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tv   BBC News  BBCNEWS  March 30, 2024 5:00pm-6:01pm GMT

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facing imminentfamine. political leaders promise stability in northern ireland won't be affected by the arrest and resignation of the dup leader. and an oar—some win for cambridge — beating oxford in the boat race, one of the world's most famous amateur sporting events. hello, i'm lauren taylor. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon — unifil — says three of its observers and a translator were injured by an explosion near the israeli border. it said the peacekeepers were on a foot patrol when the blast happened — they've been taken to hospital. the un said it was investigating the cause of the explosion, and warned the targeting of observers was "unacceptable." israel has denied any involvement. also, there are reports from the us
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that the biden adminstration has cleared the way for the transfer of bombs and fighter planes worth billions of dollars to israel. our correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. a shell exploded near these un military observers while they were on a foot patrol in southern lebanon, along the blue line, which divides that area from the north of israel. now, unifil, the peacekeeping mission in that area, says it's investigating the cause of the blast. but this is an area where israeli forces and the lebanese armed group hezbollah regularly exchange fire. we've seen an increase in tensions in that whole area in just the past few weeks, and that has really raised fears about further escalation related to the war in gaza. now, when it comes to those reports in the washington post and reuters about arms transfers worth billions of dollars being made from the us to israel, these are listed as 1,800 2,000lb bombs, 500 500lb bombs
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and 25 f—35 fighterjets. most of that already approved by the us congress. but the palestinian foreign ministry in the west bank has come out accusing the biden administration of holding contradictory positions here because, of course, the news of these weapons transfers comes at a time when we have been hearing washington raising more and more concerns about the high numbers of civilians being killed in gaza. with famine looming in much of gaza, a second ship towing supplies has left cyprus for the territory. while both the uk and the us military have airdropped food supplies into gaza. our bbc middle east correspondent, lucy williamson, was on the us plane. aid drops into gaza are expensive, inefficient, and increasingly controversial. these ready prepared meals from the us army are being flown more than 1,000 miles from a us airbase in qatar.
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there's plenty of food just a short drive from gaza's borders, but this american aid is being flown right across the middle east. 80 crates of food on board two c—i7 transport planes, dropped into a population the un says is on the brink of famine. it's not perfect. we know that there's upwards of two million people who need food on the ground, who are hungry, innocent civilians who didn't ask for this conflict, and we are dropping meals in the tens of thousands, but at least it's something. so does it feel like a drop in the bucket? maybe a little bit, but if you're a family on the ground who have got some of this aid, it can be a life—saver. 12 people were reported to have drowned this week trying to retrieve packages from the sea. six others crushed in a stampede. what are you doing to try and mitigate those risks? literally everything we can. so i know you spoke with the colonel earlier. we use a chute that falls at a slower rate to give the gazans more time to see the parachutes and make sure that they
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are out of the way. we also have assets overhead that clear the drop zone, so we will not drop if there's any sort of groupings of people there. after three hours in the air, the ramp opens on gaza's devastated coastline. theyjust opened the hatch ready to release the aid down into gaza. there's no organised distribution system down there. there it goes. a drop of aid in an ocean of hunger. getting aid in this way is a last resort, but a growing number of countries are doing it. how much do these eye—catching flights relieve pressure on gaza's civilians, and how much the pressure on governments elsewhere? lucy williamson, bbc news, qatar. aaron david miller is a us foreign policy expert and a senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace. i asked him if the relationship between israel and the us has come
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under strain in in recent weeks. this president, perhaps alone amongst modern american presidents, has a deep and abiding commitment to the people of israel and the security of israel. doesn't mean he is not angry and frustrated about benjamin netanyahu. this particular shipment was triggered by the visit of ministerfor defence. there is a supply line issue with f 35s. it reflects a reality. having worked for half a dozen administrations, presidents do not like fighting with israeli prime ministers, particularly during a crisis. since this crisis began, we are almost six months into it,
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the administration could condition, restrict military supply to israel, he hasn't done that. changing voting posture in new york, in order to vote for or abstain, on a resolution highly critical. hasn't done that. and orjoin the international committee in demanding cessation of hostilities. hasn't done that. joe biden needs to change the pictures on gaza, and he needs to do it relatively quickly. the only way to do that is to figure out a way to work with benjamin netanyahu and get an israeli—hamas deal, de—escalate israeli military campaign. he cannot do that if he renounces the key decision maker of this israeli government. however objectionable and extreme this israeli government is. in the meantime, there is the big issue of aid
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and the humanitarian situation in gaza. the us has been trying to pressure israel to distribute more but there is also reports about the possibility of an arab peacekeeping force going in there to help distribute the aid. how likely is that to happen, and how quickly could it happen if it were possible? with enough political will, that could happen relatively quickly, but it is a heavy lift. i don't think any arab state, they are not going to do this, if gaza first is gaza only. they will need commitment from united states that there is a political horizon that when the shooting stops there will be a serious effort to deal with the resolution of the israeli—palestinian conflict. and commitment from the israelis at some point to withdraw from gaza. that'll be a very heavy lift. it goes beyond american humanitarian assistance. there are serious discussions
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in washington about the possibility of creating some sort of arab security force that would support palestinian governance in gaza, because that will be critically important to stabilising the situation there. it is a fascinating idea, but it is extremely difficult under these circumstances to implement. in terms of the progress of how this is going for the israelis, one of the key elements of what they wanted to achieve was to capture or kill the leader of hamas in gaza, and that hasn't happened yet. but also he is presumably the guy who has been negotiated with indirectly for the release of hostages, so if they do kill him what are the prospects of getting hostages out? where does that leave how they handle this? we don't know how he is communicating with external leadership. one of the reasons these negotiations have been so slow is because the key palestinian
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decision—makers are ensconced probably 20 or 30 metres below ground in a tunnel structure. how are they communicating? and you know the israelis are looking for any signal intelligence to identify and determine where he is. so if you are on the verge of a hostage release and what if the israelis actually knew where that leader was, what decision do they make, to kill him, orfacilitate release of at least 45 hostages in return for 45 days of quiet? i wonder. do you see this turning into a long—term conflict or do you think it will be a resolution fairly soon? you need an israeli—hamas deal to de—escalate. the negotiators are resuming the talks. that is the key to at least a limited de—escalation. six months of this war. i see no end in sight.
