by extremists killing with forwarded by extremists killing with impunity. and more than 150 people have been rescued from floods in sydney — as more residents prepare to flee their homes. hello i'm azadeh moshiri. we start this hour with the war in the middle east. presidentjoe biden is facing growing pressure from within his own party to pause us arms sales to israel. (gfx)nearly forty congressional democrats have signed a letter nearly forty congressional democrats have signed a letter calling for no weapons to be sent — until a full investigation is completed into monday's airstrike on an aid convoy in gaza. it says the strike against the humanitarian convoy — along with the ever—worsening humanitarian crisis in gaza — makes it unjustifiable to approve further weapons deliveries. the politicians who have signed the letter include one of mr biden's key allies — the former speaker of the house

of representatives, nancy pelosi. now this letter comes as a growing number of countries are calling for an independent investigation into the israeli drone strike that killed seven aid workers. that's after the idf published its first account of monday's deadly attack. britain has echoed calls by the charity world central kitchen for an independent review into the strike on its convoy of vehicles. of those seven aid workers killed — three were british nationals. the british foreign secretary, lord cameron, said london would carefully review the initial report by the israeli military. he welcomed the suspension of two senior israeli officers as a first step, but said israel must publish its findings in full. and within the past couple of hours australia's foreign minister, penny wong, said the australian government expects "full accountability" over the deaths. this has been a deadly failure of deconfliction.

deconfliction is the process by which humanitarian agencies engage with defense forces to ensure that they are protected in conflict zones. well, there was obviously a deadly failure. it cannot be brushed aside and it cannot be covered over and i don't believe any australian would expect us to do anything other than to continue to demand the transparency and accountability. with more on that letter to president biden calling for a pause in us arms sales to israel here's our north america correspondent peter bowes. this is a strongly—worded letter. nancy pelosi, dozens of other congressional democrats, nancy pelosi, known to be close to president biden, but this is a letter really full of criticism of the biden administration. it does show that there is a growing amount of unease amongst democrats about us policy towards israel. these congressional democrats saying that they have a shared concern and outrage at the airstrike that resulted in the deaths

of seven aid workers. they say that they strongly urge the biden administration to carry out an independent investigation into what happened. now, really, just a few hours before this letter was released, the white house ruled that out, an investigation by the us. john kirby, the national security spokesman, saying that it wasn't going to happen, so it seems no immediate change in policy there. the letter goes on, it says, "if the strike is found to have violated us or international law, future arms packages should be withheld until those responsible are held accountable". now, it seems, clearly, that there won't be any immediate change in us policy towards israel and the way that this war is being conducted, but this is the kind of criticism from within the democrats, and especially involving people like nancy pelosi, that is quite likely to hit home

with president biden, especially during an election year, and it may well influence policy in the weeks and months to come. so along with the growing number of countries, aid organisations have stressed the need for an independent investigation into the deaths of the aid workers. sean dilley reports. one of the vehicles carrying seven aid workers killed in an israeli air strike on monday. their charity's logo clearly visible here — but not, say israeli authorities, seen by military drone operators. israel has sacked two idf officers after investigators concluded that even if they had not been mistaken, they did not follow protocol and their actions would not have been justified. the strike on the aid vehicles

is a grave mistake stemming from serious operational failures, mistaken classification and identification, errors in decision—making, and strikes that were conducted in violation of standard operating procedures. barely a day after us presidentjoe biden said us continuing support for israel would depend on increasing humanitarian relief and working towards an immediate ceasefire, israeli authorities say they're opening two new routes for humanitarian deliveries. one, they say, will temporarily run into the gaza strip from israel at erez gate. the other will allow aid to flow through the point where the borders of israel, gaza and egypt meet. it's welcome news, but the united nations says it will watch closely what happens next. aid workers should never be targeted — over 200 have been killed in this conflict. israel must do much more to protect

them and to ensure their safety so they can deliver urgently needed life—saving humanitarian assistance. six months on, from the start of this conflict, concerns about the humanitarian situation in gaza grow. the families of those taken hostage by hamas on october 7 continue to call for their return. for all those asking for an immediate ceasefire without the release of the hostages, where is your moral compass? the call should be to hamas to release the hostages, to put down their arms, and to allow the whole region to breathe once again. now real concerns that the conflict could escalate. these were the scenes in iran, where funerals were held for their nationals who were killed in an israeli strike

on a consulate building in syria. the united states, which has called for an immediate ceasefire, says it is on high alert for a retaliatory attack on israel by iran. sean dilley, bbc news. let's speak to our correspondent sebastian usher who's injerusalem2. six months into the ward language we are heeding than at the beginning, whether the arrival of public support stand. in israel itself there is no support so much for the way the government is conducting the war but there still is very strong support for the fact this military operation is being undertaken in gaza and the sense that hamas needs to be eradicated and the hostages

