welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: three years after civil war started in yemen — the death toll continues to rise. both sides are fighting for the biggest prize — the capital, sanaa. to ta ke to take the fight into the heart of this historic, densely populated city would be a bloody, urban battle. another white house resignation — communications director hope hicks is the latest high—profile figure to leave president trump's top team. back in class for the first time since the deadly shooting in florida. students return to a high school changed forever. and tributes to the american evangelist billy graham. his body is lying in state in the us capitol — as the nation's leaders pay their respects. hello.

after three years of conflict, conditions in yemen are described by the united naions as "catastrophic". houthi rebels — backed by iran — remain in control of large parts of the country, including the capital, sanaa. fighting them are forces loyal to the former president, backed by saudi airstrikes and a naval blockade. caught in the middle are the country's civilians — more than 20 million people needing humanitarian help or protection. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has travelled with saudi and yemeni government forces to the frontlines. high above the arabian peninsula, just off the coast of yemen. saudi arabia and its allies have ruled these skies since the war began. and they control the seas below. these shipping lanes are a vital gateway for the world's energy supplies. and a smuggling route

for illicit goods. among them, the saudis say, weapons that iran supplies to yemen's houthi fighters. we land on board a saudi warship. inspecting vessels bound for the port. most of yemen's imports flow through there but it is in houthi hands. saudis are on the look—out for suspicious vessels. we meet the captain, whose mission is a crucial gesrgtigngl false. are tetrsat ; ff if: 171 , yes. even humanitarian ones? yes. a naval blockade has been lifted for now. it had obstructed vital medicine, food and fuel from reaching yemenis in desperate need. but this war grinds on. and on the ground, it is yemen's army who are

battling houthi fighters. advancing slowly on hostile terrain. mountain by mountain. seizing strategic heights of the approach to the capital. sanaais sanaa is the prize in this war. the houthi rebels want to keep it, but to ta ke houthi rebels want to keep it, but to take this densely populated city would be a bloody urban battle. all roads in this war will lead to this capital. the yemeni forces and their allies have ambitious plan, surround sanaa, and allies have ambitious plan, surround sa naa, and force allies have ambitious plan, surround sanaa, and force the houthis to surrender, but their enemy is well entrenched. supported by iran, the houthis are now well trained and

well supplied. their ballistic missiles have reached the heart of the saudi kingdom. fearas missiles have reached the heart of the saudi kingdom. fear as part of their arsenal, too. hundreds of journalists and political opponents have been detained arbitrarily. many have been detained arbitrarily. many have fled. in a government—controlled area we meet this 27—year—old, whose crime was posting comments on social media. he tells us, they hung me up, tortured me until i fell unconscious. when he woke up, he did not move. imagine, he says, in a second, i cannot walk. what can i do now, he asks ‘s but yemenis live with other fields, too. this is the impact of a saudi air strike in sa naa, this is the impact of a saudi air strike in sanaa, in animo close to the defence ministry. the saudi—led coalition has been pounding enemy positions. armed with the most sophisticated

weaponry from allies like britain, the us and france. the saudis insist civilians are not a target. but they are being hit. this family, like many others, lost their home in a coalition bombing. they had taken refuge here. we are begging for help, cries this woman. yesterday my three children did not eat. i am ill, always ill. neither dead nor alive. it is hard to escape from this war. it has pushed these families from place to place. at this temporary settlement they are digging in. trying to make a new home from the little they now have. the arab world's poorest nation now a battle ground for regional powers in a middle east which grows ever more combustible. saudi arabia and iran know they are playing with fire. and for the latest analysis on the conflict in yemen, go to the bbc website — where you'll find background on, the mother who's lost four sons to the war, and features

on the lives of children in conflict zones. let's take a look at some of the other stories making news. the un security council has been told that death, destruction and misery are continuing unabated in the rebel—held area of eastern ghouta in syria, despite a resolution calling for a ceasefire. the un's emergency relief coordinator, mark lowcock, says no aid has reached civilians in dire need of food and medical supplies. the international olympic committee has lifted its ban on russia, just days after the winter games in south korea. the suspension was imposed in december, after inspectors found evidence of systematic state—sponsored doping. president putin gave some of the winning athletes their medals at a ceremony in the kremlin. much of europe has been blanketed in snow as cold weather spreads as far south as the mediterranean coast. here in the uk, dozens of roads were closed and trains and flights cancelled. hundreds of schools suspended classes too, with many businesses telling workers to stay at home.