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doctor tanya haj—hassan works in paediatric critical care and has just returned from an emergency medical team trip to al—aqsa hospital, in the middle of the gaza strip. she is also co—founder of "gaza medic voices". i asked her about her experience in gaza. this is not a humanitarian crisis. calling it a humanitarian crisis implies a humanitarian solution. what we are seeing here is far more catastrophic than any humanitarian crisis than i or any of my colleagues who work in humanitarian medicine have experienced before. the situation in the hospital, i can paint a picture, it is mass casualty after mass casualty coming in. almost exclusively civilians, entire families, burned, dismembered, maimed, and it happens in an instant, their entire family killed, sometimes you have one survivor, sometimes you don't. often the only survivor is a child, a mother, or a father. it is devastating.
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it is an unbearable injustice. i am frankly ashamed that we are coming to the six—month mark of this massacre, and we still have this completely irrational irony of countries like the united states delivering weapons, but then air dropping aid, when you have the border, when you could easily stop the massacre with very quick political solutions that prioritise humanity, and not warmongering, and you could open the border and get the aid in that is needed. there were hundreds if not thousands of trucks at the rafah that were prevented from crossing. trucks with the type of aid that we needed at the hospital where i was working, trucks with the type of aid needed in the north of gaza. when you think about what has happened in gaza so far, that the entire strategy
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through which this war has been waged, with complete support of many western countries, including the united states, united kingdom, you see how everything that is indispensable to human survival, to civilian survival, is being targeted. water supply, health facilities, health and health infrastructure and health care workers have been a predominant target of this war. this has never happened before. i am telling you this as somebody who has worked in this field for quite some time. and as sombedoy who works for organisations who function under these circumstances. this is unprecedented. this exceptionalism to international humanitarian law, to the protection of health care, the protection of civilians, has to stop. the israeli military say they're investigating the death of a palestinian youth during a raid by israeli soldiers in the occupied west bank.
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the 13—year—old boy was killed in the town of qabatiya nearjenin. the israeli military said several palestinian gunmen had shot at its troops, who returned fire. global food experts have warned that a year of civil war in sudan, and a failure to deliver aid, has left millions of people facing imminentfamine. a un—backed food authority, the ipc, says there must be a ceasefire and immediate action to avoid widespread death. children underfive are most at risk. let's speak to mohamed gamal, who is a spokesperson for the world food programme in sudan. thank you for being with us. can you give us an idea of the scale of the problem? it give us an idea of the scale of the roblem? , ., ., , give us an idea of the scale of the -roblem? , ., ., , . ., problem? it is unimaginable. we have nearl 18 problem? it is unimaginable. we have nearly 18 million _ problem? it is unimaginable. we have nearly 18 million people _ problem? it is unimaginable. we have nearly 18 million people who - problem? it is unimaginable. we have nearly 18 million people who are - nearly 18 million people who are severely insecure, and 5 million of these are an emergency situation.
