he and his sister were held for almost three months before their release — he says anything should be done to save the remaining hostages. the row over alleged remarks made about the mp diane abbott — as the prime minister resists calls to return a tory donor's money. the spice girl mel b on finding herself penniless and living back with her mum. i was like, i don't know if i can tell people this story. it's embarrassing, it's shameful. a headteacher apologises to parents over the quality of his own school's meals asking how difficult is it to bake a potato? and why these california giants that have taken root in large numbers in the uk. and coming up on bbc news, wales�*s final game of the six nations against italy will also be the last for george north. after 1a years and 120 caps, he's announced his retirement.

good evening. this is 18—year—old itay regev and his sister maya — they were kidnapped by hamas from the music festival in israel last october and held for sa days. they were both shot when they were seized. itay has been describing in detail what happened to him, his sister and his best friend, after they were taken hostage. his friend is still being held along with more than 100 others. itay has been talking to our special correspondent lucy manning. itay regev is free, but all he thinks about are the hostages he left behind. the teenager was at the nova music festival with his sister maya and friend 0mer when hamas attacked.

translation: we started hearing shooting. - the terrorists were surrounding the whole party area. lots and lots of people started running in all directions. i hear shooting going past my head. i heard people screaming. i saw people falling down. a lot of bodies. we were confronted by a van of terrorists spraying our car with bullets without any mercy. i got shot in my leg. my sister also got shot in her leg seconds after me. this, the moment they were tied up and taken. translation: we entered gaza, | and the terrorists started shouting and screaming and celebrating. it was as if it was a big party. itay says they were taken to a house with a shaft, then through a tunnel and driven

to a hospital. translation: they threatened my life. | they looked at me doing this, that they are going to kill me, that they are going to behead me. i still had a bullet in my leg. they put the forceps into my leg. they pulled out the bullet without anaesthetic. they told me to keep quiet because if i won't keep quiet, they'll kill me. it was a day that i thought i wouldn't come out of alive. i came to terms with the fact that i wasn't going to live. i see my sister, maya, injured and crying. maya also said her goodbyes and told me if i come out of this alive, to tell our parents that she loves them. what were the conditions like where you were being kept? translation: you don't really know if you're - going to wake up in the morning, if a missile is going to fall

on you, if they're going to come in with a kalashnikov and start spraying us with bullets. the conditions are very, very difficult there. sometimes no water, and the hunger was very, very difficult. hamas wants a total cease—fire and the withdrawal of the troops for the hostages to be released. do you think that israel should agree? translation: i think we should do anything we possibly can _ to get them out of there, whatever the cost. we need to do anything that will bring the hostages out of there. you can't put a price on it. it's people's lives. in november, maya was released and reunited with herfamily and is learning to walk again. itay was freed a few days later. 0mer and around 130 others are still held. itay says the world has forgotten the hostages. lucy manning, bbc news.

the prime minister is resisting pressure for the conservatives to return £10 million donated by the businessman frank hester who allegedly said the mp diane abbott made him want to "hate all black women" and should be shot. rishi sunak told the commons that the alleged remarks were "racist" and "wrong" frank hester has apologised for making what he called "rude" comments about britain's first black female mp. the row dominated prime minister's questions as labour has called on the conservatives to give the money back. here's our political editor chris mason. will you give the money back, prime minister? the will you give the money back, prime minister? , , ., , minister? the big question is rinuain minister? the big question is ringing in _ minister? the big question is ringing in ears _ minister? the big question is ringing in ears of _ minister? the big question is ringing in ears of rishi - minister? the big question is ringing in ears of rishi sunaki minister? the big question is - ringing in ears of rishi sunak today after a morning in which senior conservatives answered these questions rather differently. i would think about the company i kept and get that money back. i have to give you my view rather than what the party should do. if

