an 11—year—old boy rushed to hospital after his house was struck. it released what was described as a "noxious, nauseating gas". two incidents and 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 that some people have breathing problems, like a spasm in an asthma attack, and the majority of the patients have developed different size 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, but what isn't known 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 stockpiling large amounts of chemicals. abu islam, a senior is commander, spoke to the bbc at the detention centre where he is being held, in northern iraq. to him, chemical weapons, drones dropping bombs and using civilians as human shields are alljustifiable tactics to defend and prolong is control over mosul. translation: anyone who is in danger hides himself behind others. it's like if you are drowning you might drag 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 still trapped

inside western mosul. that is may now be using chemical weapons is a huge concern. sami mahmoud 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 or a woman refusing to cover her face could mean certain death", he says. this latest incident showing no—one is safe from an organisation that offers its own people precious little humanity. he has been putting on a brave face but more cracks appear —— are appearing. accusations that he used

public funds to pay his wife won't go away. the latest defections, his spokesperson and campaign manager. in an effort to fight back in may this direct appeal to the french people. translation: i invite eve ryo ne people. translation: i invite everyone to come next sunday at 3pm, with the calm and assured strength of those who respect our democratic institutions. you will make your voice heard. but he has also lost the backing of the allied union of democrats and independents. many within his republican party are now calling for him to step aside. translation: we are in a countdown. it is either the stock watch or detonator. this is likely to explode a political family and detonator. this is likely to explode a politicalfamily and i don't want it. the election takes place in two rounds in april and may. 0n

it. the election takes place in two rounds in april and may. on friday on paul puts a manual map out in front at 27% in the first round that we did of april. he is followed by far right leader marine le pen on 25.5%, although the pair remain close in popularity. while francois fillon wants the frontrunner is lagging behind on 90%. we are in —— in the scenario that the former prime minister alain juppe replaces mr fillon, the same poll puts him in the lead at 26.5%. marine le pen also faces legal issues. her national front party, accused of misusing eu funds. as mr fillon‘s campaign knows, he strongly denies the fate dollars for family claimed that fights on. we do apologise for the technical

difficulties, but we are pleased to be with us bbc news. these are some of the main stories. the un says a clear agenda has been agreed on for three's future. it is the first time in overa year three's future. it is the first time in over a year that the two sides have attended talks. they are due to meet again later in the month. the us vice—president mike pence says there's no comparison between his use of a personal e—mail during his time as indiana governor and hillary clinton's use of a private e—mail server when she was secretary of state. a row between ankara and berlin over a series of cancelled turkish political rallies in germany is continuing to escalate. on friday, the turkish president accused berlin of "aiding and harbouring" terror. recep tayyip erdogan said a german—turkish journalist detained by turkey was a "german agent" and a member of the outlawed kurdish militant group, the pkk. officials in ireland have found a significant quantity of human

remains at the site of a former church—run mother and baby home. the discovery was made by a forensic team investigating reports that nearly 800 children died at the institution in county galway between 1925 and 1961. a man has been arrested and appealing court charged with making at least eight bomb threats against jewish centres across the us. prosecutors in missouri say juan thompson, did it in order to harass his former girlfriend. federal officials are also investigating bomb threats made against nearly 100 organisations. a small breakthrough for law enforcement officers investigating the troubling rise of anti—semitic threats, plaguing jewish centres and organisations. fbi officials raided the family home of thompson and

arrested him for eight of the nine incidents. prosecutors say he was engaged in a campaign of harassment against his ex—girlfriend. he began making threatening e—mails and phone calls to jewish centres, making threatening e—mails and phone calls tojewish centres, claiming her to be responsible. when he used his own name authorities say it was to make it appear as though she was framing him. federal papers detail thompson's communications. 0ne e—mail includes a promise to create ajewish e—mail includes a promise to create a jewish newtown, in reference to the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in newtown, connecticut, where 20 kids died. members of the antidefamation group that received a threat at the new york headquarters from thompson bank investigators and expressed continued alarm at the pattern of hate crimes. just because there's been an arrest today around oui’ there's been an arrest today around our bomb threat does not mean that the threats have disappeared or will