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sadly, around 90% of those are in areas that are inaccessible to humanitarian actors. that is the major problem we are facing. not only that, sudan is currently witnessing the largest displacement crisis in the world. the problem is that most of the people who fully conflict areas are going to countries that are already suffering, and these are so sudan, chad, for example. you suffering, and these are so sudan, chad, for example. you mentioned our areas inaccessible _ chad, for example. you mentioned our areas inaccessible to _ chad, for example. you mentioned our areas inaccessible to humanitarian - areas inaccessible to humanitarian actors. where do you mean, what is happening there?— happening there? these are areas where there _ happening there? these are areas where there is _ happening there? these are areas where there is conflict _ happening there? these are areas where there is conflict going - happening there? these are areas where there is conflict going on. l where there is conflict going on. there are people with conflict, and many are struggling to get a single meal per day. many are struggling to get a single meal per day-— many are struggling to get a single meal per day. what is happening in terms of the _ meal per day. what is happening in terms of the international - meal per day. what is happening in terms of the international efforts . terms of the international efforts to get more aid in?—
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terms of the international efforts to get more aid in? sadly, there is little being — to get more aid in? sadly, there is little being done _ to get more aid in? sadly, there is little being done to _ to get more aid in? sadly, there is little being done to guarantee - little being done to guarantee access. this problem has been going on for months now, especially in areas like no humanitarian actor and operate like that. we need to save passages so we can deliver aid and feed those hungry people. so we can deliver aid and feed those hungry peeple-_ so we can deliver aid and feed those hungry people. what about the people disla s? hungry people. what about the people diaplays? there's _ hungry people. what about the people displays? there's a _ hungry people. what about the people displays? there's a big _ hungry people. what about the people displays? there's a big displacement l displays? there's a big displacement crisis. what is happening there? there are more than 80 million people who got displaced, inside and outside the country. the problem is sudan has already been struggling with food security issues, and also neighbouring countries have been struggling with that. by that i mean charge, so sudan specifically, where there is our countries who have been
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struggling with internal conflicts and also insecurity issues. the problem is without an immediate ceasefire, add a guarantee of a save passages, humanitarian actors, the situation will get worse. the country is heading into the rainy season where naturally food security is at its lowest. this is the danger in the situation, added quite alarming. we need more attention and we need the international actors to put more pressure on the fighting sides so they can implement a meaningful ceasefire to this war. thank you very much indeed for taking the time to speak to us on the bbc. the london—based iranian tv news channel whose presenter was stabbed yesterday says "heavy threats" have been made to its staff. pouria zeraati was attacked
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outside his home in south london. the iranian regime has denied any involvement in the attack, which is being investigated by counter—terrorism police. i'm joined now by sima sabet, an iran international presenter and a former bbc world service journalist. police have urged her to leave her home following the attack on mr zeraati. what is your reaction when you hear the news? i what is your reaction when you hear the news? . , what is your reaction when you hear the news? .,, , ,, ., what is your reaction when you hear the news? , ,, ., ., , the news? i was shocked and angry and outraged. _ the news? i was shocked and angry and outraged, of— the news? i was shocked and angry and outraged, of course. _ the news? i was shocked and angry and outraged, of course. i - the news? i was shocked and angry and outraged, of course. i had - the news? i was shocked and angry| and outraged, of course. i had news that they were planning an assassination against my life and colleague. which we were informed of the whole plot in december. this came just a few months after, i know if there was a serious action taken, at that news came out we would have observed another attempt on the life of another journalist in
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observed another attempt on the life of anotherjournalist in london, at our home. i was very angry, and then a few hours after the attack happened on pouria zeraati, i got a call from counterterrorism police asking me i should leave my residents and stay somewhere until they let me know it is safe. aha, they let me know it is safe. a really worrying time for you and all yourformer really worrying time for you and all your former colleagues. really worrying time for you and all yourformer colleagues. it really worrying time for you and all your former colleagues. it is really worrying time for you and all your former colleagues.— your former colleagues. it is very sad and very _ your former colleagues. it is very sad and very worrying _ your former colleagues. it is very sad and very worrying at - your former colleagues. it is very sad and very worrying at the - your former colleagues. it is very | sad and very worrying at the same time. this is not fair, this is not right for us as a journalist. we should be safe in what we do, we should be safe in what we do, we should feel safe in our country. this is our home, and we are uk nationals being threatened at our home on the doorstep. what i was thinking, if the uk government had taken it seriously, if they had met with me, if they were willing to listen to us, that we are victims and not victim. i dared like to
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declare myself as a victim, but the islamic republic is taking a step to attack us. we have to have a channel of being communicated to the government, being heard. announcing... what has the impact been? what international viewers who may be don't watch iranian tv. why is the regime so unhappy? it is may be don't watch iranian tv. why is the regime so unhappy?- is the regime so unhappy? it is a news channel, _ is the regime so unhappy? it is a news channel, 24-hour, - is the regime so unhappy? it is a news channel, 24-hour, the - is the regime so unhappy? it is a news channel, 24-hour, the only is the regime so unhappy? it is a - news channel, 24-hour, the only one. news channel, 24—hour, the only one. anything that brings further information to the public in a run, of course the islamic republic and government doesn't feel comfortable with. it's not only about iran, the
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bbc world service has the same problem. almost anyone working in any iranians or persian language tv channels, they had some level of threats. d0 channels, they had some level of threats. , ., ~ channels, they had some level of threats. ~' ., threats. do you think now there will be more provision _ threats. do you think now there will be more provision of _ threats. do you think now there will be more provision of assistance - threats. do you think now there will be more provision of assistance or. be more provision of assistance or any kind of help towards you feeling safer from the authorities here? i hope. i am grateful to the counterterrorism police support, but i think in orderfor it to be effective, we need a political will behind it, we need a new policy in the uk and europe because we are not the uk and europe because we are not the only one receiving threats. all over europe journalists and opponents get threatened. joint level of action will be meaningful in order to change the responses from islamic republic. that
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in order to change the responses from islamic republic.— in order to change the responses from islamic republic. at the moment the counterterrorism _ from islamic republic. at the moment the counterterrorism unit _ from islamic republic. at the moment the counterterrorism unit are - the counterterrorism unit are investigating this, and we don't know more about the attack. but in terms of what happens next, what do you think, how can they make journalists working here safer? shall journalists working here safer? all i journalists working here safer? fill i know is the islamic republic understand one language, force. they are trying to impose against our lives, it won't be meaningful. it. they are committing acts of terrorism on uk soil, here in our country. if a state is committing an act of terrorism in another country, it means it has to be recognised as a state terrorism. they are a terrorist organisation, so if they are prescribed as a terrorist organisation, it was behind the assassination plot at many other
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threats the uk and europe is facing outside of iran, so the response will be meaningful as long as it is meaningful. find will be meaningful as long as it is meaningful-— will be meaningful as long as it is meaningful. and makes a change. thank ou meaningful. and makes a change. thank you very — meaningful. and makes a change. thank you very much _ meaningful. and makes a change. thank you very much for - meaningful. and makes a change. thank you very much for coming l meaningful. and makes a change. | thank you very much for coming in. northern ireland's deputy first minister, emma little—pengelly, has said she's determined to provide stability at stormont, after the resignation of her party leader yesterday. sirjeffrey donaldson stood down from his position from the democratic unionists after being accused of rape and historical sexual offences. he says he'll strenuously contest the charges. 0ur correspondent dan johnson has more. people are still absorbing this shocking news from yesterday, which took everybody by suprise, and people are trying to get their heads around what it may all mean for politics here. we had a statement in the last couple of hours from emma little—pengelly, who is the deputy first minister here at stormont in the power—sharing executive. she represents the party that sirjeffrey donaldson was the leader of until yesterday,
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indeed she was nominated to herjob just last month by him as leader of the party. she says in her statement, "i know many people are deeply shocked and devastated by this news". she says, "victims must always have the best opportunity for justice. this must be fully respected and supported". she says her thoughts are with those suffering who have put their faith in the criminaljustice system, and that that process must be protected. she says she wants to reassure people that she is determined to do all she can to provide stability, working closely with the new party's interim leader. we have also had a statement from the police service in northern ireland which has called on people not to speculate about this case on social media, and not to stray into the realms of identifying the alleged victims who have come forward to police in this case. they of course have anonymity, their identities are protected, because of the sexual nature of these allegations. the case against sirjeffrey donaldson will be heard first at a magistrates' court, that hearing will not be until the 24th of april.