give you my view rather than what the party should do.— the party should do. if today mr hester said _ the party should do. if today mr hester said i _ the party should do. if today mr hester said i would _ the party should do. if today mr hester said i would like - the party should do. if today mr hester said i would like to - the party should do. if today mr hester said i would like to give | the party should do. if today mr. hester said i would like to give you another 10 million would you take it? , , ., ., , it? on the basis we do not believe he is racist. _ it? on the basis we do not believe he is racist, yes. _ it? on the basis we do not believe he is racist, yes. questions - it? on the basis we do not believe he is racist, yes. questions for - it? on the basis we do not believe| he is racist, yes. questions for the prime minister. _ he is racist, yes. questions for the prime minister. how— he is racist, yes. questions for the prime minister. how low— he is racist, yes. questions for the prime minister. how low would - he is racist, yes. questions for the prime minister. how low would he| prime minister. how low would he have to sink. _ prime minister. how low would he have to sink, what _ prime minister. how low would he have to sink, what racist, - prime minister. how low would he have to sink, what racist, woman | have to sink, what racist, woman hating _ have to sink, what racist, woman hating threat of violence would have to make _ hating threat of violence would have to make before the prime minister plucked _ to make before the prime minister plucked up the courage to hand back the terminal pounds that he has taken _ the terminal pounds that he has taken from him? mr the terminal pounds that he has taken from him?— the terminal pounds that he has taken from him? mr speaker, as i said the gentleman _ taken from him? mr speaker, as i said the gentleman apologised . said the gentleman apologised genuinely for his comments and that remorse should be accepted. look carefully at _ remorse should be accepted. look carefully at what _ remorse should be accepted. look carefully at what is _ remorse should be accepted. look carefully at what is happening on the back row on the right—hand side. diane abbott is standing up again and again and again and hoping to be called to speak. the and again and again and hoping to be called to speak-— called to speak. the gentleman in ruestion called to speak. the gentleman in question apologised _ called to speak. the gentleman in question apologised for— called to speak. the gentleman in question apologised for being - called to speak. the gentleman in i question apologised for being rude. he was not rude, he was racist,

odious and downright dangerous. the prime minister had repeated frank hester had apologised and that should be accepted. again diane abbott stands up and again she is not called. ., , not called. in november the prime minister accepted _ not called. in november the prime minister accepted a _ not called. in november the prime minister accepted a non-cash - minister accepted a non—cash donation _ minister accepted a non—cash donation to the tune of £15,000 from frank— donation to the tune of £15,000 from frank hester for the use of his helicopter— frank hester for the use of his helicopter so when he reimburse him, yes or— helicopter so when he reimburse him, yes or no? _ helicopter so when he reimburse him, es or no? ., ~ ,,, ., ~ ., helicopter so when he reimburse him, esorno? ., ~ ., �* yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm leased yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that _ yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the _ yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the gentleman - yes or no? no, mr speaker and i'm pleased that the gentleman is - pleased that the gentleman is supporting a party that represents one of the most diverse governments in the history of this country led by the first british asian prime minister in the country. this by the first british asian prime minister in the country. as question time and it look— minister in the country. as question time and it look at _ minister in the country. as question time and it look at keir— time and it look at keir starmer heading alongside many others to see diane abbott. she stood up 37 times to catch the eye of the speaker without success. the office of the speaker said there was not enough

time to call her. and ed her were earning any doubt, look at this. she was furious- — earning any doubt, look at this. sie: was furious. she earning any doubt, look at this. 5“ie: was furious. she wanted to speak and i was shocked as i think many others were that she was not given the opportunity to speak. 1th were that she was not given the opportunity to speak.— were that she was not given the opportunity to speak. as for those big questions _ opportunity to speak. as for those big questions at _ opportunity to speak. as for those big questions at the _ opportunity to speak. as for those big questions at the start - opportunity to speak. as for those big questions at the start of - opportunity to speak. as for those big questions at the start of the i big questions at the start of the day, including will the prime minister will attend the £10 million donation, the answer tonight sounds like this. no. chris mason, bbc news. is the economy already on its way out of last year's shallow recession? the lastest official figures show that gdp — or gross domestic product — which is a measure of all the economic activity in the country — grew slightly by 0.2 % injanuary. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david has more. everything we buy is more expensive. designing, producing and selling his own leather goods is painstaking work for noureddine, but profits aren't in the bag, and notjust because of higher costs. like many, he's held an exceptionally big january sale to shift christmas stock.