remaining have to be freed. it is whether the strategy the israeli government is going to get those hostages released all cause more issues. we have seen hostages who have died since they have been held and that is a very strong point within israel, we will see protest again this evening by hostage families and the opposition to the current government are saying that it is to be a change in strategy. looking beyond that at the allies of israel, us and uk and germany who gave extraordinary support in the early days, that has changed. that has been pushed further on by the killing of the seven aid workers from on behalf of the strongest one so far from from on behalf of the strongest one so farfrom president from on behalf of the strongest one so far from president biden who spoke to benjamin netanyahu and give him a strong message to make sure aid gets into it as needed and israel and get a ceasefire in the

fighting as soon as possible. neither of those things will necessarily happen in the coming days but israel has reacted. we have seen two more crossing points will be opened and we had a quick investigation and result into what happened last monday. it has not satisfied the us or other countries who lost nationals, they are still demanding an independent and transparent investigation. you are injerusalem. _ transparent investigation. you are in jerusalem, when _ transparent investigation. you are in jerusalem, when it _ transparent investigation. you are in jerusalem, when it comes - transparent investigation. you are in jerusalem, when it comes to i transparent investigation. you are| in jerusalem, when it comes to the injerusalem, when it comes to the messaging from benjamin netanyahu about the fact this is war and mistakes happen, does that seem to resonate there domestically or not? i think it is to some degree had to say because he is such a divisive figure and before october seven was such a movement against him in any

case so anything he says as likely by quite a large proportion to be criticised by the israel population but there will be a large number of people who believe this is a just war and in such a war such things unfortunately happen but there is certainly a shared sense that this should not have happened and it should not have happened and it should not have happened and it should not happen again but envy is really army as we have had some reports as becoming undisciplined and the combat zone is that the normal rules of command are not being followed then i think there will be a strong feeling in israel that that is to be modified as soon as possible. just as we are heeding the us and uk calling for the same thing. the us and uk calling for the same thin. . ~' ,, let's speak to michael stephens, associate fellow at the royal united services institute.

washington sends about £3 billion of military assistance annually to israel. what would it take for them to curtail that aid? is there a red line and i'll be approaching it? this is settling a chapter on the pathway, do nothing we have crossed the line. there are numerous instances where both the united states and united kingdom and other governments have expressed concern and their own diplomatic reporting has shown they have deep concerns over the way in which israel has conducted the war. that has not yet led to any sanctions in terms of arms sales, you currently have any background a large proposed sale of f-iss background a large proposed sale of f—iss from the us to israel, but i do not think that will be stopped so there are large aspects of the

israel defence needs related to iran and not necessarily palestine so the us is going down this route i do not suspect they will anytime soon it would be quite a complex box to open and unpick because that has to many different aspects of the defence relationship between the us and israel that are ongoing and have been for many years. i would not hold your breath is the answer. iradium hold your breath is the answer. when it comes to the _ hold your breath is the answer. when it comes to the uk, _ hold your breath is the answer. when it comes to the uk, b _ hold your breath is the answer. when it comes to the uk, b talk _ hold your breath is the answer. when it comes to the uk, b talk about the support from the us but there are conversations here about curtailing sales to israel, what is the level of support the uk provides to israel and how essential is it to the country. and how essential is it to the count . . , and how essential is it to the count . ., , ., , and how essential is it to the count . ., , , ., country. certainly nobody of the level the us _ country. certainly nobody of the level the us is _ country. certainly nobody of the level the us is providing - country. certainly nobody of the level the us is providing but. country. certainly nobody of the | level the us is providing but that has been a long—term relationship between the uk and us, the advanced reconnaissance materials going from the uk to israel and israeli

technology from a zeal to the uk. it is not huge but substantial and a sense that it causes the british government a bit of a headache when issues like this happen because that issues like this happen because that is domestic pressure on all sides. it was clear that the head of the former fails committee was recorded saying the foreign office has evidence there were procedures not forward correctly by the israeli notary and that the foreign secretary is aware so any mix of this that are particle considerations, and the foreign office we would discuss this regarding yemen and you have to political and financial applications and what it means for british policy and what it means for british policy and the large and policymakers are mps, they have constituents and they are responsible to them. many of whom are upset. the row be increasing pressure on the uk to

detail some of these supplies particular related to gaza and there will be other lines of activity which will continue.- will be other lines of activity which will continue. six people have been killed overnight during a russian drone attack on ukraine's second—largest city, kharkiv. according to the city's mayor, iranian—made drones hit several buildings, including a residential blocks of flats, early on saturday morning — 10 people were injured. two police forces, the met and leicestershire, are now investigating claims that unsolicited, explicit images and messages were sent to a number of mps and people working in westminster. yesterday luke evans, the mp for bosworth, revealed he was targeted in the so—called honeytrap scam. our political correspondent helen catt has the story. here's a video i didn't expect to make on a friday evening. the conservative mp luke evans is the first man to identify himself

