this is bbc news. the headlines: 12 people have been injured after an apparent chemical weapons attack in the iraqi city of mosul. so—called islamic state militants are being blamed. is has threatened to use chemical weapons before, what isn't known is what chemical weapons they have, how much they have and what weapons they have to deliver those chemicals effectively. the french president makes a plea to citizens. threats made thejewish community centres in the united states in a bizarre plot against the next governor. and are we there yet? the scene is streamed live from animal adventure park in new york state, as millions wait for april the giraffe to give birth. the red cross says chemical weapons

appeared to have been used in the iraqi city of mosul. government forces are trying to liberate the city from so—called islamic state. it is understood that 12 people have been hospitalised, but it is unclear exactly which chemical was used. the fight for the city continues and the interior ministry says 111,000 people have fled the city in the past 2a hours alone. our correspondent went toa hours alone. our correspondent went to a hospital in erbil. an 11—year—old boy rushed to hospital after a his house was struck. it released what was

described as a noxious, nauseating gas. 12 victims, including a month—old baby. no doubt say doctors it was a chemical weapons attack. we have mainly a section of the respiratory tract, so people have breathing problems, like a spasm, in an asthma attack, and the majority of the patients have developed different types of blisters, especially in the exposed areas. tonight, the international committee for the red cross said the chemical used was very likely to be mustard gas. is has threatened to use chemical weapons before, at what isn't unknown is what chemicals they have, how much they have and what weapons systems they have to deliver those chemicals effectively. fighting is fierce, but iraqi government forces are slowly gaining the upper hand against so—called islamic state. but, as we saw this week, what they say they are finding

as they advance is evidence is has been stop piling large amounts of chemicals. this man is a senior is commander and spoke to the bbc at the detention centre where he is being held in northern iraq. the him, chemical weapons, drones dropping bombs and using civilians as human shields are alljustifiable tactics to prolong is control over mosul. translation: anyone engage highs himself behind others. like if you are drowning you might drag someone you are drowning you might drag someone down with you. even a member of yourfamily. in order to someone down with you. even a member of your family. in order to survive, people do anything they can, even if it means using humans as shield. the fight for mosul has driven thousands of people to refugee camps already full to overflowing. with 700,000

civilians are still trapped inside western mosul. but is may now be using chemical weapons is a huge concern. “— using chemical weapons is a huge concern. —— that is. this man and his family survived the warped logic of is and say they are lucky to have escaped with nothing but their lives. under is, having a phone card 01’ lives. under is, having a phone card ora lives. under is, having a phone card or a woman refusing to cover her face could need certain death, he says. this latest incident showing no one is safe in the organisation that offers its own people precious little humanity. 0ver over to france where the centre—right candidate in the presidential race francois fillon has suffered another setback. his campaign manager has quit. that is the latest seniorfigure campaign manager has quit. that is the latest senior figure to abandon francois fillon, who is embroiled in a scandal over payments to family members. many within his republican

party are calling for him to step aside. in the last few hours he made aside. in the last few hours he made a direct appeal to french voters in this video message. translation: i invite everyone to come next sunday at 3pm, with a calm and assured the strength. you will make your voice heard. i hope that many of you, really many of you, we'll come to show everyone what the will of the militants of france looks like. that was francois fillon. in the us, vice president mike pence has insisted that there is no comparison between the way he used a private e—mail account when he was governor of indiana, and how hillary clinton used a private e—mail server when she was secretary of state. it has emerged mike pence contacted advisers on homeland security via a

private account during his four yea rs private account during his four years as private account during his four yea rs as governor. private account during his four years as governor. democrats have accused the vice president of gross hypocrisy and mike pence insists that all his e—mail activity, flight with the law. we issued a statement on that. i am confident our e—mail practices were in full compliance with all of indiana's laws. and in my service —— my service as vice president will continue. inaudible. .. my service as vice president will continue. inaudible... there's no comparison whatsoever between hillary clinton's crack this in having a private server, this handling classified information, destroying e—mails when they were requested by congress and by officials. we have fully complied with all indiana's laws. we had outside council review all of my private e—mail records to identify any e—mails that ever referenced or mentioned business... state

business—related activities and we transferred all of those to the state of indiana, subject to public access. let's get some other news. former haitian president has died aged 7a. the cause of his death has not been given. he is the only democratically elected leader in its history to serve two separate full terms. his second term will be remembered more than anything for what destroyed much of the capital, killing 200,000 people. the american man who was shot while trying to intervene in a deadly gun attack in two indian men ina bar deadly gun attack in two indian men in a bar in kansas has been invited to visit india. he has been praised asa hero to visit india. he has been praised as a hero by indians. he was shot in the hand and chest when he intervened after one man was shot