we decided injanuary we needed to make a big sale compared to the year before, because usually before we'd do just like 20% off, or 30% off on the sale. but this year we have even the product for 70%. for many retailers, slashing prices after a disappointing festive season paid off. now that boost and a rebound in construction pushed up activity or gdp by 0.2% injanuary. these are initial numbers, they could change, but it gives hope that this, that dip in gdp over the second half of last year, a recession will be short lived. today's numbers are a first tentative step out of that, but we'll need growth numbers from february and march to be sure. and it's much needed because take away inflation and population growth, and we're each on average £140 worse off than two years ago.

but with wages now outstripping inflation and lower interest rates looming, prospects should improve. but by how much? in this workshop in morocco, there's just one person making bags where there used to be 11. due to weaker demand here. many consumer facing businesses are still doing less well than prior to the pandemic. before covid people buy without even think twice. now they need to think a lot to buy something. even if growth improves a bit, it remains a shadow of what it was prior to the 2008 financial crisis, meaning life's little luxuries may risk being left on the shelf. dharshini david, bbc news. the government has introduced new legislation to overturn the convictions of sub—postmasters who were the victims of what has been called the biggest miscarriage ofjustice in uk history. hundreds were wrongly prosecuted after faulty computer

software said money was missing from post office branch accounts. the new law is designed to speed up the process of clearing their names and paying them compensation. some women who pay to freeze their eggs are being misled about their chances of having a baby — that's according to a fertility charity. more and more women are choosing to freeze their eggs, but bbc analysis has found that dozens of clinics offering the service privately may have breached advertising guidance which says they mustn't give false or misleading information. anna collinson has the story. there's a story behind every egg freezing. maybe it is a bit of a lifeline for me, i don't know. there's been a boom in women freezing their eggs for nonmedical reasons. i can't afford it, but i see it as an investment in my future. you can keep making money, but you can't keep making eggs. i did feel at times like a patient, and then at other times you do feel

a bit like a customer. eggs are retrieved at a younger, more fertile point, then frozen and stored. but there's no guarantee it'll lead to a baby. and the fertility regulator says clinics don't always make that clear. freezing eggs for medical reasons is very different to freezing for social reasons. and as a regulator, we are concerned about the success rates. we are concerned about the information women are getting when they're considering this process. analysis by the bbc found a1% of clinic websites which offer private egg freezing in the uk may have breached advertising guidance. we found some clinics are prominently displaying attractive sounding success rates with percentages in the high 905. but that's only one stage of the egg freezing journey. the chances of going on to have a baby are far lower, somewhere between 20 and 30%, and that isn't always made clear. we shared ourfindings. to invest in egg freezing, a massive financial investment.

what a key decision in your life. i feel very angry for patients because they are being misled by this level of information. fertility specialists told us patients would get more information at a consultation, but stress websites must be transparent. single at 39, natalie froze her eggs in 2020. i feel it was a journey that i felt very alone on. i was the one that was driving it and was having to do a lot of research myself. i don't think i expected, you know, the financial toll. honestly, it was probably the biggest hit. it was just trying to find the money from anywhere to make this happen. she is one of the few who has come back to use her eggs, and last year had a baby boy. holding huxley for the first time, i mean, you'rejust you're in awe that this baby has come from a frozen egg. i have been really, really fortunate and i'm forever grateful for that. anna collinson, bbc news. you can watch anna collinson's film

— egg freezing and me — on bbc iplayer now. the headteacher of a school in southampton has apologised to parents over the state of the school meals their children are being served. in a letterjason ashley wrote "how difficult is it to bake a potato?" as he admitted that the meals served in the school canteen were "completely unacceptable". zoe conway reports. the daily diet at redbridge community school — the headteacher so disgusted, he shared this image on social media. if it looks unappetising, pupils say it tastes worse. i taste more fork and cardboard than the actual food, so, like, i feel like if ijust put some, like, salt and pepper on this fork, i would enjoy it more. it's got about the texture of rubber. it's cold. i won't even say it's warm. and, yeah, the potato, like... what did you get, two potatoes? rock—solid on that side. some kids, they don't get... they might not have enough money to get, like, a proper

