# you can tell everybody. # this is your song.# and, eltonjohn and his long time writing partner bernie taupin receive the prestigious gershwin prize for popular song. millions of women here in the uk, born in the 1950s, who were affected by the government's decision to raise their state pension age in line with men's, will find out today whether they could be entitled to compensation. the campaign group women against state pension inequality — also known as waspi — says the change plunged tens of thousands of them into poverty. our reporter azadeh moshiri has more. # heigh—ho, heigh—ho. ..# could this be the day they have been fighting for? waspi have been demanding compensation for years after their

retirement plans collapsed. for many, the wait has been painful. suddenly knowing i wasn't going to get it for another six years dramatically affected my standard of living and it is money i will never get back. i have accepted that. i do feel the government should have let me and the other women know that this delay was coming down the tracks. we had no notice at all. the state pension age used to be 60 for women and 65 for men. but since 2010, women's state pension age was raised and brought in line with men's. it has risen again since. and today it stands at 66 for both men and women. yet, thousands of women born

in the 1950s argue the changes happened at too short notice and were badly communicated. waspi argue this affected 3.8 million women, and that many didn't even know they would have to wait longer to receive their state pension. they say they didn't get a chance to plan for it. # today's the day we finally get our pension.# the parliamentary ombudsman has already ruled government officials were too slow to tell them. today the final report and its recommendations are expected. but the ombudsman has no power to refund lost pensions. # we'll keep on fighting till the end...# the department for work and pensions has said ministers are unable to comment until after the report has been published. the government has previously argued though that as people continue to live longer, state pension ages had to go up. but these women say they went about it the wrong way. and they're ready for their payday.

azadeh moshiri, bbc news. prince harry's lawyers are back in court for a second day in hearings over his case against news group newspapers, ngn. yesterday, the prince's lawyers told the high court that rupert murdoch must have known about phone hacking at his british newspapers — despite public denials. let's speak to our correspondent sean dilley, who is at the high court. just talk us through what is expected in court today. in just talk us through what is expected in court today. in terms of what is expected, _ expected in court today. in terms of what is expected, it _ expected in court today. in terms of what is expected, it will _ expected in court today. in terms of what is expected, it will be - expected in court today. in terms of what is expected, it will be very - what is expected, it will be very boring documentary referring to paragraph 3.14 a. let's talk about the substance of the points you are talking about. that is something news group newspapers will defend, not the substance of the allegations but they will argue that certain

evidence should not be included in an eventual trial was at this case is against news group newspapers. publishers of the sun and the news of the world for that they have always admitted wrongdoing by a rogue reporter at news of the world but there had been public denials about alleged misconduct at the sun. yesterday james sherborne casey said senior executives at mgm, the publisher of the sun and the news of the world knew about the wrongdoing and the use of unlawful interception, the use of private investigators. remembering thejudge investigators. remembering the judge lastjuly investigators. remembering thejudge lastjuly throughout any possibility of prince harry and others throughout the case of phone hacking. that will not be tried come january does that there was an alleged meeting at the home of rupert murdoch in 2010 where senior executives were present. it was

alleged there was an item on the agenda which is e—mail deletion. the other key bits of information, an allegation came out yesterday, the hard drive that belonged to rebekah brooks had not been presented directly to the police and it had been replaced by another hard drive. these are allegations are essentially lawyers would like to include full prince harry and others. , , , ., include full prince harry and others. , , ., , ., others. just give us a bit more context. what _ others. just give us a bit more context. what is _ others. just give us a bit more context. what is his _ others. just give us a bit more context. what is his case - others. just give us a bit more context. what is his case all. others. just give us a bit more - context. what is his case all about? this case put very simply is to extend the scope of what the case is allowed to look at, the evidence, and it wants to extend the period it looks out by three years. from 1994 and going out to 2012. lawyers for the claimants argue that was based on disclosure they have actually had from news group newspapers themselves. the defence to that, what we are going to be hearing an

