joe biden, warned that democracy in europe was once again under threat, in the wake of russia's invasion of ukraine. earlier, at the new british national memorial at gold beach a service of commemoration. the king laid a wreath for the fallen. and alongside the solemn ceremonies, it's also been a chance for attendees to meet and speak with the guests of honour the veterans themselves each of whom played such an important part in one of the defining days in european history. bagpipes. memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle.

but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as those before them had done in 1944. but these are now peaceful waters, thanks to the sacrifices made on d—day. archive: this is it, | they're on the beach. few truly understood the onslaught they'd face. young men, thrust into the brutality of war. 80 years on, those who survived and grew old honoured lost friends. it is all because of gummy�*s quick thinking, his desire to help those around him, that i can stand before you today. i wish i could tell him i have never taken his sacrifice for granted. and we'll always remember him and ourfriends. so, gummy, thank you, my old friend.

a tribute, from the one who made it home. at the british normandy memorial, the service of commemoration put the veterans centre stage. relegated to the back rows, the king and queen, and president macron. watching the service wasjoe mines. he landed on the beaches on d—day. 80 years have passed, but he never returned, until now. the actor martin freeman read his words. so, why would i come back? well, this is the last and only opportunity for me. the last there will ever be. and it's because of the lads. i want to pay my respects to those who didn't make it. may they rest in peace. applause.

honouring those who fought in the name of his grandfather, the king spoke of remembrance as an obligation. let us commit to carrying forward their resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom, tempered by the duty of responsibilities to others, for the benefit of younger generations, our gratitude is unfailing and our admiration eternal. a final flourish from the red arrows as the service ended. the d—day veterans were then taken to a reception. some, with a bit of prime ministerial assistance. it was a day of cross—party support, as they also spent time with the labour leader keir starmer. it was, though, with the king and the queen with whom they seem to share the most. it was intimate and emotional,

knowing that this small group of d—day veterans is unlikely to be back here for a major commemoration. their stories have been told. it is now down to us to make sure they are not forgotten. daniela relph, bbc news, ver—sur—mer, normandy. the us presidentjoe biden has said the war in ukraine echoed the fight forfreedom on the beaches in normandy during world war ii. he was joined by world leaders, including president zelensky, at an international event this afternoon, as our europe editor katya adler reports. the proud anthem of the french resistance, sung in normandy today by students who could be the great, even great—great—grandchildren of those who fought and died here forfreedom. at this international d—day ceremony, heads of state and government,

representatives of europe's royal families stood shoulder to shoulder, hearts full of gratitude. translation: they were afraid, but they knew that they were - fighting a just war and that every step they took brought them closer to restoring freedom to the world. applause. but a new war in europe hung heavy over today's commemorations. you'll notice one conspicuous absence amongst leaders here. russia was crucial in the defeat of nazi germany. ukraine's president was here, but vladimir putin was not. saviour of the people! this is the us military cemetery in normandy, final resting place for well over 9,400 us soldiers. earlier today, joe biden made

it clear why russia's president wasn't welcome. to surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable. applause. were we to do that, it means we'd be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches. us veterans were presented by president macron with the legion d'honneur, france's highest honour. modern—day geopolitics loom really large over these d—day commemorations, but the world leaders gathered here don't mean any disrespect. those valiant veterans who have managed to come here to normandy know all too well the dangers of aggressive nationalism and the politics of hate. the freedom and peace they fought so hard for is fracturing. normandy resident danielle boucherie

was five years old on d—day, her village amongst the first to be liberated. translation: i went to sleep under german rule and woke _ up with the americans. danielle's mum made her a star—spangled dress of us servicemen�*s parachutes found in a field. she became a symbol — in pigtails — of their everlasting gratitude. translation: if it hadn't been for the americans, l what would have become of us? since the second world war, europe has relied on the us to have its back in terms of security. these brave men helped forge the transatlantic alliance. their president today said it was stronger than ever. but with us elections around the corner, europe knows it can't take anything for granted. katya adler, bbc news, normandy. many world leaders meeting the asal

