in eastern taiwan, 600 people are still trapped in the mountains after yesterday's�*s huge earthquake. and, behind the scenes at the famous royal balcony — an extra part of buckingham palace is to be opened to visitors. and coming up on bbc news. attention turns to anfield asjurgen klopp�*s liverpool aim to return to the top of the premier league tonight. good afternoon, welcome to the bbc news at one. thousands of people are to be offered a blood test for dementia in a new trial to be run by memory clinics across the uk. the hope is that diagnosing people earlier will mean better support

and more effective drug treatments. the five—year project will look for alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. at the moment, about a third of people living with the conditions never get a formal diagnosis. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. what can our blood tell us about our brain? this small trial in oxford is looking for clues. lucy, like many of the healthy volunteers, has a personalfamily motivation for being involved. the main driver for the dementia was because my mother had dementia, and ijust have very close personal experience of how miserable that is. i mean, she wasn't... fortunately, she was relatively old, she was in her 80s when it started, and she died at 97. but her last few years were really

mired by the disease. what is your first language? over the next five years, around 5,000 people will take part in research assessing blood tests to see how accurately they can identify various forms of dementia. most notably alzheimer's disease. in alzheimer's disease, rogue proteins can build up in the brain over 20 years before a person shows problems with memory and understanding. the test will search for biomarkers in the blood which can identify the early stages of dementia. if a reliable blood test for alzheimer's is eventually approved by the nhs, it would transform diagnosis and mean that people could be screened for dementia in their 50s, long before symptoms emerge. the studies will aim to include people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities so a wide

cross—section of society is represented. what is unique about these projects is the fact we are going to roll them out across multiple centres in the uk to really make them accessible to people who are attending day—to—day in memory clinics. but once we have that data and we understand if these tests are effective, absolutely, the next stage could be, could they be used for screening in the community and primary care at an earlier age? around one third of patients with dementia never get a formal diagnosis, and only a tiny minority have access to specialist brain scans or spinal lumbar punctures which are the gold standard test. new treatments may soon be licensed which can slow down the progress of alzheimer's, so, accurate diagnosis is more important than ever. fergus is here. it isa it is a sizeable trial, how much is resting on it?

so much because we are on the cusp of the era of treatment for alzheimer's, so far treatments have been masking the symptoms. there are two drugs which can slow the progression of the disease albeit modestly, and dozens more in late stage trials but they require to be given in the early stages of the disease, so you need early diagnosis and rapid diagnosis, and to be sure with these specific biomarkers, but there may be other forms of dementia and one third of patients never get and one third of patients never get a diagnosis. we will have to wait five years but if we get accurate blood test for alzheimer's and other forms of dementia it would be a game—changer because the trajectory is clear. science is taking the fight to alzheimer's in a way it did with cancer and heart disease 30 years ago, long overdue but

exciting. thank you so much. fergus walsh. three former supreme courtjustices are among more than 600 legal experts calling for the government to end weapons sales to israel. in a letter to the prime minister, they've said exports must end — as the uk risks breaking international law because of what they say is a "plausible risk of genocide" in gaza. rishi sunak is already facing growing cross—party pressure after seven aid workers were killed in an airstrike. in a minute, we'll get the latest from our middle east correspondent hugo bachega injerusalem, and from our political correspondent alex forsyth in westminster. but first, our diplomatic correspondent james landale has the story. the air strikes that killed international aid workers in gaza have prompted global condemnation, and now they're shaping political choices. more than 600 lawyers have written to the government, urging it to suspend arms sales to israel, because they believe there is a risk it's breaking international law.

