welcome to bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. our top stories: no presidential show: donald trump says he'll skip this year's correspondents‘ dinner at the white house. the exodus of civilians from western mosul — as iraqi troops push deeper into territory held by militants. a vigil is held for the indian victim of a shooting in a kansas bar. the authorities suspect it could be a hate crime. following a search for traces of a deadly nerve agent at kuala lumpur airport, the authorities give the all—clear. hello. good to have you with us. president trump say‘s he won't be attending the white house correspondents‘ dinner this year. the yearly event traditionally features a humorous speech by the sitting president. the white house has been asked

to explain why it barred reporters from several news organisations, including the bbc, from a briefing on friday. from washington, laura bicker reports. this seems to be a further deterioration of the president's relationship with the press. this dinner is usually an annual, star—studded event and a chance for the press and president to sit down together and put any animosity aside. and president donald trump has decided that this year he will not attend. 15 presidents have been to this dinner. it has only been skipped on three occasions. that was president richard nixon in 1972, president richard nixon in 1972, president carter and president ronald reagan. it comes after a number of stepping up of the attacks on the media. president donald trump has described some outlets as fake

news, and he says that fake news is an enemy of the american people. and then, on friday, at a white house briefing, certain selected members of the media were not allowed in. that was cnn, the new york times, the bbc, and others. our editor is still asking for an explanation as to why we were not allowed in, and we are not sure if it will continue. what this message that president donald trump has put out on twitter makes clear is that his animosity and relationship with the press is not go to get any better. meanwhile democrats have elected a new national chairman. tom perez is a former member of barack obama's cabinet. the role is seen as key when it comes to driving the party's message home and criticising president trump. here's what mr perez had to say after his election: some day they are going to study this era in american history and they are going study it alongside the "know nothing"

movement, and they will ask the question of all of us, where were you in 2017, when we had the worst president in the history of the united states? and we will all be able to say, whether you are sitting here, whether you're sitting outside, or whether you are looking across america, we will all be able to say, the united democratic party led the resistance, ensured that this president was a one—term president and elected democrats across this country. and we will have more analysis of what this will mean later in the programme. in iraq, troops are pushing deeper into western mosul in their offensive to drive out so—called islamic state from the country's second city. this area of mosul is the last is stronghold in iraq. the militants are surrounded, along with an estimated three—quarters—of—a—million civilians. our correspondent wyre davies is at an advanced iraqi military base, where american troops

and advisers are a key part of the offensive. this woman is a victim of islamic state's latest tactic in its desperate bid to avoid defeat in mosul. the 55—year—old mother of seven, from the eastern part of the city, was hit in a drone strike. her leg shattered. "i was lying on the ground and people were pointing to the sky from where the bomb came", she told me. one of dozens of drone attack victims they've treated at this hospital. this is pretty new for this conflict but also for conflicts all over the world. these mortars can be very effective and the impact on the population really, really brutal. this is video eulogises the use of commercially available drones to drop bombs and grenades. an organisation which governs according to brutal feudal codes, adapting modern technology to lethal effect. drones are yet another threat for government troops now pursuing fighters from so—called islamic state into the narrow

streets of mosul. after days of fierce clashes on the edge of the city. but from a field just to the south, big american guns are helping to sway the battle perhaps decisively in the government's favour. this is an overwhelmingly iraqi military operation but the role of american advisers and troops, so—called boots on the ground, is also critical. us artillery pieces pounding targets in mosul. american commanders are reluctant to divulge too many sensitive details, but say us military support will be decisive. the fight in western mosul would be a tough fight for really any army in the world. so the iraqi army, the iraqi federal police again will face a tough fight. it will be a lot of house—to—house fighting. the enemy is cornered. they don't have any choice but to fight. a kurdish reporter, shifa gardi,

was killed today covering the government advance into mosul. a handful of refugees fled in the opposite direction but there are an estimated 750,000 civilians still trapped inside the besieged city. wyre davies, bbc news, northern iraq. let's get a round—up of some of the other main stories. the un's peace envoy for syria says suicide attacks on two government compounds in the city of homs were designed to derail peace talks taking place in geneva. at least 30 people were killed, and dozens injured, in the coordinated bombings. a 73—yearold man has died after being severely injured when a man drove his car into pedestrians in the city of heidelberg, in south—western germany. police say the driver was a 35—year—old german, armed with a knife. he was arrested shortly after the incident.

