un agencies say parts of sudan may tip into famine if the civil war continues. we'll have rare pictures from the ground. russia targets critical infrastructure in ukraine, as us aid to the country remains stalled. hello, i'm helena humphrey, glad you could join me. us presidentjoe biden is warning iran not to take military action against israel, as the us government says such an attack could happen imminently. iran vowed to retaliate after an apparent israeli airstrike on its consulate in syria killed at least thirteen people, including a senior military commander. that attack was condemned by the un's secretary—general, who said diplomatic and consular premises are off limits under international law. now, nearly two weeks later, american officials are telling cbs news that

an iranian strike on israel could come at any moment. as concerns mount, here's what the us president had to say. reporter: mr president, what is your message to iran in this moment? don't. we are devoted to the defence of israel. we will support israel, we will help defend israel and iran will not succeed. thank you very much. so why is the us putting out such strong warnings about a possible attack? and how are those warnings being felt in israel? our diplomatic correspondent james landale has this analysis, from jerusalem. president biden has said that he expects an attack against israel from iran sooner rather than later, and unnamed us officials are saying that attack could involve hundreds of drones and missiles against military targets here in israel. now, that may be a prediction of the future based on hard intelligence, but it may also be

the united states trying to deter iran to try and minimize any kind of response by talking up the threat right now. it also could be an attempt to try and shape expectations so that if and when iran does respond, it's seen as less escalatory. now, from iran's point of view, it has promised that it will punish israel for the attack on its consulate in damascus, the capital of syria, 12 days ago. but equally iranian ministers have said they do not want to widen the scope of this war. and a massive attack using drones and missiles from iran to israel would indeed do that. there has been an attack on israel this evening, across the border in the north, hezbollah launching lots and lots of rockets. but that i have to say is a pretty regular occurrence and there's no evidence yet that is in any way linked, or that even the start

of some kind of iranian—led retaliation. the mood here in israel is calm, the streets earlier today were full of people enjoying and preparing for that their sabbath meal, but the threat is being taken seriously. and there are even reports of hospitals being put on standby. so for now, israel is on alert. and the world is watching and waiting to see what iran does next. earlier, i spoke to michael singh, managing director at the washington institute for near—east policy, a pro—israeli think tank. thank you very much forjoining us out once again on bbc news and i am sure you have been looking at and read those warnings from us intelligence with regards to the possibility of an iranian attack. how dangerous do you see this particular moment as being? it is certainly a dangerous moment. the vehicle official

who was killed reportedly by israel was probably one of the most high ranking seems slimani. it is a region already unstable. the conflict between the yemen houthis in the red sea so this could just add to and already tense, conflict ridden situation in the region. -- qasem soleimani.- ridden situation in the region. -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support _ -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support might _ -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support might the _ -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support might the us - -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support might the us give . -- qasem soleimani. what kind of support might the us give to | of support might the us give to israel. president bytedance said support will be ironclad but at the same time they have been some kind of frustration from washington with regards to that apparent strike by israel on and of course with regards

to those force members? i think frustration _ to those force members? i think frustration aside, _ to those force members? i think frustration aside, the _ to those force members? i think frustration aside, the us - to those force members? i think frustration aside, the us will. frustration aside, the us will support israel and i think right now us actions and words are really meant to deter iran because there is a sense that iran does not want a direct confrontation with israel because it lacks the conventional strength that israel has unlikely does not want to take the focus of gaza in the region, an issue which is woke to iran's advantage and so the us is trying to send a message from president biden �*s was that iran should step down essentially, should not choose to fight here. do essentially, should not choose to fight here.— to fight here. do you think that diplomatic _ to fight here. do you think that diplomatic pressure l to fight here. do you think. that diplomatic pressure from washington could potentially work? i washington could potentially work? ~' _ ., ., work? i think it goodbye to at least mitigate _ work? i think it goodbye to at least mitigate iran's - work? i think it goodbye to at least mitigate iran's reaction, to iran think twice. the hope is in prissy retaliation from iran it would be a sort of performative retaliation, symbolic retaliation, rather than something that forces israel into a further response

