this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at apm: sex education is to be made compulsory in all schools in england. do we have need to have boyfriends and girlfriends at this age? no. no. . no. children as young as four will be taught about relationships and at an appropriate age about sex. the government is facing defeat on its brexit bill in the house of lords with peers seeking to protect the rights of eu citizens living in the uk. it comes as the president of the european commission outlines scenarios for the future of the eu after brexit. i'm simon mccoy. in the next hour, tougher punishment for drivers caught using their phone at the wheel. as penalties double, a new campaign urges motorists to put phones in the glove compartment out of temptation‘s way. and the biggest shake—up to golf rules in a generation is unveiled aimed at simplifying the game. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. sex education is to become compulsory in all schools in england. the education secretary justine greening says that children as young as four will be taught about relationships and secondary school pupils will learn about both sex and relationships. there will be a particular emphasis on the dangers of sexting, online pornography and cyber bullying. our education correspondent gillian hargreaves reports. so we must always make sure that nobody takes embarrassing pictures of us. at this school in dunstable, even the youngest children are taught about their own bodies and relationships with other people. soon such lessons will be compulsory in all schools in england.

sex and relationship education updated for the cyber age. the widespread use of sexting, when images of a child are posted on social media, sexual bullying of girls in secondary school and the ready availability of hard—core online pornography have made mps call for new compulsory lessons. the guidance that schools are looking to in terms of how they teach relationships and sex education was developed in the year 2000 and britain is a very different place. so it's really important we have an updated approach that means our children are safe and protected and they are prepared for life in modern britain. all children from the age of four onwards will be taught about relationships, while older children will also be taught age—appropriate sex education. previously such lessons were only compulsory in council—run schools, not academies. teaching unions and the church of england have welcomed

the announcement but others are not impressed. i think very often children are being introduced to things at school they have not seen before. sometimes topics are introduced far too young that they have not yet seen. we need to be aware of this. it's not always about protecting them, we are actually sexualising them, and sexualising them through state programmes. this can't be good idea. of course we have to care for our children. parents will still have the right to withdraw their children from lessons if they wish. the government faces its first defeat over the brexit bill in the house of lords. 0pposition peers want the legislation amended to guarantee the rights of eu nationals to remain in the uk. let's talk to our correspondent vicki young. she's at the houses of parliament in the peers' lobby. what's going on? they have just started this debate and already you can really sense the strength of feeling that there is with many

0pposition peers saying that the three million eu citizens who have come to this country, that they should be told now that they will be allowed to stay. that their status will be guaranteed. up until now theresa may said it is her hope and expectation that she will be able to do that, but she says she won't act unilaterally and the reason for that, she says it won't be fair on the one million or so brits living abroad in other eu countries. she says the agreement has to be resipry cold and a couple of eu countries are saying we're not prepared to negotiate at all until you trigger article 50 which is what the bill is about. the peers are trying to get this condition put into this bill. they are predicting the opposition peers there will be a clear victory for them in the next couple of hours or $0 for them in the next couple of hours or so once for them in the next couple of hours or so once the vote happens, we heard from a labour peer who said it wasn't acceptable to keep eu citizens in limbo. these people need

to know now. not in two years' time or 12 months' time, they simply can't put their lives on hold. some are planning schools for their children, they're moving jobs, renting or buying a home, or acting as carers. some are receiving health care. many more are working in our health service. all should have their uncertainty removed. now, this issue was discussed. there we re now, this issue was discussed. there were some conservative who were concerned. they said this would be a priority as soon as negotiations start. in the house of lords it is different. the government don't have a working majority. it comes down to what the opposition parties are up to, the liberal democrats and labour are on side when it comes to this change that they want and some cross—benchers too. they are the independent peers who don't sit for either side. but there is some conservatives here who are concerned and we've just heard from the former

cabinet minister, the former tory cabinet minister, the former tory cabinet minister, the former tory cabinet minister douglas hogg.|j cabinet minister, the former tory cabinet minister douglas hogg. i do ask your lordships to take the high moral ground. and give reassurance to the millions who have made their home here in the expectation that they can continue to live and work here. and my lords to the pragmatic of my noble friends who sit on the front bench, for example the lord bridge may i say this — the moral high ground is very often the best ground on which to fight a campaign. if peers are successful this afternoon, in that i bid to get this into the bill the whole thing has to go back to the house of commons where there would be another vote. the prime minister clearly under pressure on this issue, but she is still determined that she will go ahead on her timetable and trigger article 50 and get the brexit negotiations under way by the end of

