an already had humanitarian situation worse. at least ten people were killed on sunday during fighting between former allies, separatists who want independence for south yemen, and forces loyal to the saudi—backed government. more than 100 people are now known to have been killed in a suicide bombing in kabul on saturday. attackers drove an ambulance past a police checkpoint to get to a crowded street in a district full of government buildings and embassies. we're getting reports of a new in kaboul. police in moscow have released the russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, after detaining him at a rally. his lawyer says he will have to appear in court, where he may face charges. thousands protested in cities across russia in support of his call for boycotting the upcoming presidential elections. now on bbc news: the week in parliament. hello and welcome to

the week in parliament. coming up: there's a rare standing ovation in the house of lords as a labour former minister talks of her battle with brain cancer and explains why she's campaigning for more innovative treatment. so that we can live well together with cancer, notjust dying of it. at prime minister's questions, jeremy corbyn and theresa may go into battle overjust how much money should go to england's nhs. the labour government would not be underfunding the nhs, a labour government would not be privatizing the nhs, a labour government would not be underfunding social care. this is a government that recognises the priorities of the british people. priorities to ensure the nhs remains a world—class healthcare system — indeed, the best healthcare system in the world!

also on this programme: david davis makes his first appearance of the year in front of the brexit committee and rejects the accusation that britain is to become a vassal state in europe. and there's fury in the commons over the allegations of harassment and groping at the presidents club charity dinner. organisers chose to make this a men—only event. they chose to treat the hostesses in this way, to make them parade across the stage in front of men, to make them wear black, skimpy, outfits, and specify the colour of their underwear. but first: there was a rare standing ovation in the house of lords on thursday when the labour former minister, tessa — now lady — jowell called for greater global cooperation and the use of more innovative treatments to help beat cancer. lady jowell was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer last year. she told peers what had happened. on the 24th of may last year,

i was on my way to talk, not for the first time, about new projects in east london. i got into a taxi, but i could not speak. i had two powerful seizures. i was taken to the hospital. two days later, i was told that i had a brain tumour — a glioblastoma multiforme, or gmb. she'd called the debate to argue for more international co—operation to pool knowledge about the illness, and said patients should be able to try several new treatments at the same time. so many cancer patients collaborate and support each other every day. they create that community of love and determination, that they find each other every day. all we now ask is that doctors and health systems learn to do the same, and for us to work together to learn from each other. in the end, what gives a life

meaning is not only how it is lived but how it draws to a close. i hope that this debate will give hope to other cancer patients, like me, so that we can live well together with cancer, notjust dying of it. all of us, for longer. thank you. applause. to a packed public gallery and with mps crowding at the bar,

and with the health secretary jeremy hunt looking on, the minster praised her speech. i would also like to praise the noble lady for the determination that she has shown in raising the profile of issues around cancer treatment during the course of her own illness. and i think it is fair to say she inspired us all, and many cancer sufferers as well. but i think we should expect nothing less from the woman who brought us the most wonderful olympic and paralympic games in 2012. what the noble lady has done today is offer hope, her courage in calling and leading this debate and with her ever—fertile mind making suggestions for how we can improve cancer care, she raises our sights and demands that collectively, we work harder to offer hope to people affected by the terrible disease she suffers with such dignity. it is the right challenge. and one i'm prepared to accept on behalf of the government. in doing so, i promise her that our efforts will not waver until the scourge of cancer no longer robs us of the ones we love.

lord o'shaughnessy. well, it was funding for england's health service that dominated the exchanges between theresa may and jeremy corbyn at prime minister's questions on wednesday. the previous day, it had been briefed that the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, was to use a cabinet meeting to call for a £100 million a week ‘brexit dividend' for the nhs in england. he was reportedly slapped down by mrs may for calling publicly for more money, but the whole affair provided plenty of ammunition forjeremy corbyn. does the pm agree with the foreign secretary that the nhs needs an extra £5 billion? prime minister? you are supposed to sit down, jeremy! well, i think the right honourable gentleman, a i recall, was here in this chamber for the autumn budget that was given by my right honourable friend the chancellor of the exchequer, where he announced that we will be putting £6 billion more into the health service.

