this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at eight. nicola sturgeon announces plans to hold a second independence referendum for scotland, claiming the prime minister is ignoring the wishes of scottish voters on britain leaving the eu. i believe that it would be wrong for scotland to be taken down a path that it has no control over, regardless of the consequences for our economy, for our society, for our place in the world, for our very sense of who we are as a country. but the response from downing street is forthright, accusing the scottish government of losing sight of the main issues. instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. i will be reporting live from the official residence of scotland's first minister with reactions to that dramatic announcement here

today on a second independence referendum. the ayes to the right, 335. the noes to the left, 287. so the ayes have it. at westminster mps vote to reject the changes made by the lords to the government's brexit bill. the lords are due to vote again on whether to accept the commons vote or resist, as government sources says the triggering of article 50 will be delayed until the end of the month. as famine looms for 20 million people across africa and the middle east, we report from somalia. rail services on some of the busiest lines in england are being disrupted because of a 24—hour strike. the queen leads a service at westminster abbey to mark commonwealth day. earlier she officially started the baton relay for the next commonwealth games — which are being held on australia's gold coast next spring. and in sport chelsea take an

manchester united for the last remaining place in the fa cup semifinals. good evening from bute house in edinburgh, the official residence of scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon who today surprised many people by announcing that she is seeking a second referendum on scottish independence. she wants that vote to be held between autumn next year and spring 2019. she has accused theresa may of refusing to compromise on the push for hard brexit—trump let's show you what's been going on tonight at westminster. meanwhile mps have tonight voted

to reject the changes made by the lords to the government's brexit bill. 385-287 385—287 was the final vote. and mps also voted to reject the amendment that would have given parliament vote on the final brexit deal. before it comes into force. the brexit bill is now with those amendments rejected going back to the house of lords for another debate later this evening. let's get a report from today's momentous announcement at bute house in edinburgh. this report is from our scotla nd edinburgh. this report is from our scotland editor, sarah smith. since she was 15, nicola sturgeon has dreamed of an independent scotland. now brexit may provide the chance. as she says it means scotland must be given a fresh choice.

what scotland deserves, in the light of the material change in circumstances brought about by the brexit vote, is the chance to decide our future in a fair, free and democratic way. there should be a referendum, she says, before the uk leaves the eu, some time between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019. 0pinion polls still don't suggest more than 50% of the country would want to vote for independence. the economic circumstances are much harderfor you than they were in 2014. do you really believe you could win another referendum? yes, i do. absolutely. i believe that. it would be wrong for scotland to be taken down a path it has no control over, regardless of the consequences for our economy, our society, our place in the world, for our very sense of who we are as a country. that would be wrong, and therefore my judgment is that we should have that choice. a referendum could have been avoided, she says, if the uk government had been prepared to allow a separate

brexit deal for scotland. we have worked hard, really hard, to try to find agreement. the prime minister and her government have been given every opportunity to compromise. our efforts have instead been met with a brick wall of intransigence. in the scottish parliament, a majority of msps do support another independence referendum. but the snp‘s opponents will try to stop it. i think this was a deeply irresponsible action from the first minister. she has given up any pretence of acting for all of scotland and is purely pursuing her own partisan ideals. she has no mandate for a second referendum. she lost her majority at the last scottish referendum. the people of scotland have told her time and again they do not want to be dragged back. nicola sturgeon tells us she is forcing this debate because of brexit — how can creating more division and uncertainty be a good thing? nicola sturgeon has seized the initiative today and taken theresa may by surprise.

she did not know this announcement was coming. but nicola sturgeon will need the agreement of the uk government before she can have another independence referendum. theresa may could refuse to allow it, or she could insist any vote takes place after brexit is complete, after the whole of the uk has left the eu. when the prime minister first met the first minister here in edinburgh injuly, she said she wanted to reach a uk wide agreement on brexit. that clearly failed. so now they will have to get together and try to agree the terms for another independence referendum. their predecessors negotiated and signed a dealfor the last referendum. it may not be so amicable this time around. there is a lot at stake. their example shows what happens to leaders who lose referendums. there are some in scotland who can't wait for another referendum, already preparing for another yes campaign. 0thers positively dread the prospect.

0pinion polls suggest voters are fairly evenly divided. so both nicola sturgeon and theresa may know that whenever it happens, this is a vote that really could go either way. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. so people here in scotland could be voting in a second scottish independence referendum by the spring of 2019. there has been reaction from downing street today. theresa may has accused the snp of what she called "deeply regrettable tunnel vision" and of playing politics. this report from our political editor laura kuenssberg. we'll brexit break up the britain we know? scotland voted to stay in the eu. brexit is a problem not of scotland's making. the uk vote was