the motivation for the attack is still not known. riot police and protesters have clashed in the city of nantes in france. over 2,000 people gathered to demonstrate against the far—right national front leader and presidential candidate, marine le pen, ahead of her rally on sunday. french police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. police in albania have charged the leader of the opposition democratic party for inciting violence. they say lulzim basha had called on albanians to commit violent acts against state institutions. hundreds of people have been protesting in the capital tirana for the past week, demanding he resign. the indian embassy in washington has expressed deep concern over the killing of an indian man in kansas. another man was injured in the shooting. more than a hundred people gathered at this vigil honouring the victims in what the authorities suspect could be a hate crime. srinivas kuchibhotla died shortly after the attack on wednesday in austin's bar & grill. the suspect, adam purinton, a white navy veteran has been

charged with first degree murder. 0ur correspondent rajini vaidhyanathan, joined us from outside the bar where the shooting took place. srinivas kuchibhotla and alok madasani had just moved to kansas and worked for the tech company, garmin. it was a nice evening on wednesday and they can here for a drink after work. it was some me they often did. they were friends for a long time. but through the course of that evening, things got very tense for them after a man approached the table and started talking to them. and by the end of the evening, both were victims of a gun attack in which srinivas kuchibhotla was killed. alok madasani survived, but his leg was injured. he is recovering at home. he told me about what happened early

today. he comes up and start pointing fingers. obviously, first off, he was sitting closer to srinivas kuchibhotla's table. we knew something was wrong. there where he studied the conversation and the way he was pointing his fingers will stop that is not something you see every day. so we knew something was wrong. what did he say? he came towards me and said which country are you from? are you here illegally? police are investigating the possible motive, including that it was possibly a hate—crime. other people indi bar reported that the attacker said get out of my country, so that is what is being investigated at the moment. —— adam w purinton. the wife of

srinivas kuchibhotla is travelling to india to perform his last rites. she told me a little about her fears about hate—crime is in the united states. when the recent elections happened, he was watching it so closely. i was so worried. ijust could not sleep. i was talking to srinivas kuchibhotla and i was like, will we be safe in this country? i am so will we be safe in this country? i am so worried. i think this hate—crime will be more open, now. will it be safe for us to go to the maul? will it be said for us to go to the office? i am so worried, i am so to the office? i am so worried, i am so worried. —— to the mall. he hugged me and told me not to worry, that we would be ok. srinivas kuchibhotla loved america. this was a country that he loved living end.

he loved working here. his wife told me he was a very hard worker and would leave the office late every day. he was dedicated to his country. and his wife says when she returns, she will come back to america, because she loves the country, too, despite the concerns that she expressed there. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: all aboard for a unique big screen experience — we meet the kids testing out a cinema on wheels. prince charles has chosen his bride. the prince proposed to lady diana spencer three weeks ago. she accepted, she says, without hesitation. as revolutions go, this had its fair share of bullets. a climax in the night outside the gates of mr marcos's sanctuary, malacanang, the name itself symbolising one of the cruellest regimes of modern asia. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly using a cell from another sheep.

every vehicle was greeted as if it was the first in the relief of kuwait and in the city once among the richest in the world, kuwait is can gather freely again. not for 20 years have locusts been seen in such numbers in this part of africa. some of the swarms have been ten miles long. this is the last time the public will see this pope. very soon, for the sake of the credibility and authority of the next pope, benedict xvi will, in his own words, be hidden from the world for the rest of his life. this is bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: a presidential no show — donald trump says he won't attend this year's white house correspondents' dinner. and an exodus of civilians from western mosul, as iraqi troops push deeper into territory held by islamic state militants. malaysian security officials say the airport terminal where the half—brother of north korea's leader

was murdered, is safe. earlier, police searched the building in kuala lumpur looking for traces of the deadly nerve agent, v—x, or other toxic chemicals. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley reports. a departures hall usually bustling with travellers. at the scene of the crime, the security services came kited out against chemical weapons. they were looking for traces of deadly toxins, including the nefb agent vx, an internationally banned weapon. —— nerve. the malaysian authorities announced yesterday that it was vx that killed kim jong—nam and they've been under pressure to reassure the public that kuala lumpur‘s second international airport was safe. we confirm, number one, there is no hazardous material found. number two, it is free from any form of contamination of hazardous material.