the german government has confirmed that its computer network has been the target of a cyber—attack. the authorities didn't comment on reports that the attack was carried out by russians and had targeted the foreign and defence ministries. the hack was first discovered in december and may have lasted up to one year. pupils at a high school in florida have returned to their classes — two weeks after a former student murdered 17 people there. earlier president trump held a meeting at the white house, calling on politicians from both sides of the gun control debate to come up with legislation to prevent school shootings. our correspondent, nada tawfik, was at the school in parkland, florida. it was a return that was emotional for members of stoneman douglas high. a flower, a hug, comfort,

for members of stoneman douglas high. aflower, a hug, comfort, head of their toughjourney high. aflower, a hug, comfort, head of their tough journey back to the scene of so much pain and loss. inside, the focus was not on top on helping them to heal and giving them the space to readjust. today was a roller—coaster. we were not com pletely roller—coaster. we were not completely sure what to expect. all of the kids are at different stages of the kids are at different stages of healing. it was a tough day for nicole velazquez. she lost her friend nicholas, and still mourns his absence. in the morning i actually saw him, and we said happy valentine's day and that was the la st valentine's day and that was the last i heard from him. a makeshift memorial wraps around the school that honours the 14 students and three staff members killed. among the condolences from schools across the condolences from schools across the country, posters reading "never again". students have adopted that slogan as the name of their campaign to push for stricter gun measures. this is the first time survivors of a mass shooting of been so vocal about gun control in the us, and

despite the students' return to classes, they have about two keep up the momentum and they plan a march on washington later this month. at the white house president rob held a bipartisan meeting when he seem to support expanded background checks for gun purchasers and other measures. we're going to come up with some ideas and hopefully we can put them in a bipartisan way. it would be so beautiful if we could have a bill that everyone could support. senator chris mafi called up support. senator chris mafi called up they influence of the powerful gun lobby, the nra. the gun lobby has had veto power of any legislation that comes before a government. i wish that was not the case, and left all that we do is the stuff that the gun industry supports, then this just stuff that the gun industry supports, then thisjust isn't stuff that the gun industry supports, then this just isn't worth it. this new urgency is a result of the students' demands to put gun safety at the top of the agenda.

their protests have had a strong impact. companies have cut ties with the nra, and two major retailers, walmart and dick sporting goods have announced they will raise the minimum age for all guns to be purchased from 18 to 21. in some parts of corporate america, it is no longer business as usual. one of president trump's longest—serving aides, his communications director hope hicks, is resigning. the announcement came a day after she was questioned by the house intelligence committee investigating russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. the white house has denied any links our correspondent, chris buckler is watching this story for us in washington. many people will think that they do not know much about hope hicks but given how close she has been to the trumpfamily and given how close she has been to the trump family and for how long, and the timing of her departure, she may be leaving the white house but not

leaving the spotlight. hope hicks is someone leaving the spotlight. hope hicks is someone who did not enjoy the spotlight and try to stay away from it in some sense, which was unusual for a former model, but she is someone for a former model, but she is someone who is extremely close to the trump family and organisation. she has worked with them for years. and indeed has worked throughout this campaign right the way back as press secretary whenever donald trump began his campaign to go to the presidency. in the white house she has become a key figure. it's easy to talk about her has been communications director, but in so many ways, she is much more than that. she's someone who is very close to president trump, a confident, someone he really trusts, andi confident, someone he really trusts, and i think this loss will be felt very keenly by him. but it does come down to that question of timing. he says she's going to pursue other opportunities, that something she wa nts to opportunities, that something she wants to do. but it comes just a day after she gave evidence to this

congressional committee looking into allegations of russian interference in 2016 election. there were two things that emerged most that in terms of her testimony. first, she admitted she had on occasion told white lies for the president and secondly she refused to answer any questions about a meeting that took place between the trump campaign tea m place between the trump campaign team in 2016, with a russian lawyer. both of those things very firmly put her in the spotlight and she has now made the decision she now wants to walk away from the white house. and of course she's not the first to do that. there are many on the rob holding door that you see at the white house. hope hicks was communications director, the fourth communications director, the fourth communications director, the fourth communications director in the first few months of his presidency. the funeral of indian actress sridevi has taken place in mumbai. many bollywood a—listers joined mourners — and thousands of fans lined the streets. an autopsy found the 54—year—old drowned in a bath, after losing consciousness.

a police investigation into her death has now been closed. sameer hashmi is in mumbai. the body was flown in dubai last night and around my name local time the body was taken to a local sports clu b the body was taken to a local sports club where fans were allowed into pay theirfinal club where fans were allowed into pay their final respects. thousands of fa ns pay their final respects. thousands of fans turned up to pay their last respects. they were chewing up since early morning, just to get the chance to catch a glimpse of sridevi. she was such a huge star in india. that is when you see the amount of love and respect that she commanded across the country. that was on display in mumbai, today. on monday when the police started to investigate the matter per death, there was wide speculation across many networks in india, many electronic channels in india, speculating as to what led to her death. some channels going to