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he says he will contest these charges, he will defend himself. that process will have to work its way through. in the meantime, people are now asking what this means for power—sharing here, for unionism, the body that represents people who want northern ireland to stay within the united kingdom. the hope is that determination, commitment, hard work, can keep things on the road here, having got this power—sharing agreement back in place after so much disruption, but the risk is that politics here in northern ireland, being so fragile, balancing so many different interests, that it could be destabilised by this move. who comes next after sirjeffrey donaldson to lead this party in the longer term? what does that mean for the dup movements in future? will the change of emphasis in the party have an impact on power—sharing here or on the wider cause of unionism in future? a man has been arrested after several people were held hostage at a nightclub.
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the man emerged from the venue in the town of ede wearing a balaclava and can be seen here following police instructions to put his hands on his head. special police units had been deployed to the scene, and some nearby homes evacuated. if you don't like heights, look away now. video has been shared online showing ski lifts at an italian resort being violently shaken by winds of more than 60 miles an hour. the area had already been closed to the public because of the weather conditions. those on the lift were the last skiiers leaving the piste for the day. resort operator cervino spa confirmed that all passengers reached their destination safely. looks terrifying. stay here with us on bbc news. hello. we've had some sunshine — not a bad day overall, just a few showers here and there. i think easter sunday is going to be
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a little more overcast, particularly across england and closer to the north sea coast. quite a chilly breeze off the north sea with some drizzle at times. now, the satellite picture shows that gap in the weather that's over us right now. so things set fair for the moment. but this thicker cloud towards the east will shroud the uk during the course of sunday, particularly eastern areas of the uk. now, through the course of tonight, yes, there's a bit of rain in the forecast for some southwestern areas, perhaps just around the irish sea and into northern ireland. but the bulk of the uk should have predominantly clear and dry weather. chilly in the north of scotland, a touch of frost and some mist and fog forming, particularly across central parts of england. so the morning is looking bright for many of us, particularly across the north and the west of the uk. a few showers there in northern ireland, but then this thick cloud invades off the north sea, a chilly breeze, fleeting rain possible from parts of the southeast through east anglia, lincolnshire and really all along that north sea coast.
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the best of the sunshine will be out towards the west tomorrow around the irish sea, southwestern scotland, northern ireland, the western isles. and then sunday night into monday, a weather front moves in from the south. this is going to be more substantial rain, a more prolonged spell of rain to come for many of us on easter monday. really not looking particularly pretty across england and wales. your best bet for fine weather is the north of northern ireland, also northern and western scotland away from that weather front, temperatures around 9 degrees in aberdeen, but in the south, despite the cloud and the rain still getting up to 1a, though, i don't think it's particularly going to feel like it. and then the outlook for the week ahead will see a series of low pressures aligning themselves up in the atlantic. heading our way, one weatherfront after the other, after the other. and that basically spells rain. so whether you're checking the website or looking at the app, an indication here with these rain symbols that the weather is going to be predominantly unsettled. rain at times, certainly possible
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almost anywhere in the uk. and before i go, there'sjust a quick message that british summer time begins tonight. bye— bye.
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live from london, this is bbc news. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon says three of its observers and a translator have been injured — by an explosion near the israeli border.
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in a statement, the un said it was investigating the origin of the blast and that the targeting of its observers was unacceptable. global food experts have warned that a year of civil war in sudan — and a failure to deliver aid — has left millions of people facing imminentfamine. a un—backed food authority says there must be a ceasefire to avoid widespread death. children underfive are most at risk. political leaders promise stability in northern ireland won't be affected by the arrest and resignation of the dup leader — sirjeffrey donaldson — after allegations of rape and historical sex offences, which he denies. the new interim leader of the dup says the news was devastating. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris. hello from the bbc sport centre. there have been a few stirring comebacks in the day's english premier league games.