and killed by a gunman last week. north korean suspects in the murder of kimjong—nam, the north korean suspects in the murder of kim jong—nam, the estranged thai father of kim jong—un, has of kim jong—nam, the estranged thai father of kimjong—un, has been released. —— half brother. he accused malaysia of trying to damage the honour of north korea by using coercion to get a confession from him. kimjong—nam was murdered with a deadly nerve agent at an airport last month. the suspect was released last week due to insufficient evidence. a man has been arrested and has appeared in court charged with making at least eight bomb threats againstjewish centres across the us. as acute as in missouri say the man did it in order to harassed his former girlfriend. federal officials are investigating on threats made to nearly 100 organisations in three dozen states. this report from new

york. juan thompson is actually a former journalist and was fired from a left—leaning website that had hired him because he had fabricated stories and saucers and as acute as have arrested and charged him with cyber—stalking because after he broke up with his girlfriend prosecutors said he wanted to get back at her by basically pretending that he was heard by sending threats to jewish centres, that he was heard by sending threats tojewish centres, claiming to be her, and he would also sending threats, phone calls and e—mails in his name, trying to frame herfor those as well. in one of the e—mails for example he threatened to carry out a jewish newtown. that's referring of course to the december 2012 shooting at a newtown school, where 26 kids were killed. in one he also said she wanted to kill as many dues as soon as the. so investigators see this as a small

breakthrough in what has been a rise in anti—semitic threats to several jewish community centres, but nonetheless a break. police have been searching his home in misery. what are police saying about their investigations into him? —— in missouri. there was an historic centre where more than 100 jewish graves were toppled and desecrated, we know that police officers are questioning him in regard to that as well. they haven't said that he is a suspect. they aren't searching for —— they are searching for more clues that may yield in some of the other cases. there are more than 100 jewish community centres that have received these threats. it is interesting because the new york lee's department spoke today about this and said they believed most of these are fake threats that they believe are meant to wreak havoc, rather than credible threats of violence. but again it's a very troubling trend that they are

concerned about. in washington, for example, several of the jewish community leaders were meeting with the fbi to discuss this further. that report from new york. the latest results from northern ireland's assembly election show a significant increase in support for the main pro irish national stud he, sinn fein. the main party that advocate staying apart from britain, the democratic unionists, look likely to be the biggest party. —— staying part. the full results won't be known until saturday. coalition talks will be to succeed in order to prevent direct rule being imposed from westminster. this election marks a moment for sinn fein. a time when the leadership were keen to capture and remember. if walking out of government was a gamble for the party, it has paid off. they've increased their share of the vote, narrowing the gap between them and

the coalition members of the dup. the sinn fein's leader at stormont michelle 0'neill. the sinn fein's leader at stormont michelle o'neill. i said consistently we weren't interested in going back to the status quo. that remains the position. the dup have fundamentally changed their ways. the democratic unionist party still have the largest share of the first preference votes, but only just. arlene foster! and to an extent arlene foster is putting on a brave faced. she was forced from the office of first minister and sinn fein broke down the power—sharing. now there is work to be done and work to quickly mend the relationship which has been frayed by the discord of this election. belfast has long had a reputation links to divisive politics. if anything this election in stormont

has cemented that. people will turn to the ballot box to make their choice. they will follow —— that follows the bitter fallout over many things. that's anything but a laughing matterfor things. that's anything but a laughing matter for those who find themselves voting again, just ten months after the last election. themselves voting again, just ten months after the last electionlj think months after the last election.” think there's too much bickering and fighting. instead of what they are elected for, instead of looking after the people and trying to do something for the people, there is too much in—house fighting. something for the people, there is too much in-house fighting. but if there is public frustration with that old battle between irish nationalists and british unionists, it didn't benefit stormont‘s opposition parties.” it didn't benefit stormont‘s opposition parties. i shall make my statement and leave the stage. this evenin statement and leave the stage. this even in the ulster unionist lido mike nesbitt steps down, taking responsibility for his party's poor performance. in contrast to this now seems to have been a picture—perfect campaignforsinn seems to have been a picture—perfect campaign for sinn fein's michelle o'neill. campaign for sinn fein's michelle 0'neill. some claim arlene foster may have ordered the republicans to

vote, having compared them to crocodiles during the campaign. sinn fein benefited most in this snap election. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: 100 years ago, the imperial war museum in london opened its doors. a century later we look at how it is still capturing the past and present. first the plates slipped gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards and it was a matter of seconds before the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll. the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and so my heart went bang and bang. the constitutional rights of these marchers have their rights as citizens of the united states and they should be protected even in the right to test them out so they don't get their heads broken

