route. and the fighting continues. a tower block in the southern city of rafah was hit in an air strike overnight. and israel, despite growing international pressure for a truce, says the military campaign is not yet over. wyre davies reporting. in the last few minutes,

we've received these pictures. palestinians in gaza city receiving the aid after the airdrop of supplies. you can see there the parachutes that have the aid on them as that plane flies away. us central command says it dropped the equivalent of 41,000 meals and 23,000 bottles of water into northern gaza. as you can see, the people there running as saw those suppliers were dropped from the air, those parachutes bringing it down slowly of course, last week we had reports that five people had been killed in another airdrop. you can see the smiles on those people's faces as they managed to pick up one of those aid deliveries that has been dropped by air. the us said that the airdrops were part of a sustained effort to get aid into gaza and that they continue to plant more aerial deliveries, but as you can see, people out london that into

cars and any other forms of transport that they have picking up those boxes and also you can see there sacks of wheat or something like that, flour, that they are using bicycles, carrying them on their shoulders. those are the latest pictures we have that have come in of the aid dropped in by air into gaza. let's speak to sir stephen 0'brien, former un under—secretary—general for humanitarian affairs. thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. how do you think this maritime corridor will work? there will be a lot of supplies desperately needed by the people in gaza plea positioned in cyprus insecure compounds, there are a number of military bases not least our unaware that can be done, they will be loaded onto ships, i gather

is one that has been on its way, that'll be test the maritime route. as you know, they are not only is really ports, but up and so where a russian fleet is stationed, people are not going to object to the passage of the ship to get to the gaza coast which has been blockaded for decades by israel, so it has not been an access point in the past for any suppliers for people in gaza. there are plenty of beaches which are quite soft gradients, a bit like are quite soft gradients, a bit like a hovercraft could to land on the beach, so you can imagine how a temporary port or a long strong first match can be built and that would be able to take ships of medium tonnage in to dock, make sure it is wide and strong enough for

lorries to be loaded straight from the shipped either by the ship's trains are by cranes positioned on the dock, so you are the number of transfers of goods into the vehicles, then they can be taken straight off. so that'll be the way it works, and the significant thing about this as it is additional, the main thing is to try to press for more and more road transport through the rafah crossing and others don't like other crossings. the main scope for humanitarian aid still has to beat by land, but the maritime, there will be very important, i am sure we will stand it up pretty quickly. d0 sure we will stand it up pretty cuickl . ,, ~' w quickly. do you think the fact that the uk, us. — quickly. do you think the fact that the uk, us. eu — quickly. do you think the fact that the uk, us, eu and _ quickly. do you think the fact that the uk, us, eu and uae - quickly. do you think the fact that the uk, us, eu and uae are - quickly. do you think the fact that i the uk, us, eu and uae are having to do this maritime route is a sign that international pressure on israel to get more aid in by road has failed? i israel to get more aid in by road has failed?— israel to get more aid in by road has failed? i don't think so much failed, clearly _

has failed? i don't think so much failed, clearly we _ has failed? i don't think so much failed, clearly we have _ has failed? i don't think so much failed, clearly we have to - has failed? i don't think so much failed, clearly we have to keep i failed, clearly we have to keep pressing for a lot more and a lot more urgently, but the time it takes to inspect the goods going through the crossings obviously leads to a bit of a delay, the distribution once you get inside, the scale of aid which is ready and prepared in the warriors queueing up in egypt is probably fairly adequate. the issue is in terms of the maritime aid, it is in terms of the maritime aid, it is going to be that you can have enough to make a difference, particularly to those areas to the north, the river channel, and then on northern gaza, where lots of people are still in grave distress and peril, he did not move to rafah in the south, and the whole thing is very difficult to manage, where you have got continuing bombardments both from land—based and air base missiles, and when you have got a

distribution system which is probably the most effective, which is causing people to worry about it, and where you have got such desperate people, you have to try to make sure that the people who are distributing, whether they are un officials or agencies or ngos or civil society organisations, are themselves protected. it is very difficult to get some of these vehicles, to get access, so you can see the challenges, particularly where the eu, the uk, the us, in making this approach, are not going to put any boots on the ground, and i can understand that. that said, have a a big difference, because it is interesting and important that israel has said we will not object to this proposal which president biden has articulated about putting up biden has articulated about putting up a temporary port, a long pier, as i would put it, and to make sure that there is at least going to be that there is at least going to be that access granted, however

difficult it might be to get it in. thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. those live pictures again, this is the vessel we are talking about, 200 tonnes of food being put onto that vessel. it is hoping that that will head to gaza this weekend. we are to keep an eye on that and let you know. now, these are pictures of a demonstration in tel aviv, an anti—government demonstration, taking place in a tel aviv now. every saturday since the 7th of october, supporters and families of 0ctober, supporters and families of the hostages of the hostages have been a rallying in tel aviv, they are demanding that the israeli government do more to get the hostages taken out of gaza, so these