and really contains that risk of wider war.— and really contains that risk of wider war. . ~ ., of wider war. talking about the situation. _ of wider war. talking about the situation, you _ of wider war. talking about the situation, you are _ of wider war. talking about the situation, you are mentioning i situation, you are mentioning gaza, what impact will it have if israel's ability to continue operations on gaza and at a time with talks about a ceasefire as well? israel has already withdrawn _ ceasefire as well? israel has| already withdrawn apparently most of its forces from gaza and really the fighting in gaza is largely content to just the very south of gaza, other than some limited operations elsewhere in the street. i think israel has the forces it needs, the resources it needs to defend against the kind of strike you would see from iran but i think there is a worry the type of konta we could see between iran and is between hezbollah and israel, because they could become involved, would involve the conflict in terms of scale and casualties.

do you think it is something the israeli war cabinet was cognisant of when it lodged that strike, that apparent strike on syria? i that strike, that apparent strike on syria?— that strike, that apparent strike on syria? i think they were likely _ strike on syria? i think they were likely aware _ strike on syria? i think they were likely aware of - strike on syria? i think they were likely aware of the - strike on syria? i think they| were likely aware of the risk of iranian retaliation but they probably calculated again at that iran would not want to necessarily have a direct wall with israel and therefore perhaps escalation dominance, as we say, was on israel's side rather than iran's but it is a risky move and now we will see if in fact the calculation was correct. ~ ., , ., ., correct. with regards to a timeline. _ correct. with regards to a timeline, any _ correct. with regards to a timeline, any thoughts i correct. with regards to a| timeline, any thoughts on correct. with regards to a - timeline, any thoughts on we could potentially see something from iran? ., ., ., , ., , .,~ from iran? innovators a mistake to think in _ from iran? innovators a mistake to think in terms _ from iran? innovators a mistake to think in terms of _ from iran? innovators a mistake to think in terms of a _ to think in terms of a timeline. we may see an initial symbolic retaliation, as we did see after the killing of qasem soleimani. but probably for years, iranian efforts to conduct terrorist attacks, to attack more vulnerable targets into especially attack once israel's garden is a once us's

guard is down, that tends to be the iranian modus operandi. michael singh, great to talk to you. israel says a new crossing for aid to enter gaza's north is now open as humanitarian groups warn of an impending famine there. the israeli government is not revealing where the new crossing is precisely. it says lorries entering the new northern crossing are first being screened at kerem shalom crossing into southern gaza. after six months of war between israel and hamas, medicalservices across gaza have all but collapsed. the european gaza hospital in the city of khan younis is one of the last functioning healthcare facilities there. and a small number of british doctors have been allowed in to help. dr victoria rose is one of them. she's a consultant plastic surgeon at guy's and st thomas's hospital in london but she just spent the last two weeks in gaza, where much of her work was on children under the age of 16. dr rose filmed to show us

what life is like there. here we are, we have made it across the border. the day has been pretty long, actually. we left cairo this morning with the un convoy. i was last here in 2020 and it is completely different, it is like a different, it is like a different entity. inside, they tried to keep the working area is very clean, the floors are very clean, but once you get into the corridors, it is full of people in tense and they have made makeshift tents out of sheets and carpet and it is not clean and outside it is just mayhem, it is like a massive village. it stinks, it is raw sewage, it is unacceptable for people to live like this. so we were operating

until last night at midnight, we finished our last case, but the general surgeons have been going on night. you can hear the drones again. this is my first case. he is a young boy who has lacerations and degloving. he was taken to theatre last week. a lot of his skin has died unfortunately. we're going to taking back to theatre see if we can sort it out. we have had a bit of a delayed start because there has been quite a lot of bombing this evening. so we have got quite a lot more work coming to us tomorrow and i am kind in that situation out where i just