president there and the french president there and the french president at the centre of many of those commemorations today. we are just hearing news from french television, president emmanuel macron is speaking to television at the moment saying that ukraine has requested western military instructors on its soil and we are hearing from the interfere on french television that france is to tell maras 2000 fighterjets to ukraine —— to sell maras 2000. that is just coming into us that president macron is speaking to french television that they are to sell fighter jets to ukraine. we will bring you more on that on bbc news as we get it. let's head to the middle east now, where at least 35 people are reported to have been killed in an israeli air strike on a un school in gaza that was sheltering displaced palestinians. the un agency for palestinian

refugees says there were 6,000 people in the school when it was hit in central gaza. israel says it was targeting 20 to 30 hamas fighters operating from inside the school in the nuseirat refugee camp. yesterday, israel announced an offensive in central gaza as ceasefire talks continue. i should warn you that this report by our middle east correspondent lucy williamson contains distressing images. torchlight barely reveals the bodies. who they were, why they were here, can take even longer to expose. israel says this strike hit a hamas compound inside a un shelter. but an israeli human rights group said if that were true, the harm to civilians could still make it a war crime. a hamas official said women and children were among the dead. in daylight, survivors mined the rubble for scraps of security. the un agency for palestinian

refugees said 6,000 people were sheltering here and that there had been no warning of the strike. what i can confirm is that all the co—ordinates of all unrwa facilities — so, various kinds of buildings, notably our school buildings, which have been transformed into emergency shelters in this war — all of those co—ordinates are shared with all parties of the conflict, including the israeli authorities. so there's absolutely no mystery about whether a facility is an unrwa school or not. and let's not forget that these are actually buildings under the flag of the united nations. ibrahim's cousin, mohammed, was killed. translation: i was sitting here with my brothers - and friends when, suddenly, there was an explosion. the mattress protected me because i was sitting against the wall. but all the bodies here are dismembered and torn. israel says these were precise strikes that destroyed three specific classrooms.

0ur strike was based on intelligence and used precise munitions. you know, we actually called it off twice just to be sure that we were precise and to limit any unwanted civilian casualties. israel began a new offensive in central areas of gaza this week. medics say more than 100 people there have been killed. the rapid surge in activity, a sign that pressure to end this war isn't working or a sign that before too long, it might. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. the inquiry into the wrongful convictions of sub postmasters because of the faulty horizon it system has heard that government officials considered sacking the former post office chief executive paula vennells in 2014. the documents revealing concerns about her ability to lead the company were shown to the former post office

chair, alice perkins. she said she had doubts ms vennells understood the concerns over the faulty it system. azadeh moshiri has more from the inquiry. the inquiry heard that government officials considered sacking the chief executive of the post office in 2014, years before she resigned in 2014, years before she resigned in 2019 during which period she continued to receive bonuses years before she was awarded a cbe for her services to the post office and to charity. at this point, hundreds of sub—postmasters have been prosecuted based on faulty data from the horizon it software and they continue to be prosecuted until 2015. it is important to understand that the government owns the post office. today we have seen internal 0ffice. today we have seen internal government documents prepared by the

department for business, innovation and skills that listed a number of reasons why paula vennells was having her role as chief executive under review. let me read you some. they talked about a general consensus that paula vennells is no longer the right person to leave the post office the justification is anecdotal. also said that she was unable to work with personalities that provide robust challenges to her. the inquiry counsel asked alice perkins whether what it was like to be surrounded by yes—men and guests women and a coterie of trusted attendance as he put it. perkins denied that listen to this exchange. in this. in 2014 i did start and i was_ in this. in 2014 i did start and i was not — in this. in 2014 i did start and i was not alone in this you have reservations about paula vennells's ability— reservations about paula vennells's ability to— reservations about paula vennells's ability to lead the post office in the circumstances which it found itself _ the circumstances which it found