and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say too much about it, but does it worry you it's going to boil up when you get to the stage? well, it worries me, yeah. but everything will be all right in the end of the day. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: 12 people have been injured in what seems like a chemical weapons attack on mosul. the iraqi government said is militants were responsible. french presidential candidate francois fillon suffers yet another blow as his campaign manager quits. in what they believe is a world first,

scientists have created "artificial embryos" using stem cells from mice. the researchers hope their work will help improve fertility treatments. but experimentation on human embryos is strictly regulated. matthew hill reports this is the first time embryo like structures have been developed in laboratories using two types of stem cells. published in thejournal science cambridge researchers describe how they have cultured a combination of genetically modified embryonic mouse cells which form the placenta and body. using a three scaffold they were able to grow a structure ca pa ble scaffold they were able to grow a structure capable of assembling itself into an artificial embryo. it is unlikely to develop into a healthy fetus without adding a third form of stem cell to develop the yolk sac which nourishes the embryo. it is illegal to experiment on human

embryos in the uk beyond 1a days but now scientists were no here are seeing if they can use this new centre will make road —— news stem cell. they want to shed light on why things go wrong in early pregnancy. the study on embryos is extremely complex. we have very few donated for research. and therefore, if we have artificial system, which we hope to generate one day, in which we can generate humanlike embryo structures from stem cells, this will be incredibly powerful, because we then can understand some principles of development not using embryo stem cells but using stem cells. so would it be legal to experiment on artificial embryo is beyond two weeks? it is not taking an existing embryo and research in on it. it is seeing how cells

develop. so it wouldn't obviously be within the current regulatory framework. although we would think carefully about how to oversee it. artificial embryos may sound like a plot in a sci—fi novel but in the right hands they could provide the a nswer to right hands they could provide the answer to why so many women miscarry in early pregnancy. farmers use them to optimise crop yields, delivery companies hope they'll soon play a large part in their operations. in ukraine, campaigners are using them to fight corruption. but drones are a controversial tactic, as tom burridge reports from kiev. we want to show people that corruption kills. so, they film properties belonging to officials which they believe are disproportionate in size and value to the salary officials have throughout their career. and in this case they say the judge

who lives here hasn't declared the property under a new law. this house that costs about half a million dollars, we don't believe that she made it in lawful way, that is why we film it, to ask questions. we have come to meet the judge that campaigners are investigating. ever since pro—european protesters forced a president who was friends with russia from power, there has been a massive push to reduce corruption in the ukraine. and there is a consensus here that many of the decisions taken in the past byjudges were often swayed by money or personal interest. judge malvina danilova says she has never been involved in corruption and she claims all of her wealth is legitimate. and she argues she didn't need to declare the house filmed by campaigners because it belongs to her boyfriend. translation: being rich isn't a crime.

i declared everything i had according to the law and i think the activists were intruding into my personal life. do you at least think that it is good that civil society is scrutinising the wealth of public officials like you? they have branded the entire judicial system with a black mark and i do not agree with that. there are a lot of clever and experienced judges. simply dismissing everyone just wouldn't be right. so in ukraine thejudges are being judged. but is this degree of scrutiny needed to clean this country up? britain's imperial war museums are celebrating their 100th anniversary this weekend. but although they are famous for their vast collections, the mission has always been to share the personal stories of conflict, as robert hall has been finding out. by the time george v opened

the imperial war museum in its first home at the ill—fated crystal palace, he already had plenty to see. the museum had begun collecting exhibits while the battles of the first world war was still raging. well, this is one of the ration books... from the outset, the founders set out to involve the public. appeals printed in ration books brought a flood of personal memorabilia. the idea was initially that it was to be firstly a sort of memorial to the war, but primarily it was to cover people's experiences in the war, and that meant it covered everybody from the front—line soldier to the munition factory worker to a civilian. the best way to illustrate how the imperial war museums have changed since the first collections were put together a century ago is to look at what they hold today. there are 100,000 exhibits, but over three million documents, photos, recordings and films that tell the human stories from events

that changed the world order. here we are in the cabinet room, and that is churchill's chair there. joy hunter has shared her memories. now 91, she typed the plans for d—day here in winston churchill's bunker and she shook hands with world leaders at the conference which debated the post—war future of europe. i think museums do a wonderfuljob. and now that they are working like this one works, for instance, where everything is active and you can open doors and, you know, drop down mines and i don't know what else you can do, i mean, the whole place was abuzz when i came in. but reflecting the sad procession of conflicts still erupting around the globe and connecting with today's young people brings fresh challenges. the images of war and conflict that children see on hollywood movies or video games are very unusual in that, you know, they will have bespoke knowledge of individual weapons systems, they will think people can jump from a tank to a plane to an infantry officer and there is no understanding that

that is not reality. in salford, every day brings a chance to reflect on the reality of war. once an hour the museum is filled with the faces and voices of those who lived through an experience we can only share at a distance. the story which began a century ago has no ending. the anonymous street—artist, banksy, has released his latest political statement. this time, banksy has designed a hotel built along the wall that separates the palestinians and israelis in bethlehem. alex forsyth went for a visit. the concrete slabs of the barrier israel has built in and around the occupied west bank are just feet away.