want a ceasefire so we can catch up. this is a field hospital. it is tuesday, the second of april, and the drones are back. so, iam second of april, and the drones are back. so, i am walking back to theatre on my own, which is something that the boys do not like me doing. i do not whether you can see, i have like children constantly following me and saying, hello stop hello. hello and then they will ask me for money and then chocolate. money? i have no money. looking through the hospital again. we have got three days of operating left and i am already panicking about the fact that we're not

going to get through everybody we through before i go. i know now it is going to be very difficult to leave, and i'm not looking forward to it. i am now out of all my dressings. i wish i had brought more. i really wish i had brought more. i have just been around to the girls room where the female medical students and live. the best team i have ever worked with in my entire life and i have had the best two weeks ever. thank you. i hope they'll get to qualify. i do not know how that is going to happen but i think they would all make really good doctors and, god knows, gaza

needs some doctors right now. after weeks of political wranging, haiti's government has issued a decree that formalises a transitional presidential council. the nine—person council, seven of whom will have voting powers, could be sworn—in at the national palace, which has been besieged by armed street gangs who hold a tight grip over the capital, port—au—prince. the council will be tasked with choosing a new interim prime minister and cabinet, following the recent resignation of prime minister ariel henry. it is not yet clear who is on the council but one of the main gang leaders, jimmy �*barbecue' cherizier, has already said his group will not lay down their weapons unless they have some kind of voice at the negotiating table. the world health organization says several regions in sudan may tip into famine if conflict does not end. more than a year of war between the nation's army and opposition paramilitary forces has driven more than nine million people from their homes. the devastating humanitarian impact is especially acute in the darfur region, where it's been almost

impossible for aid organisations to transfer supplies across conflict lines. the paramilitary rapid support forces now control the region, from where most aid workers have withdrawn. the army has blocked land routes from outside the country, saying the measure is aimed at stopping the flow of weapons. and while it has eased the transport of some food and other essential supplies, it's not nearly enough. zamzam is one of sudan's largest displaced persons camps, and the bbc has obtained rare video from there. our correspondent barbara plett usher reports, and a warning — some viewers may find images in her report distressing. infant cries. the youngest casualties of sudan's war are often not victims of bombs and bullets. this paediatric hospital in northern darfur is a front line in the country's hunger crisis. signs of malnutrition are stark. it's difficult for outsiders to get access to the region. we worked with a local

cameraman to film these images. the son of this helima mohammed sulieman is getting emergency nutrition after bouts of diarrhoea and malaria. "we just don't have enough food here," she says. "we're farmers but aren't able to harvest enough now "and there's no other income. "medicine is hard to get." in the next bed, amine ahmed ali is caring for six—month—old twins, slowly recovering from weeks of dysentery. doctors treated malnutrition here before the war. much more so now. translation: the numbers have doubled. _ every month, and the next month, the numbers increase. in the nearby zamzam camp for displaced people, they queue forfood. there isn't much of that, nor of clean water or healthcare. illnesses that could once be treated now kill.

one child here dies every two hours — so says the charity doctors without borders, the last international humanitarians still on the ground. they found that one third of the camp's children under the age of five are malnourished, and so are their mothers. qisma abubarkir is living that pain. she lost three children in four months. translation: i couldn't afford to take them to hospital. - the pharmacy demanded too much money. my first child died on the way home from there and the second child died after six days. the baby fell sick and died three days later. zamzam is one of sudan's largest camps, formed by previous conflict, so already fragile. but the latest war has displaced more than eight million people, blocked aid, shut down the economy. what's needed is full humanitarian access across conflict lines and a massive surge