march. vicki young, thank you very much. some news from the house of commons. mps some news from the house of commons. m ps voted some news from the house of commons. mps voted to keep open the scheme to bring unaccompanied child refugees to the uk. this was set—up by the labour peer alf dubs. it will increase pressure on the government. the dubs scheme would allow more than 350 unaccompanied child refugees to come to britain. he aimed to have 3,000 a year coming in. but the government announced they were stopping that and would limit it to 350. mps have voted to keep open the scheme to bring unaccompanied child refugees to the uk. the european commission president, jean claude juncker, has unveiled plans for what's being called a "new chapter" for the eu after brexit. he's made a speech to the european parliament, outlining five pathways to unity that will be considered by eu leaders at a summit

in rome in march. translation: the future of europe should not become hostage to elections, party politics or short—term domestic use of success. however painful and regrettable brexit maybe, it will not stop the eu as it moves to the future. we need to move forward. we need to continue. earlier our europe correspondent kevin connolly explained the eu politicians feeling towards the brexit talks. the plain fact of the matter is most european politicians you speak to think that britain is making a big mistake in brexit. they think that britain is wilfully uncoupling itself from one of modern history's great drivers of peace and prosperity which is how supporters

of the european union see it, but alongside that prevailing mood, there is an acceptance that the europeans have to come up with a vision for what the eu will look like without britain because, of course, quite often in these adversarial arguments for example about defence co—operation the uk has been portrayed as the blork, the country which has made it impossible for the eu to integrate further. sometimes i think the uk has been used as an excuse in those kind of arguments. 0nce used as an excuse in those kind of arguments. once the uk has gone, in theory, there is nothing to stop countries that want more integration from simply going ahead and having it. so one of the things they'll discover now is whether there are other countries, where there is a bit of euroscepticism and whether perhaps other countries will play the blocking that europeans said that the uk played in the past. the former british cycling coach who delivered a "mystery" package

to sir bradley wiggins at a race in france in 2011 has started giving evidence to mps on the culture, media, and sport select committee. i moved into a role which i could see 12 months down the line i got made redundant because it wasn't a full—timejob. i was doing everything possible to keep myjob. i've got family to keep. what would you do? if your boss asked you to do something, you don't question it. well, in myjob, i don't. do you think you should have asked more questions? yes. what questions? i probably should have asked what was in the package. as i said at the time really, i didn't think it was anything untoward. does that mean that you're spush shoulds about what was in the package? no, not at all. what questions? because what the

media said, why would you travel here? there? richard conway has been following the story. simon cope has been on the end of some questioning. questions about whether he knew what was in thejiffy bag he was asked to deliver to team sky, to the team sky doctor, dr richard freeman injune 2011. he says he was unaware of what was in the package. he was asked to take the package over to france. mps questioning why he didn't ask about this and going into some detail about whether he checked it in as hold luggage or put it into his hand luggage to determine his level of knowledge about it, but simon cope very clear, despite the fact saying at start of his testimony, he couldn't remember what he did last tuesday, had some recall of events five years ago and said he hadn't asked, the package was sealed and he did what was asked by his bosses

at the time to deliver this package to dr richard freeman who was the team doctor of sky at the time and that was administered to sir bradley wiggins. now, we were told last december in a similar hearing by dave brailsford, the former head of british cycling and who was with team sky that he was told that the medical contents of the package was fluimucil, a legal decongestant, but the committee are hearing from nicole sa pstead the head of uk anti—doping and she is telling mps as we speak, the course of her investigation, uk anti—doping was asked to look into this matter in september last year, to see if there had been a breach of anti—doping regulations during that race in question back injune 2011. this legal decongestant

is interesting, isn't it? you could buy that over the counter in france, had you wanted to, am i right? yes, that's right. fluimucil is available to purchase in many pharmacies in and around where that race was taking place and that's something that mps put to dave brailsford last year, but simon cope was asked about why he was asked to bring the medical package across? he said it was a normal thing for deliveries to be made. he said he sometimes went and delivered detergent to riders or to the team if there was a rider who had a specific allergy. questions about why they couldn't use local supermarkets, supermarkets, were not asked but this seems to be the level of detail to which team sky operated, that they would bring out specific items to the team when required, but simon cope saying in his testimony that as far as he was aware this was the only medical package that he was asked to deliver. interestingly as well, he was asked when going through the airport,

he put this package in his hold luggage. he was asked did he declare to airport staff that he was unaware of contents of everything that he packed ? he said that was his fault and he'd done it. the last point was mps asked him did he feel that he had been in their words "stitched—up by this" ? simon cope agreed and said that he perhaps his reputation had been damaged by this affair. francois fillon has refused to stand down. he denied allegations that he paid his wife and chirp for work they didn't do. he delivered a defiant message to the french electorate. translation: france is bigger than us. france is bigger than my mistakes.