are the scenes in tel aviv where you can see a number of israeli flags flying, an anti—government demonstration in the centre of tel aviv that is there at the moment. as i said, every saturday, we have seen friends and relatives of the hostages that are held in gaza since the 7th of october attacks, colin from ought to be done to release them. we will keep an eye on those pictures as well. here in the uk, thousands of people have joined a pro—palestinian rally in london, tenth major demonstration in the capital sum to the 7th of october attacks on israel. 0n capital sum to the 7th of october attacks on israel. on friday, the uk government... it is the tenth major demonstration in the capital since the seventh 0ctober attacks by hamas on israel. on friday, the uk governments counter—extremism commissioner, robin simcox, said weekends in london had become a no—go zone for dues. 0ur correspondent louisa pilbeam sent this report from central london. well, we're at the concluding part of the march

here just outside the us embassy. i must say that when we were with the start of the march, there were thousands of people which was significantly lower than in previous weeks. i have been here and witnessed the numbers which are very, very large numbers of people. but being here along the way, tens of thousands of people, i would say, are here now. and as you mentioned, the government's anti—extremism commissioner, he has spoken about the fact that what during these marches it is a no go zone, as he put it, forjewish people to come into central london. now, when i spoke to the organiser of this march and put those comments to him, let's have a listen to what he had to say in response. i think his remarks are disgraceful. one of the things he ignores is that on every single march, you'll see it again today, we have a block of members of thejewish community, usually about 3,000 strong, who march with us. if there are members of thejewish community who feel afraid,

then possibly that is something to do with hearing people say things like, "these are hatemongers, these are islamist mobs, these are people chanting genocidal chants," where the reality, as you will see, is these are people from all walks of life, young and old, from many, many backgrounds who are here marching for peace. and as the police themselves have said, these marches are overwhelmingly peaceful. it is very loud down here. they are very vocal. but i must say that in response to those comments you just heard from the organizer, we have seen groups ofjewish people and from jewish organisations here, and they have said that they feel comfortable being here. the organiser also said that he feels that in response to policing numbers, there are around 1,500 police from across the country policing this kind of event week after week. upwards of £25 million has been spent since the first couple of months since the 7th of october hamas attacks on israel.

and the organiser feels that this is overpoliced in his words. he said he feels that that actually creates a sense of anticipation of trouble. and i have to say that it has been very well organised from what i have witnessed, and it's very peaceful, a very calm atmosphere down here. let's turn to another element of the crisis in the middle east — the threat to global trade because of attacks in the red sea. the us military says its ships and aircraft have shot down more than a dozen drones in the red sea after coming under what it called a sustained attack by iranian—backed houthi forces in yemen. british forces were also involved in that operation. on saturday the uk defensc secretary grant shapps tweeted a video that he said showed hms richmond using its sea ceptor missiles to shoot down two houthi drones. he said, "the uk and its allies will continue to take the action

necessary to save lives and protect freedom of navigation." with more, here's david waddell. the singapore registered propel fortune is the latest commercial ship to be targeted by the houthi movement. the bulk carrier departed india just under two weeks ago, with her automatic identification system signalling that she was not connected to israel — supposedly to deter this kind of attack from yemen. the uk maritime trade organisation said the captain reported no collateral damage to the ship and that she was bound for her next port. these attacks have been ongoing since october, both in the red sea and in the gulf of aden, causing many commercial ships, both freighters and passenger liners, to divert around the cape of good hope. this attack took place about 50 nautical miles south of the port of aden. here's the houthi description of what happened. translation: yemen's naval forces . and the air force carried out two l specific military operations. the first targeted the american ship propel fortune in the gulf

of aden, with a number of suitable naval missiles. while the second targeted a number of american destroyers at the red sea and the gulf of aden with 37 drones and the two operations successfully achieved their goals. so the second attack was focused on us warships which have gathered in the region in greater numbers since the red sea crisis began, led by the uss dwight d eisenhower. us central command said that us naval ships and aircraft shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles early in the morning. they regard this large—scale attack is an ongoing imminent threat to merchant vessels, the us navy and coalition ships in the region. in the past few minutes, the us central command has issued an update saying us and coalition forces downed at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles —

or drones — in the red sea between between about 4.00am and 8.20am local time. they added that no us or coalition navy vessels were damaged in the attack — and that no commercial ships reported damage. there's been another mass kidnapping in nigeria — the third in just over a week. armed men abducted 15 students from their school in the northwestern state of sokoto in the early hours of saturday. four women were also taken. there is already a major search for almost 300 students who were abducted by armed men on thursday. the nigerian army is leading the hunt for those children, who were abducted from 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 a breakaway faction of the militant islamist group boko haram. and about 200 people were abducted in borno state on february 29. 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. our west africa correspondent mayenijones has more. details are still trickling in. it happened very early in the morning, around 1am. local media reports say that armed men stormed the area and carted away these 15 students, who were running towards their dormitories, as well as four women. meanwhile, as you mentioned in your introduction, this search for the 300 schoolchildren, almost 300 schoolchildren that were taken on thursday is ongoing. 28 of them managed to escape but the armed forces, joined by the police and local hunters, are still combing the forests of the state of kaduna, as well as neighbouring zamfara and katsina, looking for them. and families must be desperate for news. absolutely.

the families themselves have joined in the search, they are visiting neighbouring communities, trying to find out if they have any information at all. and when the authorities visited the day of the attacks, they told them that they felt abandoned, that there was not enough security in their community, that they wanted a police station there. it's an area of the country that is particularly susceptible to kidnappings for ransom. there are a number of gangs who operate in the area. they usually target farmers because they want to extort them for money but many farmers have not been able to farm lately just because of the insecurity, so it is possible that these mass kidnappings are a way for the armed gangs to make money now that they are no longer able to extort the local population. of course nigeria, as we've mentioned, has had a number of kidnappings over the last decade. yes, and the most notable was of course the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from the town of chibok in borno state.

that led to a global campaign for their release. the anniversary of that abduction is coming up next month, and 100 of those girls are still missing. so this is just a reminder of how prevalent the problem is here in nigeria, still. voters in ireland have rejected two referendums regarding the redefinition of family and women's roles, signaling a setback for the government. the prime minister leo varadkar described it as a "comprehensive" defeat. while the leader of sinn fein laid the blame squarely at the feet of the government. darran marshall reports from dublin. voters were asked to approve two amendments to the 1937 constitution, one on family and one on care. government leaders say they respect

the decision but art disappointed. we accept responsibility for the result. it was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes, and we clearly failed to do so. i think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or a need for the referendum at all, let alone any detail and the wording. let alone any detail and the wordinu. .,, let alone any detail and the wordinu. , ., let alone any detail and the wordin.. , ., u, ., let alone any detail and the wordinu. ., ., ., let alone any detail and the wordin.. ., ., ., ., wording. those who campaign for a no vote say the — wording. those who campaign for a no vote say the government _ wording. those who campaign for a no vote say the government misjudged i vote say the government misjudged the mood of the electorate. these two moments by the government were an exercise in virtue signalling. == an exercise in virtue signalling. -- these two — an exercise in virtue signalling. —— these two amendments. an exercise in virtue signalling. -- these two amendments. ireland . an exercise in virtue signalling. -- i these two amendments. ireland has voted no to — these two amendments. ireland has voted no to constitutional— these two amendments. ireland has voted no to constitutional change, l voted no to constitutional change, but already some of the political parties here say they will return to the issue after the next election. pope francis has said in an interview that ukraine should have what he called the courage of the white flag and negotiate an end to the war with russia that

followed moscow's full—scale invasion two years ago and has killed tens of thousands. the pope made his comments in an interview recorded last month with swiss broadcaster rsi, well before friday's latest offer by turkish president erdogan to host a summit between ukraine and russia to end the war. translation: the word negotiate is a courageous word. _ when you see that you are defeated, when things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate. one may feel shame, but how many dead will the war end up with? one should negotiate in time, find a country that can be a mediator. the felling of the sycamore gap tree on hadrian's wall led to an outpouring of emotion from around the world. it became famous after featuring in the 1991 film robin hood — prince of thieves, starring kevin costner. two people are on bail after the tree was chopped down last september, in what police say was a deliberate act of vandalism. but now, it could live on. horticulturalists from

the national trust have successfully grown the first seedlings from the felled tree. harriet bradshaw reports. at a top—secret location in devon, a site of biosecurity where the national trust is protecting the legacy of the nation's most famous trees. i've been invited to witness history, hope for the future of the sycamore gap tree. a lot of people might think, "well, it's just a sycamore", you know, a sycamore, but it is a really important sycamore. the sycamore gap tree in its prime. but last september, it was chopped down. everyone seems to have a story about how they connect to the tree. some people, literally, have been proposed to underneath it. other people just saw it as a way marker on theirjourney. and yet there are signs of life. in a race against time, the national trust managed to rescue seeds from the felled tree.

