hello, you're watching bbc world news. i'm adnan nawaz. our top story this hour: the british government gets the green light to begin brexit. it can start formal divorce talks with the european union following an overwhelming vote in parliament. welcome to the programme. our other main stories this hour: after days of delays, the us senate confirms president trump's controversial choice for attorney general, right—wing senatorjeff sessions. 12 million people, including two million children, face famine in war—torn yemen. the un launches an emergency appeal for more than $2 billion. hello, i'm aaron heslehurst. in business: will open skies stay open under president trump? us airline bosses take their grievances to the white house today. top of the list, their fast—growing rivals from the gulf. plus — hail to the tweeter in chief.

could the president's love of twitter stop the rot for the struggling social network? the british parliament has 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. a government source told the bbc the upper chamber would have to pass the bill if it wanted to avoid overwhelming calls for its abolition. our political correspondent vicki young reports. 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 labour leader has to deal with 52 rebels and a looming reshuffle. vicky young, bbc news, westminster. and you can find out more

about brexit and how the bill will continue to move through parliament by visiting our website, go to bbc.com/news. later in the programme, we hearfrom marine le pen, one of the front—runners in the upcoming french presidential election. she's been speaking to our europe editor, katya adler, about brexit, the european union and mass immigration. let's round up some of the other main stories: the us military has confirmed the death of a senior al-qaeda operative, abu hani al—masri, in an air strike in syria. the pentagon said al—masri was close to osama bin laden and had set up al-qaeda training camps in afghanistan and pakistan in the ‘80s and ‘90s. russia's main opposition leader, alexei navalny, has been found guilty of embezzlement and handed a five—year suspended sentence. it bars him from running for president next year against vladimir putin. mr navalny, who denies the charges, has vowed to take part in the race regardless. the new director of the cia, mike pompeo, will visit turkey later

on thursday — his first foreign trip since taking office. he'll have talks with government officials about the war in syria, and turkey's extradition request for a us—based cleric accused of orchestrating the attempted coup last year. the us senate has voted in favour of one of president trump's most controversial cabinet nominees. known to be a hardliner on immigration, jeff sessions will be the next attorney general, and will lead thejustice department as it defends the president's travel ban. here's 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. more than 30 years ago, mr sessions was denied a post as a federaljudge when he was accused of racism,

something he's always denied. our correspondent, richard lister has more from washington. 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, 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. america's new attorney general ending that report from richard lister. and aaron is here with all the business news. iam thinking i am thinking he american chiefs of us carriers are rubbing their hands

together, in the fact that they have got... he is supposed to be pro—business. got... he is supposed to be pro-business. and they are looking towards the middle east. let me explain. we start in washington where the bosses of america's top airlines and airports are due to meet president trump in the next few hours. there are some major issues on the table that could affect the global aviation industry. as we know from his inauguration speech, mr trump said he would follow two simple rules. "buy american and hire american". that could mean a major boost for boeing. if he leans on us airlines to buy from them. but it's not as simple as that. european rival airbus also operates factories in the us, and buys billions of dollars worth of us components, like engines. it claims to support 245,000 usjobs. then there's the issue of foreign airlines operating in the us.

this one, norwegian, was given a foreign carrier licence, allowing them to expand their routes to and from the us, as one of the last acts of the 0bama administration. this caused howls of protest from us airlines and unions. again, there's another side to it. norwegian says its creating at least 150 new usjobs and has ordered more than $18 billion worth of planes from boeing. so, what about the whole question of open skies, the deals that mean countries open their routes to each other? will they stay open under mr trump? the us currently has 120 open skies agreements. us airline bosses are particularly unhappy about the expansion of emirates, etihad airways, and qatar airways in the us. last week they wrote to the government claiming gulf carriers have received $50 billion

in handouts from their governments over the past decade, something the gulf airlines deny. so, will mr trump wade in to the battle? what he says today will be watched carefully by the whole industry. lots more on that in world business report in 20 minutes with an aviation expert. we are also looking at twitter. it reports results later today. its problems are well—known. it has been struggling to grow its user base and to make money from it. those are the main reasons why twitter shares are down by almost a third since it floated. but could the election of avid twitter user donald trump be giving it a new lease of life?

analysts have been pointing out a rise in people downloading the app. we will find out more in 20 minutes. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. thank you. more than 7,000 people have already died in yemen's civil war. the united nations is now 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. 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. e 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. the international committee of the red cross says it's

putting its aid work in afghanistan on temporary hold. it's after six staff members were killed in an attack on one of its convoys. two employees are missing. the aid convoy had been taking supplies to areas of the northern province ofjowzjan. afghan authorities said they believed the attack was 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 is under way. northern afghanistan has been hit by heavy snowstorms. the red cross said many need urgent supplies but security issues are mounting. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: no legs, no problem. we salute the bravery of nine—year—old new yorker, isaiah bird. rescinds

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 world news.

the latest headlines: the british government has been given the green light to begin formal divorce talks with the european union after an overwhelming vote in parliament. the us senate has confirmed president trump's controversial choice for attorney general — right—wing senatorjeff sessions. 2017 has been nicknamed 'election year‘ in europe — with big votes coming up in key countries: germany, the netherlands, and the headline maker of the moment, france. the eurosceptic nationalist marine le pen is drawing most attention ahead of the first round of the presidential contest in april. as our europe editor, katya adler reports, the rise of populist and nationalist policies don't only affect domestic politics, but could also mean a battle for survival for the european union. this isn't brexit contagion or europe swinging to the far right.

