welcome to bbc news. to some breaking news. in the past hour, president trump has again brushed off questions from journalists on us gun laws after visiting a hospital in florida where victims of wednesday's high—school shooting are being treated. mr trump met some of those injured and their families. many of those affected have said former student nikloas cruz, who opened fire killing 17 people, shouldn't have been able to obtain firearms. let's hear now what the president said after his visit, a short time ago. they have done incredible job. the doctor was amazing. we saw numerous people and incredible recovery. incredible. first responders, everybody. what you've done is incredible and i want to congratulate you. did you see the victims, mr president? yes, i did. withstand victims, mr president? yes, i did. ... withstand that victims, mr president? yes, i did. withstand that something like

this could happen, but thejob withstand that something like this could happen, but the job the doctors did, the nurses, the hospital, first responders, law enforcement, really incredible. inaudible... in one case 20 minutes, in another 19 minutes from the time of the shots. it's an incredible thing. they you very much. do gun laws need to be changed, mr president? barbara plett—usher is outside broward hospital. interesting to president making very brief mention of speaking to the victims, not giving much detail and certainly not talking about the issue of any changes to gun laws. yes, a very brief mention and a very brief visit. i don't think he was here for more than 15 or 20 minutes. he says he met with victims and medical staff and congratulated them on an incredible job and as you said

didn't really respond to that question about gun laws. he hasn't spoken about the issue of tightening laws so far in his speeches. he has spoken about ensuring the safety of schools, making them safer and has also deflected the issue to a mental health one. he said this is evidence ofa health one. he said this is evidence of a mental health crisis and people should be more vigilant about reporting signs of disturbed behaviour. but the people here are asking amongst other things for tighter gun controls. how could this young man find it so easy to purchase an assault weapon that could cause so much damage, when there had been some signs of troubled behaviour in his past? they are also asking for practical steps at schools, things like metal detectors and more security. and i suspect when president trump takes this up, if he does further, that will be more what he will focus on them that very complex and for the issue of changing gun control laws. we have seen the bigger will and the

protest from people in the local community —— seen the vigils. as far as you aware of is that it for now, oi’ as you aware of is that it for now, orare as you aware of is that it for now, or are more such things planned?” am not aware of something organised land, in terms of a vigil or protest. but we had a couple of funerals today and more will come, as there were 17 people killed as you know. those funerals have been packed out and there's also a place for people show solidarity with each other and also protest, as when one of the victims was buried today the schoolchildren by the side of the grave shouted "no, no!" and that's the feeling amongst them. they feel they don't want to become just another statistic in america's mass shootings. we want to say this is totally u na cce pta ble a nd shootings. we want to say this is totally unacceptable and they want totally unacceptable and they want to press their elders, the adults, to press their elders, the adults, to do something to make sure this doesn't happen again, or at least make changes which to happen in this way and so frequently. thanks very

much indeed. let's ta ke let's take a brief look at some other news now. senior officials have charged 13 russians with interfering in the presidential election that brought donald trump to power. they're the first charges from the us department ofjustice, as part of a long running investigation into alleged meddling in the 2016 poll. president trump has, again, insisted his campaign team did nothing wrong. the new south african president, cyril ramaphosa, has delivered his first state of the nation address to parliament, a day after being sworn into office. he set out his plans for the economy and for ending the corruption scandals. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: pedal power in the skies. this

little airship is trying to cross the mediterranean. 0xfam has agreed not to bid for any new government funding, until the department for international development is satisfied the charity can meet the high standards expected. it follows sexual misconduct allegations, concerning some aid workers. the news comes as a woman employed by 0xfam in haiti, after the 2010 earthquake, told the bbc she was abused by a more senior male colleague. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale's report contains some distressing details. haiti in 2010. and the chaotic aftermath of an earthquake. a country heaving with humanitarian workers, some of them there to help, like this young woman working for 0xfam for the first time. i really studied 0xfam in university and learned all about them. they are the leader, after unicef, in a lot of humanitarian response. i always dreamed of working for them. but her dream turned sour as a more senior colleague became over—friendly and then not so friendly.