appoint where they started to link this to some sort of foul play, without the facts being in place, and that's why the coverage of a section of the media came under big criticism, not only on social media but from her fans across the country, because they felt this was not the way they should remember her, given the amount of love she had and the work she has done across movies. everyone want to wait for the facts, the final report, which came out on tuesday, and they said that there was no foul play involved and it was a death due to accidental drowning after loss of consciousness, which happened in the hotel that she was staying. many other fans and people on the streets we re other fans and people on the streets were quite upset with the coverage from a section of the media. still to come on bbc news, the royal foursome's first official engagement. prince harry says, we

are stuck together for the rest of our lives! the hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll, the americans have successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarf that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. explosive force dwarf that of the bomb dropped on hiroshimalj explosive force dwarf that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had made the news earlier. the constitutional rights of these marchers are the rights of citizens of the united states and they should be protected so that they don't get their heads broken and sent to hospital. i know it is religious controversy, you don't want to say

too much about it, but does it bother you? it bothers me, but it bothers me, but it will be all right in the end of the you're watching bbc news. the headlines. the united nations says conditions in yemen are "catastrophic" — with — more than 20 million people needing humanitarian help. president trump's communications director hope hicks is stepping down. the decision comes a day after she testified to congress. theresa may says no prime minister in the uk would ever accept the eu's draft document, setting out the legal framework for britain's withdrawal from the bloc. it proposes a "common regulatory area" across ireland, to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the irish republic. the proposal would, in effect, keep northern ireland in some sort of customs union with the eu — something mrs may has explicitly ruled out for the whole of the uk. rob watson reports. breaking up was never going to be easy,

as efforts to finalise the divorce agreement, the withdrawal treaty as it's known in brussels, are proving. "don't blame us," says the eu negotiator michel barnier. it was the uk that wants to leave, throwing up all sorts of problems, including the thorny issue of the border between northern ireland and the irish republic. translation: i am not trying to provoke or create shock waves. i want this negotiation to be a success, but let me remind you that it was uk's decision to leave, and as i said from the beginning, no one should underestimate the consequences of this action. that northern ireland might almost effectively stay in the eu to avoid a hard border brought a hard response from theresa may. she said she would sign no such treaty. the draft legal text the commission have published would if implemented undermine the uk common market and threaten constitutional intregrity of the uk by creating

a customs and regulatory border down the irish sea. and no uk prime minister could ever agree to it. pro—brexit mps and her governing conservative party applauded her. stop brexit! outside parliament, these freezing anti—brexit protesters may have a powerful new ally. former prime minister and conservative party leader john major launched a scathing attack on the government's handling of brexit, accusing it of caving in to a handful of hard—line anti—europeans in pursuing the policy that would leave britain poorer, weaker and more divided than ever. brexit has been the most divisive issue of my political lifetime. it has divided not only the four nations of the united kingdom, but the regions within those nations. it has divided political parties, political colleagues, families, friends and the young from the old. many people in britain are probably more worried about the weather right

now than the details of britain's withdrawal from the eu. politicians likejohn major believe the voters will cool on brexit, too, as and when the reality of leaving the eu unfolds. certainly, a chill has set in between london and brussels with no obvious prospects of a thaw in relations. rob watson, bbc news. the australian government says more than 57,000 firearms were handed in during a three—month gun amnesty last year. the haul includes thousands of smeiautomatic weapons and an unregistered rocket launcher. the amnesty allowed people to hand over weapons without fear of prosecution. a third of the firearms have been destroyed, the rest have been licensed or registered for sale. men in france could face fines for making lewd comments about women in public, under new plans to tackle street harassment. details were set out by a parliamentary working group on wednesday amid rising concern about sexual harassment and assaults, following the harvey weinstein scandal.

fines would range from 90 to 350 euros. washington's top political leaders have come together to remember christian evangelist billy graham who died last week at the age of 99. president trump and others attended a special memorial service at the us capitol, where the religious leader is lying in honour. mr graham is only the fourth private citizen to be given this rare tribute. the last was civil rights icon rosa parks in 2005. jane o'brien reports. for many, he was america's pastor. the man who brought the word of god to all. an unadorned message in contrast perhaps to the ceremony surrounding his death. he treated everybody the same, even the great and powerful who came today to pay their final respects. and powerful who came today to pay

theirfinal respects. billy and powerful who came today to pay their final respects. billy graham shared their stage for decades but uniquely avoided their politics. he met every president since harry truman and was a councillor to most. he also shaped the evangelical movement into a political force. shall we pray? from president trump, who spoke of his own childhood memories of billy graham came this tribute. everywhere he went, the reverend graham delivered the same beautiful message, god loves you. that was his message, god loves you. we can only imagine the number of lives touched by the preacher and the prayers of billy graham. billy graham will lie in honour until thursday, allowing members of the public to pay their respects. he will be laid to rest in north carolina on friday. scientists