publicly as a possible victim of a suspected westminster whatsapp scam. the first set of messages i got was on a day i was with my wife and i got a one—time open photo on whatsapp of an explicit image of a naked lady. as soon as i got these, the next day i reported it to the police, the authorities and the chief whip. leicestershire police, which cover his bosworth constituency, are investigating. dr evans is one of a number of men in westminster who've been sent unsolicited messages by a person claiming to be someone they've met before, variously using the names abby or charlie, but how might they have got hold of the numbers? another mp has suggested he may be responsible for leaking some of them. william wragg is a senior conservative who chairs a committee scrutinizing the government. he's admitted to the times that he passed on colleagues' numbers to a man on a dating app after sending him intimate pictures of himself. mr wragg told the paper

he was scared the individual had compromising material on him and he was mortified and sorry. the mp involved has given a courageous and fulsome apology, but the lesson here for all mp5 is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity. the met police confirmed they are investigating reports of a number of unsolicited messages sent to mp5 over recent months. that is right, that there is a proper investigation into this. in positions of responsibility we always have to think about our actions, but there are also malevolent players out there who are trying to influence politics. for now, it's not known whether this is the fallout from an individual lapse ofjudgment or a malicious attempt by unknown others to gain influence behind these walls. mps have been warned against speculating while investigations continue. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. for more on this we're joined now by our political

correspondent charlotte wright he is retaining the tory whip and part of the isn't given as he is considered a victim in this, could you tell us more about that. this is william wragg _ you tell us more about that. this is william wragg the _ you tell us more about that. this is william wragg the conservative - you tell us more about that. this isj william wragg the conservative mp who says he met a person on a gay dating up and handed over a number of mps phone numbers, he spoke to the times afterwards saying he was very sorry and mortified by it but he was scared because this person had compromising things on him. there has been support for william wragg from senior mps in the conservative party who feared he may have been a victim of this. there are questions over his judgment in handing over those phone numbers for a parliamentarian to do that when

they are clearly sensitive information, it has been questioned by some mps including within the conservative party but william wragg told the times he was mortified and felt scared because this person he had met initially on the dating up had met initially on the dating up had compromising material. imilieu had met initially on the dating up had compromising material. when it comes to compromising _ had compromising material. when it comes to compromising material - had compromising material. when it i comes to compromising material what does this whole episode tell us about the risks that mps face when it comes to cybersecurity and these sort of malicious campaigns. it is it comes to cybersecurity and these sort of malicious campaigns.- sort of malicious campaigns. it is a really important — sort of malicious campaigns. it is a really important topic— sort of malicious campaigns. it is a really important topic in _ sort of malicious campaigns. it is a| really important topic in parliament at the moment staying safe online and the parliamentary authorities say they give advice to mp5 on staying safe online but clearly there are vulnerabilities here. we seem to have more questions than answers at the moment about exactly what has happened, what the motivations are behind this weather this person is acting by themselves

or on behalf of others. that is something the police will need to investigate, the met police and leicestershire police are looking into this. luke evans who was identified as being a victim of having received his messages sent to help by coming forward and would encourage others to report the same. the speakers office has also encouraged others to come forward and they have received similar messages. and they have received similar messages-_ and they have received similar messaues. ., ~' ,, . , messages. thank you. we will bring ou more messages. thank you. we will bring you more updates _ messages. thank you. we will bring you more updates on _ messages. thank you. we will bring you more updates on this _ messages. thank you. we will bring you more updates on this as - messages. thank you. we will bring you more updates on this as they i you more updates on this as they come through. to australia next. more than 150 people have been rescued after floods in northern sydney. other residents have been told to be prepared to flee their homes because of the rising floodwaters.the area's main reservoir which supplies most of the city's drinking water, has started to overflow. there's been three days of torrential rainfall across eastern australia. people living in parts of new south wales have been told

to stay indoors. it's important to note that flood levels in some of the rivers, particularly in western sydney, are continuing to rise and that presents a real danger for some communities. so it's very important for those who live in communities that are low—lying, flood—prone areas that you continue to listen to emergency broadcasts from the ses. let's speak to our sydney correspondent phil merceri. correspondent phil mercer. we do things stand now? we know there are two _ we do things stand now? we know there are two deficits _ we do things stand now? we know there are two deficits have - we do things stand now? we know there are two deficits have been i there are two deficits have been associated with these wild days of weather in eastern australia. on thursday a 71 euros man was found in floodwaters near brisbane, and earlier today a body was found in floodwaters and western parts of

sydney. the police say they do not know the circumstances of the second fatality but it has been a wild few daysin fatality but it has been a wild few days in eastern australia, record—breaking amounts of rain have fallen. here in new south wales across one 24—hour period a month worth of rain fell so there are still evacuation orders and place and parts of sydney but thankfully for the residents of the city the storm system is moving south and expected to head out to sea over the weekend but as you would imagine the flood warnings are continuing because of the rain is flowing into rivers which are rising so with them the risk of flooding to low—lying areas. the risk of flooding to low-lying areas. ~ ., , the risk of flooding to low-lying areas. . . , ., , the risk of flooding to low-lying areas. . ., , ., the risk of flooding to low-lying areas. . ., , areas. was there anyway to prepare to avoid some — areas. was there anyway to prepare to avoid some of _ areas. was there anyway to prepare to avoid some of the _ areas. was there anyway to prepare to avoid some of the issues - areas. was there anyway to prepare to avoid some of the issues and - to avoid some of the issues and dangers people are facing? australia