jeremy corbyn! the only problem with that, mr speaker, is that it was £2.8 billion spread like thin gruel over two years. a labour government wouldn't be underfunding the nhs, a labour government wouldn't be privatizing the nhs, a labour government would not be underfunding social care! a labour government would be committed to an nhs free at the point of use as a human right! our support for the nhs is about providing it with the funding, the doctors, the nurses, the treatments, the capabilities that it needs in order to be able to deliver for patients. that's why we are backing the nhs with more funding, that's why we're ensuring they get the best treatments, and survive, er, survival rates for cancer are higher than they have ever been before. it's why we're ensuring we have better joined—up services across the nhs and social care, so those people who don't need to go into hospital are able to be cared for at home, and that's why we are ensuring that

we're reducing waste in the nhs, so taxpayer's money is spent as efficiently, as maybe on patient care. it has been reported that a man froze to death waiting 16 hours for an ambulance. last week, a young gentleman named chris wrote to me, saying "my friend's 93—year—old father waited four hours for an ambulance after a fall". these are not isolated cases. these are common parlance all over the country. it needs money, it needs support, and it needs it now! when is she going to face up to the reality and take action to save the nhs from death by 1,000 cuts! prime minister! there is only one part of the nhs that has been cut, seen cut in its funding — it is the nhs in wales, under a labour government! this — this is a government — this is a government that is backing the nhs plan, that is putting

more money into the nhs, that is recruiting more doctors and nurses, that is seeing new treatments come on board which ensure that people are getting the best treatment that they need! because this is a government that recognises the priorities of the british people! priorities to ensure that the nhs remains a world—class healthcare system — indeed, the best in the world! priorities to build the homes that people need, to make sure that our kids are in good schools! this is a government that is building a country that works for everyone! and a country — a country in which — a country in which people can look to the future with optimism and hope! theresa may. meanwhile in the lords on friday, an independent or cross—bench peer put forward a bill to allow medical staff not to withdraw life—sustaining treatment or perform ivf or an abortion if they had moral objections.

she said having to be involved in out these procedures had led some midwives leaving the health service. my lords, it simply can't be consistent with conscience to say "i cannot do this but i will order you to do it". if one delegates, supervises or supports an activity, then one is not unreasonable in concluding that one shares moral responsibility for what happens. but the bill faced determined opposition. i really don't believe that there are shoals of professionals in this country who feel that their rights are insufficiently represented by current law. the existing provision for healthcare professionals to object on the grounds of conscience in certain well—defined circumstances is currently sensible and balanced. and this bill is both unnecessary and potentially dangerous. replying for the government, lady chisholm said she'd reflect on the debate, but without firm ministerial backing, it stands no chance of becoming law.

now let's take a look at some other news from around westminster in brief. the work and pensions secretary has confirmed that up to 220,000 people could have their benefits restored to a higher level following a high court ruling. the row is over those with mental health conditions and whether or not they should qualify for higher rates of personal independence payments, known as pips. we are not appealing the outcome of the recent high courtjudgement in order to provide certainty to our claimants. our next steps will build on the positive work this government is already undertaking, including spending on main disability benefits. pip, dla and attendance allowance has risen by 11.2 billion since 2010. and real terms spending on disability benefits will be higher every year to 2020 than in 2010. to say that there is a commitment to disabled people when the un committee on the rights of disabled

people has said it is a human catastrophe that cuts have been wrought on disabled people by this government is an absolute disgrace! as for the un, how did the figures that she's given compare internationally? the minister said the uk spent 50 billion pounds. the uk is one of the most generous countries in the world when it comes to supporting its disabled people. in the g7, only germany spends more. stories have been circulating for weeks there could be more defence cuts on the horizon, specifically the potential loss of amphibious assault ships, and reports that full—time army numbers could fall. senior army chiefs and members of the lords spoke out against any further reductions. making a statement on thursday, gavin williamson suggested he would resist pressure to make more cuts. what we're wanting to do is we we want to have the very best armed forces that we can have.

this is not aimed as being some operation to take money off the armed forces. it's making sure that we have the armed forces and give them the support that we need, and the recognition that they do one of the most amazing job for our country. and that is what we hope to achieve as part of this review. the prisons watchdog has condemned the squalid state of liverpooljail, describing conditions as the worst inspectors could remember. when the head of the prisons service and the justice minister appeared before thejustice committee, mps wanted to know how things had been allowed to get so bad that rats, cockroaches, and blocked toilets were a frequent feature. we'd had, from the autumn of 2016, a run of significant difficulty. we had a number of disturbances in the autumn of 2016, leading up to christmas 2016—17. liverpool then had an escape. we had issues that, i believe, through 2017, are going to get better than the population

increase and put more pressure back establishments. the impact of psychoactive substances, a big issue in liverpool, was actually a challenge for a lot of prisons, and a lot of prisons were operating without the staffing that they needed. so, governors, governors. . . you are making, if i may say so, you are making the same reheated excuses. the fact is in liverpool, there were 549 staff against a benchmark of 466 staff. the report makes crystal clear this is not, perhaps unusually, is not an issue of staffing, it is an issue of leadership. and the question is it just the governor? or is it you? 0r who is responsible? i think there is a responsibility at local level, there's a responsibility organisational level. and i accept, and i have accepted again that yes, we should have recognised the failings at liverpool and dealt with them earlier. and yes, there were responsibilities for that at local level, and there are responsibilities through the organisation, and including at my level and i am not ducking that, i'm simply putting the context in place.

