hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. today at two: emergency hand—outs of bottled water as millions are told to limit their water use while thawing temperatures cause burst pipes. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport olly foster is with us. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. the champion cyclist sir bradley wiggins and his former employers at team sky have been criticised for "crossing

an ethical line" by mps, in a report on doping in sport. the digital, culture, media and sport committee says sir bradley used drugs notjust for medical purposes but to enhance performance. sir bradly became the first british rider to win the tour de france in 2012. both he and team sky say they "strongly refute" the allegations, as richard conway now reports. he is a sporting icon, a tour de france winner and britain's most decorated olympian, but a damning report has accused sir bradley wiggins of unethical behaviour over his use of drugs, that mps say were taken to boost performance and not just for medical need. these do not constitute a breach of the doping rules as such, but do those rules need to be changed if there are very powerful drugs that are known to have performance enhancing properties that can be used by athletes in competition? should those rules be changed? the question of the kind of ethical line of drugs use is ultimately a test that the team have set for themselves. the report says team sky crossed an ethical line set out by its founder, sir dave brailsford,

by using the anti—inflammatory drug triamcinolone to prepare sir bradley for the 2012 tour de france, which he went on to win. there are now growing calls for sir dave brailsford to take responsibility for what mps have labelled "failures". brailsford and wiggins have not come out with a complete story that makes sense, which is truthful, so we need some real honesty there, otherwise their reputations will be in tatters and i am not sure they can ever come back from the mire they are in at the moment. in response to the report, sir bradley wiggins refuted the claim saying, "i find it so sad that accusations can be made where people can be accused of things they have never done which are then regarded as facts". brailsford's team sky strongly refutes the claims as well and say, "we take our responsibility to the sport seriously. we are committed to creating an environment at team sky where riders can perform to the best of their ability, and do it clean". the details in this report came

about after mps heard evidence here at westminster, but the shockwaves have spread far and wide, into the world of cycling and so too into athletics. mps claim lord coe, the president of athletics‘ world governing body, the iaaf, provided misleading answers over when he first knew about corruption and doping allegations with russian athletes. lord coe told the committee he was not aware of specific claims before they were made in a german tv documentary, but the report said it stretches credibility to believe he was not aware, at least in general terms. in response, the iaaf said it, "takes the fight against doping very seriously and over the last 1a months the organisation has introduced a set of wide, sweeping reforms to revamp the governance of the sport". there is nobody i know who would want a guilty athlete to get away with it, none of us. but what we do want is that same

reassurance that those governing bodies, who are there to protect those athletes and those competing athletes, get it right. elite sport has always been judged by the most slender margins. its ethical margins arejust as small. richard conway, bbc news. our sports news correspondent david ornsteinjoins me now from manchester velodrome. i suppose the question is where does the sport go from here and where does so bradley wiggins go from here? quite right, many questions that still need to be answered. pertinently concerning the future of tea m pertinently concerning the future of team sky, said dave brailsford and toa team sky, said dave brailsford and to a lesser extent so bradley wiggins who has already stepped away from cycling. where does dave brailsford, the man who built this tea m brailsford, the man who built this team on the basis of it being whiter

than white with a zero tolerance approach towards doping, where does he go from here given that with that background, he stands accused of manipulating the system of encouraging or ensuring, despite his denials, athletes who were able to ta ke very denials, athletes who were able to take very powerful drugs when they should have only been using them for their medical needs, and the team as a whole. set up to do things the right way and usher in a new era of cycling after the historical doping controversies concerning lance armstrong. will there be criminalisation of doping? damian collins has touched upon it, some countries already have it, will the uk look to do something similar? this is a dark cloud hanging over the sport, a cloud they thought they

would have shifted but has now returned to haunt them. thank you for that. later we will be speaking to david walsh, the sunday times chief sports writer who first broke the story of doping in cycling. the prime minister has announced a shake—up of planning rules in england, saying young people without family wealth "were right to be angry" at not being able to buy a home. theresa may said construction firms which have been slow to build new homes could be refused planning permission in the future. ministers have also warned councils that they will face sanctions if they underestimate future housing needs. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, reports. building your way out of the housing crisis. theresa may on a visit to a development in east london this morning to see new homes being built, but too many young people are, in herwords, rightly angry that they cannot afford. she had a message to the company is building in england's

new homes, step up and speed up. we are going to make it much harder for unscrupulous developers to dodge the obligation to build homes people can afford. the government will make sure land is available for homes and make sure our young people have the skills needed to build them. in return, i expect developers to do their duty for britain and build the homes our country needs. too often, developers are too slow to build on land they've bought, the prime minister said, so local councils should be able to take into account their record. the rewrite of planning rules was also promised with ministers now consulting on changes to guidance for local authorities. the government's opponents say it is nowhere near enough. people will take some persuading that theresa may and the tories will get tough on developers. they have spent the last eight years making planning rules weaker and they have created loopholes which lock in high profits for developers. the test now is action, not the words we have heard this morning. the housing shortage is a problem for all parts of the uk. the scottish government has pledged to build 50,000 affordable homes by 2021 and the welsh government has