you'll understand why we've protected her identity. he literallyjust pinned me up against the wall, he was groping me and grabbing me, kissing me, and i was just trying to shove him off. i got him off eventually and he got mad and threw his glass at me and it shattered on the floor. and then later on we got in the car to go home. he just threw me out of my seat and then pinned me to the ground. one of my colleagues, a woman, reached back and tried to grab me and pick me out. iwas hitting him, kicking him. and then in south sudan she says she was assaulted by another 0xfam colleague after a party. i went into my room and i was starting to undress and go to sleep and he just walked in, shoved me on the bed, tried to rip my clothes... i mean, he did rip some of my clothes off, he got naked, forced himself... iwas shoving him, kicking him and screaming for anyone. and i know that the man next door

heard because the next morning he even said something like, "hey, are you all right, after what happened last might?". but nobody came to help. and ijust pushed him and kicked him and kicked him, and eventually he got up and walked outside for a bit and i ran over to the door and shut it. and i stood at the door with all my might, keeping it pushed shut as he was pushing from the other end. what felt like, for so, so long. i was exhausted. i don't know, i was just crying. i didn't know what to do. i was screaming for help. i thought someone would come help me. but nobody came. tonight, the government said that 0xfam would no longer bid for public funding, at least not until the department for international development was satisfied the charity had raised its standards. 0xfam is promising to set up a commission to investigate new allegations. there will be tougher checks on staff references and more money spent on internal

safeguarding procedures. but... can you guarantee there are no sexual predators working for 0xfam today? we have cases that we are investigating today, and i am determined that we deliver justice in those cases. thousands and thousands of 0xfam staff, doing the right thing in the most dangerous places in the world. protecting people, saving lives, that work must go on. you cannot give that guarantee that there are no sexual predators working for your organisation? how would i be able to guarantee that there is no—one who is going to offend? what i can guarantee is that we will build a new culture that doesn't tolerate that behaviour. but 0xfam's uk chief executive mark goldring struck a defiant tone, saying some of the criticism against his organisation

was out of proportion: what went on in haiti has cost 0xfam donations and public trust. so it's promising justice and changing its rules. but its future depends on changing a culture that seemed to tolerate sexual misconduct. germany's chancellor, angela merkel, says she's "not frustrated" by the brexit process, but is "curious" to know more about the uk's aims, after meeting theresa may in berlin. the prime minister reiterated her desire to maintain the closest possible economic ties with germany and the eu, but said there would have to be a "new balance of rights and obligations". political survival against the odds. something these two leaders know all about. both have been weakened by poor election results,

but when it comes to brexit negotiations, not much will happen without angela merkel‘s approval. so theresa may came here keen to stress what binds germany and britain together. the uk and germany's shared history, values and culture, i think, makes us vital partners and strong allies both bilaterally and through nato, the g7 and the g20. and we'll continue to work together to strengthen these ties for years and decades to come. the german chancellor admitted there had been a "candid" exchange of views. translation: we basically have not changed our stance on britain leaving the european union. we deplore it. so, was she frustrated the uk hadn't set out concrete proposals? translation: i'm not frustrated at all, i'm just curious how britain envisages this future partnership. in the end, the outcome needs to be a fair balance that deviates from the single market and not

as close a partnership as we've had. but i think one can find that. tomorrow mrs may will urge eu leaders not to let brexit get in the way of continued cooperation on security or trade. it isn't just a one—way street. i think that's what's important. actually, i want a future economic partnership that is good for the european union, it's good for germany, it's good for the other members, remaining members of the european union, and is good for the united kingdom. ahead of this visit theresa may was being warned that time is running out, that she had to be much clearer about how she saw britain's future relationship with the eu. but downing street will have been cheered by the tone struck by angela merkel as she talked about a fair and balanced approach for both sides. but no amount of warm words here can disguise the complicated issues that still need to be resolved. new figures show a dramatic reduction in the number of young