one third of all the alcohol sold in england is consumed byjust 4% of the population. that figure emerged as ministers were urged to bring in a policy of minimum unit pricing in england in an effort to combat the effects of excessive drinking. from may this year, a minimum 50 pence—per—unit alcohol price is being introduced in scotland. the health committee heard calls for a similar scheme in england. my patients with alcohol—related cirrhosis, their average consumption is 120 litres, or units, a week. that is the median. the mean is higher — it's 150. so a typical drinker will be drinking 16 litres of that, and they'll be paying about £20 for it, and that would go up threefold. so that, instead of paying £20 they would be paying nearly £70. all the other side they would still

spend... what they are likely to do is rather than drinking 7.5%, they'll be drinking 3% or 4%. is not that they will not drink at all or they will completely stopped, but they will have to substantially cut their alcohol intake. the culture secretary has come under pressure from opposition mps to prohibit rupert murdoch's £11 billion bid to take full control of the broadcaster sky. the demands came after the competition and markets authority, the cma, said the takeover was not in the public interest as it would give the murdoch family trust too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda. but sky could end up owned by disney if mr murdoch's proposed sale of fox, which owns 39% of sky, goes ahead. the simple way to stop this from going ahead is to prohibit it. not to have some carved out or complicated process. this is personal.

this is basically lefties who do not like murdoch. i will follow process, taking into consideration the final report, once it is published. i will consider what it says. i will consider all the relevant evidence and information and then make a decision. a conservative called for people using cycle rickshaws, or pedicabs, to be protected from huge rip—off fares. he said because pedicabs weren't regulated, there was no requirement for the estimated 1,400 drivers to have insurance, or for vehicle condition or driver quality to be assessed. an undercover film—maker with rickshaw drivers boasting about charging tourists £350 each, and others talking about charging or £200 or £300 to go the half—mile from oxford circus to piccadilly circus. pedica bs blocked streets,

increasing delays and pollution while objecting businesses. many played loud music, the drivers shout. their part in doorways and pavement. clearly, not all, but after many occasions, there are enough to ruin the reputation of those simply trying to earn a living in a reasonable conscientious way. there was fury in the commons after allegations of sexual harassment at a charity fundraising dinner. an undercover reporter from the financial times says she and other hostesses were groped and propositioned by guests at the presidents club gala, a men—only event. a businessman who helped organise the dinner, david meller, stepped down as a non—executive board member for the department of education. there were allegations of inappropriate and lewd behaviour. it is extraordinary to me, mr speaker, in the 21st century, allegations of this kind are still emerging. women have the right to feel safe wherever they work. and allegations of this type

of behaviour are completely unacceptable. what happened was women were bought as bait for men, who were rich men, not a mile from where we stand, as if that is an acceptable behaviour. it is totally unacceptable. one of the prizes at that dinner was plastic surgery to spice up your wife. it is appalling that that continues. i support the minister and her response. we all have our duty to make sure those dinners do not happen again. one of the comments you made, we do not know where the line should be. but this event was billed as the most un—political event of the year, so clearly, they do know where the line is, should be. they decided to go past. when we have reports of toilets beinf monitored and women

lingering too long being called out and lead back to the ballroom. this is not sexism, this is slavery. organisers chose to make this event. they chose to treat the hostesses in this way, to make them wear black, skimpy outfits and specify the colour of their underwear. they chose to ask them to drink before the event. does she agree all of the organisers, including the presidents club, and all of the private companies, should be investigated for breach of the law and breach of the charity? i am in my — the right honourable lady is angry about this, and her reports... mr speaker, do i look like somebody who is not angry? several mps asked about the attendance at the event of the children's minister, nadhim zahawi.

while she has been very loyal to her colleague, who did not stay for any long period of time, it is also reported that the same gentleman attended the presidents club on a previous occasion. i have no idea if that is true or not. that has been reported. if that is the case, should that minister consider his position? i have no idea whether he attended the event before, but i do know senior people have attended it. i know that senior politicians from around the house have attended this event. let's hope, let's hope that this debates today draws a line in the sand, demonstrates to honourable members to think twice about attending any event like this ever again. well, number ten said that nadhim zahawi had "attended briefly

and felt uncomfortable" and left. the mp himself later tweeted: "i do unequivocally condemn this behaviour. i will never attend a men—only function ever." what's been happening in the wider world of politics this week? here's duncan smith with our countdown. all smiles between the us and uk at davos. he says they were joined at the hip. she says his shoulder to shoulder. either way, it sounds like donald trump's planned visit to the uk is back on. meanwhile, in a chamber far, far away... i am sure it's a film we have all watched, be careful not to choke on your aspirations. does he agree that the views of membership of the industry,

not excuses. the point he makes is a good one. angry scenes in the israeli parliament as is really our members protest a speech at the us vice president mike pence. he said the embassy will move tojerusalem by the end of next year. awkward exchanges in the upper house conservative peers by for the be next to speak. i gave way last time. i gave way la st i gave way last time. i gave way last time. lord tebbit wins the day. and no, no, no. westminster counsellors reject the plans for this margaret thatcher statue in parliament square. they say her lords robes do not reflect her times as pm, and they worry about vandalism.