and now they're growing. within this mini greenhouse, within this secret greenhouse, is a tiny little seedling. and this was the first of the sycamore gap's seeds to pop up. and the team here say when they saw this growing, they knew there was hope. but raising seedlings isn't the only way the tree's legacy can be preserved. there is also another method called grafting, using living twigs. and nine of the 20 grafts are now showing signs of life. i think there's a great deal of relief. it is a race against time because, obviously, once you cut a tree down, it's physically dying straightaway. you know, there's a lot of pressure on us to actually get them growing. luckily we did. the grafting of the sycamore gap materials would have looked something like this. this method means that we've

actually used the original- material from that tree, - so we've got a genetic clone. so, basically, the sycamore gap can live on? yeah, it is the same tree. when they've grown up, the national trust says it'll be the community and the nation who decide where they're planted. for now, seeds of hope protecting the legacy of the sycamore gap tree forfuture generations. harriet bradshaw, bbc news, devon. it will come as no surprise to many — and others might refuse to believe it — but 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. stay with us here on bbc news.

not the most inspiring weekend of weather overall. there are some brighter spots, weather overall. there are some brighterspots, but weather overall. there are some brighter spots, but for many places, cloudy. some rain around. all driven by a big of low pressure to be south of us, the swell of cloud the satellite picture. quite a strong easterly wind blowing across the uk today. where you are exposed to that, it will feel decidedly cool. there will be some bits and pieces of rain in the mix, perhaps most especially across the south—west of england by the end of the afternoon. limited bright or sunny spells, generally quite a lot of cloud. through this evening and tonight, winds using a little across the south, but staying brusquely across

the northern half of the uk. extensive cloud, outbreaks of slightly heavier rain pushing northwards across england and wales. and generally speaking, temperatures between five and nine celsius. low pressure still with us, but the slow tending to weaken, tending to fill, so he were in season across southern parts. again, a lot of cloud, in fact of anything more cloud for many areas than we have had today, and more rain as well. maybe holding onto some brightness in north—west scotland, perhaps something better to be south—west of england. some time for the channel islands. strongest winds for sunday across northern areas, and again exposed to that wind, aberdeen are just six celsius. furthersouth that wind, aberdeen are just six celsius. further south and west, london, cardiff, plymouth, 11 or12 celsius. into monday, that easterly wind continues to ease, but we will give a lot of cloud. bits and pieces of rain here and there, quite a lot

of rain here and there, quite a lot of dry weather, too. temperatures again six to 11 celsius. but there is a change later in the week, because we will start to see areas of low pressure pushing in from the atlantic, and that will change the wind direction. we will lose the easterly wind and pick up more of a south or south—westerly wind, that will bring a milderfeel to proceedings. so temperatures if anything climbing as we head through the middle and towards the end of the middle and towards the end of the week, but don't expect blue skies and sunshine all the time. there will still be some cloud and rain at times.

live from london, this is bbc news. the first vessel to use the maritime aid corridor is loaded in cyprus — the european union says it will begin operating this weekend. armed men abduct another group of students from a school in northern nigeria. 15 children and four women were taken. the army is still looking for more than 200 schoolchildren kidnapped on thursday. in a major defeat for ireland's government, voters reject two referendum proposals on family and women's roles. proponents wanted to amend the constitutional definition of a family to include people who were not married. hello, welcome.

now, sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris. ireland are on the brink of retaining their six nations title becuase of italy's heroics in rome earlier on saturday. ireland just need to beat england at twickenham. they have a slender 9—8 lead approaching half—time. that's after italy's first home six nations win for 11 years. they trailed scotland by six points a half—time, and even though they were outscored by four tries to three, four penalties in the match helped them get their noses in front and they secured their first win in the tournament for two years, which also follows a draw against france in their previous game. well done to the boys, we have done an amazing preparation. we worked so hard. we have them working out a lot of details today, we gave it everything, so i couldn't be prouder. now we have another big week in front of us and we have to go for it, as well. manchester united scored two half

penalties to beat everton 2—nil in the premier league, as they retained hopes of qualifying for the champions league next season. the spot kicks were scored by different players but both won by the same one. alejandro garnacho was brought down twice, with bruno fernandes converting the first, then handing the ball to marcus rashford to score the second. united are still sixth, eight points off the top four, while everton remain 16th. they're four points above the relegation zone. i have to say, we created a lot of chances and we had very good counter attacks. i think overall we could have scored three or four goals and i thought we defended very well. they had attempts but we dealt with this. our back four, but not only them, don't forget the keeper and all the other players. we defended as a team very well. elsewhere luton and bournemouth both scored injury time equalisers in their games against crystal palace and sheffield united. meanwhile wolves win over fulham takes them eighth.