thirdly, it is declared a safe zone. the victim, kim jong—nam was the exiled elder half—brother of the new yorken dictator kim jong—un. —— north korean dictator kim jong—un. indonesian diplomats said she had been paid just over £70 to take part in what she thought was a reality show prank. she apparently told them she had no idea what she was handling. translation: she only said she was given a kind of oil like baby oil. this is the other suspected killer. the vietnamese government said she too thought she was taking part ina prank. in the real world the malaysian authorities are still investigating kim jong—nam's extraordinary murder. a north korean diplomat wanted for questioning has yet to come forward. for more on the decoration at the

airport in kuala lumpur or, go to our website. you will also find more background on how kimjong—nam was killed and the investigation into his death. moron president trump's decision not to go to the white house dinner. we are speaking. lets talk with his decision on not going to the white house dinner. how unusual is this? . the last time it happened

was when ronald reagan was shot. it is seen as a big moment in washington and clearly president trump has pretty bad relationships with a lot ofjournalists at the moment. it doesn't come as a huge surprise but it is a big unprecedented moment. how have people reacted to it? people are reacting with a bit of shock and surprise that this has happened in such an interesting fashion. he simply tweeted that he wasn't going. there has been tension between him and the press so at the moment it is and the press so at the moment it is a bit of eight, it you know, both sides are going at each other at the moment. the white house association said it would still hold the dinner. the dinner will occur but it is not clear who will sit in the

president's seat. the other big thing that has happened is that the democrats have elected then national chair. telethon about that and why it is such a key position. -- tell us it is such a key position. -- tell us about that. this is ahead of the democratic party itself. they have elected tom peres who is a former labour secretary, under president obama. it was seen as a proxy battle between the insurgent liberal wing, the folks that voted for bernie sanders and the people that voted for hillary clinton. tom peres won this ina for hillary clinton. tom peres won this in a close battle. there is an attempt to get some unity. as you say, unity, bringing the party together after such a divisive election. a big task. it was extremely divisive. especially this

was essentially a job for a strategist, not really a politician. it is an operationaljob. the party has been ripped apart since hillary clinton lost to donald trump and it has been searching for its identity. this is seen as a big test of that search. the big thing tom parade has to do is to try to bring the party together. he is a liberal guy but has identified with the establishment. we really appreciate your time. some other stories in brief now: five teenagers have been remanded in custody, after appearing in court in london charged with terror offences. four of the youths who are aged between 15 and 19 are suspected of plotting to carry out acts of terrorism abroad. a massive rally has taken place in south korea's capital seoul to protest against president park geun—hye, on the fourth anniversary of her inauguration. her presidency has been rocked by allegations that a close friend used her ties to the leader to meddle in state affairs. security officials in myanmar say the murder of a senior government

aide was due to a personal political grudge, not a wider conspiracy within the military. lawyer, ko—ni, was shot while holding his grandson at yangon airport. police have arrested three men. one of them was allegedly paid almost six thousand dollars to carry out the killing. three men have appeared in court on slavery charges after the discovery of a cannabis factory at a disused nuclear bunker in the english countryside. a police raid found cannabis worth around a million pounds — that's about $1.2 million. andrew plant reports. police raided the bunker on wednesday night, acting, they said, ona tip wednesday night, acting, they said, on a tip off. inside they found 20 large rooms kitted out with equipment to help grow cannabis and places for people to sleep. today in court, three men appeared, charged with conspiracy to grow cannabis.

30—year—old ross winter from bristol, 45—year—old martin hillary from bridgwater and 27—year—old palm in new and also from bristol. the three men are also under arrest for conspiracy to steal electricity and keeping people. the nuclear bomb pa rt keeping people. the nuclear bomb part —— bunker with built in the 19805 part —— bunker with built in the 1980s to house government officials in case of nuclear attack. police said the cannabis inside had a street value of around £1 million. none of the three men made any application for bail and all were remanded into custody. they will next appear at salisbury crown court. zimbabwe's president robert mugabe — who's the world's oldest head of state — has been celebrating his 93rd birthday. and he showed no signs of being ready to stand down. shingai nyoka reports. organisers are saying they want to throw one of the biggest parties in africa. what does it take for such a big—budget birthday? for officials, but not

everybody is celebrating. some groups said the party abused power and forced impoverished people to make donations. a protest group said the feasting should stop until the country is fixed. as we speak hospitals are in crisis, doctors have been on strike the last two weeks. this the government said this is not an ordinary party, that they want to revere an african icon that is president robert mugabe. nothing beats a trip to the cinema to see the latest films, but a family outing can get quite pricey. now a young entrepreneur has come up with a new idea to fix that. she's converted a bus into a cinema to screen films to children in deprived areas of the uk. caroline davies went to have a look.