is a land well — dangers people are facing? australia is a land well used _ dangers people are facing? australia is a land well used to _ dangers people are facing? australia is a land well used to extremes, - dangers people are facing? australia is a land well used to extremes, the| is a [and well used to extremes, the authorities are very good at giving advance warnings to motorists and homeowners and commuters but people find themselves still facing peril. dozens of people have had to be rescued by emergency services so it is a mercy that although two people have died tragic for those family members but it is an indication that australia is pretty good at giving warnings to citizens when these extreme events rumble through communities and this country. thank ou. police will be spending the weekend searching for body parts in a salford woodland after finding a torso wrapped in plastic. greater manchester police has launched a murder investigation but have not yet identified the victim. our reporter yunus mulla has more.

kessel wetlands, in salford, a nature reserve and the focus of a murder investigation. a forensic tent is in place where it's believed a human torso was found wrapped in plastic. greater manchester police say a passer—by reported what was said to be an unknown item. we do know these remains are human and it would not be possible for them to have survived. from forensic inquiries so far we believe that these remains are likely to have been here for a matter of days and it really is a tragic case. a number of entrances have been sealed off to allow forensic investigations, with police dogs being used as part of searches. but no arrests have been made. at this stage, police don't know whether the remains are that of a man or woman, but it's understood they believe

the person is an adult. they will be widening their search to the rest of the woodland and are likely to be here for a number of days. and that includes trying to find other parts of a body. and police say inquiries in the area will include speaking to dog walkers and passers by who may have noticed unusual activity. our priority now is establishing who this person is and ensuring that we carry out a diligent and respectful investigation on behalf of that person and theirfamily, whoever they may be. we are keeping an open mind and we're doing all we can to establish the circumstances. this kind of discovery will be concerning. police say the smallest bit of information could provide the breakthrough they need. yunus mulla, bbc news, salford. a reminder of our top story that countries and aid organisations are pushing for an independent investigation into the israeli

strike that killed seven workers. we will have investigations by bbc verify coming up at how far israel has come to reach that goal of eliminating hamas. stay with us. a very blustery weekend of weather right across the uk with gusts of wind widely of a0 to 50 miles an hour. gales towards western coasts, perhaps locally severe gales. it's all because our next named storm, is with us today, storm kathleen. and that area of low pressure has been deepening over the last 2a hours or so. you can see this beautiful swirl on the satellite picture here, that lovely curl of cloud, a very strong jet stream. and that low is gradually pushing northwards as we head through the next day or so.

real tight squeeze on the isobars particularly for these irish sea coast, but because it's a southerly southwesterly wind, we're also dragging up some very warm air. so quite a dramaticjump in temperatures across parts of scotland and we could even see 22 degrees celsius across parts of east anglia later on this afternoon, making it the warmest air afternoon, making it the warmest day of the year so far again. so we've seen that rain clear away from scotland through the morning. there will be some blustery showers here. another line of showers gradually pushing eastwards and gradually easing. but a lot of sunshine and plenty of dry weather out towards eastern areas of england. a very windy day all in all towards these irish sea coast. there could be some gusts of wind of up to 70 miles an hour. it's enough to cause some transport disruption and of course, some very large waves as well. but some very warm air, temperatures well above the seasonal average. and overnight tonight, there'll still be some blustery showers around. in fact, there could even be a rumble or two of thunder. it does stay very windy, too, but because the cold front will have cleared its way eastwards,

will also see some slightly fresher conditions into tomorrow morning. but temperatures still mild for this point in april, still double figures towards the south. and then tomorrow, another day of sunshine and some showers. again, some of those showers could be heavy and thundery there could even start to form in lines at times. all of this pushing further southwards and eastwards, but lots of dry weather, too, but staying very windy. gusts of wind strongest out towards western areas of scotland. now, these will be the days' temperatures, as you can see, they are lower than today's but still mild for the time of year, generally 12 to 17 degrees. it's not quite it either. it's not quite it either for the unsettled conditions, another deep area of low pressure will be spinning its way northwards and eastwards as we head through monday and tuesday. i think monday could be dry for many eastern areas, but we'll see some wet weather out towards the west, a lighter wind, but it does stay very unsettled as we head through next week. bye bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: president biden is facing growing pressure from within his own party to pause arms sales to israel following an israeli air strike which killed seven aid workers. led by former house speaker nancy pelosi, around a0 democratic members of congress have signed an open letter expressing outrage at the deaths. more than 150 people have been rescued from flood waters in northern sydney, as more residents prepare to flee their homes. the area's main dam supplying most of the city's drinking water has

