the prime minister promises mps a more open and flexible approach to her brexit deal after last week's historic defeat — but labour says nothing has changed. addressing mps today, theresa may refused to rule out a no—deal brexit, and said there'd be no new referendum but said she would seek changes to break the deadlock over the irish border. i will be talking further this week to colleagues, including in the dup, to consider how we might meet our obligations to the people of northern ireland and ireland in a way that can command the greatest possible support in the house. what makes her think that what she tried to renegotiate in december will succeed in january? mr speaker, this really does feel a bit like groundhog day. but there was something new, a surprise u—turn on fees for eu nationals wanting to stay here after brexit. hours after the scheme was launched, mrs may scrapped the charges. we'll have the latest reaction from brussels. also on the programme tonight... zimbabwe's leaders are urged not to turn back the clock after a week of violent government crackdowns following protests

overfuel price hikes. he is, like so many people here in harare today, scared. at we haven't got any on a&e departments. that wowed millions around the world. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, is she back to her best? serena williams beats the world number one simona halep to reach good evening. the prime minister has been updating mps on her brexit plans after last

week's crushing defeat in the commons. she promised more cross—party talks on the contentious issue of the irish backstop — the insurance policy to keep the border open between northern ireland and ireland. mrs may said she'd be going back to the eu once those talks have concluded. but the labour leaderjeremy corbyn called it groundhog day, and said the prime minister had failed to come up with anything new. there was one surprise, however. mrs may announced a major u—turn on the £65 fee that eu citizens wanting to stay here after brexit were being asked to pay. on the day the scheme was launched, the fees were scrapped. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. what is going on behind the shiny black door? the meet—and—greet of visiting foreign leaders looks like business as usual, but theresa may's most important plan was overwhelmingly chucked out by mps last week. is plan a still your plan b, prime minister? and if the method has been rejected,

is it madness to try to carry on like this? there was no junking of her big brexit proposal in the commons, but a promise to do things differently. eellewina last week's. veté g but, how? well she'll keep pushing for changes to the so—called backstop, the part of the deal that would guarantee against a return to a hard border between northern ireland and ireland, if a comprehensive trade deal can't be agreed in future. i will be talking further this week to colleagues, including in the dup, to consider how we may meet obligations to the people of ireland and northern ireland in a way that can command the greatest possible support in the house. she promised, too, that remainers as well as leavers, in the commons and outside, will have more say in the next phase of the brexit talks, if she makes it that far. the prime minister's critics will frankly believe that when they see it,

but the move to allow eu citizens to stay after brexit without paying was welcomed on all sides. 33? fig; fg’fififzf: ee 5g 1—1—5 §§=§§ eele;;.;.ee e- - . - its leader still will not even take the prime minister up on her offer of talks, unless there is a change in the law to close down the possibility of leaving the eu without a deal. no more phoney talks, parliament will debate and decide, and this time, this time, mr speaker, i hope and expect the government to listen. yet number ten believes its best chance is to win back tory and unionist support. there is no meaningful signal of how, but if there is movement on the backstop, could there be movement from critics? if the identified problems

are changed, then it is not so much a question of softening, as there is a new reality to deal with. one european voice today suggested the backstop could have a limit of five years. it would be one of the solutions of the ideas to be discussed, i think, within the european union, i do not know if it is feasible. it might unblock the negotiations. not according to those most involved. putting a time limit on an insurance mechanism, which is what the backstop is, effectively means it is not a backstop at all. so i don't think that reflects eu thinking. remember — the backstop is only one of the factors raised, by one of the factions. campaigners for another referendum had their talks with ministers today. do you think it has moved on? the prime minister said that essentially, in a matter of words, that having a referendum is clearly on the table, it's one of the options that parliament has open to it. you can'tjust dismiss it, because government is not