launched two new schemes to help people buy their homes. the government admits there is a crisis and is keen to show that it's taking action. but there is little new in today's announcement, and with people opposed to more radical solutions like building on the green belt, the options are limited. the dream of home ownership theresa may spoke about remains a dream for many. thousands of homes across the uk are without water, because of burst pipes caused by last week's freezing temperatures. supplies have been affected in the south of england, wales, the midlands, and yorkshire with bottled water being handed out in some areas. several water companies are advising customers against all but essential use. emma simpson reports. it's the fallout from the big freeze.

burst pipes. and there's lots of them. what is the damaged caused? burst water main. this was cheddar in the south—west. this region has had an unprecedented number of burst mains. and here is another one. there have been big problems in parts of wales as well. 0ne resident in carmarthenshire told us he's been without water since thursday. quite a difficult night. not being able to wash properly, have a shave or wash the dishes. keep the kitchen clean. so i've been collecting rainwater from the downpipe. this mum has got hold of supplies. she's in south london, and lost her water last night. her daughter's school needed to close as well. you don't expect it to happen in london. you think there will be no issues

but clearly there are. what has been the most tricky thing so far? the toilet, not being able to flush the toilet, and washing your hands, i have a two—year—old, so nappies and things like that. there have been a host of problems across many parts of london since the weekend. thousands like rosie are still without water today. thames water resorted to handing out emergency supplies this morning, and demand was high. i've got five kids, and literally without water since 6am yesterday morning. it's terrible. washing the bottles is difficult. there's a lot of stuff covered in baby poo that i can't wash at the moment. 7:30am, they sent me a message the water was fixed. nothing is fixed. engineers are out trying to fix the problems. since the thaw over the weekend, although we expected leaks reported, the reaction has been unprecedented.

we have seen an huge increase. about 500 million extra litres of water has been pumped into the system to cope with the extra demand. water companies are urging people to use as little water as possible until things get back to normal. the question is when. in the south—west the local water company has been handing out water. throughout the morning people have been arriving, getting bottles of water. people have been without water. people have been without water since yesterday but the whole region has been affected. those been an unprecedented number of burst mains which has caused couple of thousand people to be without water. alan hyde, what's happening here? we

are handing out bottles of water to customers who have been affected. we are poor choice for the inconvenience but it has been unprecedented with the weather. we have been working around the clock to fix the bursts where we can find them. great progress has been made we are not out of the woods yet and would continue to encourage customers who have water to save it and use it wisely. but thank them for their support. presumably we have things going across the region as well. yes indeed, we are able to move water around our reservoir syste m move water around our reservoir system strategically to minimise the impact on customers. it's all about doing what's right for the customer. we thank them for their understanding and encourage them to save water and go to the south—west water website for updates. thank

you. they will be stationed here throughout the day for people in ex—weak and the engineering results, we are not sure when they will be back online. —— in exwick. military helicopters are being used to help drop food and fuel to villages in cumbria which are still cut off by the snow. councillors there warn some isolated areas could remain cut off for another 48 hours. there have been reports of residents burning furniture to keep warm. danjohnson is at carlisle airport where the emergency airdrop has been taking place. even hear most of the snow has gone and yet the hills around here are still tricky so carlisle airport has been transformed into a temporary airbase with the raf flying in a chinook helicopter to deliver supplies to villages. some of the villages have been cut off now for five days. how has it got so bad

that you need the raf, stephen? these are tough conditions, even by country sanders where we are used to tough winters. we have communities, isolated farms that have been cut off for five days and despite that office with snowploughs and snowblowers, we know it will be another few days before we can get in on land by the roads. we also know some of those people now have begun to run out of food and fuel, we have families with young children who have run out of supplies for young babies so we took the decision yesterday to beat colleagues in the military, mobilise air support and get supplies out of the communities. we are talking about some very small hamlets, aren't we, in the pennines? very much so, the pennines, the eastern part of cumbria. very isolated communities, small hamlets,

isolated communities, small hamlets, isolated farms. really resilient people, resilient communities but nonetheless five days in people are out of supplies in some of those areas now so out of supplies in some of those areas now so that is the plan today to get out there. is it the way the snow has drifted that is blocking the roads? drifting has been a real problem. the snow fell on strong winds. we have seen snow drifts up to 14 feet high which even with significant equipment like snowblowers is significant equipment like snowblowe rs is challenging significant equipment like snowblowers is challenging to get through so we are unable to get through so we are unable to get through that at the speed we would like to which is why we think we need that air support to get in. the marines will get on the ground close to the farms and take in some vital supplies. you're watching afternoon live, these are our headlines: britain's most decorated 0lympian sir bradley wiggins and team sky reject accusations by mps of crossing an ethical line in their use of drugs.