started to overflow. it follows three days of torrential rainfall across eastern australia. voters in slovakia are at the polls today to choose a new president, after the current one, zuzana caputova, decided not to seek re—election after receiving what she said was a torrent of abuse, including death threats. the position is largely ceremonial, but highly influential in the country. let's return now to the middle east. this weekend marks six months since the 7th october attacks on israel by hamas in which about 1,200 people were killed and a further 253 taken hostage. israel's subsequent war in gaza has killed more than 33,000 palestinians, according to the hamas run health ministry, damaged or destroyed over half of buildings in the territory and many of the hostages remain in captivity. the united nations says famine

is imminent in the territory, with more than one million people already facing what it describes as "catastrophic hunger". bbc verify�*s merlyn thomas assesses the aims and impact of israel's six—month military campaign. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu announced his three key goals at the beginning of the war and we've been combing through the israeli army's social media and statements to assess to what extent its goals have been achieved and its immense cost on palestinians. israel has repeatedly said it wants to eliminate hamas and kill its leaders. so far, it claims to have killed about 13,000 hamas fighters, but it hasn't explained how they've counted this and hamas doesn't provide figures for its military fatalities. we've gone through all of the names of hamas' leadership the israeli army claimed to have killed. we counted 113 names and 31 are identified by them as commanders. 90 were reportedly killed

from october to the end of december, and a further 23 of hamas' leadership were killed between january and april. there are no independent sources for these numbers, so there's no way to verify the actual numbers. it's worth noting that experts we've spoken to say israel hasn't been able to get to the top brass of the hamas leadership. so, for example, many of the group's most prominent leaders in gaza, in gaza, including yahya sinwar, are believed to still be alive. but this has come at an immense cost to palestinians in gaza. since 7th october, at least 33,000 palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. that's according to the hamas run health ministry. in the attempt to destroy what it calls "hamas infrastructure", much of gaza has been left in ruins. this is northern gaza. the red patches that you can see here are areas that have been destroyed or damaged. according to satellite data analysis, 56% of gaza's buildings have been destroyed or damaged since seventh october.

this is the southern part of the gaza strip. again, all of these red patches you can see here are areas of destruction. most of these are cities, densely populated areas. residential areas have been levelled, bustling streets reduced to rubble, universities destroyed and farmlands churned up as the idf has cleared [and and built roads. the idf says it has been destroying hamas infrastructure both above and below ground, specifically the hamas tunnel network underneath the gaza strip. hamas has previously claimed that its tunnels stretch for 500 kilometers, although there's no way to independently verify this. some tunnels are reportedly big enough to fit vehicles in. at bbc verify we've been combing through almost 200 messages where the israeli army claim to have discovered tunnels in gaza. most of these don't give precise details or specific locations, so trying to quantify the extent of the network the idf has uncovered or destroyed is near impossible. ensuring the release of hostages

kidnapped on 7th october has been a key war aim that netanyahu has set and some of those who have been released have said they were held inside tunnels. of the 253 people taken, according to israel, 109 have been released as part of prisoner exchanges or deals and three have been rescued directly in military operations. the bodies of 11 dead hostages have been recovered, including three the idf admitted to killing in a military operation. of the remaining 130 hostages, israel says at least31i are dead. hamas says that number is higher, claiming hostages have been killed in idf strikes, but it's not possible to verify this. nearly six months on, much of gaza has been left in ruins. how will israel achieve its stated aims and at what cost to the people of gaza? and you can read more from merlyn thomas and the bbc verify team on how close israel

is to eliminating hamas six months on on the bbc news wesbite or app. the body of a construction worker who was killed after last month's baltimore bridge collapse has been recovered. father—of—two maynor suazo—sandoval from honduras had been repairing potholes on the bridge when a container ship hit one of its support columns. three other workers are still missing. it comes as the us presidentjoe biden has said he'll move "heaven and earth" to help the city recover from the tragedy. our reporter will vernon has the latest. 11 days after the disaster, the site of the baltimore bridge collapse still astonishes. president biden came here to see things for himself. meeting officials who briefed him on the progress of the recovery operation. mr biden paid tribute to the construction workers killed when the bridge collapsed from under theirfeet.

the damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking. eight construction workers were under the water when the bridge fell. six lost their lives. mostare immigrants, but all were marylanders, hard—working, strong and selfless. after pulling a night shift, fixing potholes, they were on a break when the ship struck. the authorities are desperately trying to clear wreckage from the river, a vital shipping lane to and from the port of baltimore remains cut off by this disaster and that's having a big impact on the local economy. president biden came here to send a message of support and reassurance to the people of baltimore, promising more funds to help local workers and businesses. workers and businesses, but there are also questions here about exactly why this happened, what caused that catastrophic power failure on board the ship? investigators are studying the black box data recorders, trying to piece together the events

leading up to impact. they've been interviewing the crew of the container ship, who are still on board. officials say they will release an early version of their report in around a month, but it could take years to establish the full facts of what exactly led to this tragedy. will vernon, bbc news, baltimore. staying in the us, engineering teams have been inspecting roads and bridges in new york city after a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast. here are pictures of the statue of liberty as the tremor struck. the actual epicentre was in the state of newjersey. some aftershocks have been reported in the hours since the quake. the last one of this size struck new york in 1983. our correspondent john sudworth has more.