in charge, parliament is. talks continue, time marches on. the next vote on the brexit deal‘s one week tomorrow but no one round here can yelseejleally one of the hardest parts of the brexit negotiations has been and the republic of ireland under any new trade deal between the uk and eu. the irish backstop, as it's called, is an insurance policy to make sure that even if any post—brexit transition period ends without such a deal in place, there'll still be an open irish border. while further trade negotiations are going on, there would be no checks on goods between northern ireland and the republic. but that means the whole of the uk would have to continue to obey eu rules on trade in goods until a deal is reached. and in certain aspects, northern ireland would have to remain more closely linked to eu rules than the rest of the uk, meaning possibly more checks

on goods going from the rest of the uk to northern ireland — the so—called "border down the irish sea". of course, if there's no withdrawal deal at all, there's no transition, no backstop, and a hard irish border. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports on how the plan's been received locally. goods in or goods out, at belfast‘s port keeping things moving is the aim. at the moment, people want everything yesterday. people can have their goods delivered tomorrow, even the same day. but that could change? is could obviously change, yes. under the so—called backstop, shipments from britain to northern ireland may have to be treated differently. it could mean new checks introduced where they never existed before to make sure goods travelling onwards comply with eu rules. if there is going to be more customs involved, more customs clearance involved, the goods could be delayed, anything up to an extra two to three days. this plan has many critics

in westminster, who say different arrangements for northern ireland carves up the uk. but the irish government and eu insists there is no deal without it. and here's why. if the backstop were to kick in and there were no checks at the sea border here, it would mean goods could travel on south without the need for further checks when they entered etee “emb'f ef 'e'3"d ee’e — . -- ~ -, , -,- ~ keeping this irish land border as open as it is today. andtbegfiee eb—ee ene-é their livelihoods. brexiteers in parliament argue an open border could be ensured in other ways, but that hasn't convinced many in ireland. we can't go backwards. and they have to understand the effect it's having over here. this irish food hall imports all kinds of produce from the uk. they're convinced the backstop

is the only way to make sure bringing products from the north to the south of this island remains as easy as it is now. there's going to be a eu border, not an irish border with the uk, it's an eu border with the uk. the backstop is imperative. because what if it doesn't come in? what if we don't have a position? what if we find in four orfive years' time, we don't have the technology for reading vehicles and for doing this? the backstop has to be there. as westminster‘s tug—of—war rages across the sea, many unanswered questions remain for people on both parts of this island. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. in a moment, we can speak to laura in westminster, but first let's go to our europe editor katya adler in brussels. : suggesting there could be a five year time : suggesting there could be a five yeartime limit on : suggesting there could be a five year time limit on the backstop. —— poland. is this an early sign we could see movement? palms are

beginning to get a bit sweaty across the eu. this is an organisation that is used to doing deals at the 11th hour. but with only nine weeks to go now, eu leaders are getting nervous about the prospect of a costly no—deal brexit. they want to be able to demonstrate to their voters back home that they have been doing their best. so, poland once to reassure its citizens living in the uk and their extended families back home that it their extended families back home thatitis their extended families back home that it is doing its best to get a brexit deal. it also wants to work very closely with the uk after brexit on security matters, because it is so worried about russia. but poland is also the biggest receiver of eu funds, so it is unlikely to wa nt to of eu funds, so it is unlikely to want to rock the boat over brexit. if we look at the big eu powers, france, germany, and again the chief brexit negotiator michel barnier, they are saying no to watering down they are saying no to watering down the backstop. they are telling theresa may not to come back to

brussels until she can show that she has a majority of mps behind her. what they want to do for now is to hand back, to watch and to wait, in case a plan for a softer brexit emerges from westminster. laura, in westminster, today we saw the fees for eu citizens wanting to stay after brexit being scrapped, even though the scheme had just been rolled out today. why?|j though the scheme had just been rolled out today. why? i think in the end, the prime minister thought it was the right thing to do, and also it might be a useful compromise. it was one of the concerns that had been expressed by mps that had been beating their path to her door since the boat went down la st to her door since the boat went down last week, to express individual concerns. it was one of the things that had been raised, and therefore was one of the things that the prime minister could do relatively easily. but you know how many critics will say it is a bit of a metaphor for how the whole process has been handled. she has made a decision, taken criticism for it, but she has stuck to it and stuck to it, and almost at the very last moment she