stop. hate towards thejewish community and other minority groups is very real. it is deeply concerning. just this week another jewish cemetery desecrated. 16 headstones toppled and vandalised in new york. it follows a series of similar incidents worldwide and is anger and fear give way to sadness, many leaders in the jewish anger and fear give way to sadness, many leaders in thejewish community and those who stand with them are asking if the divisive political environment is to blame. that was the bbc‘s nada tawfik reporting. back to our main story, the suspected chemical attack in northern iraq. cindy vestergaard is a chemical weapons expert and senior associate at the stimson center. shejoins me now from sydney, where she is currently a visiting fellow at the center for international security studies at the university of sydney. thanks forjoining us. thanks for joining us. just thanks forjoining us. just take us through how much we know about what

type of chemical it might have been and how certain we are that it was the so—called islamic state that carried it out. the icrc issued a statement 13 hours ago saying that there were seven victims that were being... seven individuals being treated for symptoms that seem to be similar to what would the blistering agent. now of course it is always hard in the early hours to have independent confirmation of something like this. if it is blistering agent it causes redness in the eyes, it basically burns the eyes, it does what it says, it creates blisters on the skin, coughing, vomiting. the one thing about a mustard agent is that it doesn't usually kill but it remains quite a bit. the so-called islamic state have threatened to carry out chemical weapons attacks in the past, haven't they? yes, and the opcw, the in the past, haven't they? yes, and the 0pcw, the organisation for the old is sure and off chemical weapons

in the hague, the implementor of the chemical weapons convention, they actually in a report in october last yeardid actually in a report in october last year did say that they pointed fingers at islamic state for a mustard attack in syria. as i understand there's also a report, a forthcoming report, that the 0pcw will state that isis also is responsible for a mustard agent attack in iraq as well, specifically against kurdish forces. so basically it is spreading. the use of chemical weapons is spreading from syria in the iraq. 0bviously weapons is spreading from syria in the iraq. obviously this is very problematic. i suppose the main difficulty is that nobody knows quite what they have. there is no way of checking. how do civilians keep safe in a situation like this? u nfortu nately keep safe in a situation like this? unfortunately that's very difficult. the literary forces usually have protective clothing that would be needed, at the thing with chemical agents, depending on if it is powder

01’ agents, depending on if it is powder or gasp, it can settle on skin. it can be inhaled. so unless you are willing to be fully covered walking around in your day—to—day environment it becomes very difficult to do that. the same thing with whether you wear a bullet—proof vest everyday. so other than making sure you wash your hands, those are the only basic things. to be able to fully protect yourself becomes almost impossible. we will have to leave it there. thank you. the latest results from northern ireland's assembly election shows a significant increase in the support for sinn fein. the party looks likely to be the biggest party, the dup, but the full results won't be known until later. following that, coalition talks will need to succeed to avoid direct rule being re—imposed from westminster. this election marks a moment for sinn fein. a time the leadership were keen

to capture and remember. if walking out of government was a gamble for the party, it's paid off. they've increased their share of the vote, narrowing the gap between them and their old coalition partners, the dup. and that will feel as a personal triumph for 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 beed to fundamentally change their ways if they want to go back into the institution. the democratic unionist party still have the largest share of the first preference votes, but only just. is deemed elected. arlene foster! and to an extent the dup leader arlene foster is putting on a brave face. she was forced from the office of first minister when sinn fein brought down power—sharing. now there is work to be done and work to quickly mend the relationship which have been frayed by the discord of this election.