new york of course is the scene of many a disaster movie, but i don't think this story is going to make the fortunes of any hollywood script writer. the excitement and chatter is all, of course, focused on the fact that this is a relatively unusual event rather than its impact. a magnitude 4.8 quake is much bigger than the infrequent, sometimes largely unnoticed, quakes that occasionally hit the eastern side side the united states. this one was centred on the state of newjersey, way to the west, on the other side of the hudson river. although it is some 50 miles away, it was big enough that, that, within moments, residents of this 60 were lighting up social media with their accounts of buildings shaking apartments rattling. the key of is that the authorities say there have been no reports of major damage,

no injuries and although they are warning of the possibility of after—shocks, the real message is that there is no need to panic. as always, new york is taking this in its stride, with a bit of a shrug and lots of talk about it. police in ecuador have stormed the mexican embassy to seize former ecuadorean vice—president, jorge glas. he'd been sheltering in the compound since december, but was wanted on corruption charges, with mexico saying it had granted glas "political asylum". in response to the raid, mexican president andres manuel lopez obrador ordered the suspension of diplomatic ties with ecuador. a russian descent vehicle landed in kazakhstan on saturday, returning from the international space station. astronauts from russia, belarus and the united states were onboard. russian oleg novitsky and belarusian marina vasilevskaya departed for the iss last month on a soyuz spacecraft. they returned to earth on saturday along with us astronaut loral o'hara,

who had been aboard the orbital station since september. nhs bosses and leading patient groups have expressed their concern about royal mail's plans to cut second—class deliveries to every other weekday. in a letter to the daily telegraph, nhs providers says nearly two million nhs appointments were missed because people didn't receive their letters and patient safety could be at risk. royal mail says it is exploring options for time—sensitive medical letters. train drivers from five more operators are on strike today, affecting journeys across england, wales and scotland. it is the latest industrial action by members of the aslef union. the dispute is over pay and working conditions and has been deadlocked for months. to slovakia next and voters are at the polls today to choose a new president. the current one, zuzana caputova,

decided not to seek re—election after receiving what she said was a torrent of abuse including death threats. two men are bidding for the largely ceremonial but highly influential post — the pro—western former diplomat ivan korcok and peter pellegrini, the candidate of the populist nationalist government. let's speak to our correspondent rob cameron who's in prague in the neighbouring czech republic. can you talk about some of the themes here when it comes to things like the eu and russia? how does this come into this? this like the eu and russia? how does this come into this?— this come into this? this is regarded — this come into this? this is regarded as _ this come into this? this is regarded as an _ this come into this? this is regarded as an extremely i regarded as an extremely consequential election for slovakia. veteran observers of politics in slovakia say the very fate of slovakia's fate as the liberal

democracy hangs in the balance. it is a highly influential post, although ceremonial. ivan korcok, a season diplomat, pro—western liberal, says he will act as a counterweight to efforts by the populist government to really dismantle slovakia's liberal democracy. a sledgehammer has been taken to institutions like the criminaljustice taken to institutions like the criminal justice system taken to institutions like the criminaljustice system and the public media. ivan korcok says he will do his best to prevent any more of that happening and what critics say is an temp two create an illiberal democracy in slovakia, along the lines of the orban's hungry. peter pellegrini are seen very much as the candidate of the populist nationalist government. he says what slovakia needs is peace and calm and it doesn't need this

opposition to the government which willjust cause more attention to it in slovakia as it deals with so many issues, especially the war in ukraine. ivan korcok said ukraine has the right to defend itself military port for seven necessary. peter pellegrini says it is time for a ceasefire and negotiations with moscow, echoing russian talking points. moscow, echoing russian talking oints. ., , ., moscow, echoing russian talking oints. . , ., , moscow, echoing russian talking oints. . , ., moscow, echoing russian talking oints. ., , ., ., points. can you tell us more about the threats — points. can you tell us more about the threats and _ points. can you tell us more about the threats and abuse _ points. can you tell us more about the threats and abuse that - points. can you tell us more about the threats and abuse that zuzana | the threats and abuse that zuzana caputova has talked about? zuzana cautova caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has _ caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has had _ caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has had a _ caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has had a torrid _ caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has had a torrid time - caputova has talked about? zuzana caputova has had a torrid time in l caputova has had a torrid time in her five years as president of slovakia. shssh she says she was a newcomer to politics when she became president and she said she certainly wasn't prepared for the amount of abuse and death threats against her and her partner and her two teenage daughters. she says that simply goes beyond the pale. she has pointed the