it is bigger than a big number of the press. it is bigger than the opinion polls and it is because i am totally decided to serve france that i will impose with all my force that hazard or the calculations and decide of the future and the fate of the french during a very decisive choice. i'm telling you, do not let yourself be abused. don't let anybody deny you your choice because your voice and your voice alone should decide your future and because my will to serve is bigger than the accusations levelled against me. all schools in england will have to teach sex and relationships education with children as young as four being given age—appropriate lessons. the government is facing defeat on its brexit bill in the house of lords. it comes as the president of the european commission invites opinions on the way ahead for the european union after brexit.

and in sport the chief executive of uk anti—doping, nicole sapstead said her inquiry into bradley wiggins' medical history has been hampered by non existan or incomplete medical records. leicester city have held informal talks with former england manager roy hodgson. the champions sacked claudio ranieri last thursday. and golf is set for the biggest shake—up of the rules in a generation to make the sport quicker and simpler. the proposal will come into effect in 2019 if accepted. i'll be back with more on those stories after a.30pm. two women have been charged with the murder of kim jong—nam, the half—brother of north korean dictator kim jong—un. they face the death penalty if found guilty. malaysian police believe they wiped the deadly nerve agent vx on his face in kuala lumpur airport just over a fortnight ago.

the women claim they thought they were taking part in a video prank. steve evans reports from seoul. in a phalanx of heavily armed police the two women were taken to court. the fear was that they were vulnerable to attack because they know who ordered the assassination. kim jong—nam, the exiled half—brother of north korea's leader kimjong—un, was murdered on 13th february. the accused are alleged to be the women who jumped kim jong—nam at kuala lumpur airport and smeared his face with a deadly oil. the alleged assassins, one from vietnam, one from indonesia, claim they were duped into thinking they were taking part in a reality show prank. in court today the charge was read to them. one said she was innocent. she was perfectly all right and she was calm.

of course, she was definitely will be stressed because she is facing the death penalty here. but the malaysian authorities are sceptical. if the attackers thought the gel they were smearing on the victim was harmless, why did they keep it off their own skin? north korea denies being involved, but it has sent diplomats to malaysia to try to get the body sent to north korea. malaysia is saying no. there is more investigation to be done. after a certain period of time we will have to make a decision on what to do. in this case we have to do it as a government, taking into consideration the international system. the two women accused today face the death penalty if found guilty. the ultimate price for being pawns in a bigger political game. drivers caught using handheld mobile

phones will face tougher penalties from today, in england, wales and scotland. the fine has doubled to £200 and the number of penalty points has also doubled to six, meaning that new drivers could lose their licences after one offence. police have pledged to put an "increased focus" on catching offenders. robert hall reports. on a busy main road in cambridgeshire police cameras capture another offender. the evidence from around the uk is crystal clear, we've been warned, but we simply aren't listening. the most recent report from the rac found 31% of drivers admit to using a hand—held phone at the wheel compared with 8% two years ago. she had it held in both hands sort of texting or doing whatever with both thumbs. can you just follow me, please? this driver was spotted holding her phone to plot a route. you had your phone in both hands on top of your steering wheel. you may or may not be aware, it's going to change.

six points. £200 fine and no option of any sort of education course at all. it's just how she was using her phone that makes it an offence. it's more than just making a phone call. we can do more and more with our mobile phones and the temptation to use them on the move has proved irresistible. from today there will be no more driver awareness courses, new licenses can be revoked and bus and lorry drivers could face suspension. all underlining a very simple message — your mobile phone belongs in the glove box. tomasz kroker ignored that advice and is serving ten years for causing the deaths of four people when he ploughed into stationary traffic. one of those seriously injured has welcomed the tougher penalties. we're all going to learn this lesson and we can learn it the easy or the hard way. i have learnt it the hard way but it is an easy problem to solve. just put your phone away.

back in cambridgeshire, a two—minute call will have serious consequences for this hgv driver. you were on your mobile phone. you are aware that's an offence? in the 20 odd years i've been on the road i've seen people with laptops. i've seen phone in one hand, laptop on the other, knee on the steering wheel. what just happened there, a minor indiscretion in relation to the scale of things. but no, i should know better. there'd been an accident... unfortunately your mum has been killed. the police operations will now run alongside a media campaign centred on the family of another victim. higher penalties are only part of the answer. in the end, we must all be conscious of the lives we put at risk. there is nothing that is so important it cannot wait. don't use your phone whilst you're driving. the government has announced that sex and relationships education

will be made compulsory in all schools in england. all children from the age of four will be taught about safe and healthy relationships and once at an appropriate age, about sex. joining me now to discuss this from our westminster studio is the conservative mp maria miller. thank you for coming in. you were one of two conservative mps who tabled an amendment to the children and social care bill that would introduce relationship education to the national curriculum. so why do you think it's so important? well, i think in an age when the children are getting mobile phones at the age of nine, many children are regularly using the internet, even at a relatively young age they're being exposed to a very sexualised world and giving them the information particularly at primary school school—age what a good healthy education looks like, i applaud the government for what they have