to leave. we believe in the union, the precious, precious bond. in the chaotic aftermath she has made her mind up. a second independence referendum is clearly an option now. machine must decide. miz instead of playing politics with the future of oui’ playing politics with the future of our country the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. but if the scottish government wants to give voters a chance to leave the european union with all its complex history —— the union, with all its complex history, can apply minister, attending a commonwealth service today, really deny that? technically it is down to westminster and is not the governments position but politically is it possible? listen to this. nicola sturgeon was talking about independence three hours after the brexit result was declared on

june 2a and has been banging on about independence every since. i and afraid today's irresponsible actions demonstrate nicola sturgeon has a constitutional obsession. you could rule this out right now. you could rule this out right now. you could say the uk government won't allow another scottish independence referendum to take place. they could be another referendum. this process for doing that but we are absolutely focused on the argument that there should not be another independence referendum. you are saying not yet but you are not saying no. this process issue. we don't want to be in the process argument because that isn't the real argument. clash comes just as the government is straining to face down its commons critics, speed through the law that will allow brexit to begin. the snp may have lost the argument three years ago but fervently believes the uk government ‘s position on brexit gives them another chance. the question is whether or not scotland

is going to be taken into the abyss with this tory government. i am glad that we on this side of the house have an alternative. and they believe they can win. miz there will believe they can win. miz there will bea believe they can win. miz there will be a choice of options, either we continue with our history and future asa continue with our history and future as a european nation or we can go on to this empire to or whatever it is that the uk government is suggesting is an option for scotland. i think on that basis the scottish people can determine their own future as a european nation. behind closed doors, ministers used to say, they simply would not allow another independence vote to go ahead but the eu referendum and how scotland voted has changed about how dynamic. even before today there was a growing sense that it wasn't if but when. laura kuenssberg, our political editor. let's speak to professor stephen tierney, a constitutional

expert, director of the edinburgh centre for constitutional law, and an adviser to the house of lords. what happens next in nicola sturgeon's search for second scottish independence referendum? the first steps are formal ones where it is accepted that the scottish parliament doesn't have the authority to hold its own referendum, certainly not in a way that would bind the uk governments of the scottish parliament would formally request a section 30 order, thenit formally request a section 30 order, then it would be for the uk parliament, in effect the prime minister, to decide whether or not to a cce pt minister, to decide whether or not to accept that request and to concede temporary authority to hold a referendum. can't theresa may say no? in constitutional terms, absolutely. it is not generally accepted that the scottish parliament has the power to do this unilaterally. yet in political terms it would be very difficult. what do you think of the politics behind this, why has nicola sturgeon

announced this today because it has surprised many people. it has been bubbling under the surface for some time, since the referendum on brexit, the snp ran in the last election on a manifesto commitment that they would not seek another referendum except for extraordinary changes in circumstances and one of those was the brexit decision. so the point of principle has been there. and since the brexit vote there. and since the brexit vote there hasn't been much movement in terms of agreement between the uk and scottish governments about what brexit would mean. so the mood music has been there for some time. what would happen if scotland were somehow to be given continued membership of the single market which is what nicola sturgeon says she wants. what that obviate the need for a second referendum? what was quite interesting today in the first minister ‘s speech was that there was no fixed date for the

referendum, there was the turn of regret that this is happening and there was also some wriggle room left, there was talk of if circumstances changed. so were it to be the case that in the course of brexit negotiations there was some option where different arrangements we re option where different arrangements were carved out for, say, scotland and northern ireland, then it is not inconceivable that there could be some backtracking but that's a question forfurther some backtracking but that's a question for further down the line. some people have speculated we could end up with a scenario where scotland, if they vote yes to independence, is outside the uk and is also outside the eu!|j independence, is outside the uk and is also outside the eu! i think one of the issue is why the first minister wants to go ahead between late 2018 and early 2019 is precisely to catch that window of opportunity whereby scotland would become independent potentially before the uk believes the european union, and then it would be a more straightforward transition for

scotla nd straightforward transition for scotland into the eu. a game that is not guaranteed. all kinds of potential convocations to do with scottish membership —— convocations. what is your perception of the mood of scottish voters? 0pinion polls show that things have tightened since the last independence referendum, opinion has tightened but will people think, we don't want second referendum ? but will people think, we don't want second referendum? the opinion polls have shown that the majority of people don't favour holding a second referendum yet when asked their views on independence it's pretty tight. recently it was running at about 50—50. it all concerns what was perceived to be the big risks at the time, issues around currency, for example, or whether the eu is a good place to scotland to be in so a lot will depend on how the eu itself perceives scotland. there are so

many unknown unknowns that recently contradicted. a lot of uncertainty. thank you, professor stephen tierney, constitutional expert, here in edinburgh. let's get the latest from westminster. 0ur correspondent vicki young is at westminster. vicki, a couple of important votes on brexit tonight. maybe a little more certainty tonight. the brexit bill, the government was very keen that it should go to parliament unchanged, mps in the house of commons have listened and have overturned the changes the house of lords has made, this was on guaranteeing the rights of eu citizens living in the uk and they also wanted guarantees about a final vote, vote on the deal or no deal that theresa may ends up with on the end of the negotiations so some tories abstained, sat on their hands, ten or so of them, it wasn't enough to defeat the governments of the bill has gone back to the house