has budged, leaving everybody a bit confused about what she was trying to do in the first place, wondering why she wasted time in that way. to do in the first place, wondering why she wasted time in that waym brussels they are watching and waiting, over here, mps are coming forward with their own plan bs? the context of this is that the prime minister, her brexit compromise was roundly rejected by mps. not by a narrow margin, absolutely given a thumping. that vote will happen again ona thumping. that vote will happen again on a tweak line, perhaps, but broadly the same proposal, a week tomorrow. mps are now coming forward with a whole alphabet of their own plans, tweaks that they would like to make, amending the vote when it comes back in front of parliament next week. so, there is one plan to delay the whole process, there is the amendment from labour, the official opposition amendment, has

emerged, saying that mps should vote on having a closer relationship with the european union and keep the option of another referendum on the table. other ideas will no doubt emerge in the next few vital days. but it is a reminder, sophie, this thicket of amendments, alternative ideas, that we are likely to see before next tuesday that, right now, parliament simply does not agree on anyone idea. they don't like the prime minister's plan, they have made that the, but there is not a consensus made that the, but there is not a consensus on anything yet, even at this late stage. —— they have made that clear. there's lots more coverage on our website, where you can also find a brexit jargon—buster, guides to what's going on, and analysis from our team of editors. that's at bbc.co.uk/brexit. the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt has called on zimbabwe's leaders to allow peaceful protests and not turn the clock back after a week of turmoil in the south african state. protests over fuel price hikes have been met with a violent government crackdown, which has

left 12 people dead. the security services have been accused of using disproportionate force. the civil unrest has fuelled fears of a return to authoritarian rule under president mnangagwa, who ended robert mugabe's 37—year reign. from harare, our correspondent andrew harding reports. another funeral here in zimbabwe. this one for a young footballer, shot in the head by police. there is grief, for sure, but a deep sense of shock, too. after all, this country was supposed to have left the bad old days behind. instead, for over a week now, the security forces have been on the rampage. beating, torturing, using live ammunition against angry but unarmed protesters. and the crackdown is not over yet. this morning, we found more wounded, hiding in a private clinic. these two both said they had been shot by the police. in a car outside, another new casualty.

yes, the police, they were beating me. this man, as you can see, does not want to be identified by anybody. he is, like so many people here in harare today, scared. it's over a week now since the protests began here, and about the need for teugher eeenemiceteszmg still, president emmerson mnangagwa has been forced to abandon a foreign fundraising tour and is now rushing home to an angry country, of petrol queues, inflation and deep disillusionment. there has to be a return to democracy. we thought that by mr mugabe exiting the stage, we were going to have a new dispensation, but it's not a new dispensation. if anything, the mask has

been removed, you know, the mask has fallen off. the truth is that we still have the old system, probably worse. zimbabwe was supposed to be on the mend by now. mugabe gone, a new, gentler government, promising to fix a broken economy. instead, as we have seen in these past few violent days, here, old habits are hard to kick. and so a question looms. will fear now keep the protesters off the streets, or are zimbabwe poised for deeper turmoil? andrew harding, bbc news, harare. it isa it is a murky picture here, sophie. the good news, if you are looking for it, is that there are determined people in the government trying to do the right thing, trying to dig zimbabwe out of the whole robert mugabe put it in. the bad news is

the public are fast running out of trust and patience in the government and the really bad news is that there are simply a lot of thugs and crooks and spoilers in zanu—pf, the governing party, who don't want to change. they enjoy the status quo and they are looking to wreck reforms. andrew harding, thank you. a teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of 14—year—old jaden moodie, who was knocked off a moped and stabbed to death in east london earlier this month. our correspondent daniela relph has this report. jaden moodie was killed in east london on the 8th of january. he was 14 years old. he was knocked off his moped by a car and then stabbed several times in bickley road in leyton. ayoub majdouline, who's 18, was arrested at the weekend and today appeared in court charged with murdering the teenager. he was not asked to enter a plea. standing in the dock, wearing a prison issue grey tracksuit, he also faced a second charge of possessing a bladed weapon, a knife, in a public place.