with the top two meeting on sunday, arsenal could go above both liverpool and manchester city if they beat brentford. that's just kicked off at the emirates. england captain ben stokes has admitted they were completely outplayed for the last four tests in india. they lost the final match inside three days in dharamsala by an innings and 64 runs, losing the series 4—1. the only highlight for them wasjimmy anderson bringing up his 700th test wikcet at the age of 41. he dismissed kuldeep yadav to reach the milestone. england dismissed india for 477 in theirfirst innings but were then bowled out for just 195. 84 from joe root was the only meaningful resistance. they now return home for series in the summer against west indies and sri lanka. india can celebrate a respounding series victory, even though they were missing several key players, including virat kohli. we came he was very high hopes, we

were confident about what we could achieve out here, and office it started out well. —— we came here with very high hopes. obviously losing the series 4—1, i think not just myself but the team as well, i think we are man enough to say we have been completely outplayed in the last four games.— have been completely outplayed in the last four games. england came he was a really — the last four games. england came he was a really experienced _ the last four games. england came he was a really experienced batting - was a really experienced batting line-up. — was a really experienced batting line—up, so theirweakness, or inexperience, i wouldn't say weakness, they performed really well, _ weakness, they performed really well, but — weakness, they performed really well, but their inexperience was not their bowling, it was batting. they had the _ their bowling, it was batting. they had the ascendancy at that time, we had the ascendancy at that time, we had to— had the ascendancy at that time, we had to respond, our expense was in the building — had to respond, our expense was in the building and we will those contests— the building and we will those contests —— our experience was in the bowling — contests —— our experience was in the bowling and we won those contests _ and finally matteo manassero, once considered one of golf�*s hottest prospects, remained on course for his first win in more than a decade after retaining a one stroke lead after three rounds of a dp world tour event injohannesburg. the 30—year—old followed up his 11 under par

round of 61 on friday with a 67 in round three to go into sunday 20 under par. shaun norris of south africa and jordan smith of england are joint second. ireland extended their lead at half time to 12—8, you can get the latest on the website, and also from the grand prix in saudi arabia, max verstappen leading. i would never have guessed! thanks. the health ombudsman for england has warned that an overstretched and understaffed national health service is putting cancer patients at risk. he 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. our 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 against 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 that while everyone deserves safe and effective care, patient safety will always be at risk in environments that are understaffed and where staff are exhausted and are working under unsustainable pressure. i continually come across failures in service, despite the excellence of so many dedicated clinicians and staff in the nhs. and that's a reality we have to live with and confront. so, being shocked is not enough. what we have to do is to create a learning culture in the nhs. mr behrens called for what he described as concerted and sustained action from government to make sure 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 last two years.

and that the nhs long term workforce plan will boost the number of health care workers diagnosing and treating cancer. dominic hughes, bbc news. police officers, firefighters and other public servants who die in the line of duty are now eligible for a new honour. the elizabeth emblem is the civilian equivalent of the elizabeth cross, which recognises members of the uk armed forces who die in action or as a result of a terrorist attack. the honour is the result of years of campaigning by bryn hughes and paul bone, whose daughters, both police officers, were murdered in 2012. our reporter abi smitton has more. why was 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. 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. i think it's hard to sum it up and describe it in one word. but it's just, it's a massive, 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 service 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, not just for blue light services but all public sector workers. once you see people's reactions, i think that will bring it homejust how... like you said, the magnitude of it. and that i think that is... that's a sense of achievement as well. the elizabeth emblem will be open

to families of public—sector workers across the uk, including local councils and in british overseas territories. it will apply to anyone who lost their life since 1948. each elizabeth emblem will be inscribed with the poignant phrase "for a life given in service". it's being 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. and i think on the next remembrance sunday, i will be wearing it.

families will be able to apply online through the government website from today. abi smitton, bbc news. a fertility clinic in london has had its operating licence suspended because of "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 errors in the freezing of embryos. our correspondent greg mackenzie is at homerton hospital in east london. what more can you tell us? the bbc understands it up to 150 embryos could have been affected, involving about 45 patients, although that number has not been confirmed by the hospital trust. it centres around errors in the freezing process of embryos. some

have simply not survived, some were simply undetectable when thawed homerton fertility centre says it's called in external clinical experts to try to find out what has happened here. all of those patients involved have now been contacted, and the trust has apologised to them. meanwhile, the uk regulator, the fertility regulator, has suspended the license here, and they themselves are now carrying out an independent investigation, and the license will not be renewed until that investigation is concluded. as for the metropolitan police, i spoke to them this afternoon. they confirmed they have been here, to the fertility unit, but say at this stage, they are not carrying out a police investigation.— police investigation. greg, thank