of lords. in the next few minutes they are about to start another debate about that. whether they insist on making the changes again. i've spoken to the leader of the labour peers in the house of lords and he has made it very clear that they will not prolong this any longer because they say the government ‘s majority increased in the house of commons, there was no sign ofany the house of commons, there was no sign of any shifting from the government, so they have said it would be a futile act. the liberal democrats though will push it to vote in the house of lords although we expected to be wrapped up in the next couple hours. .0rg us through the timetable after that, assuming this brexit bill finally goes through, when are we looking at theresa may triggering the whole process of leaving the eu and triggering article 50? because it had been thought it might be this week, there seems to be an idea that it could be later in the month. downing street all along publicly and privately has refused to put a date on it because there was

uncertainty. it went into the commons and then the lords inflicted those defeats and you could not be certain what could happen so i think they deliberately did not put a date out there but i have been told by downing street sources today that it will not be this week. we don't know if there is a reason behind that. some have suggested that the intervention from nicola sturgeon means that theresa may does not want to look as if she is immediately reacting to that in some way. next week is a possibility but i'm told there's a problem there because the eu will be celebrating the anniversary of the treaty of rome and it probably would not go down well with eu leaders as they party in rome for theresa may to just remind them that one of the larger countries in the eu has decided to leave. we are looking at the week beginning the 27th, she will stick by that promised that she made all those months ago that you would trigger article 50 by the end of the month of march, and then negotiations can begin in earnest.

vicki, thank you very much indeed. let's show you what's going on in the house of lords. the debate has started. this is not bridges, the minister for exiting started. this is not bridges, the ministerfor exiting the started. this is not bridges, the minister for exiting the eu, speaking in the house of lords. the bill, having gone back to the commons, has gone back to the house of lords. this is what they call ping—pong. let's listen to lord bridges. given that the other place as dumb as we asked and rejected this amendment by a majority of a8, given this, —— it has done as we asked, i would say that this evening is neither the time other place return to the fray and insert terms and conditions to our negotiating condition, to force the government to make a unilateral move as regards the status of eu nationals in the uk. my lords, this bill has only one purpose. to implement the outcome of

the referendum result injune and respect thejudgment the referendum result injune and respect the judgment of the supreme court. nothing more, nothing less. i urge this house to pass this bill unamended. the question is that motion they won't be agreed to. that was lord bridges, urging the house of lords not to continue any more amendments to the brexit bill, not to fight on with this bill. this is not the time nor the place, he says, to return to the fray. as we heard from our chief political correspondent, the expectation is that the house of lords will not return to the fray tonight, they will finally pass this brexit bill. theresa may may leave it until later in the month, possibly the week of the 27th, to begin the whole process , the 27th, to begin the whole process, formerly, of brexit, with the triggering of article 50. in terms of what happens here with a

second scottish independence referendum that nicola sturgeon, the first minister, called for today, it is likely that next week the scottish parliament will vote to call for that and then it will be in theresa may's court, her decision on whether to allow that second scottish independence referendum that nicola sturgeon once by spring 2019. back to the studio now in london. thank you very much, ben brown in edinburgh. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:a0 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are matthew syed, columnist at the times and kevin schofield, editor of politicshome. the headlines on bbc news. nicola sturgeon has announced plans to hold a second independence referendum for scotland, claiming that the prime minister is ignoring the wishes of scottish voters on

britain leaving the eu. theresa may has delivered a forthright response, accusing scotland's first minister of tunnel vision and wanting to set a course for uncertainty and division. mps have voted to reject the changes made by the house of lords to the government ‘s brexit bill as government sources say the triggering of article 50 want happen until the end of the month. —— won't happen. time to bring you up to date with the sports news from the sports centre with tim. it's the fourth and final fa cup quarterfinal this evening, what a match, premier league champions chelsea at home to the holders, manchester united. jose mourinho is back with his old employers. eden hazard danced past

the manchester united defence and forced a brilliant save from de gea. gary cahill could have scored from the resulting corner, had it not been for de gea again. this is what is happening at the moment, live on bbc one. the reason that ashley young is talking to the referee is ander herrera, of manchester united, has been sent off for a second yellow card. mourinho is serious. manchester united are up against it now, away from home, down to ten men, mkhitaryan being taken off and replaced by marouane fellaini, united trying to shore up the midfield, you suspect. they are also missing zlatan and wayne rooney and martial through injury. the only striker that manchester united have is rashford, who is ill, yet is playing nonetheless, because united don't have anyone else. let's look at this free kick. de gea, not