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none more so than at stjames' park, where newcastle came from 3—1 down to win 11—3 against west ham. harvey barnes was their matchwinner, coming off the bench midway through the second half to score in the 83rd and 90th minutes. alexander isak also scored two penalties. goals from antonio, kudus and bowen looked to have put the away side in control before that late double from barnes. we were getting hit today left, right and centre, we were taking blows, go 1—0 up, looked relatively comfortable. jamaal goes off, then miggy goes off, anthony gets sent off, tino goes off, so, yeah, it was a catalogue one after the other, but the players we brought on, i have to say, made a huge positive impact for us, and that is the beauty of the squad. small margins once again, a couple of decisions the referee gives on penalty kicks. i think the second one, gordon, restricts calvin phillips from kicking the ball, you put your foot across him, he's going to kick the ball.
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he's not doing it deliberately. so i actually think it is the wrong decision. but we had so many things that did not go in our favour today, but i have to say the players did a lot of good things. spurs also came from behind, beating luton 2—1 to go up to fourth. son hyeung min with the winner in the 86th minute as tottenham return to the champions league places — for now. elsewhere burnley came from behind twice to get a 2—2 draw at chelsea while fulham were 3—1 down but also ended with a draw at bottom side sheffield united. and nottingham forest's point against crystal palace takes them out of the relegation zone. aston villa have just started against wolverhampton wanderers, and brentford v manchester united kicks off later — the united manager erik ten hag says he's happy with where his team are so far this season. they sit in sixth. after that we put a marker, we put a
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marker in the mentality, the standards. we have two action day by day, and i think we have made a lot of progress after that. bundesliga leaders bayern leverkusen scored twice late in the game to come from behind to beat hoffenheim and edge closer to a first league title. robert andrich and patrik schick scoring the goals for the home side, who are now unbeaten in 39 matches across all competitions this season and sit top of the table on 73 points with seven matches left. bayern munich have just kicked off in der klassiker against borussia dortmund 13 points off the pace. elsewhere there were wins for freiburg and wolfsburg. it's the second round of the women's six nations championship this weekend and one match has already finished, france just pipping scotland in a surprisingly low scoring affair in edinburgh, 15 points to 5. france won the corresponding fixture 55—0 last year, kelly arbey and emeline gros with the tries for the visitors.
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reigning grand slam champions england have kicked off in their match against wales in bristol. at half—time the hosts lead 2a to 3 as they look on course for a bonus point victory. cambridge won the men's boat race to complete the double over university rivals 0xford following victory in the women's race. cambridge were more than 10 seconds ahead but slowed towards the end with matt edge on the verge of collapse. but edge and his team held on for a comfortable victory. it continues cambridge's dominance in the annual event, winning five of the past six men's races. cambridge also maintained their dominance of the women's race beating 0xford for the seventh year in a row. there was a post race protest by oxford but it proved unsuccessful. much more on the website, of course. and that's all the sport for now. let's get more now on northern ireland, where politics has been thrown
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into turmoil with the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he was arrested on thursday along with a 57—year—old woman, who's been charged with aiding and abetting additional offences. they'll both appear in court next month. sirjeffrey is northern ireland's longest serving mp at westminster. he says he'll contest the charges. ben lowry is the editor of the unionist newspaper the belfast news letter. i asked him how the dup has reacted to the news. well, in a way, it is difficult to find out, because i do edit a unionist daily newspaper, so we have very good contacts with dup, and we were trying yesterday to phone everybody we could think of, and most of the phone calls were ringing out. so there wasn't an enthusiasm to talk to the press, even to elements of the press that they speak a lot with. but we did of course get hold of some people in the dup. and i think the easiest way to describe it is that they are reeling. i mean, this is a real
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bolt from the blue. and i think when you arrest... i actually talked to somebody who was talking to sirjeffrey at the beginning of the week, found him in great form, he was optimistic about northern ireland, he was in good form and so on, so when there are conspiracy theories that this was all known about, or known about by the government, even when we have talked to people who have a very good sense of what is happening in the undergrowth, there was no sense of this coming, and the fact that the police arrived at sirjeffrey�*s house at six o'clock in the morning does rather suggest that they wanted an element of surprise, so everyone is shocked and trying to come to terms with it. so there is an interim leader who has been appointed. how is gavin robinson going to manage to deal with a party which wasn't particularly all united in backing the deal that then restored stormont? i think it's fair to say that unionism has been in really serious confusion for quite a few years.
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there are a lot of things going on. remember that there's the possibility that we have a border poll as well, we had an independence vote in scotland ten years ago and there's always the possibility of scotland leaving the uk, which would be a very big problem for unionists here. so there were already pre—existing problems that were exacerbated by brexit with unionists. some supporting brexit, most, i should say, and many not, thinking it was a risk to the uk. and then there was this division into three, because there were other things going on. there's attitudes to matters such as same—sex relationships and so on, and abortion, and a big divide within unionism between liberals and conservatives, and this has played out into three parties, which was difficult enough for the dup, it has remained the biggest party. and then you have a split within the party, as you say, over the huge matter of an irish sea border, this is an internal barrier to trade within the uk, something which would have been unthinkable for the first 100 years of northern ireland's existence. and a big disagreement about whether or not to go stormont.