ou. police forces across england and wales are to each be given £1 million to try to tackle rising cases of anti—social behaviour. the fund will be used to provide extra officer patrols. it follows the success of a pilot project which has helped reduce the number of incidents by as much as 40%. our reporter eleanor lawrie has more. on patrol in blackpool with the antisocial behaviour squad. this neighbourhood was notorious for things like shoplifting and criminal damage but this trial has helped to cut antisocial behaviour by more than 40%. it could be a small report, noise complaints, someone making noise in the area. we have a few spots we will stop by. check in with the local communities. the team helped to recover a mobility scooter after it was stolen. but she and her neighbour annie say they still do not feel safe. two weeks later, i got it back. but the police done marvellous. these community patrols which target antisocial behaviour hotspots will now be rolled out across all 43 forces

in england and wales. we will walk around, foot patrol, it brings faith in that community, which is what is happening here. we have a lot of people happy to come and speak to us. they say this intervention is really working, with incidents in this part of blackpool down by one third year—on—year. but one of the challenges of antisocial behaviour is that some of it is not classed as criminal, and some victims feel they are not getting enough support. in west lancashire, ian spent months making detailed records of his neighbour's verbal abuse to pass on to police and the council. i hear "shut up, shut up." i have been told i am rotten. i am being told i should be burnt alive. - that's what i am hearing. ian's elderly neighbour is convinced he is constantly running loud washing machines from inside his house. she shouts and bangs on the wall all hours of the day and night to complain. the police investigate and visit .

and decide it is not a criminal act so they walk away and sasy it is for the council- to respond and the council say, might be a threat to kill, - this is a police matter. it is not malicious on her part, it isjust her age and _ her health. 80% of victims of antisocial behaviour were told the incidents cannot be classed as crimes. according to the charity victim support, they want this group to be recognised under the new victims and prisoners bill so they have certain rights. while ian feels he has fallen through the cracks, the government is hoping the roll—out of more schemes like this one in blackpool will go some way to making people in other communities feel safer. highfive? eleanor lawrie, bbc news. see you later. more on the war in ukraine — and the risk of the conflict spilling over into europe. the prospect of a second trump white house is very much alive and the french president emmanuel macron has, in recent days, again spoken about the prospect of greater european involvement in the war. former trump adviser and foreign affairs specialist, fiona hill, spoke to victoria derbyshire and vitaly shevchenko on ukrainecast. she gave her take on the impact

of a potential second donald trump presidency on the war in ukraine. in your view, does a trump presidency make the likelihood of a ukrainian defeat in the war more likely? well, it is if everyone's just waiting around for the united states. but i think this part of the discussion is, don't wait. yeah. and, you know, macron�*s speech is one thing, but action should have been taken yesterday. i mean, to be honest, if i were in europe — and in my various roles i was always trying to urge this — i would have been thinking about all of this right from the get go, from after the annexation of crimea, rethinking what the implications is for european security, but they were still thinking that this was just about territory, a territory dispute for territory like crimea and donbas, where predominantly russian speakers were and people had more of an affinity towards russia than elsewhere in ukraine. but most certainly after february of 2022, there should have been these kind of debates.

because this is about european security, and i think part of the problem has been that europeans have been relying on the united states for too long. and you can listen to that full interview on ukrainecast, which you will find other bbc sounds at any time. back to this extraordinary story now — horticulturalists from the national trust have successfully grown the first seedlings from the sycamore gap tree on hadrian's wall — which was chopped down last year. jon stokes is the director of trees, science & research at the tree council. he explained the process used to produce the new growth. it's an excellentjob they have done, it was really good to wake up this morning to some good news, it's a grey day here in portsmouth and it was great news to hear there are siblings going from these trees. hath siblings going from these trees. how often is this technique used around the uk and around the world? i

haven't heard it used very widely in the sense of the protection of special trees. this is one where we have actually, where it's been grafted from the source material, apple trees, however, apple trees are entirely grown from graphs. if you are grafting an apple, every apple you have ever eaten, has come from a graph. because that's the way apples are done. so it depends on the trees. but important national trees like this, it's got to be one of the few that i know of. i trees like this, it's got to be one of the few that i know of.- of the few that i know of. i was readin: of the few that i know of. i was reading about _ of the few that i know of. i was reading about it _ of the few that i know of. i was reading about it on _ of the few that i know of. i was reading about it on the - of the few that i know of. i was reading about it on the bbc- of the few that i know of. i was i reading about it on the bbc news website, if you want to do read it, there is a very long article about how it was done, they posted these samples to devon and then got them out and actually had to just see if it worked, fingers crossed, basically. it it worked, fingers crossed, basically-— it worked, fingers crossed, basicall . , , , ., . basically. it is the speed at which the did it basically. it is the speed at which they did it that's _ basically. it is the speed at which they did it that's the _ basically. it is the speed at which they did it that's the important i they did it that's the important part, because it can only last for a very short period, and if it gets stuck in the system or got lost in