awful lot from the defence in this case today is that any inclusion of new evidence and any inclusion of new evidence and any inclusion of new names, for example rupert murdoch because they were contending yesterday he had not been included. that is disputed but that was an argument from the defence that he should be included. they should be new claims and new cases. in that case the same sort ofjudgment had to be made in terms of whether the claim has been made or time —— is in time or they have run out of time. yesterday are a few interesting allegations came out. tens of thousands of children here in the uk are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs — that's according to a leading child protection expert. professor alexis jay, who revealed the extent of sexual

exploitation in rotherham, is warning of an "urgent and preventable crisis. " following an inquiry for the charity action for children, she has concluded there's no national strategy in place for dealing with this type of crime. here's our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds. if they knew you were talking to me right now, what would they do to you? i don't think i'd be alive. seriously. i genuinely think i would end up six feet under. that's why we're not revealing joe's identity, or the area where, as a child, he worked for a criminal gang in scotland. if they wanted me to go and sell something for them, i had to go and do it. if i had to go and hit someone for them, i had to go and do it. or it was me that was paying the price. why are children being exploited and coerced into crime? professor alexis jay took evidence from 70 people and organisations in an inquiry commissioned by the charity action for children. a big factor in it appeared to be loneliness, isolation, the desire, and how good it felt, to be part of something, even though it was criminal activity.

they controlled my life without me realising they were controlling my life. what i found most shocking generally was the casual violence that was involved. knife crime, of course. but we also heard about the use of machetes, bats, and hammers and axes. it's driving a rise in violent youth crime. and she says the government — all parties — need to act. it needs a national focus and a national strategy. and equally importantly, it needs the introduction of a new offence of child criminal exploitation. you're saying there's no strategy at the moment? none. no. it's uncoordinated, fragmented, piecemeal. the home office is focused on fighting crime gangs who use dedicated phone lines to sell drugs. £5 million has been earmarked over

three years to help exploited children and their families. in scotland, joe's mum has been trying to get help for years. i tried everything. i tried phoning the police. i tried going to school. i tried social services. what happened ? they told me it was all in my head, like i was a bad parent. _ there was nothing wrong. but she clung on tojoe. and with the help of youth workers, he's now free of the gang. tom symonds, bbc news, glasgow. professor alexis jay, who you will have seen in that report, joins me now. she led a review she led the review into child criminal exploitation in the uk. —— the review into child criminal exploitation in the uk. let's get an idea of the scale of

the problem. it let's get an idea of the scale of the problem-— let's get an idea of the scale of the problem. let's get an idea of the scale of the roblem. ., , , , , ., the problem. it was put up tens of thousands of _ the problem. it was put up tens of thousands of children _ the problem. it was put up tens of thousands of children at _ the problem. it was put up tens of thousands of children at risk. - the problem. it was put up tens of thousands of children at risk. all l thousands of children at risk. all the experts agree this will be almost certainly an underestimate because of the inconsistent way that people cannot... individuals caught up people cannot... individuals caught up in the problem. in people cannot. .. individuals caught up in the problem.— up in the problem. in all focus has been ut up in the problem. in all focus has been put on _ up in the problem. in all focus has been put on your— up in the problem. in all focus has been put on your previous - up in the problem. in all focus has been put on your previous report | been put on your previous report into sexual abuse by grooming gangs into sexual abuse by grooming gangs in rotherham. do you see any similarities?— in rotherham. do you see any similarities? , . ., ., similarities? very much so. i do not use that term. _ similarities? very much so. i do not use that term, grooming _ similarities? very much so. i do not use that term, grooming gangs. - similarities? very much so. i do not| use that term, grooming gangs. the grooming process is very similar indeed. festival children are drawn indeed. festival children are drawn in to create trust with the exploiters. —— first of all. 0nce exploiters. —— first of all. once that trust is gained, they are trapped by various tests into criminality.