brought forward today. aren't pa rents brought forward today. aren't parents better placed to decide what their children should learn about their children should learn about the world than governments? the recommendations that are being actioned by the government are very much about involving parents through schools in and supporting them in having these sometimes quite difficult conversations with children. parents are really telling thaws they want that help particularly because of the complications of the internet, when many children are using that perhaps viewing illegally viewing pornography or using mobile phones to ta ke pornography or using mobile phones to take digital sexual images of themselves at a relatively early age, parents want advice and they wa nt age, parents want advice and they want help and schools want to help as well. we spoke to the national co—ordinator at the safe school campaign and she said rather than pa rents campaign and she said rather than parents wanting help by making it statutory, it was making parents feel powerless? i don't think the vemp would bear that out. research

that was published earlier this week shows that you know more than 85% of pa rents a re shows that you know more than 85% of parents are saying they want this to bea parents are saying they want this to be a compulsory subject. children wa nt be a compulsory subject. children want this to be a compulsory subject, but i think the very sensible way the government is handling this is by making it part of the basic national curriculum. schools will have some flexibility in the way they interpret that and they will need to involve parents if they're going to do this correctly. is there ever a danger that children can be exposed to too much too soon? i think that's exactly what is happening. i think that the measures the government are putting in today need to go hand—in—hand with the reform of the way social media, and other online providers treat children and young people and adults this this country. i think that some of the work is already being done around reducing access to pornography images by young people

under 18, but there is more to be done, but we can't bury our head in the sand. the reality is this the life that children are leading. we need to help them navigate the successfully and i think today's recommendations are a first step in doing that. when you say more can be done, what do you envisage? in terms of internet companies, i think that there needs to be some very clear conversations that are had about the impact of obviously, we had some su ccesses impact of obviously, we had some successes around removing abusive images of children. some success in putting forward laws around revenge pornography, but when you look at the ongoing really type of cyberbullying and the posting of other illegal images online which may not have the consent of those that are included in them, i think there is more that social media companies can do to be more responsive to that and also to be more responsive to individuals who might be using their services for

grooming and then perhaps those services not even assisting the police when tragedies occur and you know young people's lives have been taken. so there is a lot more that i think social media and indeed, internet providers need to be doing to clean up their space. maria miller, many thanks. the annual television licence fee is rising. from april first it will go up from £145.50 to £147. last year, the government announced that it would rise in line with inflation from april 2017 for the next five years. the government sets the level of the licence fee which covers all bbc services and contributes to the costs of rolling out broadband to the uk population. it also helps to fund the welsh language tv channel sac and local tv channels. tomorrow voters in northern ireland go to the polls for the second time in ten months. the election was triggered when the deputy first minister,

sinn fein's martin mcguinness, resigned over a row with the democratic unionist party about a green energy scheme. that scheme remained the hot topic last night as party leaders again clashed over the issue in the second tv election debate. 0ur ireland correspondent chris buckler reports. applause. every election is a test of leadership. and in northern ireland, these are testing times. the collapse of stormont‘s power—sharing government has led to a second election within a year. and the breakdown in the relationship between the dup and sinn fein feels personal as well as political. and what about a wee bit of respect, michelle? just saying. what we need to do... what about respect for the public, arlene? what we need to do is to have... applause. the dup leader arlene foster has been under personal pressure over a financial scandal linked to a botched green energy scheme. it has not been the cause of this election. the cause of this election of course is the wish of sinn fein

to implement their radical republican agenda on northern ireland. it is about arrogance, it is about how the dup have handled the issue. it is about the fact that arlene could not even be humble to accept that she has made a mistake. and whilst we will get to the bottom of all the issues with the public inquiry, there are some things we do know to be factful and to be true. and that is the fact that arlene did strip out the cost controls. 0nly months ago they were talking about a shared future. but the dup have spent this campaign warning of the potential dangers posed by sinn fein's success at the ballot box. the only thing that will change is the dup's ego will be wounded. and i don't think the public care about that. they care about health and education. ultimately, just like ten months ago, getting a government back at stormont depends on a power—sharing deal after the election. people voted for you last time and they got martin mcguinness. and he wrote your resignation letter. the ulster unionist party and the nationalist sdlp are trying