the post something, they wouldn't have had that as an opportunity, so yes, speed is of the essence when you're looking to graft young trees like this. do you're looking to graft young trees like this. ,., , ., ~' you're looking to graft young trees like this. ,, ~ , like this. do you think this technique. _ like this. do you think this technique, you _ like this. do you think this technique, you say - like this. do you think this technique, you say this i like this. do you think this technique, you say this is| like this. do you think this - technique, you say this is how we produce apples, but could it be used more widely to save perhaps some of the more ancient species we have in this country? it’s the more ancient species we have in this country?— this country? it's certainly a possibility- _ this country? it's certainly a possibility. one _ this country? it's certainly a possibility. one of- this country? it's certainly a possibility. one of the - this country? it's certainly a l possibility. one of the things this country? it's certainly a - possibility. one of the things that matters is, i mean, the story of the tree is notjust the specific individual but its progeny as well. so for example, there is a tree in front which is an oak, it's on its fourth generation, the seedlings of that tree have grown up, because they were worried about the parent. so throughout history we have collected the seeds and on these sorts of activities to protect our important trees. and, yes, there is definitely a role for some of that in the future of all of our important trees in the future.

next, a couple in the uk made the decision that there would be no church bells at their wedding, but rather the blaring two—tone horn of an intercity train to wales. leah anderson and vince smith — now mr and mrs smith — met and had their first kiss on a train. our correspondent frances read met them as they finally boarded the love train. right on time at paddington station, this is the non—stop service to matrimony via cardiff. leah is getting married on board and most of herfamily worked on the railways — her dad and her grandfather. but it is also where love blossomed for her and her husband—to—be. perfect, thank you. you're so welcome. the first time we saw each other was on a great western railway train, and then we ended up spending hours and hours together that day and we got the last train back. which is when we had our first kiss as well. so that was quite romantic. no delays for this train. and platform one, the perfect entrance for this bride. within moments, they're all aboard.

getting a bit bumpy! it is the exchange of rings in first—class and then somewhere heading out of london, married. cheering. fantastic! finally into cardiff to let the family off. it has been a big day. it has been so overwhelming. i am lost for words, really. we need to let it sink in. i think later when it is finished, it will sink in finally. but it has been nothing but amazing. and the bride and groom continue on to swansea to start their happily—ever—after. frances read, bbc news. love that story! it's day three of the international dog show crufts. thousands of dogs are competing to become the �*best in show�*. rachel mcadam reports. # one, two, three... #. we're now halfway through the world's biggest dog show. we are all set. more than 18,000 competitors flocked to birmingham on thursday for crufts, the four—day long show that attracts owners

from across the globe. on sunday, one dog will be crowned best in show. but before that the dogs will take part in a variety of challenges and presentations in a bid to take home the trophy. crufts was first organised by dog lover charles cruft in 1891, making the event older than the modern olympics. it originally started as just a show for terriers, but today dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds take part — from schnauzers to dalmatians, retrievers to poodles. over the first couple of days the dogs have been taking part injumping and agility tasks, as well as freestyle heel work and obedience challenges. some very well—behaved pups were from the west midlands police. they made an appearance on friday. there are more than 200 breeds taking part of this year, some more high maintenance than others,

but they'll all be putting their best paw forward until the winner is crowned on sunday. rachel mcadam, bbc news. it's hollywood's big night on sunday with the oscars. but before that, we've had the razzies. they name and shame the year's worst films. the organisers call them the "ugly cousin to the oscars". so what won worst film? this is the moment it was announced. the winner of the razzie award for worst picture is... drumroll winnie—the—pooh: blood and honey. culture correspondent charlotte gallagherjoined me to discuss the movie. this film, as the title suggests, is about winnie the pooh, and essentially it's winnie the pooh and his friends piglet and eeyore taking their revenge on christopher robin,

their old friend, who they feel has abandoned them, and it's a schlocky, slasher kind of flick. essentially, the copyright on the creation of winnie the pooh ran out, so now anybody can do to winnie the pooh what they want to do, so they made a film where winnie the pooh, the lovable bear, is in fact a serial killer. and when reviews came out for this film, it was trashed. it was mauled by the critics. bad acting, bad special effects. one person said the scenes were so poorly lit they couldn't actually tell what was going on. they had no idea what was happening. so unsurprisingly, it has swept the board at the razzies. as we heard, it won best picture... worst picture, even! worst director, worst screenplay, worst remake, and worst on—screen couple, which went to pooh and piglet. however, the makers of this film are laughing all the way to the bank, because this film cost $100,000 to make. it made $5.2 million at the box office. wow. that is a tiny amount of money to make a film.