belfast has long had a reputation linked to divisive politics. if anything, this election in stormont has cemented that. people returned to the ballot box to make their choice, following a bitter fallout over many things. that's anything but a laughing matter for those who find themselves voting again, just ten months after the last election. i think there's too much bickering and fighting. instead of what they were elected for, instead of looking after the people and trying to do something for the people, you know, there's 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. i shall make my statement and leave the stage. this evening, the ulster unionist leader mike nesbitt stepped down, taking responsibility for his party's poor performance. in contrast, this now seems to have been a picture—perfect

campaign for sinn fein‘s michelle o'neill. some claim arlene foster may also have motivated republicans to vote, having compared them to crocodiles during the campaign. but it's sinn fein who have benefited most in this snap election. stay with us. still to come: are we there yet? this is the scene streamed live from a park in new york state as millions wait for april the giraffe to give birth. 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. i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: twelve 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. all drivers applying for a minicab license in london will have to pass

a written and spoken english test before they can get behind the wheel. that's because the taxi app, uber, has lost its high court battle with transport for london. uber‘s claim that the requirement was discriminatory was thrown out by the high court. the taxi firm says tens of thousands of drivers could now lose theirjobs as they can't pass the written test as sophie long reports. uber, the smartphone app that's become a popular way to get about town. but transport for london set a requirement that from october all private hire drivers, which include minicab and uber drivers, should not only be able to speak english, but pass a written test too. such a lovely man. he loves his comedy. hasan has been a private hire driverfor 15 years and driving for uber for three. he passed the speaking and listening test, but failed the written one. i took the test.

they was asking me about mars. can you write anything about mars? i'm only a minicab driver in london. how i know about mars? they can ask me anything about london, about prime minister's name, about any mp name, about uk, not about mars. i don't know what to do in the future. i have no idea. uber operates in 25 towns and cities across the uk. over 40,000 drivers have signed up to work with them. of those, the vast majority work in london, where they make over a million journeys every week. horns blare. traditional london cabbies protesting about the taxi app and changing regulations in part prompted the introduction of the test. uber challenged it, saying it would lead to indirect racial discrimination and result in more than 30,000 of their drivers losing their livelihoods. the mayor of london welcomed the ruling, saying, he's delighted the courts have backed his plans

to drive up standards and improve passenger safety. and drivers of the traditional hackney cab are with him. i'm pleased it's coming, because it keeps standards high in the capital. they've got to go through some sort of test. we have to go through a test. write an essay for a teacher about a festival in a country you know. you should give examples of what happens at the festival and explain why the festival is important. yeah, well, i mean, i don't know what to say about that to be honest. do you think it's fair enough? i'd say definitely, yeah. oh dear! the more difficult they make it for uber, the better it is for us london cab drivers, to be honest. uber say writing an essay has nothing to do with communicating with passengers or getting them safely from a to b, and they'll appeal. in the meantime, hasan and thousands of other private hire drivers like him will need to think about other possible routes ahead. sophie long, bbc news, london. scientists have created artificial

is themselves from mice. they hope to improve fertility treatment but this is pretty controversial. this is the first time every like structures have in developed in laboratories using two types of stem cells. research is described how they have cultured genetically modified embryonic mouse cells which form the placenta and body using a 3-d form the placenta and body using a 3—d 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 fourth form of stem cell which nourishes the embryo. it is illegal

to experiment on human embryos in the uk beyond 1a days. scientists are now seeing if they can create artificial human embryos that way it means they could carry on with this research beyond the two week window to shed light on why things go wrong in pregnancy. it is extremely complex. we have few embryos donated by pa rents complex. we have few embryos donated by parents for research and therefore if we have artificial systems which we hope to generate one day, which we can generate humanlike embryo structures it would be incredibly powerful because we can then understand some principles of development using those stem cells. would it be legal? it is not taking an existing embryo, it is

seeing how it's cells develop so it would not be within the current framework that we need to think carefully on how to oversee it. framework that we need to think carefully on how to oversee itm may sound like a plot in a sci—fi nobles but in the right hands that could provide the answer why so many women miscarry in early pregnancy. the elusive street artist banksy has opened a hotel next to israel's separation barrier in bethlehem which cuts through the occupied west bank. it's a hotel with a political message, making it a controversial addition to the city's tourist sites, as alex forsyth reports steeped in irony — an artist's take on the grand hotels of a bygone age. this one claims to have the worst view in the world. the concrete slabs of the barrier israel has built in and around the occupied west bank are just feet away. this hotel as much a political statement as a new business. inside, echoes of an english