people buying their own homes across the uk in the last 20 years. the institute for fiscal studies found that only a quarter of those aged 25 to sa and earning average incomes were able to buy a property compared with two—thirds in the 1990s. simon gompertz has the details. aged 30, keen to buy, but shut out of the market. this is my room. tom says renting in brighton is money down the drain, but the house prices are beyond him. it's absolutely mission impossible at the moment. there's not a chance of getting a deposit. it's such a cost and with utility bills and the cost of trains going to london, with my rent prices, it is unachievable and by friends are all around the same age and none of us are on the property ladder yet. the institute for fiscal studies looked at young people like tom aged 25— 3a on middle incomes up

to £30,000 a yearfor a tom aged 25— 3a on middle incomes up to £30,000 a year for a household after tax. although most of them we re after tax. although most of them were couples with children. the number of young owners has dropped across britain, down to 44% in the north—east and cumbria, the smallest move, from 61% to 36% in east midlands. in london from 47% to just 20%. there's been a collapse in the homeownership rates of young adults across the country and its being concentrated on middle income families. if this continues into their later life they are going to be paying rent forfar their later life they are going to be paying rent for far longer, potentially into their retirement. they'll have less real resources for other spending when they are in old age. the huge increase in house prices is the reason why it has become so difficult. 20 years ago a young family would need four times their income in order to buy. now it's more like eight times. so for increasing numbers, buying a home is

just a nonstarter. the government's help to buy scheme is helping people afford more, especially new homes, and first—time buyers have had their stamp duty cut. the problem is also one of supplier. councils complain that developers are sitting on planning permissions for more than 400,000 homes, which haven't been built, and that is aggravating the shortage. it's really hard to see how we can make this better when we are still seeing a huge demand for housing and that housing demand is not being met with the right number of houses. so i think that it's all coming down to the individual now. they are having to make the choices and decide for themselves, do i want to rent and have the flexibility, but pay more for it, or do i want to make a lot of difficult decisions and get on the housing ladder sooner? my mum always said she got oi'i sooner? my mum always said she got ona sooner? my mum always said she got on a ladder about 35 for 26 and she tells me the deposit prices and how cheapit tells me the deposit prices and how cheap it was. tom has agreed that he is missing out, part of a generation

in which most people like it or not are stuck with renting. you are watching bbc news. mrtrump met mr trump met some of those injured and their families. well, more funerals have been held for the victims of the attack. 0ur north america correspondent, aleem maqbool, reports. they are coming to mourn a girl shot dead inside her school, one of the 17 victims of america's latest mass shooting. alyssa alhadeff had been passionate about playing football and had been a popular and talented pupil. earlier, thousands had gathered to remember all of those who died, in many cases friends that only a few days ago they had shared classrooms with. they included 14—year—old jaime guttenberg, who family members say stood up for those who were bullied.

her father spoke at the vigil. i sent her to school yesterday. she was supposed to be safe. among the others who died, meadow pollack, who was heading to university next year. joaquin 0liver, a basketball player who loved writing poetry. and 14—year—old cara loughran, who her family says was a great student who loved being at the beach. all lives that were cut short by nikolas cruz, who the fbi admitted today it had received a call about to its hotline number at the beginning ofjanuary. the caller provided information about nikolas cruz‘s gun ownership, desire to kill people, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting. and that huge mistake has now

allowed gun advocates to divert attention from the other big concern, how easily the attacker was able to arm himself. this is where nikolas cruz bought his weapon. all he had to do was produce his driving licence, give the most basic of personal details and then answer a question to say that he was not mentally ill. he was 18 at the time, too young to buy alcohol here but old enough to walk out of this shop with an ar—15 rifle. young survivors here are insisting on better gun control but feel many adults are letting them down. the fact that i have to say this is absolutely horrifying, but i feel the need to because this is the blood of children that is on the floor of the school now. these are 17 children that are dead. the politicians, again, are promising change. you call this a talking point, but why would this be any different to all the atrocities that have gone before? what makes you feel this will be different? i have never seen students speak out as boldly as they have.