itself in — the circumstances which it found itself in is — the circumstances which it found itself in. , ., ., the circumstances which it found itself in. ., itself in. is a right to say those concerns _ itself in. is a right to say those concerns included _ itself in. is a right to say those concerns included a _ itself in. is a right to say those concerns included a doubt - itself in. is a right to say those concerns included a doubt as l itself in. is a right to say those | concerns included a doubt as to itself in. is a right to say those - concerns included a doubt as to her personal— concerns included a doubt as to her personal grip, _ concerns included a doubt as to her personal grip, specifically- concerns included a doubt as to her personal grip, specifically on - concerns included a doubt as to her personal grip, specifically on her. personal grip, specifically on her rights? — personal grip, specifically on her riuhts? , . , ., rights? yes and it went beyond that. that was the — rights? yes and it went beyond that. that was the example, _ rights? yes and it went beyond that. that was the example, that - that was the example, that is illustrated by the setting of that personal objective which i'm sure what _ personal objective which i'm sure what you — personal objective which i'm sure what you have got in mind. the concern — what you have got in mind. the concern about the grip went wider than that — concern about the grip went wider than that. a concern about the grip went wider than that. �* .., . concern about the grip went wider than that. ~ .., . ., ., concern about the grip went wider than that. ~ . ., ., ., ., than that. a concern around paula vennelts's — than that. a concern around paula vennells's handling _ than that. a concern around paula vennells's handling of _ than that. a concern around paula vennells's handling of horizon - vennells's handling of horizon issues. perkins said that these internal government documents were, quote, complete news to her. she was also asked about whether other board members had any concerns around paula vennells's performance. she said, i think everybody had by the stage.

a sudanese pro democracy activists' committee has reported that up to 100 people have been killed by the paramilitary rapid support forces group in a village south of the capital, khartoum. this footage posted on social media shows dozens of bodies the attack took place in wad al nourah, in gezira state, which the rsf took control of in december. the group denies the attack. the rsf, who've been fighting the sudanese armed forces for the past 13 months, have also encircled al fasher, the capital city of the darfur region, where the world food programme is expanding its operations to try and prevent a famine. the us special envoy for sudan says the geopolitical fallout from the spiralling civil war could be immense, potentially leading sudan to become a failed state like libya and somalia. myanmar�*s opposition and local residents have accused the army of killing at least 50 people who'd been detained in a village close

to the capital of rakhine state. the soldiers had been searching for supporters of an insurgent group which has recently inflicted several defeats on the military. residents from the village of byai phyu told the bbc the entire population was forced to sit on the streets for two days while soldiers took people away for interrogation. the men were blindfolded and repeatedly beaten and some women were reportedly raped. the ruling military council denies the accusations. 0ur south east asia correspondent, jonathan head, has the story. it has taken a while to piece together what has happened. it is been hard to track down people fleeing from byai phyu. it sits on the edge on one of the last strongholds of the rakhine state state. to take in mind bernie's colleagues to its persuade people to talk into cross check each account to make sure that an accurate picture. we know what happened now from what they have told us. that a

large military attachment possibly 150 troops went in last wednesday, more than one week ago, sued the village often told everyone to leave their homes and all line up and the roads going to the marketplace while they sought out supporters of the air could not now the most effective insurgency force in myanmar with stunning defeat and taking control of 90% of rakhine state. these are humiliations that military is never experienced before. they went in believing they were supportive of the insurgents to start integrity doing the men. some of the women survivors were told to keep their heads down, on pain of death, but they could hear the brutal beatings and interrogations and multiple gunshots. they knew people who were taken away from beside them and never came back. many of them have missing husbands and sons. eventually after two days, the remaining population, the women and children were told to leave the village. they were taken out into the area itself and now dispersed

among monasteries where they are sheltering. no one has been allowed back. we understand the army still controls it. we have heard a lot has been burned down. trying to understand how many people have died is difficult but dozens of men were taken away to military bases and have not been seen since. to the netherlands where people are voting in the european elections. to the netherlands next, where people are voting in elections for the european parliament. it's the first country to vote. around 370 million people in 27 countries are eligible to cast their ballots in the coming days. they'll elect 720 representatives. far right parties look set to make large gains in a potentially seismic shift for the european union. dutch nationalist leader geert wilders failed to secure a seat in the last eu elections in 2019. but his far—right party won the most seats in the netherlands�* general election in november was polling well ahead of today's vote.