ayoub majdouline answered a number of basic questions in court. he confirmed his name and his date of birth as august, 2000. he gave his address in wembley in north london. and he was finally asked for his nationality. he told the court he was british. ayoub majdouline has been remanded in custody. he is due to appear in court again on wednesday, but this time at the old bailey. even though one person has been charged, the police say the murder investigation remains active. they have renewed their public appeal for more information on the teenager's death. daniela relph, bbc news, thames magistrates' court. the agencies involved in managing a young offenders' facility in kent failed to keep children safe, according to an official report. a serious case review was ordered at medway secure training centre, which appeered toshowchitdrerr

britain says eu sanctions against four russians in connection with the attempted murder of sergei skripal send a tough message to the kremlin. the asset freezes target the two agents accused of using novichok to poison mr skripal, and also target the heads of russian military intelligence. russia has denied involvement and has threatened to retaliate. victims of domestic abuse could receive a wide range of new protections, under what the government is calling "landmark" legislation for england and wales. the new proposals include a ban on abusers cross—examining their victims in family courts. they'll also widen the definition of domestic abuse to include psychological coercion and economic abuse. our correspondent frankie mccamley has been speaking to a survivor of domestic abuse. he would control the finances. so comment on what i spent, how much i spent, asked me why i'd spent something,

so i'd just stop. if i was going out with my friends, he'd comment on the outfit, that it was too short, i looked too fat. sarah, not her real name, survived years of nonphysical domestic abuse. in isolation, it's little things. but as a course of conduct, every day, you start to feel ugly. you start to feel that you're not good enough. she finally left her abuser but to fight for custody of their child, she had to face him in the family courts, where he was allowed to cross—examine her. it re—traumatises you. he was allowed to tell me how to think for three years, so by allowing him to cross—examine me in court for three hours, it took me back to a place i thought i'd got away from. this isn't an uncommon story. another victim whose identity we are protecting has been campaigning for change for years. you feel absolutely helpless and you feel like you're a criminal. and family court isn't because anybody's done anything wrong. a draft domestic abuse bill now aims

to stop this practice. it includes a ban on abusers cross—examining their victims, a new definition of abuse, including economic abuse, where victims have no control over their finances, and new orders that could force abusers into rehabilitation programmes. we want to give victims and survivors the confidence of knowing that if they think they are in an unhealthy relationship, that they can seek help and they will receive it. campaigners are cautiously welcoming this bill, but with no new money being pledged to help tackle the problem, and so little parliamentary time available, they are questioning how effective this new legislation could be. some lawyers say legal aid cuts have led to double the number of people representing themselves in family court since 2011, and that's not all. we have got no refuge spaces. we have got waiting lists for rape crisis centres. we've got too few police officers. ithink...

the purpose of the bill is great but i think we need to see the fine detail and we need to know where the money is coming from. which is a question some families may also be asking. a domestic abuse bill with big aspirations, but with budgets tight. can it really deliver? frankie mccamley, bbc news. the world's second largest economy, china, has grown at its slowest rate since 1990, stoking fears about the impact it could have on the rest of the world. official figures put the growth rate at 6.6% last year. although that's still high by global standards, pressure has come from falling domestic demand, plus the ongoing trade war with the united states. it comes as the international monetary fund has forecast a fall in global economic growth in the coming year and has warned of increased uncertainty. our business editor simon jack reports from the world economic forum in davos. china's rapid economic growth, its expanding role in global trade, and the increased spending power

of its consumers, have helped create jobs around the world. it picked up a lot of slack after the financial crisis. but that is changing. it is now the world's second biggest economy but in the last decade, its growth rate has slowed from a high of 14% to less and today, there was a warning that rising trade tensions between china and the us could see another dent in global growth. the risks remain. it is going to depend a lot on what happens with the trade talks. then we would see a bigger revision. this isn'tjust economic theory. it means uk jobs. jaguar land rover said a slump of 50% of sales in china was a major factor in its decision to cut 6,000 staff over the last 12 months. the news that china's economy is growing at its slowest rate