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and then on top of that, you have the leader suddenly resigning. so, in very long answer to your question about the interim leader, gavin robinson, this is a young, intelligent man, a barrister, he's not even a0 yet — he has one heck of a job ahead of him. and in that respect, how much of a blow is this to the wider unionist movement? i think it's a very significant blow. i did say that i edit a unionist paper, and i don't think unionist morale is great and i don't think it has been for years and i wouldn't want to make it any worse. but it is a very big blow, i think it's a shock to northern ireland. sirjeffrey donaldson is a highly respected figure. i think it's important to continue to talk in the present tense about that, because as we have found with mp5, at least one of whom has actually gone to trial and been acquitted, everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. but it is a blow for northern ireland, he was a very diplomatic figure, and it is an immense
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blow for unionism. i suppose you could say unionism is in something of the turmoil that the conservative party is in. it has challenges from reform uk, it has liberals within it, it is facing a very difficult election. but these darkest moments for parties, the conservative party went there in 1997, are followed by much better moments, often followed by much better moments, so yes, it is a blow for unionism. this year, easter coincides with ramadan — and both are taking place under the shadow of the israel—gaza war. this was the scene on good friday injerusalem — with fewer pilgrims walking the route through the walled old city that christians believe jesus took to his crucifixion. the reverend dr munther isaac is the pastor of the evangelical lutheran christmas church in bethlehem. he told me how different it is this year for christians. it is a very, very difficult easter, given the war in gaza, and the difficulties that our siblings and friends
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are going through with the severity of the war and the starvation. and here in bethlehem it is not easy as well. restrictions are harder than ever. every year it is hard to get intojerusalem, but this year we were not able to go tojerusalem, notjust the believers but the clergy as well. we have been under a very strict siege here in bethlehem since the war began on october 7th, which left a very, very heavy toll, notjust on the economy, but spiritually and psychologically on us, again especially with the war that is happening in gaza. how has the church decided to manage the situation? we are trying our best to encourage the faithful, prayer and faith seem to be the only thing we have as palestinians these days. because this war has taken so much from us, especially in gaza. and so easter gives us
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the opportunity to think of the meaning, notjust of suffering, absolutely, i mean, the cross obviously is the symbol of suffering and pain, but it is a suffering with a purpose, and a suffering that we know would ultimately lead to life and to light and to resurrection. so we are trying to encourage the faithful, inspired by our faith, and by the easter story itself. tell us a little bit more about the restrictions that are in place at the moment, and whether people are actually trying to get to the places of worship, or whether they have just kind of decided to give up on it. you can't, you need a permit from the israeli military. we still live under israeli occupation. i mean, i think this is one of the things that many people don't get in the west, that the israeli military controls almost everything here. and so to go tojerusalem from bethlehem, and jerusalem is literally 20 minutes away from where i live, there
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is a wall that separates bethlehem from jerusalem, and there are checkpoints. and to get through the checkpoint tojerusalem you need a permit from the military, and it is not easy to get. i do not have that permit these days. and the majority of palestinians do not have it. even in previous years it has always been difficult to get it unless you have work, or you can prove that you work with an international agency. but even restrictions even to go to ramallah are difficult, or to hebron, or to nablus. the roads connecting palestinian towns right now, which are also controlled by israel, have seen, we have witnessed heavy, heavy restrictions and new checkpoints, blockades on some roads that we cannot even drive at. this has been even more difficult since october 7th than it was before then. so in terms of christians celebrating easter, what are your plans? we are going to church.
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we can't go tojerusalem, so everyone will celebrate in their own towns and cities. usually, especially on palm sunday, and in the orthodox easter holy saturday, we have more celebrations in the streets, we have more celebrations with scout groups, none of that is taking place this year. 0ur prayers and coming together as families will be the focus of this year's easter. we will try to encourage those who have loved ones still in gaza and are concerned about them by being a family away from family for them here in bethlehem. demis hassabis, the co—founder of the british artificial intelligence firm deepmind says it feels �*incredible' to receive a knighthood — the first ever to be awarded, for services to ai.
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sir demis sold his company to google for £400 million a decade ago — but continues to run the company in the uk. he told simonjack on this morning's today his reaction on hearing of the honour. it feels amazing, to be honest. it hasn't really sunk in. and i think it's a really incredible honourfor me and for all my colleagues as well, and just a great recognition of everything we've done. you've been one of the prophets of ai. it's now wall to wall news coverage about al, the threats, the opportunities. what do you make of the current debate? what are people missing? well, i think actually the debate's pretty good at the moment. i think people are starting to realise how transformative ai is going to be. we've always known that. i've known that for 20, 30 years since i've been working on this, and i would say maybe in the last two or three years people have started to just get the inkling of how transformative is going to be. incredible positives in things like science and health. massive advances in scientific discoveries. there's the sorts of things that are my passion,
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but also the attendant risks to with something that transformative. and we have to make sure we use it responsibly. in fact, you signed a statement from the ai summit in the uk last november saying "mitigating the risk of extinction from al should be a global priority alongside other societal scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war". really? well, ithink, you know, i'm not saying that's likely or even any time soon or any of those kind of risks. but the fact that there is a non—zero risk of those types of things if things go wrong and these technologies become very powerful, maybe in the next few decades, i think it's important society and government and civil society takes that seriously. it feels like a sort of arms race. you know, i don't know if you've seen the film oppenheimer, but you're talking about these kind of risks. and, you know, he said, "now we are become death destroyer of worlds". do you feel an oppenheimer like kind of responsibility? well, look, those of us who grew up, those scientists like me who grew up
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in the 80s and 90s reading books about, you know, that time and world war two and oppenheimer, the manhattan project, you know, and also the apollo programme. these are both inspirations and warnings about the power of science, the amazing things it can do, but also the risks involved if one doesn't handle that power correctly. and so, you know, it's a good cautionary tale in many ways. and, you know, i know chris nolan well and it's fantastic film. you know, i think it's a great film for the times. but the difference, i would say, with al is that there's unbelievable positive impact that i can have — much broader than even nuclear. nuclear, of course, has positive, too. but i think ai has a almost limitless potential for good in the world. he was a soul legend who helped shape the sound of the 60s and 70s. now, nearly a0 years after the death of marvin gaye — there's a claim that previously
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unheard music has been found. he lived in belgium towards the end of his life, and now a lawyer representing the people he lived with says they've found a huge collection of his belongings — including costumes and audio cassettes. kevin connolly reports. # ..to make me blue. # with some other guy that you knew before... marvin gaye, seen here in the legendary performance at montreux, made some of the greatest records in pop history. but what if there are more songs, maybe more classics, that no—one has ever heard? these are the tapes that we found... this belgian lawyer says there is just such a track, although he's keeping it under wraps for now. he'll describe it to us but he won't play it to us. it's an amazing song, a great tune, great lyrics, catchy, and i thought, "this is a planetary "alignment moment".