theresa may says young people trying to get on the housing ladder are right to be angry at developers who buy up land and don't build on it. a glimmer of hope for the people of eastern ghouta — as a un aid convoy manages to enter the besieged syrian enclave. in sport the fa chief executive has apologised for comparisons between the star of david and the nazi swastika. scotland flanker john hardy is back in the squad after a three—month ban for alleged cocaine use. three—month ban for alleged cocaine use. he will play against ireland and italy. and kyle edmund is the new british number one, he replaces andy murray, his 12 years at the top of the british rankings but he is recovering from a hip problem. i will be back with a full update in the next 15 minutes or so. an aid convoy carrying

urgently—needed food and medical supplies has arrived in one of the last rebel strongholds in syria. almost 50 trucks crossed into east ghouta close to the syrian capital damascus this morning. the area has been under siege for five years and in recent weeks people living there have faced an intense bombing campaign which is reported to have left more than seven hundred people dead and thousands injured. richard galpin reports. finally the convoy crosses into rebel held territory. this, the first aid to reach eastern ghouta since last month when the area came under some of the most intense bombing of syria's long civil war. the besieged people living here urgently need food and medicine. but it's now emerged that most of the medical supplies these trucks were supposed to carry were removed by the syrian authorities before they

set off. there were some items removed, over we managed to bring life—saving medicines and surgical items that will help some of the wounded to get access to medical care. also today, syrian government forces and their allies have continued to bombard eastern ghouta. this, despite the arrival of the aid convoys. already it's estimated more than 700 people have been killed in this rebel enclave over the past two weeks, including more than 100 children. but speaking yesterday, the syrian president, bashar al—assad, said his forces were fighting terrorism and would continue to do so. he also said it

was a ridiculous lie to claim that was a ridiculous lie to claim that was an urgent need for aid supplies in eastern ghouta. and he is stepping up the fighting. these are pro—government troops, pushing ahead with a ground offensive into the area. already there are claims they have now read taken a significant pa rt have now read taken a significant part of eastern ghouta. the syrian regime is getting closer to regaining control of the last rebel stronghold near the capital, damascus. 80 previously unknown cases of aid workers harming people or putting them at risk have been reported to the charity commission since the sexual exploitation scandal broke last month. the incidents involved 26 charities, seven of which reported cases that occurred in the last financial year. the new figures were released at a meeting of charity leaders and ministers in london, which is discussing ways to protect people in need. italy's general election has

delivered a hung parliament and big gains for anti—establishment parties.the populist five star movement will be the largest single party. but a right—wing coalition, including forza italia led by the former prime minister silvio berlusconi, and an anti—immigrant party — the league — are expected to form the biggest bloc. gavin lee reports from rome. crowd cheers political deadlock in italy, but it's the anti—establishment parties that are celebrating. luigi di maio is the man of the moment. his five star movement, less than a decade old, is now the biggest party in the country. it is promising political revolution, wary of the eu, and has

drawn huge support from younger voters tired of the old order. when coalition talks get under way, they will feature a familiar face, who once promised radical change, ex—prime minister silvio berlusconi. his poll base is weak and now, but he stands in a centre—right alliance with the league party, and could still be a possible kingmaker. most of the italian press is predicting, all change, and the electra election result brings about the possibility all change, and the election result brings about the possibility of an entirely populist coalition between the five star movement and the league party, which has had a huge rise in support and campaigns under a donald trump—inspired slogan, italy first. its manifesto also pledges to deport 600,000 migrants who've arrived here in the past few years. translation: millions of italians have asked us if we will take control of this country, to free it from uncertainty, and insecurity, after the laws created by brussels. migrant arrivals, bank failures, so i see it as a vote for the future. i think that the possibility

of a coalition between the five star movement and the league is quite there, but i'm not sure they will want to go solo. i don't think that the northern league especially, the league and mr slovenia is going to try to do this. it is the current government that's walking away wounded from this collection in third place. the ex—prime minister matteo renzi promised stability but that idea has been rejected. people have clearly voted for change, change that could worry other european already relu cta ntly worry other european already reluctantly dealing with brexit. gary oldman has led a night of british success at the oscars winning the best actor award for his portrayal of winston churchill in darkest hour. there was also a win for the silent child, the film starring six—year—old maisie sly from swindon, who is deaf. after months of revelations about harassment in hollywood,