they said, "serious action is needed to avoid uk complicity in grave breaches of international law, including potential violation of the genocide convention." "to continue the sale of weapons and weapon system to israel falls significantly short of your government's obligations under international law." the whole framework of international law, governing war, it dictates that the fact that you have been provoked and attacked, however outrageously, does not mean to say that you can do whatever you like. it doesn't mean to say that you can indiscriminately slaughter innocent civilians and children. it doesn't mean to say that you can attack aid convoys. british arms sales to israel are small — some of it are parts for american—made warplanes like this — but halting the exports would be a huge diplomatic blow to israel. at westminster, labour are pushing ministers to publish their internal legal advice about israel's

compliance with international law. the lib dems and the snp want arms sales stopped now, as do some conservatives. i wholly agree with the lawyers who have written the letter today, it is quite clear that selling arms to israel is really a breach of all the rules that we set for ourselves when we issue licences for arms sales. some mps believe the foreign office is ready to do just that but claim downing street is resisting. but officials deny this, and the former home secretary, who is visiting israel, says number ten should stick to its guns. we owe it to israel to stand with them. i think that we should maintain this military relationship, from which we benefit just as much as they do, and i think that it would be a tragic shame if we were to walk away from our closest ally in this region. these lethal air strikes are disrupting more than just aid supplies to gaza. they're also causing tensions within israel's allies,

and the government has a difficult decision to make. james landale, bbc news. our political correspondent alex forsyth joins us now from westminster. how much cash it is the government under? the politicalfocus in westminster is centring on the issue of arms sales to israel, and there is growing pressure from those 600 legal experts, opposition parties, although there is no consensus within the concept is with some suggesting the uk should end arms sales and others are saying it should not. the last time the government made an assessment was in december when it decided not to suspend arms exports to israel. there is another assessment ongoing, within the foreign office, they are drawing up legal advice on whether israel is complying with international humanitarian law. that will be passed to ministers for a

decision and that process is close to completion. that process began before there strikes on the aid convoy, it is not a response to it, and it is looking at the actions by israel towards the beginning of the year. when the government decides, the question will be will it be enough to alleviate what is clearly now growing political pressure on ministers to take a firmer stance. alex, thank you. hugo bachega is injerusalem. there's still pressure on israel and we know that netanyahu will have a phone call with the us president later today. israel is under a lot of pressure especially after these attacks which has raised new questions about the way the country is conducting its war against hamas in gaza, with angry frustration and reaction especially from the us which is the

closest ally. president biden will speak with prime minister netanyahu today. us officials have expressed repeatedly frustration over some of israel's actions particularly over the humanitarian situation. words have not changed the israel strategy and the us position remains the same especially over the vast export of weapons to israel. the strong international condemnation over the last few days is an indication patients with israel could be running out. thank you. people flying off on holiday this year will still need to remove liquids and laptops from their hand luggage at many uk airports. new security scanners were due to be installed byjune, which would mean an end to putting tiny toileteries into plastic bags — but airports including heathrow and manchester now won't be ready in time. our transport correspondent katy austin explains.

change is coming to airport security. new hi—tech scanners should eventually mean the end of the current restrictions. at the moment, any liquids you take through in your hand luggage have to be no more than 100ml, and you have to take them out and put them in a plastic bag like this. with the new machines in place, they can all stay in your bag, and you can also take through liquids that are up to two litres in size. there we go. laptops can stay in the bag as well. a couple of airports, including london city, have already installed all their scanners and switched to the new rules. but some major airports, including heathrow and gatwick, won't have all the updated equipment in place by the most recent government deadline, istjune. all airports are trying to install it at the same time, so there are some challenges for the supply chain to supply that and for the engineers to be able to, you know, install it properly. and, of course, you know,

because they're heavy kit, lots of airports are having to do construction work to strengthen floors or to reconfigure the layout, so that's another challenge. and, of course, you know, making sure that all of the staff that then are having to operate it are fully trained and aware of it. the government has now granted extensions pastjune — no more than a year — so as a general rule, the restrictions on what you can take in carry on bags will stay the same for the time being. last week i asked the boss of manchester airport what people should expect this summer. the vast majority of airports in the uk will still be in the process of switching out their scanners, just like we will be, so our message to passengers is please do come with your liquids in the liquid bag less than 100ml, and make sure you get your laptops out. people are being asked to check before they travel to avoid any confusion or delays. if passengers are well aware beforehand of what they can take, what they can't take, and then they can prepare appropriately before they go through security, and that is the responsibility, joint responsibility of the airport, the airline,