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the jazz musician and marvin gaye expert gary crosby is looking forward to hearing any new songs. undiscovered marvin gaye tapes would be a gift to the world - of music at this present moment — from my perspective, you know? i because we don't know — until we hear the tapes, i we actually don't know. but we are talking about - marvin gaye, one of the greatest artists of all time. there's bound to be - something of value in there. we did, though, hear a sample of hours of private recordings. # ..but to those who wait and those... marvin gaye's voice is tuneful, his mood sometimes playful. is the tape on? thank god, because i would never remember that again! a vast collection of memorabilia has turned up in belgium because in the early �*80s, the seaside town of ostend
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was a place of refuge for marvin gaye, whose life in london had spiralled out of control. when he left, the family he lived with say he left them box after box — audio cassettes, documents, notebooks, lyrics and stage costumes — theirs to dispose of as they pleased. that red jacket is the one marvin wore in montreux. under belgian law, the family's lawyer says they have the absolute right to sell it. the clothes and the accessories, they will be sold. any new music, though, could only be sold with the permission of marvin gaye's children. compromise is called for, says alex trappeniers. i want to reach my hand to the family because when you exploit the copyright which is in the tapes, you can't do that without
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the authorisation of the estate which is his three children. if his kids become aware of this — marvin gaye's children, who are his heirs — and theyjust say, "that's our dad "and, like, and morally, you should give this back"? well, morally, i'd prefer to work with them on this. if there are to be negotiations over any new material, they have yet to start. but there is at least a chance that new marvin gaye music may one day emerge to add to the legend of one of the great names in the history of pop. kevin connolly, bbc news, ostend. # to keep me from getting to you, babe. for more on this story let's speak now to music writer and author of motown: the sound of young america, adam white. thanks forjoining us. it's an extraordinary story, isn't it? if
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they managed to revolve that it might resolve the legal issues how much would it mean to get new tracks from marvin gaye? i much would it mean to get new tracks from marvin gaye?— from marvin gaye? i think it's really difficult _ from marvin gaye? i think it's really difficult to _ from marvin gaye? i think it's really difficult to tell - from marvin gaye? i think it's really difficult to tell withoutl really difficult to tell without hearing more of it. he was always a prolific, inventive artist, and anything by him at this point is going to be of interest. the difficulty is knowing how much, full songs... he recorded a great deal, often he was in some studio over the years doing all sorts of things, so what form it finally takes will be the challenge, not least of all also the challenge, not least of all also the rights to it, because if this material was recorded, let's say in 1981, the question is whether he was still under contract to motown records or sound to make signed with cbs records. it will be quite a challenge to work that through. generally people who don't know him, he was in iconic figure, but tell us
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more about him and how he ended up in ostend. he more about him and how he ended up in ostend. , , in ostend. he ended up in ostend because he _ in ostend. he ended up in ostend because he had _ in ostend. he ended up in ostend because he had troubles - in ostend. he ended up in ostend because he had troubles at - in ostend. he ended up in 0stend| because he had troubles at home, in ostend. he ended up in ostend . because he had troubles at home, he was being pursued by the irs over unpaid taxes, he had a severe drug problem which followed him to london, and he was clearly in need of some solace and a break, which they belgian promoter who we met in london and took him to ostend provided, at a critical point in his life, but he was always a challenging guy, even at the peak of his success in the 60s into the 70s, he was never a conventional man, and so it is always a challenge to work with him. that's not to say he couldn't produce extraordinary music, but he was not an easy collaborator. d0 music, but he was not an easy collaborator.— music, but he was not an easy collaborator. ,, ., , , . collaborator. do you think any music that comes — collaborator. do you think any music that comes out _ collaborator. do you think any music that comes out of _ collaborator. do you think any music that comes out of this _ collaborator. do you think any music that comes out of this particular - that comes out of this particular period will feel different to the
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rest of his work?— period will feel different to the rest of his work? yes, i think so. whatever — rest of his work? yes, i think so. whatever sounds _ rest of his work? yes, i think so. whatever sounds like _ rest of his work? yes, i think so. whatever sounds like it's - rest of his work? yes, i think so. whatever sounds like it's more l whatever sounds like it's more likely to be the of sexual healing and midnight love, that he made at that time, i think that's what it's most likely to resemble, less, let's say, what's going on or before that. what you say the legacy is relating to material we may or may not ever hear? ., .,, to material we may or may not ever hear? ., , ., . hear? one of the most prolific, inventive artists _ hear? one of the most prolific, inventive artists over _ hear? one of the most prolific, inventive artists over the - hear? one of the most prolific, inventive artists over the last i hear? one of the most prolific, l inventive artists over the last 60 years, incredible musician, influential as much, i think, for the way for his career evolved, and how he was willing to follow the pass, in particular with what's going on, and in motown it was the first time an artist had sought to