the ceremony was a chance for stars to appeal for inclusion, with the winner of best actress, frances mcdormand, persuading every female nominee to stand with her. james cook was watching. after a year of darkness, a splash of colour returned to hollywood. the black threads of protest were gone, although the determination to call ‘time's up' on abuse and to create a more inclusive industry remained. if i may be so honoured to have all the female nominees in every category stand with me in this room tonight... best actress winner frances mcdormand had a message for the moguls. there are film—makers, producers. look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed. and the winner is gary oldman, darkest hour. for his transformation into winston churchill, the british actor saw v for victory and he thanked his 98—year—old mother. i say to my mother, thank you for your love and support. put the kettle on, i'm

bringing an oscar home! congratulations! there were four more british wins, including one for the silent child, a short film about a deaf little girl from wiltshire. i made a promise to our six—year—old lead actress that i'd sign this speech. my hands are shaking a little bit so i apologise. allison janney won best supporting actress for playing the meanest of mothers in i, tonya. i did it all by myself! she went on to thank a long list of people, and a parrot. a fantastic woman! for the first time, the foreign—language award went to chile for a film starring a tra nsgender actress playing a transgender character. daniela vega. jordan peele, get out. this was the first time

a black writer had won best original screenplay. i stopped writing this movie about 20 times because i thought it was impossible. it thought it wasn't going to work. i thought no one would ever make with this movie, but i kept coming back to it because i knew if someone let me make this movie that people would hear it and people would see it. james ivory, call me by your name. this writer made history too. at 89, he's the oldest ever oscar winner. but politics and protests were never far away. three of harvey weinstein's accusers lined up to deliver this message. the changes we are witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, of different voices, of our voices joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying "time's up". and the oscar goes to... last year, this famous duo announced the wrong winner. no such problem this time.

the shape of water. although the director wanted to make sure! the greatest thing our art does and our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand. we should continue doing that when the world tells us to make them deeper. so inclusion was the theme, change really is coming to hollywood was the message. james cook, bbc news, los angeles. the snow provided ideal horseplay forjack the horse in herefordshire, he was captured on film face—planting into a snow—drift cash by owner fen harris at their home in llangarron, near ross—on—wye. everybody is fine and the horse just

shrugs it off. time for a look at the weather. for some it feels like spring has arrived at long last. i probably cannot reach the top of that hedge, you can see the sign just poking out of the top so you can see how much snow we had. it was a serious business but as you saw with the p°ny business but as you saw with the pony there is a slightly lighter side to what has been going on. and europe has been very much affected as well. yes, but it is time to have as well. yes, but it is time to have a bit of fun as well. this is what's been happening in amsterdam, it's been happening in amsterdam, it's been so called there for the first time in six years the canals have frozen over and people have been able to have winter fun on the canal. i don't know who was the

first one to test it out but certainly plenty risking it and going for some entertainment. it wasn't just there either going for some entertainment. it wasn'tjust there either because it wasn'tjust there either because it was cold enough here to skate in the fens. ow! we would be in the hospital! but some have been able to enjoy it. it is warming up so what about those with snow, is that about to go? for lots of places the snow has already gone, but also across europe we are seeing big changes. notice the yellow now appearing across much of southern europe, hence the cold air is pushed to the far north. still some snow in scotla nd far north. still some snow in scotland but there are changes ahead. let's have some detail. let's

ta ke ahead. let's have some detail. let's take you back to saturday because if we show you the daytime temperatures, blue colours on the chart, were subzero. notice the blue colours shrinking away on sunday, and this afternoon they are limited to the hills of scotland. it is here where snow continues fall but elsewhere it feels like spring, it has finally burst into gear and will be going through fits and starts into next week. a big area of low pressure here, imagine it like a wash cycle, within that old socks going round, weather front continuing to bring rain. in south—west england through into the evening rush—hour, in the midlands and parts of east anglia. it's still cold enough for the tops of the pennines to see snow but it's across the highlands and grampians, maybe even the southern uplands for the time, we will see snow. a few degrees above freezing, chilly for

some with the chance of a pocket of frost across the south. the grey, murky start, but early reign in northern england clears, still some rain and hill snow across scotland. the grampians will see the brunt of that. a few showers early on in northern ireland, then in the south—west and wales some showers coming your way. sunny spells breaking through and for england and wales at least, pleasant enough when you get it. the low pressure is still with us, further weather front is pushing across parts of the country so competitive tomorrow, there will be some showers mainly of rain, stilla there will be some showers mainly of rain, still a lot of dry and bright weather after a misty and murky start. some sunshine breaking through the morning low cloud but shetland, the hebrides and northern ireland potentially still seeing rain at times and snow over the high ground. cooler on wednesday and that

means a chilly night to take us into thursday morning. breezy across the south on thursday, with rain getting close to the south coast. elsewhere, most will have a fine day on thursday with some sunshine. goodbye for now. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. tour de france winner sir bradley wiggins and team sky have been accused of crossing an ethical line to enhance performance — in a critical report by mps. both strongly refute the claims. theresa may has called on developers to "do their duty" —announcing plans to substantially increase the number of houses built in england each year. humanitarian aid trucks have arrived in the besieged syrian rebel—held region of eastern ghouta. braying williford to thousands of civilians. thousands of homes across the uk are facing water supply problems — after a rapid thaw caused a number of burst water mains. in a moment... we'll be talking about six—year old maisie sly — who's profoundly deaf and star of the oscar—winning short film — a silent child.