surprising, in great form. united will have to play the last hour of the game with ten men, really up against it. both birmingham and liverpool have expressed an interest in hosting the 2022 commonwealth games after it was announced earlier that the event will not take place in durban any longer. the south african city was going to be the first african host but indicated recently that it faced financial difficulties, the official commonwealth games federation statement says it is searching for potential risk placement candidates. the commonwealth games federation probably are not willing to accede to some of the demands of the south african department of sport, who are responsible forfunding african department of sport, who are responsible for funding the games. i believe the department of sport wa nted believe the department of sport wanted a return on investment and there was a discrepancy in the budget that was presented, it was believed to be $120 million less than what seem to be provided at the ministry of sport. when it came to

funding, and the economic growth of the country was 0.3% last year so there are much more pressing needs in the country, and the treasury hasn't been able to provide the kind of funding required to host the games. chris froome has given his support to sir dave brailsford at tea m support to sir dave brailsford at team sky, saying that without him there was no team sky. chris froome hasn't commented on his boss, under pressure, who said he will not resign despite the uk world anti—doping agency ‘s investigation into a mystery package delivered to sir bradley wiggins in 2011. today the three—time tour de france winner apologised for the way things had been handled, both sir dave b ra ilsfo rd been handled, both sir dave brailsford and team sky deny any wrongdoing. this is some of the statement by chris froome in which he says, i can completely understand that people feel let down by the way in which the situation has been handled, going forward we need to do better. he goes on to say, i know it will take time for faith to be restored but i will do my utmost to

make sure it happens along with eve ryo ne make sure it happens along with everyone else at team sky. there have been protests tonight by fans and supporters of two of the biggest clu bs and supporters of two of the biggest clubs in french rugby union after it was announced they were to merge. stade francais in paris and racing manager to say that they need to pool their resources to cope with the challenges of performance and education. it's a big shock as our by education. it's a big shock as our rugby reporter chris jones explains. of rugby reporter chris jones explains. of their owners say they need to pool their resources and become one club, it's the equivalent of saracens and harlequins merging or totte n ha m saracens and harlequins merging or tottenham and arsenal, merging, two london sides. it really is a bizarre story, the kind of story that only french rugby seems able to throw up. a massive story in france. it's still goalless in the fa cup quarterfinal between chelsea and manchester united, five minutes to go until half—time. united, down to

ten men. 0k, thank you, for the time being. thousands of rail passengers in england have faced a day of disruption following a 2a—hour strike on some of the busiest lines in england. the dispute — over the role of conductors and driver—only trains — has affected services in and out of liverpool, leeds and manchester. 0ur transport correspondent richard westcott is at leeds station, with an update on the situation there. the joys of the monday morning commute. welcome to the leeds train. passengers across northern england today hit by the same strike that has caused months of misery for commuters in the south. northern are only running about a0% of their trains today. this is the eight o'clock train from keighley into leeds, a busy commuter service. it's really filling up now. it's been pretty busy. i mean, i usually get the train from ilkley, but there's no way i'd have got home, i finish work at half five, and the last train is at half five, so it's a bit annoying. the next station is bingley.

a couple of stops later, and now it's really filling up. it's been 0k, to be honest, it tends to get really busy at the last stop before leeds so, in the morning, it's always pretty packed, usually. were you worried about it, what the strike was going to do to the service? a bit. if there is no train, i can't get to work or i have to take the bus and it would take, like, an hourand a half. it's a 2a—hour strike with around 2,000 rail workers walking out today across three companies, northern, merseyrail and southern. three strikes, same issue — the introduction of driver—only controlled trains... please take all your belongings with you. ..where the driver takes over all of the safety critical jobs, jobs like closing the doors. which is currently done by the guard. we fundamentally believe that services operated on a driver—only, driver—controlled operation are fundamentally less safe. and every train in the uk should retain a second

safety—critical person on board. we put safety at the heart of everything we do. the independent rail regulator has actually indicated that this is as safe as conductor operation of the doors. this isn't about who opens and closes the doors, this is about giving our customers what they want. southern rail put on 90% of its trains today. the strike less effective because more of its services can run with just a driver. but merseyrail had to stop trains completely over lunch, and together with northern, will hardly run anything tonight. for many, it meant an early dash home. just panicking to get back before the last train at quarter past. if you've got a hospital appointment, it does panic you a little bit. this train terminates here. commuters across the north might just have to find other ways into work over the coming months. richard westcott, bbc news, leeds.