trapped by various tests into criminality-— trapped by various tests into criminali . , ,. , , , criminality. describe their tests and the children _ criminality. describe their tests and the children most - criminality. describe their tests and the children most at - criminality. describe their tests and the children most at risk. l criminality. describe their tests | and the children most at risk. all and the children most at risk. fill children are at risk from across a wide range. there are particular groupings and that is also similar to what we found in terms of sexual exploitation. these include children who had been in the care system are still in the care system, children with disabilities and especially neuro diversity and also those living in poverty. i was quite shocked at the tactics used by the exploiters in the latter category where we were told of how they would certainly go to a rundown housing estate and watch out for children who they think would be particularly vulnerable to draw into this kind of exploitation. vulnerable to draw into this kind of exnloitation-_ vulnerable to draw into this kind of exploitation. very targeted actions. what kind of— exploitation. very targeted actions. what kind of solution _ exploitation. very targeted actions. what kind of solution are _ exploitation. very targeted actions. what kind of solution are you - what kind of solution are you calling for today?—

what kind of solution are you calling for today? what kind of solution are you callin: for toda ? . ., . calling for today? feeling clear. we need a national _ calling for today? feeling clear. we need a national strategy _ calling for today? feeling clear. we need a national strategy because i need a national strategy because there is not one. this issue affects all countries of the uk. action for children operates in three of them is from scotland, england and wales. the activities of the exploiters across boundaries. it is important it is a uk wide. they need a single definition. that may sound bureaucratic but it is not can it really matters when different reformations and that can determine whether this support is —— is available for exploited children. thank you for highlighting this and coming into the studio. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

the sudanese army has made an agreement with the un to allow

more aid into darfur. aid agencies have been heavily restricted in their ability to help those in darfur amidst a row over a planned route via chad chad. —— chad. the un has called for more aid to be allowed into sudan — where millions have been displaced by a nearly year—long conflict. 0ur senior africa correspondent, anne soy is in nairobi. just explain the challenges there are four aid agencies to be able to get aid into sudan, especially doubtful, one of the most affected parts of the country.— parts of the country. indeed it is. the challenges _ parts of the country. indeed it is. the challenges are _ parts of the country. indeed it is. the challenges are huge. - parts of the country. indeed it is. the challenges are huge. we - parts of the country. indeed it is. the challenges are huge. we are| the challenges are huge. we are talking about a vast country, much of which now is in war. 90%, according to humanitarian organisations, 90% of the population in dire need of food cannot be

accessed by humanitarian organisations like many of them in darfur. just to understand the context since war broke out last april, it has been going on, the military has lost control of the capital and that is one area that is not accessible to most people. they are now operating from port sudan by the red sea. in darfur, in west of the red sea. in darfur, in west of the scene of atrocities nearly 20 years ago and which observers now are warning that we are seeing a similar kind of situation there, people who are going through this, women have been talking about being raped by militia as an act of revenge. aid agencies who have been able to reach people, who are running some semblance of medical care, are talking of four out of

every five children are malnourished. so these are huge figures. in one camp, one of the large camps in darfur, the charity nsf talks of 13 children dying every day. the world health organization is saying that 3.4 million sudanese children are malnourished as a result of this war that is ongoing and people having little or no access to food. humanitarian organisations are scrambling to get feeding and it has been difficult. the military had blocked access on the darfur side of the borderfrom chad because of allegations that some... it was being used as a cover to bring in weapons for the rivals. they are asking for more access. the recent development is there one more

access route which has reopened down to darfur. it is still far from enough. to darfur. it is still far from enou:h. . , . to darfur. it is still far from enough-— to darfur. it is still far from enou:h. ., , ., ~ enough. that is a senior africa correspondent _ enough. that is a senior africa correspondent reporting - enough. that is a senior africa correspondent reporting on . enough. that is a senior africa | correspondent reporting on the crucial story in sudan. let's return to one of main stories this hour. and the bbc has seen research, which suggests working in extreme heat during pregnancy doubled the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage in india. researchers from the study, published in the international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, are now working with scientists in the uk to better understand the findings. let's speak to dr rachel huxley, head of mitigation for climate and health at wellcome — a charitable foundation focused on health research. thank you forjoining us on the programme. first of all, what do we know about how rising temperatures are affecting pregnant women? we