sport now on afternoon live with oly foster, and martin glenn has had to apologise? that's right. he is the fa chief executive. he was talking about the fa's decision to charge pep guardiola for having that yellow ribbon. he has apologised for causing any offence, because he used the star of david and the swastika as examples where he was explaining that fa charge against guardiola for wearing a yellow ribbon. that is in support of catalan independence in particular two political leaders following that catalonia independence referendum acho. guardiola was worn twice before christmas for wearing that ribbon. he was trying to explain that. let's see what he had to say, martin glenn. the jewish leadership council ceo simonjohnson described

glenn's remark as offesnive and innapropriate, ill—judged and in poor taste. glenn's apology has been accepted by the jlc. but he has promised to go and meet the jewish but he has promised to go and meet thejewish leadership but he has promised to go and meet the jewish leadership council. but he has promised to go and meet thejewish leadership council. it will be very interesting as well to see how this plays out with pep guardiola. he has until this evening to respond to that charge. he has had two warnings before christmas, he didn't heed those warnings before from the fa, and he seems determined to keep on wearing that yellow ribbon. the doping story, a lot of reaction to that report from the dcm s. we've had bradley wiggins refuting the allegations that he bent the rules to use those drugs for anything but medical necessity, and questioned the supposed

"source in the report" that suggested otherwise. team sky have called that same claim potentially malicious, but the 52—page report is full of claims and alleged findings and recommendations and there is undounted reputational damage to the sport. there is undoubted reputational damage to the sport of cycling to come out of it. former olympic track cycling champion victoria pendleton spent years inside the british cycling set up and she gave the bbc her reaction to the report. i must admit when i saw them, my heart did sink. i would like to kind of believe it is not true, and until there is any concrete evidence or proof, i am still going to try to be really optimistic about the fact that the team have not crossed any boundaries. but we can't help but there will be some kind of knock—on effect through these kind of

allegations, or any kind of cycling scandal. some other sports news for you. rugby union. john hardie has been called into scotland's six nations squad for the first time since he received a three month ban for alleged cocaine use. scotland face ireland this weekend and hardie is one of ten players brought in by gregor townsend. hardie recently returned to training with edinburgh in january following his suspension for "gross misconduct". for the first time in almost 12 years there is a new british tennis number one in the men's game. kyle edmund has knocked andy murray off the top. edmund has soared up the rankings to a career high 24 in the world after reaching the australian open semi—finals — and coupled with murray's inactivity beacuse of a hip problem, he is now the highest ranked british man. murray has needed surgery. he said, "as proud as i am, i would have been much happier had andy stayed healthy and occupied his place at the very top where he belongs". that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for

you in the next hour. now back to the academy awards, and one of britain's's successes. six—year—old maisie sly from swindon, who's profoundly deaf, is the star of a short film that won an oscar. maisie was able to make the trip to the ceremony in hollywood — thanks to money raised by their local community. her performance in the film depicts how her family struggles to adapt to having a deaf child. andy howard was with maisie's family on the big night and sent us this report from los angeles. from a small screening at fredericks primary school in swindon, all the way to hollywood, in seven months. what a journey. this is the silent child house party, friends, family, film crew are here, watching the oscars. is there a more nervous room in all of what los angeles? i don't think so. here is hoping. the world is watching. six—year—old maisie

sly. but it seems it's the adults with the nerves. maisie, you can ask eve ryo ne with the nerves. maisie, you can ask everyone who was here when everyone was getting changed around her, mellow, chilled, looking around as if to say, what are you guys panicking about? eventually, the moment they had waited for, and panicked about, arrived. and the oscar goes to... this is how it feels when your film wins. cheering who told me he was into isjust propping maisie to have her hair and make—up done this morning, so what about now? my voice is breaking, but lam about now? my voice is breaking, but iamso about now? my voice is breaking, but i am so proud of everything. my daughter is the face of change, let's hope. you know, it isjust, i don't know what to say. can i have a

hug? yeah. well done, graduations. i know what you're thinking, there's someone know what you're thinking, there's someone missing in all of this. well, here she is, back from the red carpet, the star of an oscar—winning film, in herfirst ever acting role. so the end of an amazing night and an amazing journey. i say the end, there are now plans to make the silent child into a full motion picture. we should finish with this, the actual envelope from the oscars, live action short film, the winner is the silent child. andy howard, bbc points west in los angeles, california. joining me now is ian newnham. i suppose we start with saying wow.