it is situated just feet from the barrier which separates the west bank from israel. more than just a business, this is a political statement by banksy, a comment on what he sees as the plight of palestinians. it has come as a surprise to people living here. no one knew he was behind it until today. and we can take a first glint at what he has created. so, let's ta ke at what he has created. so, let's take a little look inside —— glimpse. this is the reception. it leads through to the lounge area. everything in he was designed by banksy. it has taken 1a months to create. he fully funded the project although he won't say how much it cost. he calls it the worst hotel in the world. —— the hotel with the worst view in the world. it overlooks the wall built by the israelis which it says is essential to prevent terror attack. many

palestinians feel that it encroaches on theirfreedom. and if palestinians feel that it encroaches on their freedom. and if you palestinians feel that it encroaches on theirfreedom. and if you look around the hotel you can see on the walls there are symbols of banksy‘s view on the situation here. his political comment. it is not the first time he has been to this area. now in new york state, where april the giraffe is still waiting to give birth. this is a livestream of april in labour at the animal adventure park in harpur—sville. she's been in labourfor some time but no sign yet. we'll keep across that story and let you know when the new calf arrives. you can get that link on the website. that is it from me and the team. stay with us on bbc news. goodbye for now. good morning. for most of us friday

was a miserable day but for the favoured few it was glorious. if you don't believe me look at the weather watchers picture. not a cloud in the sky hardly. a beautiful day across the far north of scotland. but for most of us it was grey and grim. a lot of heavy rain around and this poor old garden in barnsley, well, that tells a tale, doesn't it, really, and it could be a soggy affair for some really, and it could be a soggy affairfor some over the really, and it could be a soggy affair for some over the weekend. but not all the time. there will be some rain around but some of us could manage to get some dry weather as well. particularly when you look at where the low pressure is. it is centred to the north across scotland and circulating around the low on the outer edge of there will be some stronger winds by further inland we should get a decent slice of dry weather. so do try to put that in context. it looks as though scotland, you will have a different day from today. there will be a lot

of cloud, rain around, spoke to the tops of mountains, it will be cold as well. showery outbreaks of rain into northern ireland and a fair amount of cloud across northern england. just had a little further south and first thing on saturday morning it is not a bad start for wales and much of central and southern end. into the far south—west it will be windy and that at times. the strongest of the winds circulating around the outside edge of that area of low pressure. but a central and eastern parts of england, for you, not a bad day. there should be a decent slice of sunshine coming through. and with a little shelter, some sunshine, while those temperatures will feel reasonable at around ten or 12 degrees. not so the case for the cloud and rain further north. but it does mean for many of the premiership matches it looks as though it will be a largely dry air fare. we could see some showers for the liverpool — arsenal evening. now as we move out of saturday, we were talking about the potential for the stormy weather across the alps, still the risk of snow, significance noted come, but for us a frontal

system pushing into the far south—west brings a different story on sunday. for many it will be a pretty grim start to the second half of the weekend with some heavy rain moving its way steadily north and east as we go through the day and the winds increasing as well. so it'll be a dismal start but a slow improvement, so i expect for the totte n ha m improvement, so i expect for the tottenham match hopefully the bulk of the rain will clear away but sunderland— man city could be a 5°99y sunderland— man city could be a soggy affair. as we move into monday and tuesday it looks as though we will continue to see an unsettled speu will continue to see an unsettled spell of weather. quite cloudy but largely dry perhaps down to the south. the latest headlines from bbc news. 12 iraqi civilians have been injured in what appears to have been a chemical weapons attack in the city of mosul. two shells were fired into the government—held east of the city from the islamic state—controlled west. the campaign manager of the french presidential candidate francois fillon has quit, in the latest sign that his support is collapsing in the face

of a corruption scandal. a man has appeared in court in the united states in connection with threats made to eight jewish organisations. prosecutors said juan thompson was also charged with cyber—stalking his former girlfriend. with most votes counted in northern ireland, it seems the dup and sinn fein will remain the largest parties. now it's time for an inside out special, featuring teacher meg williamson, who comes face to face with the driver responsible