know are affecting pregnant women? - know the climate crisis is a health crisis. the world health organization has identified it as 0rganization has identified it as the single biggest threat to humanity. we already experienced over1 degrees of warming, the extreme to be much higher. we can see how health is being affected through extreme heat one of the deadliest impacts. exposure to extreme heat affects us all, the most vulnerable pregnant women. this poses a real threat to pregnant women and unborn children. that is through complications like premature births, low birth rate, miscarriages and stillbirths. we are seeing huge impacts from heat exposure on pregnant women.— impacts from heat exposure on pregnant women. impacts from heat exposure on reanant women. ~ ., , pregnant women. what impact can this kind of study — pregnant women. what impact can this kind of study make? _ pregnant women. what impact can this kind of study make? although - pregnant women. what impact can this kind of study make? although we - pregnant women. what impact can this kind of study make? although we have| kind of study make? although we have evidence that — kind of study make? although we have evidence that shows _ kind of study make? although we have evidence that shows women, - kind of study make? although we have evidence that shows women, pregnant i evidence that shows women, pregnant women and unborn children are at greater risk due to extreme heat, we

understand very little about the actual mechanisms by which extreme heat is affecting our bodies. much of the studies we do have to date are based on male, young, healthy bodies. that is far from representative of pregnant women. we do not really understand exactly how extreme heat is affecting pregnant women's bodies and their unborn children. that is why it is incredibly important and why welcome are funding research around the world to better understand the impact. really so that evidence can drive and inform action to reduce exposure to extreme heat and protect pregnant women. exposure to extreme heat and protect pregnant women-— exposure to extreme heat and protect pregnant women. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. this is part of special

coverage here on the bbc about the impact of extreme heat on women. you can go to the bbc news website full coverage on this. there is also a special documentary. you are watching bbc news. the bank of england will announce its latest decision on interest rates at midday. analysts predict the monetary policy committee will leave rates unchanged at 5.25%. ben boulos has been taking a look. when will the cost of mortgages come down and stay down? lenders cut their rates injanuary for new fixed deals, but they have now crept back up. it is causing a headache for many first—time buyers like james. i can't imagine they will be coming down any time soon, so i'm hoping they will level out a little bit, so we have more time

to actually consider how much we are able to afford each month, rather than having to worry from one month to another if they are going up. it is just we have a bit more of a — stabilise the whole situation, really. mortgages and other loans have become more expensive because they are based on the bank of england's main interest rate, shown by the red line. that went up sharply over the past two years, reaching 5.25%. the bank hoped by making borrowing more expensive, and people having less to spend, that there would be a fall in demand for goods and services, slowing down the average price rises, or inflation, shown by the blue line, to ease cost of living crisis. now that inflation has come down sharply from its peak, could interest rate to be cut soon? interest rates are likely to be held. it's going to be more of the same for many people. so, those people looking to remortgage are still probably

going to find that they are going to have to pay a lot more in terms of their monthly payments. those people who have enough to save, on the other hand, can make the most of some better savings rates around at the moment. that's little comfort for the 1.6 million people coming to the end of a fixed mortgage deal this year. they are facing a jump in monthly payments when they renew. last time i was lucky. i had a good rate and went for a fixed five—year mortgage. and it worked out really well. but, unfortunately, this time i'm sort of being a lot more cautious. i've got to go for a fixed term to get the mortgage down to what i can afford. but it is going to be difficult. pressure is growing on the bank of england to cut interest rates after inflation slowed to 3.4% in february. but that is still above the bank target of 2%. the theory is by cutting rates too soon could stoke another round of high inflation and paying price rises.

ben boulos, bbc news. next, imagine being given a loved one's ashes only to discover that they had not been cremated until several weeks later. that is what one grieving man claims has happened to him. peter welburn paid a funeral directors which is at the centre of a police investigation. 0ur reporter, aruna iyengar, has the story. the doors are boarded up at legacy funeral directors in hull. there is anger in the community after police raided its premises. they have removed 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes from one of the company's sites. it is part of an ongoing investigation over concerns about the care of the deceased. one of those grieving is former trawlerman and grandad peter welburn. he paid £1900 to legacy for a funeral for his wife shirley. they'd been married for 33 years. she died on the 25th of november