indeed, we are so thrilled by the oscar—winning successful stop we are so oscar—winning successful stop we are so pleased, and we also so proud and dreadful to pinch or fenton, for ever think she has done to try and spotlight some of these barriers that children are facing. and it really does do that. what do you hope comes out of this? we really hope comes out of this? we really hope the government are watching and they take action to address some of they take action to address some of theissueis they take action to address some of the issue is deaf children are facing. ina the issue is deaf children are facing. in a nutshell, deaf children are not getting the support they need. we see that by looking at their attainment figures. need. we see that by looking at theirattainment figures. for example, at gcse ‘s death children on average are achieving a whole grade less than other children. there is a real need, a pressing need for urgent government action, particularly to address the crisis we have in the numbers of teachers for the deaf. what can you do as a result of this oscars win to shine a light, because it is inspirational?

imean, light, because it is inspirational? i mean, howdy you harness that, what are you going to do? we are going to be talking about it as much as possible to raise awareness of the barriers deaf children are facing in education. for example, this afternoon we have a debate in parliament on sign language in education, and i'm sure mps there would be talking about what happened last night. so the department for education are blocking the development of a new gcse in sign language, something that would make a real difference to... they are blocking it? they are blocking a new gcse in sign language, something that would make a real difference to deaf children, so i am hoping the government will reconsider the stop it isa government will reconsider the stop it is a language like any other, why are they blocking it? they are blocking any new gcse is at the moment on the basis that they want stability in the system, but from our point of view, one gcse in sign language that schools have the option to teach if they want to is not going to cause massive upheaval.

the whole message of the film is the importance of communication. there are so importance of communication. there are so much we can do to make sure that deaf people get the support they need. we have talked about getting rid of the block on new gcses, but also in the early years. teachers of the deaf play an important role to get the advice people need in language and education. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have no prior background in deafness, so it is really important they get expert advice from teachers of the deaf. so if pa rents advice from teachers of the deaf. so if parents are told your child is profoundly hard of hearing, or deaf, how do they react? the one person they want to be a baby to communicate with is the one person they can't. it is very challenging. many of them may not have come across a deaf person before. at the

national deaf children's society, we are here to provide support for them. we have a helpline for any children or families who want to get in touch, and we campaign a lot to make sure that the government and local authorities provide support forfamilies as local authorities provide support for families as well, and that they have the information they need on how to support their child. in language and communication. how important is what maisie has achieved going to be? incredibly important, we are so proud of what she has achieved. many thanks for coming and talking about it, ian woon. thank you. one of the most significant political gatherings for generations is underway in china. delegates are expected to remove the 2—term limit later this week. marching music and a clapping crowd.

this is the annual parliament gathering in a country where one party controls everything and almost no one gets to vote. this year, though, a big change is brewing because president xi jinping wants to stay on and on. no one inside the hall was talking about his plan to abolish term limits. these are heavily choreographed events, but outside, nothing short ofjoy. that view is hardly surprising. they are loyal deputies. they'll vote on the change at the weekend. some may disagree in private but it's almost certain they will fall overwhelmingly into line. this annual event is set to last just over two weeks this year. a little longer than usual. so far, there's been mentions of tax reforms, the internet, the military, but it's unlikely we are going to hear about the big, big issue — the change that could see xi jinping serving for, well, as long as he wants.

before that, though, there's other important business to be done. day one kicked off with china's economy, key to world growth. 6.5% growth is the same as last year. a bigger boost in military spending was unveiled as well, announced to a crowd that represents all of this vast nation. but people like hu jia are not welcome in xijinping's china. a long—time human rights activist, he's been sent away from his beijing home with government minders while the politicians meet. detaining or removing people

like him has become increasingly common under this president. the prospect of an indefinite reign for xijinping fills him with dread. robin brant, bbc news, beijing. we will have a look at the business news. injust a moment. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. britain's most decorated olympian sir bradley wiggins and team sky reject accusations by mps of crossing an ethical line in their use of drugs. theresa may says young people trying to get on the housing ladder are right to be angry at developers who buy up land and don't build on it. a glimmer of hope for the people of eastern ghouta — as a un aid convoy manages to enter the besieged syrian enclave. here's your business headlines on afternoon live. energy firms will be banned from charging catch—up bills for gas and electricity used more than 12 months earlier. ofgem's new rule, to start in may for domestic customers, should stop shock bills

of thousands of pounds. the regulator said the typical back bill was £1,160 and in extreme cases they have exceeded £10,000. most customers struggle to pay and some are driven into debt. airbus, one of the uk's biggest manufacturing employers, has warned that it may have to stockpile parts to operate smoothly once the uk leaves the eu. speaking to the bbc, airbus uk's senior vice—president, katherine bennett, said the firm spends £5 billion a year on the uk supply chain, and operates a ‘just in time' operation. so ‘it is vital that parts don't get held up at warehouses‘. there's been another drop in car sales, data from industry body the society of motor manufacturers and traders shows that new car registrations dropped 2.5% in february. the fall comes after a 6% drop injanuary. it's been blamed partly on customers turning away from diesel cars due to pollution concerns. demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles such as hybrids and pure electrics increased by 7.2%.

