welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lebo diseko. our top stories: brexit begins. the british parliament votes overwhelmingly to allow the government to start formal divorce talks with the european union. after days of delays, the us senate confirms president trump's controversial choice for attorney general, right—wing senator, jeff sessions. a huge fire in the philippines capital manilla leaves thousands of people homeless. and, no legs? no problem. we salute the bravery of nine—year—old new yorker, isaiah bird. good to have you with us. british mps have voted overwhelmingly to allow

the government to start the process of leaving the eu. the prime minister, theresa may, says she wants to trigger formal talks by the end of march. the legislation survived several attempts to add extra conditions and will now go to the house of lords. here's our political correspondent, vicki young. as many of that opinion say aye. aye! the message is loud and clear, theresa may wants to get on with brexit negotiations, and tonight mps gave her their overwhelming support. the ayes to the right, 494. the noes to the left, 122. it's an historic vote today and it got through by a large majority at every turn. it's carried out the will of the british people. that's what parliament has done today. and it's put through a bill which is just 137 words long. it's very simple, it just authorises the government to do what the people told them to do. but many are frustrated they haven't had enough time to fully debate the brexit bill.

the whole of the curtailing of this debate leaves parliament unable to scrutinise the eu withdrawal. this bill, mrs lang, is being railroaded through this house with scant regard for democratic process. mps also wanted a guarantee in the bill that eu citizens living in britain could stay, but ministers said that would have to wait until talks start. it is therefore not appropriate to seek to tie the hands of the government in individual policy areas at this stage. doing so can only serve to jeopardise our negotiating position. while threats of conservative rebellions melted away, before the vote it was clear that labour mps like clive lewis were struggling to follow orders from jeremy corbyn not to block or delay brexit talks. it's my intention to do what's right by my constituents and by my conscience and whatever that takes and also i have to think about the wider labour party. it's a really tough call. tonight he walked out of labour's

top team saying he couldn't vote for something he believed would harm his constituents. but diane abbott, who was criticised last week for missing a vote through illness, did show up tonight. i am a loyal member of the shadow cabinet and a loyal supporter ofjeremy corbyn and so i have now voted to trigger article 50. theresa may left parliament tonight reflecting on a job well done. the us senate has confirmed donald trump's controversial nomination for attorney general, the alabama senator, jeff sessions. the appointment was approved by 52 votes to a7. it came after a series of divisive hearings. let's take a look at the moment the vote was confirmed. the ayes are 52, the nays are a7. inaudible. i'm inaudible.

and one senator responded present. the nomination is confirmed. applause. richard lister, our correspondent in washington, explained why it's such a controversial choice. well, 30 years ago, he was nominated to be a judge. during the confirmation hearings then, there were allegations that he had used racist language in talking to colleagues. that was something he denied but he did accept that he had also been very critical of landmark legislation enabling african—america ns to vote in the united states and he also called one important african american organisation anti—american. that was enough that the republican senate, as it was then, decided not to confirm his nomination. that was a very unusual move and it had only happened twice in 50 years. those allegations have stayed with senatorjeff sessions. he has since said he supports that voting rights act and he has made friends across the aisle.

but democrats were not convinced he was the right person for this job and they were very, very cross about the fact that he had been nominated. that said, it was never really in doubt that he was going to get the approval because the republicans have the majority. after the vote, he took the comparatively unusual move of addressing his fellow senators from the chamber. i do appreciate the debate we have had an i want to thank those who, of addressing his fellow senators from the chamber. i do appreciate the debate we have had an i want to thank those who, after it all, found sufficient confidence in me to cast their vote to confirme me as the next attorney general of the united states of america. i gotta tell you, i fully understand the responsibilities of that office. in other news:

the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, is to visit mexico in the next few weeks. after meeting him in washington, the mexican foreign minister said they had discussed the wall the us intends to build along their border. the bolivian government has declared a state of emergency in a vast agricultural area affected by a plague of locusts. the swarm first appeared over a week ago near the city of santa cruz, where most of bolivia's food and meat is produced. president evo morales has announced a plan that includes $700,000 in funds for fumigation. thousands of people in the philippines have spent another night out on the streets and in temporary shelter after a fire ripped through a shanty town in manila on tuesday. the fire service is being criticised for not responding fast enough. catharina moh reports. in a single night, 15,000 people became homeless. this is what is left of perola compound, a shanty town in the filipino capital, manila. as residents pick through the charred remains

of their belongings, investigators continue examining what caused the blaze, which lasted eight hours. initial reports point to faulty wiring or an unattended gas stove. the residents also blamed the fire service. translation: there was an explosion and the fire started. when the firefighters arrived, they didn't enter the compound, they looked around, they didn't want to enter, that is why the fire lasted until the morning. they didn't try to extinguish it early enough. officials say 90 fire trucks were deployed to the area but with the narrow, sprawling alleyways it was hard to reach the blaze.