maybe this is the turning point. close to the school, students demonstrated to demand a solution to stop this type of tragedy happening again. in truth, america remains a long way off finding a way to end its problems with guns. a powerful earthquake has hit the south—west of mexico. the 7.5 magnitude quake was felt across the southern states of guerrero, oaxaca and puebla. it caused buildings in the capital, mexico city, to shake. there's no information about casualties and no tsunami alert. at the winter olympics in south korea, dom parsons has secured team gb's first medal of the games. the 30—year—old took

bronze in the skeleton, after the hot favourite messed up his final run. from pyeongchang, here's andy swiss. from 100—1 outsider to olympic medallist. in this sport of eventfuljourneys, dom parsons takes some beating. his final run was an emotional roller—coaster, beginning in bronze position. his supporters, including parents, judith and david, were starting to dream. to guarantee a medal, all he had to do was beat nikita tregubov‘s time. but... slower by a mere two hundredths of a second. can you believe it? well, it will be an agonising wait now for dom parsons, in second place but with two more athletes still to go. has he done enough for an olympic medal? well, it seemed unlikely. next ago, martins dukurs, the world champion. that was a mistake.

but against the odds, he faltered and parsons was gifted a glorious reprieve. dom parsons, unbelievably, has his medal! from despair to delight, in the blink of an eye. i thought i'd lost it and made a couple too many mistakes on that run. but martins made some more mistakes, and he's the last person i thought would make those mistakes. for his parents, meanwhile, the relief and the pride were overwhelming. gosh, he has earned it. the last 11 years, he's dedicated his life to skeleton. and as his mum, how proud are you feeling right now? couldn't be prouder. and here's the proof. the sweetest of family reunions. for dom parsons, the perfect ending to a day of emotion and elation. it is now saturday morning in the

pyeongchang. it is a bumper day for britain's medal hopes. lizzy yarnold is third at the halfway stage, teammate laura deas is for. watch out for izzy atkin. after a tumble on tuesday, elise christie has another chance in the speed skating. tea m another chance in the speed skating. team gb will be hoping it could be another super saturday. and the swiss in pyeongchang. already a swiss sensation, now he's being dubbed the peter pan of tennis, becoming the oldest player to top the atp world rankings. five years after losing his spot at the top, roger federer has reclaimed the position at the age of 36. his elevation in the rankings came after beating dutch player, robin haase in straight sets to reach the semifinals of a tournament in rotterdam. federer, a 20—time grand slam

champion, said being number one at his age is a "dream come true". when you're older, you know, you feel like you have to could double the work in. this one maybe means the work in. this one maybe means the most of my career, getting to number one, 36, almost 37 years old, it is an absolute dream come true. cannot believe it. applause. there's been a massive decline in the number of orangutans on the island of borneo. a study has found that within 16 years, the population has plummeted by half. deforestation is one of the reasons but a large number of the animals are also being killed by hunters orfor raiding crops. victoria gill reports. hanging onto survival. zoo programmes like this preserve small populations of bornean orangutans. but in the wild, they are being pushed rapidly towards extinction. their rainforest home continues to be cleared for agriculture and mining, but a 16—year—long study

has now revealed that borneo's orangutans are disappearing from areas where the forest is untouched. they are being targeted by hunters. even in the areas where we think they're safe, we are losing them. and in some of the large populations where we have measured this loss, it's 50% over 16 years. it is an astonishing decline at the population level. even without animals being deliberately killed, scientists estimate that deforestation alone could wipe out another 45,000 orangutans here in the next three decades. let's head to the south of france now and a daring adventure to cross the mediterranean. a frenchman is planning to travel from nice to corsica. all he will use is a small inflatable zeppelin — and a whole lot of pedal power. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. # come take a trip in may a ship,