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have that kind of control, he was similar to stevie wonder subsequently in that respect, but you challenge the way motown had done things, sweating that had a lot to do with the respect and admiration an influence that he accrued. ., ., admiration an influence that he accrued. . . . , accrued. challenged in what way? well, accrued. challenged in what way? well. motown. — accrued. challenged in what way? well, motown, berry _ accrued. challenged in what way? well, motown, berry gordy - accrued. challenged in what way? well, motown, berry gordy didn't| well, motown, berry gordy didn't want to put out what's going on, when he heard it said it wasn't an album, but it didn't feel that music was right, he didn't think marvin should be getting into social commentary, that that wasn't the route for him, he saw him as more as a matinee idol. that was clearly something that marvin disagreed with them and was prepared to argue, but it was quite something to challenge someone like berry gordy in motown at that point in his career, so that courage is also part of the legacy, i think. , , , , courage is also part of the legacy, ithink. , , , ., ~ i think. just briefly, do you think the timing _ i think. just briefly, do you think the timing of — i think. just briefly, do you think the timing of this _ i think. just briefly, do you think the timing of this is. .. _ i think. just briefly, do you think the timing of this is... what - i think. just briefly, do you think
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the timing of this is... what do | i think. just briefly, do you think. the timing of this is... what do you make of the timing of this? it is the timing of this is... what do you make of the timing of this?- make of the timing of this? it is a coincidence. _ make of the timing of this? it is a coincidence, shall— make of the timing of this? it is a coincidence, shall we _ make of the timing of this? it is a coincidence, shall we say, - make of the timing of this? it is a coincidence, shall we say, that i make of the timing of this? it is a j coincidence, shall we say, that on monday it's the 40th anniversary of his death, so it's a bit hard to believe that is a coincidence, but nonetheless, it's a fascinating story, and it will be intriguing to see what music actually sounds like if we ever get to hear it.— if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much — if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much indeed _ if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much indeed for— if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much indeed for talking - if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much indeed for talking to - if we ever get to hear it. thank you very much indeed for talking to us. before we go we will take to some live pictures coming from tel aviv of the families of israeli hostages held in gaza holding a weekly rally there in tel aviv and trying to press the government for an agreement to try and get the release of those hostages. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. we've had some sunshine — not a bad day overall, just a few showers here and there. i think easter sunday is going to be a little more overcast,
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particularly across england and closer to the north sea coast. quite a chilly breeze off the north sea with some drizzle at times. now, the satellite picture shows that gap in the weather that's over us right now. so things set fair for the moment. but this thicker cloud towards the east will shroud the uk during the course of sunday, particularly eastern areas of the uk. now, through the course of tonight, yes, there's a bit of rain in the forecast for some southwestern areas, perhaps just around the irish sea and into northern ireland. but the bulk of the uk should have predominantly clear and dry weather. chilly in the north of scotland, a touch of frost and some mist and fog forming, particularly across central parts of england. so the morning is looking bright for many of us, particularly across the north and the west of the uk. a few showers there in northern ireland, but then this thick cloud invades off the north sea, a chilly breeze, fleeting rain possible from parts of the southeast through east anglia, lincolnshire and really all along that north sea coast.
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the best of the sunshine will be out towards the west tomorrow around the irish sea, southwestern scotland, northern ireland, the western isles. and then sunday night into monday, a weather front moves in from the south. this is going to be more substantial rain, a more prolonged spell of rain to come for many of us on easter monday. really not looking particularly pretty across england and wales. your best bet for fine weather is the north of northern ireland, also northern and western scotland away from that weather front, temperatures around 9 degrees in aberdeen, but in the south, despite the cloud and the rain still getting up to 1a, though, i don't think it's particularly going to feel like it. and then the outlook for the week ahead will see a series of low pressures aligning themselves up in the atlantic. heading our way, one weatherfront after the other, after the other. and that basically spells rain. so whether you're checking the website or looking at the app, an indication here with these rain symbols that the weather is going to be predominantly unsettled. rain at times, certainly possible
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almost anywhere in the uk. and before i go, there'sjust a quick message that british summer time begins tonight. bye— bye.
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live from london, this is bbc news. the un says the targeting of its peacekeepers is unacceptable — after three observers were injured
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by an explosion in southern lebanon. a warning that a year of civil war in sudan has left millions of people facing imminentfamine. political leaders promise stability in northern ireland won't be affected by the arrest and resignation of the dup leader. and an oar—some win for cambridge — beating oxford in the boat race, one of the world's most famous amateur sporting events. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon, unifil, says three of its observers and a translator were injured by an explosion near the israeli border. it said the peacekeepers were on a foot patrol when the blast happened — they've been taken to hospital. the un said it was investigating the cause of the explosion,
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and warned the targeting of observers was "unacceptable."

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