but also passengers themselves. and even when the rules change in the uk, it's important to check what applies at your destination airport so you don't get caught out on the way home. katy austin, bbc news. teachers in england and wales will wait to receive a formal pay offer from the government before deciding whether to hold a strike ballot. members of the national education union have been debating pay this morning. our education editor, branwenjeffreys, joins me from the union's conference in bournemouth. what does this mean? after a very lively debate held behind closed doors, teachers here have decided that they want to wait to receive formal pay offers from ministers in both wales and england before deciding whether or not to move towards a strike ballot. in terms of timing, what that means is

the ministers are waiting for their independent advisers to give them some idea what the demand is for teachers, but the competition is for teachers, but the competition is for teachers, where they can place an offer. we know already ministers in england have suggested it will be between one and 2%. they are not likely to confirm that until late summer or possibly into the summer holidays. at that point the unions will decide to have an informal consultative ballot and if the offer was rejected they would then move to a formal strike ballot for this autumn. thank you. our top story this afternoon. a new blood test for dementia — a trial is to get under way across the uk. and coming up... mandatory military service for young estonians to counter the threat from russia. coming up on bbc news, more success in new zealand

for england's women. they clinch the one—day series in hamilton with tammy beaumont shining, as they taken a unassailable 2—0 series led. the number of people now known to be trapped following the major earthquake in taiwan has risen considerably. nearly 650 people are in collapsed tunnels along the country's eastern coastline after the strongest earthquake there in a quarter of a century. at least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured when the quake hit the city of hualien, about 100 miles south of the capital, taipei. our reporter rupert wingfield—hayes is in the region for us. yesterday, i think after the earthquake struck here in the city of hualien, the focus was really on

the damage to buildings here, we saw a number of buildings partially collapsed, focused on the rescue efforts to get people trapped out of those buildings. well, today that operation is wrapped up remarkably quickly, and life in the city of hualien is getting back to normal tonight. however, the focus has now switched to the mountains, where as you said in your introduction, we have found out today that there are now more than 600 people still trapped. the mountains of eastern taiwan, famed for their rugged beauty, but yesterday beauty turned to horror. the huge scars down the mountainside showed the paths of the rockslides, some boulders as big as cars. many hundreds are still trapped here. at a dressing station, rescue teams unload a steady stream of victims they have managed to bring out of the mountains. their wounds are quickly addressed, but the mental scars may take much longer to heal. sorry, i really don't want to cause

more trauma for you, but we're all really curious as to what it's been like being stuck there. it's. . .your worst nightmare coming true. it's like they show in the movies. you never think you're going to experience it that way. were you in a hotel, or were you...? we were in the tunnel when it happened. and we felt the earth tremble, we just held on to each other. he was hit by some shrapnel and some stones, and we just held on to each other for i don't know how long, until it passed. so these are more rescue teams heading up into the mountains here behind me. this is called taroko gorge, and this is a very famous tourist spot, a very narrow, deep gorge that runs way up into the mountains here. this is where most of the more than 600 people now listed as trapped are thought to be, and there are many, many search teams in there trying to find out where they are and trying to get them out. this local restaurant owner has

lived at the mouth of the gorge for more than 30 years and has experienced many quakes before. but nothing like this. translation: i was trying to get to sleep, and then an aftershock hit, and i leapt up and ran outside again. just hearing that sound of the rocks falling, it really scared me, and i can't sleep. in hualien city, the buildings badly damaged by yesterday's quake still pose a serious threat. frantic work has been going on all day to shore them up and stop them from toppling over. here too the physical scars from the quake will soon be removed, but not the memory of what it felt like for the people who experienced it. as well as the trauma that people have gone through here, there is also a real sense of sadness, because this is a place where come to from all over the world to enjoy the natural beauty of eastern