to present themselves as an alternative to the last coalition. this is an opportunity to bring about change, away from two parties who only share space, power and responsibility because the law says they have to. and the sdlp leader challenged arlene foster over the dup decision to block the introduction of same—sex marriages in northern ireland. will arlene commit now to not using the petition of concern on equal marriage? let me be very clear... applause there are many challenges for all the parties if power—sharing is to return to stormont. i see we have a very balanced audience in tonight. let me be clear... the whole electorate will have their say when they vote tomorrow. and for a full list of candidates taking part, go to the bbc

website at bbc.co.uk/news now the weather with john now the weather withjohn hammond. the weather news is up and down. it has been for sometime. gales battering coastal areas. we could see 50mph gusts. we have got a mixture of rain and hill snow across parts of wales and northern england and perhaps the midlands. it is all going on across the southern half of the uk. further north, most of northern ireland and scotland relatively quiet. still wintry showers across the north—west of scotland. it will be a cold night. close to freezing in the highlands and further south with that wind. it is going to feel very chilly. the

worst of the rain and snow will die down too. there will be some showers left behind, but for many of us on thursday, it will be a reasonable day. still showers across the west of scotland, more rain knocking on the door of northern ireland by the end of the day. a chilly feel in the brisk wind with temperatures up on today. but that chopping and changing in the weather will continue up to and including the weekend. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... the government is making it compulsory for all schools in england to provide sex education. children as young as four will be taught about relationships. the government's facing its first defeat over the brexit bill, in the lords today. 0pposition peers want an amendment to protect the rights of eu citizens living in britain.

the president of the european commission, jean claude juncker, has unveiled a white paper of five options for the eu's post—brexit future. the bbc has seen documents which suggest that ford is to lay off around 1100 jobs at its car plant in bridgend. the bbc has seen documents suggesting for it is to lay offjobs at its centre in bridgend. 0ur wales correspondent is in bridgend and we canjoin him correspondent is in bridgend and we can join him now. correspondent is in bridgend and we canjoin him now. that leaked document, in it, it said this plant in bridgend was less efficient than the one in dagenham. 0vertime levels we re the one in dagenham. 0vertime levels were twice as much as dagenham. because that the production costs

we re because that the production costs were 6% higher. that coupled with the fact they did not have further investment further down the line would lead to possible redundancies of over 1000 jobs here. len mccluskey is with me here from the unite union. why have you set out in plans for the next five years? we have demanded from the company wanted to know what the five—year plan was and they have confirmed that by the year 2020, going into 2021, they only have a product of the new dragon engine which will secure around 600 jobs. they have confirmed that two thirds of the current workforce would leave the plant. members have met today. they are extremely angry and feel betrayed and let down by the company. i want to make this a call to the company. stop blaming the workforce here at bridgend. there is a drip feed they

are not competitive enough. are they lying about this? they are absolutely distorting the truth. when you are comparing plants, you must compare the type of investment, the type of machinery. i've heard the type of machinery. i've heard the argument there is too much overtime worked. management offered the overtime bill. workers do not just decide to work overtime. this blaming of the workforce, which has high skills and has given tremendous service to ford, need to be treated better. they need to be treated with respect. we are going to consult with members. we have started a consultation about what options are open for us. it will not happen next week or next month. we will be looking at options. those options will have in it demands we will want from ford and we're hoping they will meet demands. if not we will have to react accordingly. this is a

considerably sized plant but if it goes down to the 600 workforce, can you realistically see it staying open? it is a very good question will stop if that happens, they have said they intend to close most of the factory and put it into mothballs. instead of having a large engine plant, it will be a reduced one. there are questions and demand we will have. our members will be involved in getting information and looking at the options. they will give us guidance about what they wa nt give us guidance about what they want and we will fight for it. i will take a personal involvement in this. i will make certain that we fight for the continued presence of ford at bridgend. it is too important, not only for the local community, but the south wales economy. we will fight to make sure

there is a feature here. one thing you mentioned earlier today as they we re you mentioned earlier today as they were calling on the uk government to ta ke were calling on the uk government to take a considerable step in this. what would you like them to do specifically? what can they do? governments can do so much was that we have the worst governance with ca rwyn we have the worst governance with carwynjones we have the worst governance with carwyn jones who we have the worst governance with carwynjones who has been we have the worst governance with carwyn jones who has been very supportive and continues to so do. governments are powerful. in europe you have german governments, french governments, always entering into support industry. i will be calling upon our prime minister to do the same. this is a key plant within the welsh economy. it is to be protected. governments can do all kinds will stop they have enormous power. when you put that plea into them, there are different sectors across the uk facing job cuts. why does this place deserves that treatment? the prime minister has talked about an industrial strategy. i was pleased about. that needs to involve government taking initiatives and putting in investment. greg clark is involved