of food and medicine. but famine looms. i spoke to doctors without borders at their nairobi headquarters. we have a nutritional crisis. it's a catastrophic nutritional crisis. the children that we screened in the camp of zamzam is the tip of the iceberg. we are talking about only one camp. so it could be much worse. it could be much worse, yes. this little boy may live, but if the war stretches into another year, many, many other children will die. barbara plett usher, bbc news, nairobi. in recent weeks, russia has targeted critical civilian infrastructure in ukraine, leaving millions without electricity and water. on thursday, over 80 russian missiles and drones attacked targets across ukraine, destroying the largest electricity provider for three main regions, including kyiv. and in kharkiv on friday, 10 attacks took place,

cutting power to more than 200,000 people. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford travelled there and sent this report. russia's war on ukraine has entered a new phase. this power plant in kharkiv was hit with five missiles — part of a massive attack on the energy system across the country. farfrom saving ukrainians, as it still claims, russia is trying to plunge their country into darkness. leading me through the ruins, igor has worked at this plant since soviet times. you don't usually hear engineers talk like this. translation: it's like my home has been destroyed. _ it brings pain and tears. but at the same time, that mobilises us because we know a city of more than a million people is depending on us.

they're still assessing the damage here, seeing what they can salvage. this is where just one of the missiles hit, and as you can see, the result is completely devastating. this was an extremely precise attack because this power plant was hit by the russians a year ago. the company had just got it repaired, just got it working, and the russians hit again. so ukraine is now pleading with its western allies for more air defences, better protection, because the russian attacks are overwhelming. siren wails. so there's just been another air raid alert and this time, there's information that there's a missile somewhere in the sky heading in this direction, so we're going down into the bunker. there are now long blackouts in kharkiv every day. but among it all, we found a firm making bikinis —

a business that's even expanded during the war, adapting to the difficulties and the danger. it's interesting how long we can stay independent. olex shows me the car battery that's now keeping the power on here, charged by the sun. we don't think about electricity now. one problem is off. one thing solved ? yeah. but the war is always on people's minds. russia is very close, and the increase in missile attacks is worrying. so victoria tells me keeping the business going is about keeping spirits up, too, giving people faith that there is a future here. when night falls, whole neighbourhoods are left in the dark. this is a city that calls itself unbreakable — russia is doing its best to change that. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kharkiv. this all comes as us aid

to ukraine continues to be stalled in congress. npr's congressional correspondent claudia grisales told me what's causing the turmoil on capitol hill. there are leaders here in congress who were also sounding the alarm that they are running out of time to provide aid for ukraine. one of those are just recently of the house of foreign affairs committee, the texas republican who said this really needs to be taken up soon. we know that democrats also have been moving for this to happen but there is a very vocal wing of the house republican party that has been pushing against this plan and so it is unclear if house republicans can get there but we heard tonight from former president trump,

who stood alongside house speaker mikejohnson and said it was possible we could come together on a plan, perhaps it would be based on the line of some kind, in order to provide this aid. so if republicans are on board, that really gives the potential a lot of hope that perhaps congress could indeed work on a plan. the minimum age limit for children using whatsapp in the uk has been lowered from 16 to 13. the technology company meta, which owns whatsapp, says it's bringing the app into line with the us and australia but campaigners have called it a "highly irresponsible" approach to child safety. it comes as a bbc investigation has found that children as young as 10 are being added to whatsapp groups containing inappropriate material. here's martin lindsay. i noticed a real personality change in my 12—year—old. after some coaxing, she told me she'd been added to a whatsapp group. i immediately removed my child from the group and deleted it. this is one mum's story and a real fear for many parents. i was shocked to see inappropriate sexual images,

racism and swearing among the messages. we've got someone else to voice her words so we don't identify her or her child. her daughter, who's 12, was added to this whatsapp group, and we've seen some of the content, which included sexual images, pictures of mutilated bodies and racist comments. screenshots we've seen showed it had more than 900 members, and it also meant children's phone numbers were in the hands of strangers. she also told me a boy had called her as a result of getting her number from the group and had invited his cousin to talk to her, too. thankfully, she was savvy enough to end the call and replied to their text messages saying she was not prepared to give them her surname or tell them where she went to school. it's an incredibly disturbing case to have heard about, and the fact that primary school—age children have been added to this group and seeing such dangerous content that they don't