it's national apprenticeships week... what does that mean? it means you become an apprentice, rather than going after university. it is one of those things that everybody likes the idea of, training people on the job and getting them into the job, but they are becoming less popular, which is rather bizarre. and also, there has been this new levy which there has been this new levy which the government introduced just under a year ago. the government wants 3 million apprenticeships in place by 2020. most people, and all the service we have looked at over the last few days, most people think they are not going to make it. the government is still keen to do it. the way in which this levy works, which the government has introduced, is anybody who has a wage bill above 3 million quid, they say you have to pay half of 1% into a levy, and that goes towards sponsoring or paying for apprenticeships, goes towards sponsoring or paying forapprenticeships, helping companies doing apprenticeships. but

the number of the friendships has gone down 30% of the last three months from a year ago. that is one of the reasons i say it is happening is because the levy system is too compensated, and people are making the most of it. the odd thing on the other side is that everyone wants it, they seem to think it is a good idea. wejust have it, they seem to think it is a good idea. we just have a it, they seem to think it is a good idea. wejust have a report it, they seem to think it is a good idea. we just have a report on this, we went to the humber street, where it has 40% of the uk's seaborne trade. we look at the way in which they are dealing with apprentices. our business correspondence thereau caulker reported from there. the maritime industry is huge. ports handle 95% of the uk's trade, but this is an industry that has a bit ofan image this is an industry that has a bit of an image problem. an ageing workforce, and poor visibility in schools, when it comes to what careers there are in the marine industry. so here on the east coast, this is the humber estuary, ships coming in and out of the dog. they are setting up a tailored apprenticeships scheme to get young

people into the industry. with me now is stephan and ben, both marine apprenticeships. —— apprentices. why this career route? i was at sea before i came here, and normally to become a pilot, i am an apprentice pilot can you would normally spend a large amount of time at sea and qualify as a master, and then come into pilotage. but abp has offered this bespoke training route to take you from a junior training officer right into a pilot, so it speeds up the process. and it also allows me to get where i want within my career. so fast tracks things. stephan commute get paid on the job as well as if you were kind of a full—time employee, almost? as well as if you were kind of a full-time employee, almost? that's correct. we get played a standard —— paid a standard wage, a good wage to live, and also enough to get on with what we need to do, and diplomas and things like that, so to pay for our education and more qualifications

and experience. do you think when we talk about apprenticeships, is there still a bit of intellectual snobbery when it comes to, oh, you are doing an apprenticeship, not a degree? or have people got over that?” an apprenticeship, not a degree? or have people got over that? i think they have probably got over that. it isa they have probably got over that. it is a fast track, it is good because you want to get a lot of people onto the apprenticeship scheme as quickly as possible. for companies to rise their horizon in the company. as possible. for companies to rise their horizon in the companym as possible. for companies to rise their horizon in the company. it is a four—year apprentice ship, so you will be doing this for quite a welcome so good luck with that. we canjust graba welcome so good luck with that. we canjust grab a quick welcome so good luck with that. we can just grab a quick chat with tony, the deputy dock master here at the port of birmingham. how much of a challenge is this ageing workforce in trying to attract work? if they didn't address it, they started the apprenticeship scheme, which is a fast track way of getting these apprentices into the industry. so that they can take on roles as

pilots, working in investment traffic services or as a marine operative on the dock. tony, thanks for that. as i said, there is a shortage of all sorts of skills, whether it is marine pilots, naval architects, they want more people into this industry. seaborne trade globally is predicted to double by 2030, so there is a real demand here. sarah caulker reporting. america, a trade walk how likely is it? it seems increasingly worrying, the sort of thing that seems to have sprung up almost, i don't know, by itself without anybody particularly wanting it. we had president trump tweeting furiously about it and putting into place this idea, or threatening to, these tariffs on steel. the general feeling at the time was that it was aimed against china but that became rather odd because china only accounts for something like 2% of steel imports into america. actually the most people are upset about it are the

eu. the commissioners meeting on wednesday and they will decide what kind of action they will take. they say they are going to take action if these tariffs go on with the states. you have the immediate makings of a trade war. most steel comes from canada into the us, and the canadians are furious as well. this has stoked everything up, completely ignoring china, who everyone thought was the original target for trump's iin the was the original target for trump's i in the first place. —— trump's ire. we go over to the states now, to the new york stock exchange. our north american business correspondentjoe miller is there. it has had quite an effect on some of the market, they felt quite sharply today, recovered a bit later, but people are pretty worried about this, aren't they? yes, absolutely. i have been searching for a word to describe the reaction here ever since donald trump unexpectedly announced these tariffs on thursday, and i think the answer