like italy's beppe grillo, populist promises, spoken or sung, are captivating. they fight for people, they say, not big business. old and young from all sorts of backgrounds, disenchanted europeans, are all ears. translation: populism is a beautiful word. i'm proud to be a populist. we need to say no. there is a part of society in italy and the world which has nothing. we will certainly win the next election. europe's populists are getting louder. the migrant and the euro crises, popular discontent has blown wind into their political sales. their policies differ from country to country but an antiestablishment, anti—immigration, eurosceptic, nostalgic, nationalist vein runs through most.

there are big elections this year in key eu countries. in germany, the netherlands and especially here in france, populists stand to make dramatic gains. marine le pen is a top contender to become france's next president. translation: this is the year of the patriot, the great comeback of the nations and the people. look at trump. look at brexit. and what about the eu? either it radically changes, abandons its authoritarian character, or it will die. for some in europe, populists embody change and hope. for others, they are a threat. here in brussels, even insiders admit the eu is in a battle to survive. the blame game, that everything which is good is national and everything which is bad

is european, if that would continue as today, the risk that we fall apart is a real risk, yes. this story is of global significance, too. for the main, europe's populists are big fans of presidents putin and trump. and a weaker, fractured europe works for both men, for moscow in terms of geopolitical influence, and for washington in terms of trade. with so much at stake, it could be that even europe's angry voters decide it is safer to stick with the political mainstream. but predict at your peril. here in italy, as elsewhere, polls are unreliable, accepted wisdom crushed. europe's voters are in a volatile mood. katya adler, bbc news. a state of emergency has been declared in after a plague of locusts devastated a vast agricultural area.

the swarm first appeared over a week ago near the city of santa cruz, where most of bolivia's meat and otherfood is produced. president evo morales has announced a plan that includes $700,000 for a fumigation programme. five circus performers have been seriously injured while practicing a high—wire act in florida. firefighters say the group fell at least 9 metres. the accident involved some members of the well—known daredevil family of nik wallenda, the highwire walker who's walked over the grand canyon and niagara falls without a safety net. the authorities say he is not one of those hurt. in sport, leicester city are through to the last 16 of the english fa cup. claudio ranier‘s team beat the championship side, derby county 3—1 after extra time. in the premier league, last season's winners are struggling and arejust a point above the relegation zone. but they're still in the fa cup and the european champions league. in this moment, everything can go wrong, everything can go right. it is ok.

it is ok, it was a good match. they played good football, and we won, and that is what we needed and wanted. now, here's the inspiring story of 9 year—old new yorker isaiah bird, who was born without legs, something 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 if 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 just get back up, and you do what you do, like rocky balboa. what a remarkable young man.

and the oldest theatre on broadway — the hudson theatre — which has been closed for the last fifty years — has been reopened. academy award nominee jake gyllenhaal cut the ribbon alongside co—star anna—leigh ashford. their play 'sunday in the park with george' is the opening show. the theatre has a rich history since opening in 1903. it's first owner died on board the titanic. it then became the venue for the original 'the tonight show‘ and among many star performances, hosted the first televised performance from barbra streisand. lady gaga has hit back at cyber bullies who made fun of her body during the half—time show at sunday's super bowl. the singer posted on instagram that she'd heard her body was a "topic of conversation" and said she was proud of it. 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 music have soared by one—thousand per cent. 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. there was some sunshine to be had. it lifted temperatures. cloud from the east pegged temperatures down to single figures. we have increasingly cold air settling in and easterly winds bringing showers down the east coast with possible icy stretches. wherever you are temperatures around 01’ wherever you are temperatures around or below freezing. some sunshine in western fridges but for central and eastern areas a lot of cloud and steal some wintry showers. along the

coast itself, the showers likely to bea coast itself, the showers likely to be a mixture of rain and sleet. heavy snow showers developing in the northern isles. snow continuing to pile up across the grampians. inland, we are likely to see snow showers especially over high ground. 0ut west, more in the way of sunshine but wherever you are, a cold day. through thursday night, we keep the wintry showers down the east coast. we are not expecting anything too disruptive but small accumulations here and there. friday could see it snow showers anywhere across the country. temperatures not far above freezing. into the weekend, we keep the easterly winds.

high pressure from scandinavia feeding the wintry showers. a lot of cloud generally. the best of the temperatures still struggling. a hint of something less cold in the south particularly here. temperatures may rise of little for the start of the next week. this is bbc world news. the headlines: the british parliament has voted overwhelmingly to let the government begin the uk's departure from the european union. prime minister theresa may says she wants to trigger formal talks by the end of march. during the vote, some dissenting mps were reprimanded for singing 0de tojoy, the eu anthem. senators in the us have confirmed president trump's controversial choice for attorney general. alabama senator jeff sessions‘ appointment was approved by 52 votes to a7. the un has launched an emergency appeal for yemen, which is on the brink of famine after two years of civil war. it's calling for $2.1 billion to support two—thirds of the population. the international committee

of the red cross says it's temporarily halting its aid work in afghanistan. it follows an attack on one of its convoys in the north of the country that left six staff dead and two missing.