really interesting just listening to him there talk about the importance of these elections. this is a man who once campaigned for a dutch referendum on the netherlands inside the eu. yet now, he is one of the most vocal campaigners during the pre—election process. we saw him casting his vote here in the hague this morning. it is all eyes on his freedom party on the radical right and the green labour alliance on the left. this is a trend that we are expecting to see reflected right across the continent. this is one way to get people to come out and vote. but the polling stations inside of beautiful locations. this is the art museum in the hague. i been speaking to people going in and out and actually, interestingly, they have been talking about international instability in terms of the importance they see in casting their ballot. the worse in ukraine, gaza and the need, they've

been telling me, for a stronger eu. 0n the other side, the cost of living crisis is also looming large on boater�*s mines here in the netherlands and beyond. the hard right parties have sought to conflate issues like immigration and the cost of the green transition with an increased burden that people are feeling. financial burden. that has been largely successful in many places. so when we get the exit polls later on this evening here in the netherlands, the first of course on the continent. that will give us an idea of the kind of mood and whether we are likely to see this predicted search on the right and in some countries also on the left. in new york, the tribeca festival, one of the largest movie events in north america, has just got under way amid some complaints that its co founder movie icon robert de niro is using it as a platform to advance

his anti trump agenda. the festival is also reflecting some of the tumultuous international trying to be a gentleman in this world... in the days leading up to this year's tribeca festival, its co—founder, movie icon robert de niro, in an event organised by the biden campaign, was berating donald trump outside the courthouse where the former president was convicted. donald trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country, and eventually he could destroy the world. wacko former actor, is how donald trump described robert de niro in the wake of his criticisms. 0n the eve of the festival, de niro told me the film—making community is fearful of what a second trump presidency would bring. he wants to do everything possible that he can to mess things up. i don't know what it is. it's a sickness and it is a big concern for all of us. yeah. de niro's 12—day festival, which he co—founded in the wake of the september 11th attacks, will bring movie stars and screenings of more than 100

features, as well as other storytelling endeavours to the city. some films will reflect the polarised views, conflicts and politics of the world today. tribeca has politics in its dna, more overtly in the documentaries. for example, this year there's a documentary called cranes call... people and units... ..which is a documentary about george clooney's foundation forjustice and people there working to prosecute war crimes against a russian general that they're trying to track down who's committed war crimes in ukraine. only a few films from the middle east will be shown at tribeca this year. come closer, a drama, is the sole israeli film in the line up. since the israel gaza war, israeli film—makers have found many international film festivals reluctant to show their ware. flyers from the israeli film festival? but israel film center festival in new york, running at the same time as tribeca, will be screening several israeli movies and holding a panel

discussion on israeli cinema since the october the 7th hamas attacks. the organiser believes film—makers can build bridges. this is where we're going to see palestinians and israelis sitting together. the politicians are having a hard time getting to the same table. i know a lot of the protesters are disqualifying each other immediately. and i know that palestinian film—makers and israeli film—makers want to sit at the same table and want a resolution and want peace. ai stands poised to fundamentally change virtually every aspect of the film industry, and tribeca will be demonstrating how ai can be used to help create movies using a model which takes a written story and makes it into a narrative film. tribeca is addressing ai, which is an incredible impact on the entertainment industry and on film certainly. and i think it's worrying and exciting a lot of people, an equal amount. new york is most definitely robert de niro's hometown,

and for many of his new york fans, the most exciting aspect of the tribeca festival is a three day event dedicated to celebrating the 80—year—old movie legend. to many, robert de niro is quite simply the best and most influential actor of his generation. he's done everything, hasn't he? taxi driver. infamous film. followed him along the years. ilike him. he's a good guy. good actor. you talking to me? and many of his fans know his lines. you talking to me?! fantastic. the celebratory de niro event includes items on view from his personal archive and screenings of his classic films. it's a spectacular body of work. pictures like mean streets... there ain't nothing wrong with me, my friend. i'm feeling fine. ..raging bull... ..taxi driver... ..and goodfellas, to mentionjust a few performances in movies which have mesmerized