and with the homes packed tightly together, the fire quickly spread, destroying everything. despite the ferocity, no—one died, though dozens were injured in the stampede to escape. nearly a quarter of manila's residents live in densely populated slums, and fires break out frequently, though few have been this widespread. hundreds of people have now been moved to makeshift evacuation centres and aid agencies are at work. but thousands still remain in the surrounding streets, guarding what little they have managed to salvage during the chaos. peru has issued a 90—day health emergency for its flooded northern region amid fears of mosquito—borne diseases. a spike in the number of cases of dengue fever has been reported after widespread flooding killed 25 people and left thousands water—logged. authorities have begun fumigating the area. more than 3,000 soldiers have been sent to help in the clean up. the international committee of the red cross says it's putting its aid work in afghanistan on hold temporarily. that's after six staff members were killed in an attack on one of its convoys. two employees are missing.

the aid convoy was taking supplies to areas of the northern province ofjowzjan, when it was attacked. afghan authorities said they believed the attack had been carried out by islamic state militants. sarah corker reports. six aid workers shot dead as they tried to help remote afghan communities. the red cross called it the worst attack on the charity in 20 years. at hospital in thejowzjan province, doctors confirmed six bodies arrived at 4pm local time on wednesday. some with close range gunshot wounds. the eight—person aid convoy came underfire in northern afghanistan, close to the capital of the jowzjan province. we decided to put on hold all our operations in the country because we also need and want to mark what is a horrible

incident which came as a huge shock for all our staff first and foremost in afghanistan but also to respect the families. we have six of our colleagues that were killed. nobody immediately claimed the attack but local police say they believe the so—called islamic state was responsible. two charity workers are still missing and a search operation is under way. northern afghanistan has been hit by heavy snowstorms. the red cross said many need urgent supplies but security issues are mounting. more than 7,000 people have already died in yemen's devastating civil war. now the united nations is warning that the country is on the brink of a "catastrophic" famine. it's trying to raise more than $2 billion to help more than three million people suffering from acute malnutrition. 0ur correspondent, nawal al—maghafi, is one of the few western journalists to have travelled

to yemen in recent months. she has the story. fatima is the face of hunger in yemen. in the six months since we met her, every day has been a struggle to get food. her mother says they are barely surviving. fatima is not alone. there are over two million children like her. 90% of yemen's food is imported and most of it arrives here, at what was once its busiest port. but all the cranes needed to off—load the ships have been bombed by the saudi—led coalition. and the port is barely functioning. the saudis have imposed an aerial and naval blockade, controlling all imports to the country. they say they are stopping arms from getting to the houthis and their allies. but that means that very little food is getting through. the world food programme has bought new cranes for hodeda's port but we have been told the saudi

coalition has refused to allow them in for at least two months. these delays in bringing foodstuffs onshore, either commercially or humanitarian, means there's less available and therefore, the prices will go up. from what i've heard, the saudi argument is that firstly, the port is in control of the houthis, so they are handing over cranes to a port that is in control of the rebels. they also say that these cranes could be used to off—load arms for the rebels and therefore, fuel the fight. what would you say to that? those cranes are for wfp. those cranes are brought in and funded for wfp, who are the logistics cluster, to bring those food goods off ships that are coming in. the port is controlled by the same people who have always controlled the port, the same as the sea offshore is controlled by the saudi—led coalition.

so we just want these cranes in so we can do our work, to make sure the humanitarian pipeline is a strong as it can possibly be. the fighting for control of the port has been going on for over six months, with neither side winning. and it's the most vulnerable that are left suffering. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: an aerial ballet, with a cast of thousands. starlings delight uk birdwatchers with their yearly murmuration. there is mr mandela, mr nelson mandela. a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader ayatollah khomeini has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british this author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks

for the ousting of their former president, 'baby doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories. head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: britain's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to allow the government to begin formal divorce talks with the european union. the us senate has confirmed president trump's controversial choice for attorney general, right—wing senatorjeff sessions. let's stay with that story now.