in hull royal infirmary. but peter has found out the ashes he was given after her funeral on december the 23rd, just before christmas, might not be hers. he was told by a crematorium in leeds that she was cremated there on the 16th of january, weeks after he was given the ashes by legacy. well, i think he'sjust given me some ashes to keep me peaceful and the bairns all happy over christmas, which is disgusting. theyjust give me anybody�*s ashes. peter says he will keep the ashes he has received safe. but he doesn't know who's they are. she didn't deserve all this. she went through a lot in hospital. as part of the police investigation into legacy, a man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of fraud and prevention of a lawful and decent burial. they have since been

released on bail. aruna iyengar, bbc news. finally, this half hour... candle in the wind, daniel, crocodile rock, rocket man and goodbye yellow brick road. just some of the dozens and dozens of songs written by eltonjohn and his long time writing partner bernie taupin. well, the duo have been honoured for their song writing abilities in washington dc — being awarded the prestigious gershwin prize for popular song by the library of congress. at the event, other musicians performed their tunes. 0n the red carpet, the pair spoke about their partnership. we love so much different music. there's not a genre of music that we don't really like so much and that's been the longevity of our career is because the songs vary and the songs last because they cover different territories.

philadelphia freedom is not like burn down the mission. daniel is not like saturday night's alright for fighting. there's a lot of different stuff. 0ur palette is full of colours. yeah. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello again. we have the warmest year this year so far. yesterday in england, temperature reached 18.8 celsius in charnwood in surrey. now, today, it still is going to be mild in the south, but wet and windy conditions are already with us and have been with us all morning across parts of the north and they're being provided by a cold front. and if you have a look at the spacing of these ice bars, particularly across scotland and northern ireland, it tells you it's going to be a windy day, especially so across the far north. now, ahead of this band of rain, which is sweeping slowly southwards, we're looking at a fair bit of cloud around, but already we're seeing some sunny spells develop. and depending on the length of sunshine that we see, we could well hit 16 or 17 degrees somewhere in the south. but widely, we're looking at the low

teens through this evening and overnight r cold front sinks further south with its cloud and rain still brisk winds across scotland and northern ireland under clearer skies. it's going to be colder and we will also see some showers, some of those wintry on higher ground, but still mild in the south itself. tomorrow we start with a cloud and rain across southern areas of england. it will be slow to clear a lot of dry weather for a bit of sunshine, but there will be showers coming in. and again, we're looking at gales, especially so across the far north and especially the northern and western isles. some of those showers will be wintry on higher ground and temperatures nine to about 12 degrees. then as we head into the weekend, it turns colder and windier, will be quite a noticeable wind chill, but there'll also be some sunshine and showers. this is our cold front pulling away, taking the milder air represented by the yellows with it. and then we are all in the colder air represented by the blues with some weather fronts crossing

us, enhancing the showers. so on saturday, we will start off with some dry weather, but there'll be a packet of showers coming in. some of those, again, wintry on higher ground, some snow on higher ground, some sleet, maybe even some hail and some thunder and lightning as well. and with the strength of the wind and the direction of the wind, it will feel colder than these temperatures suggest. as we head into sunday, brisk winds, especially down the north sea coastline. we will start with some showers, but a ridge of high pressure builds in from the west, settling things down for a time before low pressure comes in later. and these are our temperatures, seven to 12.

live from london, this is bbc news. america's top diplomat arrives in cairo where he will meet arab foreign ministers to discuss a post—war plan for gaza. new research from india shows that working in extreme heat can double the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth for pregnant women. millions are suffering from hunger and malnutrition in haiti, as the un warns it is unable to get enough aid into the country. and, eltonjohn and his long time writing partner bernie taupin receive the prestigious gershwin prize

for popular song. hello and welcome to the programme. i'm catherine byaruhanga. america's top diplomat, the us secretary of state, antony blinken has arrived in the egyptian capital, cairo, where he'll meet senior ministers from six arab states and the palestinian authority, as the us pushes for a pause in the fighting in gaza. these are pictures of mr blinken arriving in cairo a short while ago. he's pushing for more desperately needed aid to enter gaza. it's mr blinken's sixth trip to the region since the war began and comes after a un—backed food security assessment warned that a man—made famine in gaza is imminent.

earlier, i spoke to our middle east correspondent yolande knell.