finger at the prime minister and his supporters. she says all the abuse she has been getting has come from the supporters of the prime minister and his supporters. she says she is no longer willing to put your family through another five years. it creates this tension and adds the sense that slovakia does stand at the crossroads and who will replace her as president, whether it will be someone who stands up to populism, nationalism, orsomeone someone who stands up to populism, nationalism, or someone who is going to stand by and let it change and create slovakia in its own image. there is a huge amount at stake for slovakia, just across the border from the czech republic where i am now. ., ~' from the czech republic where i am now. . ~ , ., let's get some of the day's other news now. thousands have been evacuated from their homes after a dam burst in the russian city of orsk near its border with kazakhstan. a state of emergency was declared in the orenburg region after levels in the ural river rose dangerously

because of melting ice. officals say an estimated 10,000 people may be in the flooding zone. police in serbia are searching for the body of a two—year—old girl whose disappearance ten days ago has gripped the country. danka ilic was last seen playing at her grandfather's house in bor in eastern serbia. police say they have two men in custody who have confessed to hitting her with their car. instead of seeking help they claim they took her body to a landfill site but the authorities have yet to locate it. new york city has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a class—action lawsuit brought by two muslim—american women. they said that after arresting them, police violated their rights by forcing them to remove their hijabs to be photographed. the settlement protects both men and women from having to remove religious attire. more than two million workers in england, wales and scotland

are currently having to juggle caring for a loved one alongside holding down a job. campaigners say many are forced to give up work because of a lack of support and flexibility. however, a new law that comes into force today is hoping to change that as bbc breakfast�*s abi smitton has been finding out. every wednesday, debbie takes her husband, mick, cycling. we love it. it's something that puts a smile on both ourfaces. coming out here cycling, it's good for our mental health as well as physical health. it gives us something to look forward to. mick had a stroke three years ago that left him paralysed on one side of his body. debbie became his carer while also trying to juggle a full—time job. it completely blew our world apart as to how difficult it was at the time. it has been absolutely exhausting. there are ups and downs. there are just days where you are absolutely shattered

and you just need to carry on. she is one of thousands of unpaid carers who have either theirjobs or reduce their hours tojuggle caring responsibilities. it's estimated that 2.3 million people in employment in england and wales also provide unpaid care. from today, the carers leave act requires employers in england, wales, and scotland to offer leave to carers every year. trisha cares for her daughter, amelia, who has a rare genetic condition, requiring constant support. i didn't immediately identify myself as a carer. i saw myself as a parent. we have all these hospital appointments, admissions, and having to deal with seizures or the fact that you never know if your day is going to take a different turn. it isn't all bleak.

the fun and joy that she brings to our life, we always say you are never going to get a hug like you would from a child with the syndrome. tricia's employer is one of the few that already have a policy to support unpaid carers in place. i have worked for the company for nearly 18 years now. i am a carer, but i am also me. carers ultimately will have to take time off to look after their loved ones. ultimately life is more important than work. if you don't have a carers leave policy, carers will have to use sickness leave. they will have to take emergency holidays. it makes it difficult for the employees and companies. if you have policy with carers feeling free to talk to their manager, it actually causes less disruption and less cost to a business than it would.

for some, the new law is too little, too late. katie had to give up work to take on caring for her husband, as well as other relatives. there are so many carers who are really terribly suffering with poverty, with the cost—of—living crisis, with energy bills going up, more so than anybody else, because they cannot pull another shift. they cannot increase their employment. they cannot do any of those things as their caring roles intensifies. debbie's employer has trialled the five—day leave for carers, and it has already made a difference. over the last 12 months i have used up all my leave and we have had a couple of emergencies. it is such a relief, the additional there just in case. i love going to work. it's a break from me from all the stuff at home. it is always nice to come to home, though. cool? yeah. abi smitton, bbc news.

her voice brought hope to many during world war two and now campaigners want to raise a million pounds to complete a memorial sculpture for dame vera lynn. more than £600,000 has been raised so far to honour the forces' sweetheart, who died four years ago. her daughter has been speaking to our reporter sara smith. # we'll meet again. # don't know where. # don't know when #. it's the song, the image which has carried through the decades, now captured in sculpture. dame vera lynn stands at the front and sings. behind her, scenes from world war ii, both overseas and at home. for her daughter, this tells the story notjust of her mother, but of the importance of the role of those who didn't pick up a gun, but were still doing their bit.

it's not only for mummy, it's also for all artists who gave their time. it was very brave of them to go out to all these different places to lift the morale. susan fleet was dame vera's friend and pa. the elements within it are the boys with the piano, st paul's during the blitz, the family round the radiogram, there's the musicians. it captures so much. when dame vera died it wasn'tjust ditchling, but the whole country, in the midst of a pandemic, who remembered a woman whose voice had meant so much during terrible times and it's that which inspired sculptor paul day. i've had the opportunity and the privilege of making a number of sculptures, memorials in honour to people who fought in the second world war and have served in various ways and in different conflicts. i like my art to serve stories that are meaningful and impact us all in some way.