really is chaotic. the reason for thatis really is chaotic. the reason for that is as you were saying before no one is really sure what the president's focus is with these tariffs. the fact that tariffs are coming is not such a surprise, it is something donald trump campaigned on, something he hasn't really let go of the quite a few months, but the fact that they seem to be targeting canada, and now donald trump tweeting this morning that he wants to tie in these tariffs with nafta negotiations that there would only ever be an exception for canada if there is a satisfactory outcome to the nafta negotiations from his point of view is really confusing people over here, really confusing market as well. i was talking to a trader who said people are actually selling, some people are selling us steel stocks this morning because they are thinking this treat makes it look like they might be exceptions and therefore steel will continue to come into this country from canada and us steel may not get such a from canada and us steel may not get sucha bump from canada and us steel may not get such a bump after all. perhaps in the next few days we will see the

white house trying to clarify the direction of this policy. we saw over here things like the car stocks suffering very badly. obviously, steel is vital to them, and the steelmakers, those shares going down. any particular way in which the markets are affected over they'll have been affected by this? yes, the car— makers they'll have been affected by this? yes, the car—makers and boeing, airline manufacturers, they really weighed down the big indexes here precisely because of what you say. there is a tonne of steel that goes into making a car, currently cost around $700. who knows what that might cost if china, or canada rather, or others retaliate in kind to these tariffs? that is really worrying people who use an awful lot of steel and aluminium in their perfection. the irony of all of this is that it is notjust people who make things with steel that worry about these tariffs, there are actually steelmakers about these tariffs, there are actually steelmake rs and about these tariffs, there are actually steelmakers and aluminium makers themselves because they also

import some products that go into the production process that could become more expensive if there is retaliation. so again it leads into this picture of that confusion and nobody is sure how much it will be passed on to the bottom line. we had wilbur ross going on sunday morning talk shows in the us and saying that retaliation would be trivial. it seems the market does not agree for the moment. joe, thank you. there was a rather good cartoon in one of the papers today, president trump firing a cannon at china, a great explosion in the distance, and the dave henson spat is not china, that is just canada you have shot. it is the way you tell them, isn't it? (!) markets fell quite sharply this morning, the possibility of the trade war but they will recover quite nicely. the pound was down below 1.12 but has come down a bit,

so all looking reasonably positive, despite our worry. i will rehearse myjokes for despite our worry. i will rehearse my jokes for next time. willjust leave them out, there is an option! laughter we will take you to toronto because it is the end of an era as four giant pandas that have graced the grounds of the city zoo are leaving. somejoker has put grounds of the city zoo are leaving. some joker has put the grounds of the city zoo are leaving. somejoker has put the names in here, expecting me to pronounce them. giving new meaning to the term roly—poly founder. they spent five yea rs roly—poly founder. they spent five years at toronto zoo that they are not going away too far, just a 35 hour drive to calgary zoo where they will spend the next five years continuing to create pandemonium. it is all part of the 10—year loan scheme that the chinese government has with various governments. they have had their five years in toronto, and they are on the move to calgary. i will keep talking because the longer i talk, the more of these pictures you get to see. that's the

last one. there he goes for let's look of the weather with matt taylor. still cold enough for snow across the high ground in scotland, and elsewhere much milder weather compared with next week. temperatures across england and wales into double figures, get a bit of sunshine on your back and it will feel very pleasant. still sub zero in the hills of scotland, up to ten centimetres of snow possible and into the evening rush hour, that will continue. billy outbreaks of rain and sleet to low levels. could give a bit of snow of the tops of the pennines, nothing hugely significant, mainly on the tops, though still some snow to come on the hills of scotland with temperatures only a few degrees above freezing. some mist and fog patches into tomorrow morning, could bea patches into tomorrow morning, could be a touch of frost around, by and large a be a touch of frost around, by and largea dry be a touch of frost around, by and large a dry day, breaking up, cloud, some sunny large a dry day, breaking up, cloud, some sunny spells. further snow at times for the grampians and the highlands in particular.

temperatures here three or four celsius, up to 12 in the south. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. today at three... champion cyclist sir bradley wiggins refutes claims he crossed an ethical line, made in a critical report by mps on doping in sport. after the explosion that killed five people in leicester, three men appear in court charged with manslaughter and arson. a un aid convoy enters eastern ghouta — for the first time since the recent bombardment began. homes across the uk face water supply problems — thousands of people in wales and south—east england are urged to use as little as possible. coming up on afternoon live all the sport, olly foster is with us and the fa

chief executive has had to apologise. with the latest weather, here is matt for the