earlier i asked former acting attorney general stuart gerson whether he thought senator sessions was fit for office. certainly he will have more restrictive views of the extent of the law than, say, a liberal democrat might have, but he will faithfully enforce the laws. i mean, he has been a responsible senator, he's an affable fellow. one can expect that he will agree with president trump on many things, however. these racism allegations don't seem to have gone away, though, over the years. you have worked with him. what is he like as a person? well, he's a southern gentleman. i really think it's hard to paint him as a racist, given the fact that i believe he has multiracial grandchildren, who are half—asian, so i doubt that the charge really sticks. but it is the sort of thing that those who are in that lobby pursue.

the race card is played perhaps a bit too often. but here, where you're talking about the people who enforce the civil rights laws, you're dealing with a dedicated staff of professionals that carry through from administration to administration. i think it is likely that a sessions administration at the department ofjustice isn't going to seak to break new ground, but i think that it will faithfully enforced the law. the other criticisms of mr sessions are that he is essentially going to be donald trump's puppet. is this something that is likely to happen, do you think? you know, i doubt it. i mean, i understand it, you hear that sort of criticism all the time, and it started when robert kennedy, the brother of presidentjohn f kennedy, was made the attorney—general. but look, sessions is very much likejohn ashcroft, who was the attorney—general in the george w bush administration, who was considered by

many to be a puppet. and, when push came to shove, he stood up to the administration and refused to sign a particular warrant. i would expect that sessions would do the same thing. indeed, we've had something of an object lesson today, whenjudge gorsuch, the nominee for the supreme court, suggested that the president's comments about the court were disheartening and a bit out of line. i think you find people grow into these offices, and understand the mantle of authority that they have, and that they're representing the people. again, i think it's likely that sessions will displease many people, because he and the president are very much aligned. but, on certain questions that implicate the constitution, where the opinions of the advisors within thejustice department are clear, i believe that jeff sessions will follow in the law, and will advise the president to that effect. the brazilian government says it will deploy extra troops to its south—eastern

state of espirito santo, where violence has been getting worse since police went on strike on saturday. officers say the number of violent deaths there in the past five days has reached 90. that is compared to four during the previous month. pablo uchoa reports. five days into a controversial police strike, tensions are running high in the brazilian city of vitoria. these are residents who came to demonstrate in front of police barracks, asking them to return to work. translation: i'm fed up with being trapped inside the house. i can't go to work. my daughter wants to know when she can go to school. 1,200 federal troops have begun patrolling the streets of several cities across the state on monday, two days after local officers stopped working. but, despite a slowdown in the number of incidents, crime is still rife in this city of 2 million. this is a stolen car used to break through this shop window. and here are residents doing justice

with their own hands, arresting two suspects in broad daylight. dozens of shops have been looted, and many businesses remain closed, fearing violence. schools, health clinics and bus services are shut. the officers are demanding a pay rise, after four years of frozen wages. they argue that their average salary of $830 a month is about two thirds of the national pay. but the state's government says it can't afford to meet their demands. translation: this is blackmail, it is openly blackmail. it is the same as kidnapping the freedom of our citizens and demanding a ransom. the government in brazil has announced an extra 650 troops will be deployed to espirito santo. but, with police officers elsewhere in the state now threatening to join the strike, solving the heart of this impasse may prove to be a difficult task. now here is the inspiring story

of nine—year—old new yorker isaiah bird. isaiah was born without legs, but that hasn't stopped his passion for sport. my name's isaiah bird, and i'm nine years old, and i love wrestling. i also like football, soccer, swimming, baseball. what makes me unique is i have no legs, and i was born this way. god made me this way. many people say, like, you have no legs, you can't go up there, you can't come down here. and they would be, like, mean to me. i don't go with that.