with another issue in the automotive sector at the moment with peugeot and vauxhall. this is needed at times like this more than ever. do you have faith in the current labour leader in westminster? of course i do. he has been elected on a landslide bases on two occasions. i can tell you this, the labour leadership is fully supportive of the bridgend workers here, supportive of having an industrial strategy to support jobs. that supportive of having an industrial strategy to supportjobs. that is music to my ears. this place has had a long history of investment. without further investment, the legacy of this plant will certainly be diminished. thank you. waiting

for us at the bbc sports centre is jj- an enquiry into bradley wiggins medical history has been hampered by non—existence or incomplete medical records. they have been speaking to the department of media sports and culture select committee. in december, team sky boss sir dave brailsford had said the package contained an over—the—counter decongestant, fluimucil. wiggins and team sky deny any wrong doing. it is just very clear from our investigation that there is no audit trail of what is going in and out of a comprehensive supply of medical products. this is an incredibly

serious matter. there are laws around dispensing and administering medicines. from what you say, it would seem doctor freeman is not complying with the gmc guidelines on and richard cycling is also not comply with obligations to keep records for the of medicines. yes. yes. leicester city have held informal talks with former england manager roy hodgson about their vacant managers position. the bbc understands that he's just one potential candidate that they have spoken to. however it remains likely that caretaker manager craig shakespeare will remain in charge until the end of the season if results continue to go well for the struggling champions. manchester city host huddersfield in the final match of the fa cup last 16 tonight. the match is a replay after both sides drew 0—0 last month. every competition, every game we play, we try to win. i know how

special the cup is. whether you are away or at home, it does not matter. it is important, like it is important in the league and the champions league. is this game more important than another one? no. i had to make clear that everyone knows we are playing against one of the best teams in the world. we are very humble. we totally know where we are. on the other side, it is football. this is why everybody in the world loves football. this is why we will try our best and try everything we can to be a serious competitor for manchester city. golf is set for the biggest shake—up of rules in a generation. the royal and ancient, and us golf association governing bodies want to make the sport quicker and simpler. ideas include relaxing rules on free drops and reducing the time allowed to search for a lost ball. the proposals will come into effect from 2019.

we need to look at the way the rules are presented and explained. we have simplifies the language and use greater signposting in the rule book. simpler words and all sorts of modern techniques, dare i say it in plain english now and again. by a combination of these things, we hope that the rules which have to cover a huge amount will at least be structured more logically. andy murray is through to the quarterfinals of the dubai tennis championships with a straight sets win over lopez. it was a fairly straightforward victory for the world war i with his opponent very to ta ke world war i with his opponent very to take a game in the second set. andy murray will go on to meet philipp kohlschreiber in the next round. president trump has used his first

speech to congress to declare "a renewal of the american spirit" and a "new chapter of american greatness." he adopted a more measured tone than in his inauguration address, condemning the recent vandalism ofjewish cemeteries and the fatal shooting of an indian man in kansas. here's our washington correspondent laura bicker. donald trump's trip to congress gave him a few last moments to practise his speech. the president of the united states. yet again, the president delivered what few had expected — the most presidential of speeches. what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. 0ur allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. he softened his tone on immigration, talked of reform and a new merit—based entry system — a slight shift in policy. but he said it was still important to keep out those

who would harm america. those given the high honour of admission to the united states should support this country and love its people and its values. we cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside america. we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. then the announcement the republicans were waiting for. tonight, i am also calling on this congress to repeal and replace 0bamacare. still, no detail on how health care would be reformed for the millions who rely on it. there was also little mention of foreign policy. president trump stuck mostly to his "america first" mantra. but there was this reassurance for nato, which he once called obsolete. we strongly support nato, an alliance forged through the bonds of two world wars, that dethroned fascism, and the cold war,

and defeated communism. there was much in the speech for democrats to like, a trillion—dollar investment in infrastructure, talk of paid family leave, but most stayed stony—faced throughout. 0thers showed their displeasure and dressed in the white colours of suffrage, despite the president's calls for unity. we all bleed the same blood. we all salute the same great american flag and we all are made by the same god. democrats decided to focus their message on the division they feel president trump has caused. real leaders don't spread derision and division. real leaders strengthen, they unify, they partner and they offer real solutions instead of ultimatums and blame. the speech was prime—time television

and his supporters loved it. really overwhelmingly positive. it was a fantastic speech. but i didn't expect anything less. when he spoke about the economy, when he spoke aboutjobs, harley—davidson, i had my biker hat on, bikers for trump. i like to ride once in awhile, go out west. i thought it was pretty cool. let's make america great again. he was presidential, calm. he's great. i get goose bumps, the hairs on my back stand up every time he speaks. after such a rocky first month, republicans will be delighted their man delivered. there were a lot of big promises and very few real details. but the speech was inclusive, optimistic.