it's said to be the third—largest multisport event in the world. the commonwealth games, bringing together countries which, between them, represent roughly one third of the world's population. the venue for next year's games will be australia's gold coast. the queen won't be there herself, but a message from her as head she placed the message in the baton which will now be carried to all the countries of the commonwealth to arrive on the gold coast in april of next year. the baton relay was started by the australian track cyclist anna meares, she was joined by britain's victoria pendleton. and then, to add another australian touch, it was transferred

to a combi, the campervan used by so many generations of surfers, which trundled off down the mall at the start of its 1a0,000 milejourney. four years ago, it was sir chris hoy who did the honours, launching the baton relay to the city of glasgow, the 201a venue. the route over the next 13 months will be pretty much the same, taking the baton to every commonwealth nation and territory. so it will travel across much of africa to the indian subcontinent, where four years ago it was taken by steam train in sri lanka and to tiny islands in the pacific. a reminder of the scale of the commonwealth, and of the cultural and historic links which bind its 52 member nations. in april next year, in australia, the commonwealth's sporting rivalries will be resumed, but in the context of a sporting event which, like the commonwealth, prides itself on showing respect and mutual understanding. and if a city fancies hosting such an event in 2022,

there might be a vacancy — durban is said to be pulling out. nicholas witchell, bbc news. time to check on the weather forecast with nick miller. where there has been sunshine tonight, clouds tonight, so temperatures holding up, not worried about frost. some outbreaks of rain spreading south through scotland and northern ireland, reaching northern england later in the night, light and patchy as it does so, that is how the temperatures are staying up. we start tomorrow with plenty of cloud, misty and murky in the west, some light rain and drizzle around, brightening up in northern ireland for a time before patchy rain comes backin for a time before patchy rain comes back in later. a windy day for northern scotland, the northern and western isles in particular, gusts in excess of 70 mph disrupting transport. some bright or sunny

spells in two parts of england, some in south—east england may get as high as 16 celsius, very mild in the sunshine. not a high as 16 celsius, very mild in the sunshine. nota huge high as 16 celsius, very mild in the sunshine. not a huge amount of change over the next few days, but cooler, wetter, windier right at the end of the week, and that is your forecast. hello, this is bbc news, the headlines at 8:30. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has confirmed she wants to hold a second referendum on scottish independence between the autumn of next year and the spring of 2019. it would be wrong for scotland to be taken down a path that it has no control over, regardless of the consequences for our economy, for our society, for our place in the world, for our very sense of who we are as a country. but the response from downing street is forthright — theresa may says it's a case of tunnel vision. instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good

government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. the ayes to the right, 335. the noes to the left, 287. the ayes have it. mps have voted to reject the changes made by the lords to the government's brexit bill, arguing that the measures would have weakened the government's negotiating power during the brexit talks. the house of lords will vote again on whether to accept the vote or resist, as government sources say the triggering of article 50 will not happen until the end of the month. hundreds of thousands of commuters face disruption because of a 2a—hour strike, affecting lines run by merseyrail, arriva trains north and southern. and the queen has set the commonwealth games baton on its journey around the world, on its way to the opening ceremony of next yea r‘s commonwealth games on the australian gold coast. more now on scotland's first minister announcing

that she plans to trigger a second referendum on scottish independence. nicola sturgeon said she wants a vote between autumn next year and the spring of 2019, when the terms of the uk's exit from the eu become clear. ms sturgeon said scotland was on a path to a hard brexit over which it had no control. it is time for me to set out decisively and with clarity the way forward. doing nothing at this stage is, in many ways, the easiest thing for me to do. it would mean letting scotland drift through the next two years with our fingers crossed simply hoping for the best. and of course i do hope for the best. i want the uk to get a good deal from the eu negotiations. that is clearly in scotland's interests, as well as in the interests of our friends in other parts of the uk. but i am farfrom alone in fearing a bad deal, or indeed no deal.

nor am i alone in fearing that even a so—called good deal will be significantly inferior to membership of the single market, and that it will set scotland on a course that will not only damage our economy but change the very nature of the society and country that we are. the problem with doing nothing now is that by the time these fears are realised, it will be too late for scotland to choose a different path before the damage is done. that would not be right or fair. whatever path we take, it should be one decided by us — not for us. so let me set out the plan i intend to pursue. first, i will continue to stand up for scotland's interests during the process of brexit negotiations. second, i will now take the steps necessary to make sure that scotland will have a choice at the end of this process, a choice of whether to follow

the uk to a hard brexit, or to become an independent country, able to secure a real partnership of equals with the rest of the uk and our own relationship with europe. the scottish government's mandate for offering this choice is beyond doubt. last year we were elected with the highest share of the constituency vote won by any party in the history of devolution on a manifesto that said this — "the scottish parliament should have the right to hold another referendum if there is a significant and material change in circumstances that prevailed in 201a, such as scotland being taken out of the eu against our will." these conditions have, of course, now been met. so i can confirm today that next week i will seek the authority of the scottish parliament to agree with the uk government the details of a section 30 order. the procedure that will enable

the scottish parliament to legislate for an independence referendum. of course, that is one side of the debate, the view in downing street rather different. the prime minister has accused ms sturgeon of suffering from what she called tunnel vision. as we negotiate to leave the european union, i want to negotiate an agreement that is going to work for the whole of the united kingdom, and that includes the scottish people. that's why we've been working closely with the devolved administrations, we've been listening to their proposals and recognising the many areas of common ground that we have, such as protecting workers' rights, and our security from crime and terrorism. the tunnel vision that the snp has shown today is deeply regrettable. it sets scotland on a course for more uncertainty and division, creating huge uncertainty, and this at a time when the evidence is that the scottish people, the majority of the scottish people, do not want a second independence referendum.

so instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. the prime minister's reaction to nicola sturgeon's earlier statement. aid agencies are warning that time is running out to save more than 20 million people who are facing famine across africa and the middle east. the united nations says the crisis in nigeria, south sudan, yemen and somalia threatens to be the worst in 60 years. in somalia, conflict has made the effect of a two—year drought even worse. it's left nearly three million people without enough water, food and vulnerable to disease. 0ur correspondent andrew harding is in baidoa in the country's south—west. you may find some of the pictures in his report distressing. this is baidoa, a town besieged by two unforgiving enemies.

the soldiers are here to guard against al—shabab, the militant islamists controlling the countryside in this corner of somalia. but it's the second enemy, drought, that is now far more dangerous. nine—year—old ali has just been carried into the local hospital. he is unconscious. but it's not from hunger. not yet. after three years of failed rains, clean water is hard to find. the doctors here believe they are battling a sudden outbreak of cholera. inside, weak from diarrhoea, dozens of new cases. many families have walked miles get help. it's a cruel, opening salvo of disease before famine marches into town. we are feeling this situation is getting very bad. out of control? yes. due to the disease outbreak, this is totally different. and can you deal with that?

with our capacity, no. for now, there's an orderly queue at baidoa's well. a nurse has volunteered to oversee the rationing. but every day more people are coming into town from the parched countryside. the famine is going fast, very fast. there isn't enough wheat. there isn't enough water. and the problem is very big. like any town under siege, this one is digging in and praying that reinforcements arrive soon. as things stand, they only have enough supplies here to help one in ten of those who needed. and there's little doubt things are going to get a lot worse. new arrivals seeking shade on the edge of town. during the last famine in 2011, many left it too late before moving to seek help. so maybe this counts as progress. but it's hard to get the timing right in such a gruelling climate.

this woman buried herfour—year—old daughter and five—year—old son on the journey here — probably cholera again. and what happens if the aid supplies run out? those helping say the main lesson of 2011 is to sound the alarm early. what we want to do different is we want to say there is a famine that is coming. we are sure it is going to come, and especially if the april rains fail. so what we are saying is get us help now, get us the resources we need now, and we will save the children that need to be saved. and look how easy it can be. after 15 minutes of treatment in hospital, nine—year—old ali opens his eyes and asks his father for water. in a besieged town, one life saved, many more to go. iraqi forces say they are continuing to win back districts of mosul.

the us envoy coordinating the fight against so—called islamic state says the last road out of mosul has been captured and any is fighters still in the city will die there. mosul is iraq's second biggest city and has been in the hands of the is group for over two and a half years. richard lister has the latest. street by street, house by house, the fighters of islamic state are losing mosul. this rare footage shows these militants under pressure. they are outgunned and outflanked, surrounded by iraqi troops, relying on mortars, car bombs, and exploding drones like this one. it's not working. they've lost a third of their territory. but civilians are paying

a terrible price. some are taken back to the city of irbil, but there is little to go back to. "my entire family, they are gone," said 0mar. he is 17. more casualties arrive every day. at this stage we have approximately 60, we get around ten cases every day. hundreds of thousands of people are thought to be in the city as the shelling continues. with all major escape routes cut off, the iraqis and their american allies believe the fight for the city is entering a decisive phase. any of the fighters left are going to die there, because they are trapped. we are very committed to making sure these guys cannot escape. the narrow streets and crowded neighbourhoods make for a nightmarish

battle ground. thousands have fled since february. many more will make this harrowing journey before the battle is over. let's return to domestic politics. the house of lords is now again debating the brexit bill after their amendments were defeated earlier this evening in the house of commons. peers have been urged not to insert further "terms and conditions" into the government's negotiating position to leave the eu. brexit minister lord bridges of headley told a packed house of lords that now was not the time to return to the fray in the struggle over the brexit bill. vicki young has been gauging reaction from peers. all the signs are that i'd is bill

we re all the signs are that i'd is bill were clear its final parliamentary hurdle, i'm joined by were clear its final parliamentary hurdle, i'mjoined by the were clear its final parliamentary hurdle, i'm joined by the leader of the lib dems and the house of lords, lord newby. what are you going to say tonight in the house of lords? the elected chamber has spoken, time to give up, isn't it? the government made it clear from the start that it wouldn't listen to anybody, and we are going to have another go, we think they are completely and utterly wrong, and we intend to press that argument to the last. labour have said the house of commons has broken, there is no point in pursuing it when there is no chance of victory. the government is causing major anguish to people in terms of eu citizens in the uk, and we think that they need to be forced to think to the last minute about whether they really want to impose that on people. we are being inundated people in touch with us saying that their lives have been made a misery, and in all conscience we cannotjust made a misery, and in all conscience we cannot just sit made a misery, and in all conscience we cannotjust sit by and made a misery, and in all conscience we cannot just sit by and wave that through. what about this idea of a meaningful vote? david davis has given assurances that parliament