taiwan, to hike through the gorge, to go through the hot springs. and there is that sense of sadness from people, the very hospitable people here in eastern taiwan, that people who have come here as guests have ended up being trapped in the mountains, or if they have been rescued, having gone through this really horrendous experience instead of something that should have been joyful. rupert wingfield—hayes, thank you. the parents of a university student who's been missing for more than a month say they are desperately searching for clues to his whereabouts. jack o'sullivan, who's 23, went to a party in bristol on 2nd march but hasn't been heard from since. our reporter laura jones has been to meet his parents at the place where jack was last seen. they come here every day, from their home in north somerset, alan and catherine o'sullivan, to the exact spot where their much—loved son was last caught on camera. still looking for answers. we have tried to retrace his steps, cos we have, you know,

the last footage of him. you know, we've come out at three o'clock in the morning to this area to walk the routes that we know, to just see how well lit it might be and just literally to search for an answer, really. it was back on 1st march, st david's day, that jack had gone out to a house party, along with friends he was studying with here in the city. he left the party in the early hours of the morning to head home. it was here, just below brunel way, coming from this car park onto this patch of grass, that jack was last caught on cctv camera. it was around 3:15 in the morning in the early hours of saturday 2nd march. but, crucially, his phone was still in use hours later. he made a call from his phone, he received a call on that phone, and there's data that's shown up to show that phone is still active at 62114, which is three and a half

hours after he left the party. so we are just at a loss of what could have happened during that time. police say it's an unusual case. where jack was last seen is a slightly strange place in that it's behind a building and at the end of a car park. it would have been dark, it would have been cold, and there would have been a lot of people travelling on this route even for the time of day. last thursday was jack's 23rd birthday — another impossible milestone for this family in an unimaginably difficult month. jack's birthday was hell on earth, it really was. i want the world to try and give me an answer to where jack is. police and jack's family are continuing to ask for anyone with any information to get in touch. laura jones, bbc news. ukraine's second biggest city, kharkiv, was repeatedly attacked overnight by russian drones,

killing five people. three of those who died were rescue workers attending the scene of a previous attack. the city's mayor said there had been a total of five strikes on the city, where residential buildings were targeted. the head of nato, jens stoltenberg, has said europe and the united states are "stronger and safer together". he made the remarks at a ceremony marking nato's 75th anniversary. the alliance began as a group of 12 nations who came together in response to the military threat from the soviet union. it's since grown to 32 members, including finland and sweden, who abandoned years of neutrality to join the alliance after russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine. through nato, the united states has more friends and more allies than any other major power. i don't believe in america alone —

just as i don't believe in europe alone. i believe in america and europe together in nato well, some nato countries which border russia are calling on their western allies, including the uk, to bring back military service as a deterrent to president putin. all the scandinavian and baltic counties have been rebooting their schemes, though britain is ruling out a return to conscription, which ended 60 years ago. our europe correspondent nick beake sent this special report from the estonia—russia border. fighting for their lives as russia attacks. these young estonians fear this training exercise could become reality one day. toivo studied in the uk for four years before starting his compulsory military service. it gives the general population a better preparedness, because they have completed a basic

course of what they should be doing in a state of emergency, any kind of emergency, and they're better prepared to react to that kind of situation. even if you're not on russia's doorstep, you still think it's useful? yeah, ifeel like this gives me better preparation, even for everyday life. more and more european nations are rebooting or revamping military service. estonia is among those urging other countries including the uk to do the same. estonia's prime minister told us how britain could adapt her system. we have a reserve army of 44,000 people that would equal, for great britain, around two million people. two million people who are ready to do, you know, to defend their country, to know what what they have to do. the british government told us there was absolutely no suggestion of a return to conscription.