meal when they go home. so they're relying on this meal to keep them going throughout the day. in a letter to parents, headteacherjason ashley said he wouldn't allow his own children to eat it. the school says it's had numerous meetings with the caterers to try to improve the menu. it's sad, actually, people have to witness, too, and it's something that morally, that we're now obliged to draw attention to. i mean, when you've got students coming up to us at break times and saying that the fork with some seasoning would be more edible than what they're eating, that's a kind of a sad state of affairs. the caterer, chartwells, has apologised, saying it's committed to working with the school and implementing an action plan. i'm going home hungry. zoe conway, bbc news.

the time is 18.15. our top story this evening. a teenager kidnapped by hamas from the music festival in israel tells the bbc anything should be done to save the remaining hostages. coming up on bbc news, a surprise inclusion for wales captain aaron ramsey after being out with a knee injury. the midfielder is part of the 28—man squad named by manager rob page ahead of the euro play—offs. she rose to internationalfame as one of the spice girls — but despite selling millions of records and making millions of pounds, the singer mel b later found herself struggling financially and living back with her mother in a bungalow in leeds. she says she's now out of an abusive relationship, and is hoping to use her experience to help others. her former partner has repeatedly denied the claims of abusive behaviour made by the singer.

charlotte gallagher has been to meet her. mel b made millions from the spice girls. but a few years ago, after leaving an abusive marriage, she was left with almost nothing and had to move in with her mum in leeds. her ex denies the allegations. it's embarrassing. it's shameful. i'm all about girl power. yet look at what i'm just leaving, which is a complete girl—powerless situation. i was doing a spice girls tour in 2019 here. then i lived with my mum because i wasn'tjust emotionally and physically abused, it was all the financial abuse too. i didn't realise that i didn't actually have enough, as much money as i thought i had. obviously, any situation is better than being with your abuser, but when you've left that kind of abusive situation, you have to... it's like starting all over again.

has it helped, moving back to leeds? definitely. i mean, my mum is one of seven, so i'm surrounded by friends, family, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, the whole nine yards. ijust put my head down and worked and lived frugally and hence i've been able to buy my own house. but this is like five, six, seven years on when i didn't really have much. so you were saying you're shopping at aldi? yeah, i still love shopping in aldi and lidl. i don't think i'm ever going to stop doing that. you're still so leeds! yeah, i'm still leeds. i'm still a leeds girl at the end of the day. a big part of mel's life now is campaigning on behalf of other domestic violence survivors as the patron of women's aid. ijust bring awareness and i talk about abuse and i talk about what i've been through. and i'm the voice of all the other survivors out there that don't have a voice, that can't be heard or can't get their point across, especially when it comes to things like trying to change the justice system and trying to enforce more laws that are more supportive towards people that are coming out of an abusive situation this time.

it's now 30 years since the spice girls first auditioned. and if you're sat with one of them, well, you have to ask this. do you think there's the will in the group to get back together as a five? i think there always has been. there always is, yeah. it's just a case of logistically getting it going. and you're still friends, you've still got your whatsapp group? and you still support each other. victoria beckham's doing your wedding dress? well, yeah, i might have a few wedding dresses! i haven't decided yet, but she's said yeah, she'd love to. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. the government has said it will bring forward a change in the law to prevent the ownership of uk newspapers and magazines by a foreign state. the move follows concern about the potential takeover of the daily telegraph and spectator by a group backed by the united arab emirates. our business editor simon jack is here with me.