will be fully involved, why don't you believe him ? will be fully involved, why don't you believe him? well, they will only be involved to a certain extent. he also said there were some options he would not be prepared to have parliament contemplate, that he was not prepared to see parliament contemplate rejecting a vote, and notjust glancing contemplate rejecting a vote, and not just glancing out contemplate rejecting a vote, and notjust glancing out into contemplate rejecting a vote, and not just glancing out into what would be a disastrous wto option. we think parliament should be able to vote in every possible option at the end. but what happens if there is no deal and parliament says, we do not accept that? you expect to stay in the eu? well, that is an option, and at the end of the process people will have to decide whether they think that the deal on offer is better than where we are today. if everybody concludes it is vastly more costly to leave, it would be rather strange if we didn't even give parliament the chance to decide whether it wanted that option. the lib dems are very pro—eu party, is this the end of the fight for you? no, it is the end of the beginning

of the fight. it has been quite a ferocious skirmish, but the battle will go on, it went on and by—elections, and it will be one wherever we have the terms to promote our argument. lord newby, thank you very much indeed. theresa may is likely to have the all clear to trigger at ago 50 by the end of tonight, tomorrow morning if she wa nts to, tonight, tomorrow morning if she wants to, but i understand it will not be this week. —— article 50. let's go live to the house of lords and give you a flavour of the debate, which of course is continuing over the next little while. that, of course, is the archbishop of york, john sentamu, on his feet. we will stay with this for a few moments so you can get a sense of what the peers are saying following that decision in a house of lords, two amendments that were considered in the house of commons which were rejected by votes of around a8 or 50 majorities on both

of those amendments. let's listening for the next few moments. those who have lived continuously and lawfully in the country for at least five years automatically have a permanent right to reside. and at that time of brexit, if it happens, andi that time of brexit, if it happens, and i am sure it will happen, eu law will be incorporated in british law. when that has been incorporated into law, it would be difficult for the government to argue that those people do not have a right to reside. and your lordships and those on the other place will have to argue again, so as far as i am concerned, i came here running away from amin's torture, and for nearly 15 years i was living without uk travel documents, as a student, i

was prevented from working, so i know what the difficulty is. but when i sit in this, your lordships' house, and those members who say that the other side does not mean they do not have rights, we should all find the language which talks about people as people, which can be very hurtful to me, being used as a bargaining chip, no, that can't be right, it casts aspersions on those arguing the other way. and so, my lords, i think the time has come for us on lords, i think the time has come for us on this side, and i would find it difficult if we want a resolution for eu citizens living in this country, to continue further debate without triggering the article as quickly as possible. me i thank the noble lord the minister for his, i think, rather unfortunate task of having to bring to us the

regrettable decision on the rights of eu citizens living here, many married to brits, possibly with no right to remain after brexit day. this house, by a majority of 102, ask the commons to do two very easy things, both pragmatic and ethical. 0ne things, both pragmatic and ethical. one was to make it clear to eu citizens, whether brits abroad or europeans here, should not be treated as bargaining chips to be traded off against each other. the house felt strongly that these families who have, as a result of out families who have, as a result of our forthcoming exit, suddenly found their own lives on hold, given the uncertainty over their future, should have their rights secured as soon as should have their rights secured as soon as possible, but without holding one group's interests hostage for those of another group. secondly, we called on the prime minister to act unilaterally in the

one area under her control, and to say to eu nationals, we will ensure you continue to have the rights you expected when you arrived, even after we withdraw from the eu. we did it because of the calls of those affected, and also their employers, who fear the loss of valuable colleagues. some 25,000 from the health service alone, now thinking of leaving. the government and the commons have rejected our call. i absolve the brexit committee, who unanimously felt that the government should act unilaterally on this. and the only reason for the rejection is that it the only reason for the rejection is thatitis the only reason for the rejection is that it is not a matter that needs to be dealt with in the bill. presumably the government have no other rationale for saying to those here, you must wait to know about your future until the 27 others have agreed how they will treat uk nationals. but that could take months, if not years. we are hearing

from brussels that, although citizens' rights will be high on the negotiators' agenda, it could take years for the final deal — as i believe liam fox and david davis confirmed yesterday, reflecting on the normal practice of nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. we regret this delay, and we lay the blame for this hiatus fairly and squarely at the door of number ten. but we will also campaign for an early resolution to the plight of those caught up in a legal neverland not of their making, and we will continue to press the government to move on this, and to provide the certainty our amendments sought, albeit maybe by other, perhaps i should say imaginative parliamentary routes, a number of which are already under consideration. because the people concerned cannot wait