the work has yet to be turned into bronze. another million pounds is needed to complete it, but say those busy fundraising, dame vera is worth it. her whole life was in service. she was a wonderful singer. what she did during world war ii, going out to burma, going out to her boys to bring them a bit of home. her voice means so much to people, not just then, but still now. and this, it's hoped, will help bring her story, her voice to future generations too. sarah smith, bbc news. another happy story for you now. an adorable dog, missing in california, has finally been reunited with its owners after turning up almost nine months later, and more than 2,000 miles away, from the family home. mishka, a terrier—mix,

went missing in san diego back injuly last year, but somehow ended up in detroit in michigan. neda tawfik reports now, on a strange shaggy dog tale. mishka the dog is finally home with her overjoyed family, a happy ending to a cross—country tale that began when she disappeared lastjuly in san diego, california, only to be discovered more than 2,000 miles away in michigan. how the terrier mix ended up there is a mystery. her owners, mehrad and miz houman, posted flyers around town and feeds on social media. and had gone months without any encouraging news. then, just as they were planning to travel for easter weekend to minneapolis to see relatives, they got a call from an animal welfare group that mishka had been found. daddy's bringing her home. once the family landed in minnesota, mehrad drove ten hours overnight to michigan for the emotional reunion. yeah, it's wonderful.

lilly, what do you think? are you so happy? we are so overjoyed and still in shock that she's here, but we couldn't be more happy. because mishka had been chipped, the grosse pointe animal adoption society was able to match her with her owners. we don't know who or how she got here to michigan. we know she didn't walk but that's about all we know. only mishka can tell us, and she's not talking. mishka is healthy and doing great and the humans even discovered that she has learned a few new tricks. with the family whole once again, they've nicknamed her the miracle dog. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. what's the secret to living a long—life? well, one great—grandfather from merseyside who has just become the world's oldest man, says it's down to eating fish and chips every friday.

john tinniswood from southport, is 111 years and 223 days old. he was born in 1912, the same year the titanic sank. apart from a weekly fish supper, he says regular exercise is also important. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. a very blustery weekend of weather right across the uk with gusts of wind widely of a0 to 50 miles an hour. gales towards western coasts, perhaps locally severe gales. it's all because our next named storm is with us today, storm kathleen. that area of low pressure has been deepening over the last 2a hours or so. you can see this beautiful swirl on the satellite picture here, that lovely curl of cloud, a very strong jet stream. and that low is gradually pushing northwards as we head

through the next day or so. real tight squeeze on the isobars particularly for these irish sea coasts, but because it's a southerly southwesterly wind, we're also dragging up some very warm air. so quite a dramaticjump in temperatures across parts of scotland and we could even see 22 degrees celsius across parts of east anglia later on this afternoon, making it the warmest day of the year so far again. so we've seen that rain clear away from scotland through the morning. there will be some blustery showers here. another line of showers gradually pushing eastwards and gradually easing. but a lot of sunshine and plenty of dry weather out towards eastern areas of england. a very windy day all in all towards these irish sea coasts. there could be some gusts of wind of up to 70 miles an hour. it's enough to cause some transport disruption and of course, some very large waves, as well. but some very warm air, temperatures well above the seasonal average. overnight tonight, there'll still be some blustery showers around. in fact, there could even be a rumble or two of thunder. it does stay very windy too, but because the cold front will have cleared its way eastwards, we will also see some slightly fresher

conditions into tomorrow morning. but temperatures still mild for this point in april, still double figures towards the south. tomorrow, another day of sunshine and some showers. again, some of those showers could be heavy and thundery, they could even start to form in lines at times. all of this pushing further southwards and eastwards, but lots of dry weather too, but staying very windy. gusts of wind strongest out towards western areas of scotland. these will be the day's temperatures, as you can see, they are lower than today's but still mild for the time of year, generally 12 to 17 degrees. it's not quite it either for the unsettled conditions, another deep area of low pressure will be spinning its way northwards and eastwards as we head through monday and tuesday. i think monday could be dry for many eastern areas, but we'll see some wet weather out towards the west, a lighter wind, but it does stay very unsettled as we head through next week. bye— bye.

live from london. this is bbc news president biden is facing growing pressure from within his own party to pause arms sales to israel, following an israeli air strike which killed seven aid workers. iam in i am in jerusalem i am injerusalem of thejordanian foreign minister has responded to president biden's of torque. the whole wall _ president biden's of torque. the whole wall is _ president biden's of torque. the whole wall is not good enough, we have an _ whole wall is not good enough, we have an israeli government dominated

by extremists who are defying the will of _ by extremists who are defying the will of the — by extremists who are defying the will of the whole international community and killing with impunity. two police forces in the uk are now investigating reports that a number of mps were sent explicit messages in a parliamentary honeytrap plot. and — more than 150 people have been rescued from floods in sydney — as more residents prepare to flee their homes. hello, this is bbc news. we start this hour with the war in the middle east. presidentjoe biden is facing growing pressure from within his own party to pause us arms sales to israel. nearly forty congressional democrats have signed a letter calling for no weapons to be sent — until a full investigation is completed into monday's airstrike on an aid convoy in gaza. it says the strike against the humanitarian convoy — along with the ever—worsening humanitarian crisis in gaza — makes it unjustifiable to approve

further weapons deliveries. the politicians who have signed the letter include one