what impact will this have? we reported at the weekend that this deal looked dead in the water and this seems to confirm it was that the government is saying, we are now moving to rule out foreign state ownership, influence or control of newspapers and periodical news basically, a fund backed by the manchester city owner paid off the previous owner's debts and want to take control. the government intervened, saying they wanted to scrutinise it. during that process, they seemed to supersede it but it seems that now, read but i am i, it is backed by the sheikh, will have to think again and possibly bring other partners. but what legislation seems to do is set a low bar for the maximum amount of ownership that a foreign government can have. so as we said at the weekend, this deal is now effectively dead. what happens next is that they could sell it off to the other bids which could

include rupert murdoch, the daily mail and the hedge fund tycoon paul marshall. ,, ., g ., . ,, mail and the hedge fund tycoon paul marshall. ,, ., ., ,, mail and the hedge fund tycoon paul marshall. ,, ., . «i ., «i marshall. simon jack, thank you. back now marshall. simon jack, thank you. itack now to _ marshall. simon jack, thank you. back now to the _ marshall. simon jack, thank you. back now to the story about - marshall. simon jack, thank you. back now to the story about the i back now to the story about the conservative donor frank hester and his alleged comments about diane abbott, the mp. she didn't get to have her say in parliament today during prime minister's questions. let's talk to our political editor chris mason, she has had her say now? . . chris mason, she has had her say now? , , ., , ., chris mason, she has had her say now? , , . , ., ., . now? yes, she has written an article that has been _ now? yes, she has written an article that has been published _ now? yes, she has written an article that has been published in _ now? yes, she has written an article that has been published in the - now? yes, she has written an article that has been published in the last l that has been published in the last few minutes in the independent in which she describes frank hester�*s alleged remarks as a textbook definition of racism and sexism. she accuses the conservative party of long having been" a source of whipping up racism in the country". that is clearly an allegation the conservatives would vehemently deny. she criticises the labour leadership too and says they were too slow to call this racism and sexism and have been too slow in the past to apologise to her for her being a victim of racism and sexism. what we

can see here is her anger. she is livid and upset.— can see here is her anger. she is livid and upset. chris mason with the latest. _ livid and upset. chris mason with the latest, thank _ livid and upset. chris mason with the latest, thank you. _ the first minister of wales has attacked borisjohnson's handling of the covid pandemic, saying he was like a football manager who was largely absent. mark drakeford told the welsh inquiry into the pandemic as lockdown eased. i simply was not prepared to agree to such a major change of policy on the basis of the information that i had in front of me at that meeting. i was very unconvinced by "stay alert". i have no idea what "stay alert" is asking me to do. hywel griffith has been listening today for us. what more did he say? mr beckford started by saying — what more did he say? mr beckford started by saying that _ what more did he say? mr beckford started by saying that he _ what more did he say? mr beckford started by saying that he was - what more did he say? mr beckford started by saying that he was fully l started by saying that he was fully responsible for the welsh government's decisions, but what followed but the focus on the westminster politics. he described

borisjohnson as an absent football manager in the pandemic. he claimed the dominic cummings had called some of the big shots. he said uk ministers were afraid of nicola sturgeon. he claims of their rules were chaotic. when things drill down to happened in wales and welsh labour government �*s responsibility, he said he had come to explain rather than justify why some things happen slower in wales than elsewhere, such as testing people going into care homes making facemasks mandatory. he said that at the time, there simply wasn't the evidence. we also learned today that there is little evidence from mr drake for�*s mobile phone at the time. messages covering almost three years, he says, have disappeared. attempts to retrieve them have failed. mr drake food will also disappearfrom the failed. mr drake food will also disappear from the political stage soon. this is the start of his last week as first minister. we will learn his replacement on saturday. ten brilliant, thank you.

the welsh rugby star george north has announced he'll retire from international rugby union after the final six nations match this weekend. the 31—year—old wales centre says retiring is not a decision he has made easily. here's patrick gearey. and north coming in, north still going! - oh, and george north all the way! what a try for george north! for the best part of a decade and a half, whenever welsh rugby needed direction, they could always find north. 47 tries, 121 caps — george north's wales career has hurtled along like a freight train. now he's decided this weekend will be the final stop. i don't think anyone can ever doubt what i've offered up, and... sorry. it's dusty in here, isn't it? for me, it's been the dream, and in my heart, i know it's the right time for me to step away. it's passed in a blur. the two tries on his debut against south africa,