until march 2019 to hear their fate. but turning to the lib dem amendment, we do not think this is a responsible move. it is not one that we could support. this house's view, bya we could support. this house's view, by a majority of 102, is clear. the government should act unilaterally on the position of people already amongst us. and as the mover of the original motion, no—one in this house will doubt my support for that. but our view has been rejected in the elected house of commons, and it is clear that the government is not for turning. 0n the half of the opposition, i say to the people concerned, we are not giving up on you. we will pursue your interests in other ways. laughter shame! i will take no lessons from the liberal democrats! who confessed

to me outside the chamber that this is appealing to their core vote and they are piling on members because of it! shame! so we are here to move an amendment to help them make members! well, that may be suitable for them — that is not taking this house as a legislative body seriously. and more than that, they are falsely raising people's hopes when they know that this government in the commons, despite my best endeavours, are not going to change their mind. so they should think ha rd their mind. so they should think hard about what they are doing to those people whose expectations they are raising, which will not be fulfilled. i worry that they are also making a bit of a mockery of the house if they think, we will vote on this, like they did last

week, ina vote on this, like they did last week, in a safe knowledge that others will vote the other way, and it would be carried. i also wonder even more about what it does to the decision we took. the lord' majority of 102 is bound to shrink. we know that the house will have heard it already, they do not have the updates to send this back, given the majority in the commons, which was higher than before. so instead of us being able to go out from this on the high level of saying, by 102 we think the government is wrong, instead of that, we would have eithera instead of that, we would have either a lower vote or a lower vote another hour later, and by the way, lord brown, when i play ping—pong, i never get it back even once! but instead of saying that we ended up on the side of those eu nationals with a majority of 102, we are going

to have a lower vote whether now or later on. so, my lords, it will be, lam sure, later on. so, my lords, it will be, i am sure, with enormous regret, not so i am sure, with enormous regret, not so much on behalf of this side of the chamber, but on behalf of the 3 million people who are looking for us, to us for some help. it is a regret to me, the government's position. i don't think it's correct, i don't think it's moral, ethical, i don't even think it's clever and negotiations. however, we acce pt clever and negotiations. however, we accept the view of the elected house. but we won't rest after two nights — we'll be back, urging the government to allay the fears of people caught in this limbo. —— after tonight. i would like to thank those who have contributed to this short debate, and once again many of your lordships have spoken with great passion. after so many hours of debate, there's little i can say without repeating myself and travelling over well worn ground, so i will quick and brief. that is where we leave live coverage

from the house of lords to bring you a live weather update. today gave us some lovely sunshine in northern ireland, 16.6 celsius, the warmest day of the year so far in northern ireland, and plenty of sunshine across the midlands, east anglia and south—east england, as you can see from that picture. the trend overnight will be to bring increasing cloud to those areas that we re increasing cloud to those areas that were clear today, rain slipping south through scotland, mostly in the hills and the west, into northern ireland and north—west england later in the night, but are not amounting to very much. temperature is not going down very far with all the cloud around, not worried about a frost going into tomorrow morning. this is the picture for tomorrow morning, plenty of cloud, misty and murky across south—west england, into much of wales, drizzle on higher ground. a few brighter breaks in the east midlands, eastern england, damp and drizzly into the pennines, and the west of the pennines, where we have

the biggest cloud. northern ireland should be seeing sunny spells during the morning, across scotland some sunshine, but showers in the north, the northern and western isles, accompanied by gusty winds indeed. so there is a potential, particularly in that area of gusts up particularly in that area of gusts up to 70 mph, maybe more, and that will have an impact on travel, so bear that in will have an impact on travel, so bearthat in mind will have an impact on travel, so bear that in mind tomorrow. lighter winds further south, increasing cloud in northern ireland again into the afternoon, outbreaks of rain coming back into dumfries and galloway as well, much of england and wales will be dry, sunny breaks coming through the cloud. if you get sunshine, for any period of time, temperatures will be higher than the 14 temperatures will be higher than the 1a or 15 degrees we just saw there. into tomorrow evening, cloud and patchy rain further south, into wednesday rather cloudy, southern england, south wales, northern ireland, some outbreaks of rain coming back, like the wind into northern scotland. the lion's share of the sunshine will be northern and

eastern england. weather front working south on thursday, weakening as it does so, stronger weather systems coming in for the end of the weekend into the weekend on a strongerjet weekend into the weekend on a stronger jet stream. what weekend into the weekend on a strongerjet stream. what does that mean? right at the end of the week we will notice the temperature coming down, so it will feel cooler, particularly in a stronger wind, that will be a feature of the weather too, and for many of us, wetter weather coming in as well. that is the change coming in at the end of the week, lasting into the weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines at nine. nicola sturgeon announces plans to hold a second independence referendum for scotland, claiming the prime minister is ignoring the wishes of scottish voters on britain leaving the eu. i believe that it would be wrong for scotland to be taken down a path that it has no control over, regardless of the consequences for our economy, for our society, for our place in the world, for our very sense of who we are as a country. but the response from downing street is forthright, accusing the scottish government of losing sight

of the main issues. instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game.