it's just not nice. i'm, like, why are you doing this to me? the first time that i met isaiah, i rememberthat like it was yesterday. isaid hey, dude, iwant to play basketball. you want to play basketball with me? i saw this young man hopping around. it was shocking. he had no legs, and i was amazed at how quick and how happy he was. isaiah bird does not see a disability in himself. he does anything that any other kid does, sometimes better. it's like i have two families, it'sjust like a miracle. i feel supported. as he gets older, no matter what happens, he knows he can always rely on me,

and he knows that coach will not let him go, that this is going to be for life. i am so proud of isaiah bird, because of everything that he has accomplished. his name should be isaiah bird, the amazing human. ijust hope he's happy. ijust — every morning i wake up with a smile on my face. my motto is, no excuses. you don't say, oh, my hand hurts. you get back up, and you do what you do, like rocky balboa. the truly remarkable isaiah bird. and the oldest theatre on broadway, which has been closed for the last 50 years, has been reopened. academy award nominee jake gyllenhaal cut the ribbon, alongside co—star annaleigh ashford,

their play sunday in the park with george being the opening show. the theatre has a rich history since opening in 1903, with its first owner losing his life aboard the titanic. it then became the venue for the original the tonight show, and amongst many star performances hosted the first televised performance from barbra streisand. it is the time of year when tens of thousands of birds perform a spectacular nightly ritual in the north—west of england. the starling's synchronised flying is called a murmuration, and it looks like an amazing ballet in the sky. now, one group is organising viewing events before the season ends later this month, as dave guest reports. it is an aerial ballet with a cast of thousands, a mass of starlings flying in mesmerising harmony. the dictionary tells us this is called a murmuration.

it also tells us the word has been in use for hundreds of years. but why murmuration? nobody really knows the reason why it's called the murmuration. it's an interesting word, because they don't really murmur. it's a very old word. short answer, nobody knows. but why do they form these patterns and move together in harmony? again, nobody really knows. there's some suggestion that come together at dusk in a big group because it protects them from predation from the likes of buzzards or kestrels. but why they do this amazing aerial ballet before they settle down for the night, nobody knows. and why this spot, why would they pick this spot? obviously it's a stunning landscape. why would anyone want to spend a night here? and so an audience gathered in cumbria for one of the greatest free free shows on earth. this one of several murmuration viewings posted by friends of the lake district. they don't disappoint.

someone estimated there was 60,000 or so starlings out there. i will take their word for it, i'm not sure you'd count them. then, as darkness falls, so too do the starlings. and it is curtain down on another perfect performance. the singer lady gaga has hit back at the cyber bullies who made fun of her body during the half—time show at sunday's super bowl. she posted on instagram that she had heard that her body was a topic of conversation, and said that she was proud of her body. internet trolls had criticised her costumes, and how they showed off her stomach. but lady gaga is having the last laugh. since her super bowl performance, sales of her albums and singles have soared by 1,000%. hello, there.

over the next few days it is going to feel like we have been plunged into the deep freeze, and do not expect crisp, cold weather and blue skies. in fact, for much of the time it will be grey skies. a lot of cloud, and actually, during wednesday we already saw a lot of cloud creeping in across eastern areas. this weather watcher at gower, near swansea, did capture some sunshine. that was where the best of the sunshine was during wednesday, and the highest temperatures as well — 11 degrees. but under the cloud, further east, we were pegged well down into single digits, because of all the cloud, and also because of this increasingly cold air feeding in on an easterly wind. the easterly wind providing some wintry showers through the early hours down the east coast. a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, snow particularly inland, could get some icy stretches and, wherever you are, a very cold start to thursday morning. now, through thursday, there will be some brightness and sunshine around. again, the best of that will be out west. but for central and eastern areas, a lot of cloud, this nagging easterly wind still providing some wintry showers, particularly close to the east coast. now, we could see some quite hefty

showers across the northern isles. some showers continuing down the east coast of scotland. along the immediate coastal strip, a mixture of rain and sleet. right on the coast line, a mixture of rain and sleet. inland, the increasing chance of seeing some snow showers. and you can see these temperatures, just 2, 3, 4 degrees. in fact, that is the story, as far as the temperatures go, right across the country, but remember, in these western fringes, there is a better chance that we will see some sunshine. now, during thursday night and on into friday, really, it is more of the same. easterly winds continue to deliver some wintry showers, these showers increasingly falling as snow. a frosty start to friday morning just about everywhere. and then during friday, we cannot rule out a wintry flurry, really anywhere across the country. probably nothing too disruptive, but there could be some small accumulations in places, and a cold—feeling day, 2, 3, 4, 5 degrees at best. and then we head into the weekend. we still have high pressure anchored up over scandinavia, bringing us these easterly winds. still the wintry showers,

the increasing chance that these will be falling as snow, particularly in eastern areas.