duncan smith with our countdown. david davis has made his first commons committee appearance of the year, coming before the mps who are trying to keep tabs on brexit. there was much discussion of the proposed transition phase, the period immediately following our withdrawal in march next year. a conservative eurosceptic, jacob rees—mogg, raised the issue of the ecj, the european court ofjustice. david davis. on 30 march 2019, the uk is subject to the european court ofjustice, ta kes to the european court ofjustice, takes new rules relating to the single market and is paying into the european budget. are we not a vassal state? no, we are not. not unless we are a dozen state

today. not today. we have a representative on the board ofjustice. as i said earlier, my colleagues, i take the view that the transition is a little different. if that were going to be the case, in perpetuity, my answer would probably be yes, but the answer for sure time is no. isn't this though very serious? it is hard to think of any precedent in the world where an independent nation has taken the judgements of a foreign court as its superior law without having anyjudge on that? in perpetuity, you are right. you are talking about something which we are currently negotiating. we have not decided quite how we are going to manage those elements. the court or, indeed, the agencies and so on. in your earlier answers, you said we would accept the european court ofjustice.

what did you mean by that? with automatic effect. with automatic effect? so we are a vassal state for the two—year period. i did not say that at all. we are transitioning from one state to another. from one state to another. i do not think that's a vassal state. david davis. and that's it from us for now, but dojoin keith macdougall on bbc parliament on monday night at 11:00 for a full round up of the day at westminster as the lords gear up to begin theirfirst big debate hello there, good morning. winter is set to return this week but nothing too serious, nothing out of the ordinary. what was unusual was

the temperatures we had over the weekend — 15 degrees in that mild south—westerly on sunday. there's colder air to come down from the north and it comes in initially behind this weather front here. that is moving southwards. it's been bringing the rain that we've had across the northern half of the uk. and that rain, on monday, is moving south across england and wales. behind it, we're starting to see some colder air already, by the morning, in scotland. maybe some wintriness over the tops of the high ground, as those showers come in. one or two showers coming in to the north of northern ireland. much drier by this stage after some heavier rain overnight. here's the rain, though, across the north—west of england and wales, where it could be heavy over the hills. south of it, still some gusty winds for a while, but very mild air — temperature 9—10 degrees, early in the morning. get a bit of sunshine in the south—east and those temperatures could rise a few degrees higher in the morning — that's ahead of the rain. here's the rain. it's moving southwards and, as it moves southwards, the rain becomes lighter and more patchy but it will drop the temperatures across southern areas in the afternoon. we get some sunshine

following behind that in wales and the midlands. and further north, some sunshine, a scattering showers, and again, just cold enough to give us some wintriness over the higher ground in scotland. it gets cold overnight where we have the clearer skies across southern and eastern parts of england, in particular. there could be a frost returning by early tuesday, but we start with some sunshine across most of england and wales. gradually through the day, the tendency is for things to cloud over more and more. a bit of drizzly rain coming into the far south—west. but the wetter, windier weather is in the north—west of scotland. in between, it looks like it's going to be largely dry. but temperatures 6—9 degrees — that's near normal for this time of the year. it may start to feel colder around the middle part of the week. these weather systems do move through. this one the more significant one, coming down from the north—west, sweeping down across the uk, and then it introduces another bout of colder air that will sweep across all areas. the wind direction changes once again. so we're going to find more in the way of showers on wednesday. we've still got this band of rain on the weather front to clear away from southern areas.

and then it's sunshine and showers. but those showers will be more wintry — notjust in scotland but as far south as wales, perhaps into the peak district as well. nothing serious, but a change from what we've been seeing. and it will feel colder as well, given some strong to gale force winds — 11—5 degrees typically across the north. wind direction changes to a bit more of a northerly, so more inland areas will be more sheltered so inland parts probably dry on thursday. the showers more likely around exposed coasts. but again, it will feel colder in the wind. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: separatist clashes flare up in yemen, raising concerns that the country's fragile humanitarian situation will become worse. a day of mourning in kabul. more than 100 people are now known to have died in saturday's suicide bombing. russia's opposition leader, alexei navalny, is released

after he and dozens more are arrested at a protest rally in moscow. and the grammys are under way in new york. attendees wear white roses in solidarity with victims of sexual harassment.