audiences around the world. tom brook, bbc news, new york. let's return to our top story, as we have been reporting across bbc news today. events have taken place in the uk as well, including a service of remembrance at the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy reports. fanfare. it's the place set aside for national reflection, where the country gathers to remember. today, it was where veterans and families came to honour the fallen, recognise service and pay homage to sacrifice. at the going down in the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. no tally of passing decades can erase the traumas of d—day, some of the veterans comforted

instead by senior members of the royal family. the service ended with a fly—past, soaring above the gathering of those reflecting below. # we'll meet again...# tonight, the final acts of remembrance are moving to britain's villages and towns, places like hound in hampshire, symbolising the day by lighting beacons. in fact, more than 800 of these beacons will be lit tonight at 9:15pm — one final nationwide expression of hope and peace. the embers of fires drawing down on a day recalling loss, bravery and accomplishment. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in hampshire. let's get the weather now. hello, thanks forjoining me. it's been a day of sunshine and showers, with the most frequent

showers across scotland today. how about tomorrow? more of the same. a keen north—westerly breeze, sunny spells and, once again, scattered showers. and in fact, over the last few days, the weather has been generally coming in from the northern climes. if you look at the satellite picture, you can see the motion of the cloud all streaming in from the north—west, iceland and the norwegian sea. so, more of the same — through tonight as well. if anything, these showers will become more frequent across the north—west of scotland through the small hours of friday morning. but elsewhere, generally clear and really quite chilly. in towns and cities, temperatures early on friday morning will be around 7 degrees, but outside of town, in the countryside, it could be as low as 3 or 4. so, definitely a nip in the air first thing on friday. but a lot of sunshine from the word go, i think, across england and wales. not the case in northern ireland and western scotland. a weather front moving through, bringing a period of rain, a couple of hours of some steady rain, but that should eventually

clear after the rush hour to sunshine and showers. could end up being quite cloudy around the lake district, northern england, through much of yorkshire, quite thick cloud. but come the afternoon, i think for most of us, it's a case of sunny spells. frequent showers in scotland, though. less frequent in the south. and the temperatures struggling — 11 in stornoway, no higher than around 17 expected in cardiff. here's the weather map for saturday. the low pressure still with us. and on its western edge, the wind continues to stream in from the northern climes. it's quite chilly air — in fact, cold enough for a little bit of wintriness across the scottish mountains, and gusty winds around these northern and western coasts. showers again will be most frequent in scotland on saturday, but northern ireland, wales and england should have a generally dry and mostly sunny day, just scattered fairweather cumulus clouds. temperatures again about 12 in aberdeen, struggling here, 15 in belfast, no higher than around 17 in birmingham. is it going to be warming up over the next few days?

no, it's not. the air will keep on streaming in from the north, so temperatures will remain below the average for the time of the year, but it will be often dry with fleeting showers. that's it for me. bye— bye. hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. history tells us freedom is not free. if you want to know the price of freedom, come here to normandy, come to normandy and look. go to the other cemeteries in europe, where our fallen heroes rest. translation: we're all today | children of the d-day landings. . those valiant veterans who have . managed to come here to normandy know all too well the dangers of aggressive nationalism - and the politics of hate.

western leaders on the beaches of normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the d—day landings. a memorable day in france, but what does it teach us in mind of the current threats we face? we will hear from the family of one of those veterans — the canadian bill cameron, who died on friday, 100 years of age, just before they were due to leave for the commemorations. a warm welcome to the programme. it has been a spectacular, moving day in normandy, where kings and world leaders were humbled this afternoon by the stories from the veterans who had returned for probably the last time, to mark the 80th anniversary of the d—day landings. at the new british memorial in ver—sur—mer, the commemorations were attended by 40 veterans overlooking one of the beaches