members of one of estonia's emerging bands were not initially enthusiastic about forced military service but now say they appreciate they may have to use their skills because of russia's aggression. yeah, ever since this war with ukraine is going on, i think it's just a very present thought. and i don't think i have a single friend who thinks in an opposite way or in a different way. back in the forest, training's ending, but they'll do it all again tomorrow. if russia were to attack your country, estonia, what response would they face? massive defeat — i will say that! because we are ready, our reservists are ready. and of course they have the numbers, but in the end, talking to the strategic level, we have nato.

russia ridicules suggestions it may invade a nato country next. but here, at least, they don't trust a word that moscow says. nick beake, bbc news, on the estonia—russia border. housing has formed a central part of the green party's launch of their campaign for the upcoming local elections in bristol. they said more affordable homes would get built if they take power in bristol. their policies include campaigning for rent controls and increasing affordable housing targets. the party's co—leader said their plans would mean an extra 150,000 houses every year. in our community housing offer, we would provide for councils to meet their local need for affordable housing. this would ensure at least 150,000 extra council homes are made available every year through a mixture of new builds,

refurbishments, conversions and buying up existing homes. in the last half—hour, it's been announced that the saudi arabian it has been announced that a green strike that would bring the london underground to a standstill next monday has been called off. as announced a breakthrough after negotiations with representatives from tfl. a second walk—out, which was planned for the 11th of may, the day that mayoral votes will be counted, has also been scrapped. in the last half—hour, it's been announced that the saudi arabian capital, riyadh, has been confirmed as host of the women's tennis association finals for the next three years. our sports news correspondent laura scottjoins me now. there had been speculation that this would be the decision, how controversial is this?- would be the decision, how controversial is this? well, it is no surprise _ controversial is this? well, it is no surprise that _ controversial is this? well, it is no surprise that it _ controversial is this? well, it is no surprise that it has - controversial is this? well, it is no surprise that it has gone - controversial is this? well, it is i no surprise that it has gone there, it had been mooted for some time, but there will be some strong reaction to this, especially given

it is such a high—profile event featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams of the. top form applies, martina navratilova and chris evert, have previously said that taking the crown jewels of women's tennis, as they call these finals, to saudi arabia would be a step backward, given the reputation for human rights violations and oppressing women. critics of saudi arabia have long accused of using events to sport wash its reputation, something it has denied. but there are current players who are excited to play in saudi arabia, and they will no doubt be pleased by the record prize money being offered. steve simon, head of the women's tennis association, said that by choosing riyadh to host the finals for the next three years, women's tennis would be supporting significant change being made within the region, and he said he hoped it would inspire more women and young girls to take up the sport. the wider context of all of this is of course saudi arabia's growing influence in global sport, having invested billions of pounds in

football, formula 1, tennis and golf. so investment in tennis from saudi arabia has seemed inevitable, but so has controversy surrounding any decision to welcome that, particularly with the showpiece women's event.— particularly with the showpiece women's event. that is our sports news correspondent _ women's event. that is our sports news correspondent laura - women's event. that is our sports news correspondent laura scott. | cricket, and england have beaten new zealand in the second women's one—day international to clinch the three—match series. tammy beaumont scored 81 in a total of 252 for the visitors in hamilton. england then wrapped up a comfortable 56—run victory. buckingham palace's newly reserviced east wing will open to visitors for the first time this summer. the east wing includes the palace's front facade and central balcony, where the monarch and members of the royal family have gathered for public appearances since 1851. special guided tours of the principal floor will run throughout

july and august. it follows more than five years of improvement works. time for a look at the weather, here's stav danaos. thank you very much, good afternoon tea. unsettled for the rest of this week, it is going to ramp up further the weekend, we get a name to storm with dale's pretty widespread across the country. quite breezy this afternoon, but sunshine around, we are in between where systems, this is tonight and tomorrow's low pressure system. we are in between systems, wind is not quite as strong, but still windy into the channel. further note it will stay rather cloudy, chilly across scotland, single figure values there, but in the teens across the south, so pretty mild when you get sunshine. that wet and windy weather spreads north this evening and

overnight, and we might see