the first british and irish lions tour where he carried all before him, the two grand slams with wales, the appearances in four world cups. there have also been injuries and concussions, as well as the sheer weight of being a welsh great. well, you don't greet many players of his size and pace in wales, so when he came along, he was like a breath of fresh air. and to stay that long and being that physical player that he is, you know, just shows what a true professional he has been. george north is not retiring completely. he will play club rugby in france next season, and wales fans will get to see him one last time against italy on saturday. as ever, don't blink or you'll miss him. patrick gearey, bbc news. these are giant redwoods — the californian trees that can grow up to 300 feet. they were first brought to britain as seedlings in the mid—1800s. and now researchers at university college london have found that not only are they thriving well in the uk — there are now around half

a million sequoias here — outnumbering those on the west coast of america. what's more, they're very good at capturing carbon dioxide. our science editor rebecca morelle reports. they're becoming a standout feature of our forests. giant redwoods are the biggest trees on the planet. these native californian wonders are fast—growing and can lock up vast amounts of carbon, and now they're looming large across the landscape in the uk. well, these giant redwoods really live up to their name. they are suitably huge. here are a couple of questions. how many of these trees do you think there are in their native californian region? well, the answer is only about 80,000. and how many giant redwoods do you think there are here in the uk? well, you might be surprised to learn that there is an estimated 500,000, and that number is growing.

these giant redwoods were planted in wakehurst in sussex about 150 years ago, and it turns out that the damp british weather is good for them. so where they grow in california is cooler and moister than you would typically envisage california, and we have a reasonably similar climate here. it's wet. they need moisture to grow. so here's the next question. how high do you think these trees can grow? the answer is, up to 90 metres tall. but this one's not quite there yet. the team's using lasers to measure the trees. this one's 46 metres tall. they can also calculate the tree's weight and see how much carbon is being soaked up. they have ten to 15 tonnes of carbon stored in their tissues. compared to the largest tree in california, which has about 250 tonnes of carbon stored in it, they are quite small, but, you know, these could get as big. at havering country park in essex, an avenue of giant redwoods once provided a grand entrance

for a stately home that is no longer here. these trees were the ultimate status symbol. i see them all over the place. they pop up in the most weird and wonderful places. and i think partly, they have this sort of iconic status because they are the biggest organisms on earth and they're some of the oldest organisms on earth. final question — how do you think these trees can live? the answer to that is a very long time, more than 2,000 years. even in the fog, the uk's giant redwoods are hard to miss, but we still need to find out how well they will fit into our forests and to see just how big they'll grow. rebecca morelle, bbc news. now, meet terry "turbo" burrows — he first broke the world record in window cleaning speed in 1995 and remains the men's world record holder. it's a talent that runs in the family — today his daughter aliscia broke the women's world record,

cleaning three standard windows in just 16.13 seconds. here's how the action unfolded in manchester today. i've held the world record now for some 29 years. i've taken ten guinness world records. i think it's, like, an unsung sport, really. i would like you to welcome terry's daughter aliscia, who's going to have a go at the women's world record. you ready, aliscia ? yeah. three, two, one, go! my daughter, when she picks up the squeegee, she's like a natural. it's like i'm almost watching myself. they say, "oh, it's in your genes," and it really is. aliscia hasjust beaten the women's world... applause. i feel quite chuffed i've done it, to be fair. - we really have made history today. you know, father and daughter holding similar records, that's never going to get repeated ever.

never. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. i'm not sure we want to look out of the window with this rain. i am sure the window with this rain. i am sure the window — the window with this rain. i am sure the window cleaners _ the window with this rain. i am sure the window cleaners are _ the window with this rain. i am sure the window cleaners are as - the window with this rain. i am sure the window cleaners are as fed - the window with this rain. i am sure the window cleaners are as fed up l the window cleaners are as fed up with the rain as the rest of us, sophie. last night told you about how wet it has been in the south—east of england and there are still a lot of water around, but the rain has stopped for a while and we saw temperatures of 15 degrees in the south—east. today, the wet weather has been further north and into wales. in snowdonia, it is normally pretty wet in march, but a good chunk of that march rainfall has fallen in 12 hours today and it is still raining. this is the radar picture from earlier. the rain mainly affected wales and northern england. that rain in wales and northern england is going to move northwards again back into northern

ireland and