so now winnie the pooh 2: blood and honey is going to the cinemas, the sequel is going to be in cinemas this month. now, we may not have seen that but a lot more people will have seen expendables 4, which also won some, and an award for sylvester stallone, who is a regular at the razzies. he is the actor who has won more razzies than anyone else, and he won worst supporting actor for the expendables 4. it's his 12th razzie. megan fox, his co—star in that, she won worst supporting actress for the expendables, and then she also won worst actress forjohnny and clyde, a kind of riff on bonnie and clyde. the oscar winnerjon voight, he won worst actor for the irish mobsterfilm mercy. so some big names picking up those awards. some people are more happy to laugh about themselves than others. we know, for example, when halle berry, she won the razzie for catwoman, she actually turned up to the ceremony with her oscar that she had won some years previously, in order to claim her razzie. sandra bullock, she won a razzie for all about steve,

and then the next night she won an oscarfor the blind side, so she turned up to both ceremonies. so some people laugh about it. others, probably, their egos might be a bit punctured. yeah, it is a bit of fun. it's been going, i think, 44 years now. a bit of fun before the oscars, which of course is on sunday night. yes, and most people are expecting oppenheimer, the christopher nolan film, to do incredibly well. that's done very well at the baftas, awards like that, the sag awards, that's done really well. cillian murphy could be a shoo—in, really, for best actor, but you could get an upset. someone like paul giamatti for the holdovers. he's a very good actor, many people think he deserves an oscar. his co—star in the holdovers, da'vinejoy randolph, many people think she will win best supporting actress, she's an incredible performer. the race, as well, for best actress. you've got emma stone for poor things, then you've got lily gladstone, also, for killers of the flower moon. and that, i think, will be one of the hotly contested races. that's our culture correspondent,

and we will of course have full coverage of the oscars here on bbc news. stay with us, we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour here on bbc news. hello. it is not the most inspiring weekend weather overall, there are some brighter spots, this was how it looked earlier on for a weather watcher in kent. some rain around. all driven by a big of low pressure to be south of us, the swirl of cloud on the satellite picture. we are on the northern flank of the low, meaning a strong easterly wind blowing across the uk today. where you're exposed to that, particularly among the north sea coasts where it's cloudy, it will see you decide there will be some bits and pieces

of rain in the mix, especially across the south—west of england, limited sunny spells, lots of cloud, and as we head through the evening tonight, winds will ease across the south but it was a blustery across the northern half of the uk, we will see extensive calculus and pics of slightly heavier rain pushing northwards across england and wales, and generally speaking, temperatures holding between five and nine. tomorrow, low pressure will still be with us but the slow tending to weaken, tending to fill. so wind is easing across southern parts. it stays blustery across northern parts. again there will be a lot of cloud, in fact, parts. again there will be a lot of cloud, infact, if parts. again there will be a lot of cloud, in fact, if anything, parts. again there will be a lot of cloud, infact, ifanything, more cloud, infact, ifanything, more cloud for many areas then we have had today, and more rain as well come across many parts of england and wales, some parts of northern ireland and scotland and they hold on to brightness in north—west scotland, perhaps something to brighten to the south—west of england, and some sunshine for the channel islands. the strongest winds for sunday across northern areas, and again exposed to that wind, aberdeen, for example, just six. further south and west midlands

plymouth, cardiff, 11 or 12. further south and west midlands plymouth, cardiff, 11 or12. into monday, that easterly wind continues ease, but we will keep a lot of cloud. there will be bits and pieces of rain here and there, quite a lot of rain here and there, quite a lot of dry weather, too. tempers again between six and 11. but there is a change on the way later in the week, because we will start to see areas of low pressure pushing in from the atlantic, and that will change the wind direction. we will lose the easterly wind and pick up more of a souther south—westerly wind and that will bring a milderfeel to proceedings. temperatures if anything climbing as we head through the middle and end of the week. but don't expect blue skies and sunshine all the time. there will beasts in cloud and rain at times still. —— there will be some cloud and rain.

live from london, this is bbc news. the first vessel to use the new maritime aid corridor to gaza is loaded in cyprus. 200 tonnes of supplies will be shipped. meanwhile, more aid is air—dropped into gaza — a method aid groups consider a last resort. a london fertility clinic has its operating licence suspended, after "significant concerns" were raised over errors in the freezing of embryos in a major defeat for ireland's government, voters reject two referendum proposals on the definition of family and the role of women. and new life is springing from the sycamore gap tree. seedlings from the famously felled tree are starting to grow. hello. i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome to the programme.

final preparations are under way to send the first shipment