how long will this good feeling last? all eyes will be on twitter for that answer. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. and if you want to watch president trump's speech to congress in full, you can on the bbc iplayer. ina in a moment, the look at how the financial markets close the day. but first the headlines. all schools in england will have to teach sex and relationships education with children as young as four being given age—appropriate lessons. the government is facing defeat on its brexit bill in the house of lords with peers seeking to protect the rights of eu citizens living in the uk. it comes as the president of the european commission invites opinions on the way ahead for the european union after brexit. hello.

now a look at how the markets in europe have ended the trading session. the ftse hit a six—week high today. commodity related stocks — so companies that produce raw materials like copper and iron ore for example have done well. banks did well as well — as further hikes in us interest rates look more likely. the pound sunk to a five—week low against the us dollar after an unexpected drop in february's manufacturing pmi figures. the us stock market the dowjones has hit a new high within minutes of opening today. the dow jones industrial average rose 188 points to 21,000. following us president donald trump's address to congress last night where we announced 1 trillion dollars worth of spending. broadcasters itv reported their financial results today. a 14% decline in pre—tax profit to £553 million. the drop is mainly due to costs associated with the purchase of talpa media — they're the makers of the voice. but if you take out those

one—off costs, profits were up 4% at £847 million. advertising revenue at itv channels fell by 3% but revenue at its studios rose 13%. ford is projecting a slash of 1,160 workers at its bridgend base by 2021. that's according to a leaked document from the company seen by bbc wales. mass meetings are being held at the engine plant today. the projection, which would leave 600 workers at the site, is based on the assumption that it is unable to bring any new work in. let's get detailed analysis of all of this with michael hewson, chief market analyst at cmc markets. so, michael, let's talk about the loss of jobs so, michael, let's talk about the loss ofjobs at ford in bridgend. it is an interesting company, the us company. president trump is very vocal about car—makers locating pla nts

vocal about car—makers locating plants in the us. do you think this will affect the profile of ford in the next pool—macro years in the uk? yes, good afternoon. —— four years. when i looked at this story, i was struck by the fact it is a projection and ultimately bridgend will not be able to get any new work after it produces jaguar engines at the end of 2020. another thing, there is also a plant at dagenham. the disparity suggests this is potentially a productivity issue. ultimately it costs around 6% more in overtime costs to produce engines out bridgend ban at large and —— dagenham. ford wants to get the costs under control and they will be focused on match in the course of the next few years. let's move on to the next few years. let's move on to the dow. a pretty good day for them

and the ftse 100 the dow. a pretty good day for them and the ftse100 reaping the benefits of the lower sterling. president trump announced a $1 trillion package is that what has been driving the growth or other other factors? the ftse100 as hit a record high and the ftse 250th hit a record high and the ftse 250th hit a record high. the dowjones has hit a record high. the dowjones has hit a record high. the dowjones has hit a record high. ultimately the spending plan outlined by president trump will drive an infrastructure boom in the us, push up inflation and rates will go up. financials are up, banking stocks in the us are at record highs, mining stocks are also pushing significantly higher, given the fact they have large us operations. moving on to itv. results do not look too bad. how about the future with on demand television having to compete with amazon and netflix?” television having to compete with amazon and netflix? i do not see why not. itv studios is doing a very

good job in boosting the company boss matt bottom line. while the company has suggested that advertising revenue is a concern due to economic uncertainty and i would argue that advertisers are pulling back because everyone has pv aahs nowadays and skips the adverts. what is the upside in having to pay for advertising that probably no one watches? a special dividend was announced having to push the share price higher. investors like a bit of dividend extra on top, don't they? let's look at the markets before we go. but that the 100 is doing very well after that fall in sterling and the lower than expected manufacturing numbers. the dowjones pushing above the 21,000 level. stunning a little bit lower. that is it from me. plenty more business news on our website. a violent paedophile has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. michael dunn, 57, from redcar, was jailed for a string of offences, including repeated abuse of a girl

he hid in his home. teesside crown court heard that dunn, who was said to be "paranoid, controlling and short—tempered", abused four victims over decades. fiona trott was in court this morning. some viewers might find parts of her report distressing. michael dunn was able to rape or sexually abuse victims because he groomed them, beat them, or kept them prisoner. we heard of a girl who was kept in a secret compartment behind his refrigerator. she was hidden from police. that girl had been abused before. it was all i knew she said. he raped her and when she tried to stop him, she told her she had had sex before and should know what it was like.