gentlemen‘s club. but the artwork is a sharp contrast. banksy‘s critical view of life under israeli occupation, designed to persuade visitors of the palestinians' plight. as you lay down in your bed and you will look at the wall and you will look at the paintings all around you, and you will see the agony and the images of what could be a different future. and i believe that's the best mobilisation message for people to get on their feet and act. the elusive artist has left his mark on the west bank before. there's even a shop selling his merchandise in bethlehem. his provocative art — not always popular — does attract attention. when banksy‘s work first appeared here in the west bank and then in gaza, there was some concern he was depicting palestinians as downtrodden, and some criticism in that by painting on the wall he was somehow normalising it, even making a feature out of it. and from an israeli perspective,

undermining something they see as essential to their security. the architects of the controversial separation barrier have always defended its existence. we had so many terror attacks from the west bank to israel from 2000, until 2006, and even these days, there is still terrorists, that are trying to cross from the west bank to israel and we have to stop them. but for critics the barrier is an infringement on freedom, a reason to protest, and now, an experience to pay for, with prices from tens, to hundreds of pounds a night, for a room with a view. alex forsyth, bbc news, bethlehem. a pregnant giraffe due to give birth at a zoo in new york state has become an internet sensation. the animal adventure park at harpursville has set up a live—stream so people can follow the pregnancy every step of the way. and it's proved very popular.

andy beatt reports. millions around the world wait and wait for april to give birth. the celebrity is expecting her fourth calf, having been pregnant for 15 months, it cannot come a moment too $0011. months, it cannot come a moment too soon. the keepers say she has become grumpy and breathless. it looks like the baby is just days or hours away. her appearance is suggesting and pregnancy, the way she is carrying the calf. nearly 20 million people are following online with the zoo live streaming from her enclosure around the clock. there are hats, t—shirts and baby were — everyone loves a jarrah. we are completely overwhelmed. —— giraffe.

loves a jarrah. we are completely overwhelmed. -- giraffe. but some are getting impatient. they are saying addition to the live stream is disrupting their life. some are saying it may be fake news but for april it is all too real. when the car arrives, weighing 70 kg, april it is all too real. when the cararrives, weighing 70 kg, it april it is all too real. when the car arrives, weighing 70 kg, it will spark celebrations across the globe. fans can then take a stake in the future in a competition to name the new arrival. she does not seem to be doing very much at the moment. thank you for watching. 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 the tale, doesn't it, really, and it could be a soggy affairfor some of us 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 in there as well. particularly when you look at where the low pressure is. it's centred to the north across scotland and circulating around that low on the outer edge there will be some stronger winds but further inland we should get a decent slice of dryer weather. so do try to put that in context. it looks as though scotland, you will have a different day today. there will be a lot of cloud, rain around, snow 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 head a little further south and first thing on saturday morning it's not a bad start for wales and much of central

and southern england. into the far south—west it will be windy and wet 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, those temperatures will feel reasonable at around ten or 12 degrees. not so the case with 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 affair. we could see some showers for the liverpool—arsenal evening kickoff there. 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, significant snow to 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 suspect for the tottenham match hopefully the bulk of the rain will clear away but 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 spell of weather. quite cloudy but largely dry perhaps down to the south. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. the iraqi government blames islamic state militants for an apparent chemical weapons attack in the battle for mosul. it is understood 12 people have been hospitalised but isn't exactly clear which chemical was used. the centre—right candidate in the french presidential race, francois fillon, has suffered another setback. his campaign manager has quit. it is the latest sign that he is losing support in the face of a corruption scandal. a former journalist, juan thompson, has been accused of making bomb threats againstjewish centres and

of cyber—stalking his ex—girlfriend. it's alleged thompson sent threats to a jewish school in michigan, thejewish history museum in new york and a community center in manhattan. now on bbc news, the week in parliament.