want to see and they don't want to be exposed to is incredibly upsetting. it comes as an urgent message was sent to parents from tyneside schools which warned of another whatsapp group encouraging self—harm. it said 500 children had been added and it was targeting year 6 pupils, which is 10 or ii—year—olds. the question of who set up the group and for what purpose is now the subject of a police investigation. meta, which owns whatsapp, says, "we give all users options to control who can add them "to groups, and the first time you receive a message "from an unknown number, you can block or report it." i felt sick to my stomach. she's only 12, and now i'm worried about her using her phone. i find it absolutely terrifying. martin lindsay, bbc news, tyneside. in the us, the former interpreter for japanese baseball star shohei ohtani has surrendered to federal authorities in los angeles. it comes a day after ippei mizuhara was charged with stealing $16 million from ohtani's bank account to pay his own gambling debts.

on thursday, thejustice department said mizuhara abused his position to plunder the bank account of the los angeles dodgers player. bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison but mizuhara is thought to be negotiating a plea deal. and finally, legendary italian fashion designer roberto cavalli has died at the age of 83. known for his flamboyant use of animal prints and patterns, as well as his innovative printing techniques, cavalli died at home in florence after a long illness. he rose to prominence in the �*70s, dressing stars inlcuding sophia loren and brigitte bardot. you are watching bbc news. thank you for your company. more will news coming up at the top of the owa. join me then, if you can. bye for now. hello there. friday was a very warm day for april. temperatures widely reached the high teens and the warmest

spots had temperatures a bit higher than that. 21.5 degrees celsius was recorded at both st james' park and northolt, both in greater london, making it the warmest day of the year so far. we have something of a change in the weather forecast, though, for saturday. cooler air is going to be arriving across both scotland and northern ireland behind this cold front. and that's significant because scotland also recorded its warmest day of 2024 as well on friday — 20.2 degrees celsius in fyvie castle. but across scotland and northern ireland, temperatures widely will be dropping by around five or six degrees celsius into saturday. so you will notice that significant change. right now the weather is quite quiet, though. we've got a few patches of high cloud around, one or two areas of mist and fog and a few showers coming in across northern areas with the winds strengthening slightly. temperatures as we start saturday morning around 8 to 11 degrees celsius. we're looking at a mild start to the day. now, a band of rain, a cold front will quickly swing its way into northern ireland and scotland. as that moves eastwards,

what will follow is blustery showers with some hailstorms mixed in the winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour further southwards. now a patch of rain for northern england and across wales, otherwise largely dry. much cooler air across scotland and northern ireland arrives through the afternoon, whereas across england and wales it's going to be the last of the really warm days. temperatures, i suspect, will reach around 21 or 22 in the warmest areas of eastern england, with colder air arriving across most parts of england and wales after dark. well, that takes us into sunday's forecast. and sunday is going to be a blustery day for scotland and northern ireland. frequent showers here, some of them with hail and thunder mixed in. there will be a few showers developing through the day across northern england and wales, but it may well stay largely dry across east anglia and the south of england. wherever you are, temperatures will be much closer to average, 15 degrees in london. so a big change from the low 20s that we'll have on saturday, it will feel cooler. on into the start of the new week, monday sees low pressure move in off the atlantic with this cold front diving its way southwards across the country.

and that's going to be bringing a spell of rain followed by showers, showery weather conditions around for tuesday and for wednesday. but the weather should become drier and a bit warmer towards the end of next week. bye for now.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. there's a story behind every egg freezing. egg number two. i didn't really think that i would necessarily be going through a fertility journey but, like, here i am at 37 now freezing my eggs. this is for your future babies in there. come on! egg freezing — one of the fastest—growing fertility treatments in the uk. think we should do it?