—— he told her. in an impact statement she said, i took an overdose of paracetamol because i was struggling to cope with what happened. she is still is suffering from depression. i will never truly be able to have a relationship. two other women were abused or raped by him, one as young as ten or 11 years old. he summoned her to his bedroom. he told her it is what roy friends and girlfriends do. michael dunn was described as violent and controlling. one of his houses was filled with cameras, locks, and alarms. his victims if they wanted to go to the lavatory, had to ask for permission. if they challenged him, he beat them. let me tell you why the independent police complaints commission is investigating this. one of the girls reported her abuse to the police in 1993 but she was told it would be taken no further. her impact statement said, i did not feel believed by the police and social services. i had no self—worth. if nobody believed what i was

saying, any man could do what he wanted to do without consequences. the court heard she had attempted to take her own life. when sentencing, the judge told michael dunn, who often shook his head like you still deny responsibility. you say you have done nothing wrong. what you wanted you have got. it is unlikely that personality will change when you are in custody. he was sentenced to 27 years in prison. surgeons believe they have operated on the youngest patient ever to undergo — and survive — major abdominal surgery anywhere in the world. st george's hospital in lonodon operated on a premature baby who was born atjust 23 weeks and was just six days old. patient abiageal peters weighed only 1.3 lbs — or half a kilogram. earlier on the victoria derbyshire programme, victoria spoke to abiageal‘s mother, louise who explained the background to the story.

i was just over halfway through my pregnancy. my waters broke and i was not really sure what was happening. i was not really sure what was happening. iwas in not really sure what was happening. i was in denial, hoping that was not what it was. i got an ambulance to hospital. when i got there, they said that is what had happened. i ended up two days later, i went into labour. she was born at 23 weeks plus three days. how was she? she was absolutely tiny. probablyjust bigger than the size of my hand, i would say. she was a very strange colour, translucent skin. they immediately had to put her on life support, put the tube down her throat, which took them a little while to do. we were sitting,

waiting, foran while to do. we were sitting, waiting, for an update on how she was. she could either, looking very ill and probably would not survive or, if she looked pretty strong, they would work on her and russia off to help her. fortunately, they we re off to help her. fortunately, they were able to help her but very scary. and you can watch the full interview on the victoria derbyshire programme page. bbc.co.uk/victoria. the programme is on each weekday morning at 9.00am on the bbc news channel and on bbc two. europe's most active volcano has erupted in a fiery show of lava. mount etna, on the italian island of sicily, has been largely dormant for the past two years. the volcano's latest eruptions began on monday evening. authorities have reported no danger to the nearby towns and there has been no disruption to air traffic. its eruptions can last days or even weeks — the last major one was in 1992. let's catch up with all the weather

news now. 0ver let's catch up with all the weather news now. over on the other side of the newsroom is john news now. over on the other side of the newsroom isjohn hammond with all the details. we have to prepare ourselves for a bumpy ride over the next view days, up to and including the weekend. there will be some sunshine but some wind and rain as well forced to get us in the mood, things turning very lively tonight across england and wales will stop the winds of strengthening and we will see rain and snow in the mix in some places as well that this evening, look out for the strong winds. inland very gusty. this could cause some issues locally, as could the rain and possibly snow to quite low levels in parts of wales, northern england, parts of the midlands as well do something to be aware of. locally it could cause some disruption. further north, in northern ireland and scotland were lighter winds. cold, wintry showers across the north west of scotland. dry weather across southern counties. in the wind it will feel

chilly. in some places it will be close to freezing. a blowy start the day. the gaels will subside. the rain and snow mix will move away from central areas of many of us will settle into a half decent day with plenty of sunshine around. in comparison with today, it will feel warm across southern areas. a few showers out west but most of us will avoid the breeze. things will brighten up and warm up. across northern ireland to shield of cloud coming in here. in scotland areas, western area seen most of sunshine. further wintry showers coming in on the breeze. into tomorrow night, we look to the south and things will go downhill again. an area of low pressure channelling its way towards us. bands of rain moving northwards across england and wales on friday. wet and windy weather again.

northern ireland and scotland probably holding the dry weather for much of the day. it will eventually arrive as we head towards the weekend. the low pressure will plonk itself on top of through this weekend. if thatis on top of through this weekend. if that is not enough it will probably bejoined by that is not enough it will probably be joined by another one at some stage later in the weekend. the bottom line, with low pressure on top of us, we can all expect to see some rain at some stage was if you have plans for the weekend, you will need something waterproof. quite blustery at times. almost inevitably it will feel quite chilly, especially over northern parts of the today at 5pm, two british trainee

doctors have been killed while fighting for islamic state in the iraqi city of mosul. they were part of a large group of students who abandoned their studies in sudan to join the radical islamic group. we'll have the latest. and we'll be talking to the leading islamic scholar, tariq ramadan. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm: the government faces its first defeat over the brexit bill in the house of lords as peers demand guarantees over the rights of eu nationals living here. president trump promises a "renewal of the american spirit" in his first address to congress. sex education is to be made compulsory in schools in england.