believe they have detected the signals emitted by the first stars as the reform. detectors found that these, from mr universe was no older than 180 million years old. this picture of the baby is a major astronomical breakthrough. the company behind japan's iconic bullet trains has said it had supplied nearly 150 faulty wheel parts that could crack and potentially cause a derailment. kawasaki heavy industries launched an investigation after a crack was found in its parts under one carriage in december. more than 100 carriages will now have to have their wheels changed because of the fault. the world championship surfer mick fanning, who famously fought off a great white shark during a competition, will be retiring next month. the 36—year—old australian, nicknamed "white lightning" has won three world titles. he will hang up his surfboard in march. he says he has lost the drive to compete on a day—to—day basis. meghan markle has spoken of her desire to focus

on the empowerment of women. she was appearing alongside her fiance prince harry, and the duke and duchess of cambridge, who were hosting an event to showcase their charitable work. ms markle, who was a women's advocate for the un, said she wanted to "to hit the ground running" when she takes up her royal duties. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. they are the foursome who will take the royal family forward for decades to come. and on stage together for the first time, they talked about their mission. william said it was to build on what his parents hold on to the values that have always guided our family, but seek to engage in public life in a way that was updated and relevant for our generation. attention inevitably focused on the newcomer, meghan markle underlined the relevance of her agenda talking about female empowerment. you'll often hear people say, "you're helping women find their voices." and i fundamentally disagree with that, because women

don't need to find a voice. they have a voice, they need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen. and i think, right now, in the climate that we're seeing with so many campaigns, i mean, me too and time's up, there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered, and people really helping to support them, men included in that. meghan said she was looking forward to hitting the ground running after her wedding. sitting next to her, her future sister—in—law. so how is it working as a foursome? working as family does have its challenges, of course it does. the fact that everyone's laughing means that everybody knows exactly what it's like. laughter but, look, you know, we're stuck together for the rest of our lives, so... laughter this is true. togetherness at its finest. togetherness, yeah, yeah. together and seeking to make a difference. while the arctic blast nicknamed the beast from the east

has caused havoc across many parts of europe. romania's black sea coastline has transformed into a glacial fairy scene. people have stepped out in temperatures of —9 celsius and strong winds to admire the frozen balustrades and icy remains of the abandoned constana casino. the main news again, the un says that conditions in yemen after three isa that conditions in yemen after three is a conflict are catastrophic. officials say 20 million civilians need civilian —— need humanitarian help. houthi rebels are battling against forces loyal to the former president backed by the saudis. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. hello there.

as far as meteorologists are concerned, the first of march is the first day of spring. but what we have to contend with through the day ahead is a continuation of this spell of severe disruptive wintry weather. still that met office red warning, still in force through central portions of scotland and west towards glasgow. a larger area of northern eastern scotland, covered by an amberwarning. in all these areas, snow showers will continue to feed in relentlessly as we head through the early hours. some showers further west and south as well, and here the winds will be picking up, so it will feel bitingly cold up there. but of most concern is the weather across northeastern scotland into northeast england, 10—20 cm of snow falling here, perhaps even a little more than that through the central belt of scotland.

that will continue to cause some significant issues. as we look further afield and run the weather through the day, you can see some of the showers will fade, parts of east anglia and lincolnshire will have a slightly drier day. down south, an area of low pressure is spinning its way up, that will bring some snow into the channel islands and likely set in in parts across southwestern wales. on the thermometer, your temperature will struggle to get above freezing. it will feel like —11 degrees in birmingham and in cardiff through the middle parts of the afternoon with that biting wind. now this area of low pressure continues to push northwards as we head into thursday evening, and that brings the likelihood of a spell of really significant snow across southwest england and wales. the met office has an amber warning in force here, because the snow will pile up, 10—20 cm, maybe more in southwest england. very strong winds. there'll be blizzard conditions out there, as we head through thursday night into friday, some of that snow perhaps fringing into northern ireland, and as we go through the day

on friday, snow will come across some other southern areas today. showers will feed into the northern and eastern scotland. temperatures for most of us are still disappointing, a bit milder towards the southwest. however, if any snow turns back to rain, it could hit very cold surfaces and turn immediately into ice, which would give some really slippery conditions. into the weekend, we continue to see frontal systems up from the south, and slowly but surely, something a little bit less cold, so temperatures will slowly lift throughout the weekend. there will still be showers, and of those will still be wintry. this is bbc news — the headlines... united nations officials have described conditions in yemen — after three years of conflict — as ‘catastrophic‘ — with more than 20 million civilians needing humanitarian help. houthi rebels — supported by iran — are fighting forces loyal to the former president, backed by saudi air strikes. the white house communications director hope hicks is to step down. the former model is reported to have said she had achieved everything

she could in the role. two weeks after the florida shooting, students returned to their school for the first time since 17 people were shot dead. earlier president trump met members of congress to discuss gun controls it is now