it doesn't look like a normal bus, does it? and it isn't. this is the movie—mobil. any parent knows just how expensive it is. i live on a housing estate. i thought, wouldn't it be great if a cinema rocked up? using funding from croydon council and a start—up loan, kerry kitted out an old bus, even down to a popcorn machine. this is the bus's first school group. it's so exciting. i like eating popcorn. i like watching the video. it's really cool. it is amazing. it is exactly what i've been waiting for. it is just incredible. i am overwhelmed, actually, seeing them jumping around. it's perfect. the aim is to reach children whose families might not be able to afford to take them to the cinema. she plans to fund it by renting the bus to corporate companies, or for private parties.

i think it can open up their imagination, it can inspire them, it can educate them. nothing can beat the magic of the cinema. it'sjust one bus now, but kerry has plans to turn it into a fleet, so this could be coming to a street near you soon. beautiful. well this weekend's oscars in los angeles will showcase more breakthrough movies with diverse casting in its history. however the event is likely to feature a lot of political debate. keith adam reports. it is oscars weekend and the red carpet has been rolled out to signal assesses: iiéix'ztéféée' = sweeps the board. the musical about two la dreamers is nominated in 1a categories and is expected to come away with a raft of major prizes. but politics is expected

to loom large this year. on friday, a demonstration took place in support of immigrant rights, where the crowd was addressed by the actors michaelj fox and jodie foster. there are people giving up everything. they have lost everything they have and are struggling to keep their families alive and to keep food in their mouths and keep diseases from their bodies, and taking tremendous risks to get here, to get to this country, and then we... we say no? it is our time to tell our elective officials to do theirjob. that we will not tolerate chaos, ineptitude and warmongering. there is also expected to be a political mist surrounding the event, with many anticipating acceptance speeches with an anti—trump message. —— political mood.

one of the nominated films, the white helmets, has been dragged into the political frame. the documentary is about rescuers on the journey through training to the syrian front line. its cameraman khaled khatib has been barred from travelling to los angeles for the ceremony. officials say they have found what they called "derogatory information" about him. sunday's ceremony is sure to have the glitz and glamour you would expect, but this year look out for more political digs than usual. we will have the headlines in a moment. thank you for watching. hello. it's a very changeable weather pattern in the few days to come. much colder to start the new week.

but still some mild weather ahead of us for sunday. this was the rain on saturday. behind me is the next named storm, and that's racing in off the atlantic. that's storm ewan. it was named by the irish met service for the expected consequences here. but it will bring wet and windy weather in the north of the uk. but heavy rain between the two weather systems, generally mild. further west, already the rain and wind is gathering. that will be a feature for northern ireland in scotland for the morning onwards. while elsewhere we'll see some dry weatherfor a time. as well as rain, cold air. we have talked about that sleet in the hills. snow to come. brightness will fade. some more rain to come back across northern ireland in the morning. a showery afternoon. england and wales, the dry part of the day is in the morning.

could be damp and grey with hill fog in central and eastern areas. temporary dryness but then the clouds will gather as the day goes on. the wind strengthens and pushes the rain into the north and east. gales in the irish sea. possibly severe for north wales, north—west england, northern ireland, and scotland as well. 70 miles per hour on the coast and 50—60 inland. which is, as i said, a notch down on doris. the rain in the west. but for central and eastern areas, clouding up but largely dry. just cloudy. and mild still at 11—12, well above where it should be at this time of year. and it does look to stay set to dry for england against italy at twickenham in the six nations. some drizzle in the air at the end. you can see it coming in the evening hours pushing east. much colder air will come across the country with some snow. even towards the west country, the mountains of wales, the moors, possibly even at lower levels in the north. icy to start monday morning.

cold air will take a while to reach it is with us through monday and tuesday and into wednesday. that northerly wind also bringing the potential for some very windy weather on, say, tuesday. monitoring that as always. the warnings are on the website. but as you can see, through the middle of the week it stays pretty cold. stay up—to—date on the forecasts. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. donald trump says he won't attend this year's white house correspondents' dinner. on friday, a number of news organisations were excluded from a briefing by the presidential spokesman. the president has referred to some sections of the press as enemies of the american people. in iraq, troops are pushing into western mosul in their offensive to drive out so—called islamic state from the country's second city. the militants are surrounded, along with an estimated three—quarters—of—a—million civilians.

american troops and advisers are a key part of the offensive. the indian embassy in washington has expressed its concern over the killing of an indian man in kansas. more than a hundred people held a vigil following what the authorities suspect could be a possible hate crime. the suspect has been charged with first degree murder. those are your headlines on bbc news. an island which inspired the foundation of the national trust, has been gifted to the conservation charity after more than a century in private hands.