comes oui’ # come take a trip in may a ship, comes our way to the stars. it doesn't fly very hard coma it doesn't fly very hard coma it doesn't play very fast, but don't underestimate this leadership —— doesn't fly very high. its creator and pilots has big plans for what he calls his zeppie. a 20 minute long helium filled balloon. it is both the daring and delicate. translation: the difficulty is that the machine is extremely sensitive to weather conditions, because you need wind speeds of less than five kilometres per hour in order to fly. that means the sea must be com pletely that means the sea must be completely flat, not a single wave of the water. the plan is to cross the mediterranean, metaphorically setting sail from the mediterranean, metaphorically

setting sailfrom nice, heading towards the northern coast of corsica, a journey of 175 kilometres. this was simply a test flight, kilometres. this was simply a test flight, one that caused a little amusement for passing traffic. he tried crossing the english channel ten yea rs tried crossing the english channel ten years ago but had to give up after 18 hours of pedally and a distance of 35 kilometres. the attempted flight to corsica, if a flight attempted flight to corsica, if a flight is the right word, is expected to take place later this year. tim allman, bbc news. it isa it is a noble expedition. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. now the weather with tomasz schafernaker. the weber this weekend is looking a little mixed. most of us will get at least one fine day of weather. it will be saturday. we will have skies

like this. this is an image from friday from one of our weather watchers. here is the weekend summary. watchers. here is the weekend summary. we have some sunny weather on saturday, it be bright. from sunday things will turn. clouds are gathering all ready for sunday. ahead of that this is what we will have in uk over saturday, that with a brighter weather. in the short term, through the early hours of saturday we have some rain around, maybe he'll snow across the north. clear and cold weather across east anglia and the south—east. there will be a touch of frost in places. 0n will be a touch of frost in places. on saturday, a weak weather front moves on saturday, a weak weather front m oves a cross on saturday, a weak weather front moves across parts of the uk. first thing in the morning so us will be waking up to overcast skies. there will be light rain here and there. through the morning, that area of cloud basically breaks up and the sun comes out. on balance, a fine day. not a completely fine and dry day, there might be one or two little showers developing. 0n balance, sunshine will prevail

across the uk on saturday. the best of the weather, i suspect, on the south coast and some of these western areas, around 11 degrees. the forecast for saturday night into sunday, a loss of cloud behind me, this is streaming in our direction. this is actually a warm weather fronts, it will be followed by some milder weather conditions. this is the weber. the cold front affair. 0ne frontier. within this area we have that mild air pushing in our direction. —— guam frontier,. for the tips of cornal, penrich, the rain getting in there during the morning. for many eastern areas on sunday, you can see norwich, hull, newcastle, all the way up to aberdeen, that eastern portion of the uk should stay dry. all day, we

suspect, on sunday, before this weather front crosses you and bring to the rain. watch what - as go we go through sunday. still milder. .. coming in from the south—west. air, coming in from the south—west. then there is a sudden shift in the wind direction. it starts coming out of the east. that means as we had through the next few days things are set to turn that little bit colder. this is bbc news. i'm ben bland. the headlines: president trump has again brushed off questions from journalists on us gun laws after visiting a hospital in florida, where victims of wednesday's high school shooting are being treated. mr trump met some of those injured and their families. 13 russians in the us have been charged as part of special counsel robert mueller‘s investigation into alleged russian meddling in the 2016 election. president trump has tweeted again that his campaign did nothing wrong and there was no

collusion. in his first state of the nation address, south africa's new president, cyril ramaphosa, has spoken of a new dawn for the country. he pledged to build a society defined by decency and integrity. there has been