in nearly 30 years sent a bit of an icy blast through here ahead of the world economic forum in davos. it wasn't entirely unexpected, all around the world. the demand for raw materials like steel and oil is very sensitive to the chinese economy and affects the fortunes of workers from south wales to saudi arabia. if the world's two largest economies are not seeing eye to eye, everybody suffers. the psychology of the trade war is something which business is very uncomfortable with. but i am quite hopeful that there will be a deal in the next few weeks, because both sides need a deal because of domestic challenges. neither chinese president xi jinping or us president donald trump

are attending davos this year, but they are still, in their absence, top of the world agenda. simonjack, bbc news, davos. senior a&e doctors are warning that hospitals are teetering on the edge of safety. the royal college of emergency medicine says that after a quieter start to the year, the pressure has intensified this month, and if there's a severe cold spell, patients will endure even longer waits. nhs england says fewer people than last year are spending long periods in hospital. our health editor hugh pym has had unrestricted access to royal bournemouth hospital, which serves one of the largest elderly populations in england. we have had 19 ambulances since midnight last night. what's your eta, please? i have a phone that rings constantly. i did hear them say they don't have any beds... i've got staffing issues throughout. are you still comfortable? i don't know how long i've got to wait. the longest wait to be seen is three

hours and eight minutes. feeling frustration. it's busy, but there is flow today, which is quite nice. theirjob is to treat the sick, but just as important is what they call flow... at the current time we have one patient in resus... ..getting people through the hospital. this is three days now we've waited for a bed there. ward 5 is full, ward 9 are currently full. finding enough beds for the patients who keep on coming. we were starting to struggle to off—load, and the length of waiting had gone up as long as it had. behind the scenes, these meetings are crucial. over the christmas period, the numbers are increasing. the ambulance arrivals are increasing. while the meetings continue, meet donald. you're going to be a famous man! 96, in for a fractured wrist. this chap's got what we call a colles fracture. we're going to put some anaesthesia here, and we're going to manipulate so it's straight. we have someone doing counter—traction on the back of his arm, there will be someone

pulling onto his wrist, to get the break into a good position. donald was home later that day. are you still comfortable? patients are getting the care they need. for staff, it's relentless. people that are in red, that tells us they're coming up to the four—hour breach time. it's not a nice working environment to be in. as you know, we're on opel 3... here in the major incident room behind me, it's ten o'clock in the morning and senior management have gathered for a high—level the hospital's moved to a higher alert status. ..the issue in itu, seven level threes, which means we have had to cancel two elective patients... they call it opel 3 — the second most serious level of pressure. influenza cases have definitely raised. major breaches of the four—hour a&e target. additional consultant shifts this evening, and tomorrow evening,

working until eight o'clock to help the flow. every part of the hospital has to work together to keep the patients flowing. in terms of bed occupancy? we've got seven empty beds, nine confirmed discharges through all the medical wards. anything else we can do on beds at this stage? they are constantly trying to avoid closing the doors to new patients. we have days where it is busy, you know? nurseszare at their wits' what brings you to the emergency department today? one new idea to relieve the stress is to have a highly qualified nurse at the front door, sending the seriously ill straight to a&e. this is not really an a&e emergencyjob. and others go elsewhere in the hospital, including

a unit with gps. sometimes it is difficult. patients perceive what they come in with to be an emergency. but doing triage when they come in, doing a set of observations, we can quickly realise whether or not they need extra tests. however hard the hospital is trying, a queue of patients is building up. we train to treat people, to bring people to hospital, but not to wait with them in the corridor and babysit them, for want of a better term. it is hugely frustrating that we are here, yes. f7, . the hospital's alert level is later stood down. he isjust continuing to struggle with his breath. care to the sickest, just going to pop a cannula in your

site and take some bloods. he recovered after a few days in hospital. what i saw over a few days was a highly rated hospital i love it and i hate it, it's one of those, but the good days outweigh the bad days. the nhs is living right on the edge. there is a new plan for change. it needs to work. our health editor hugh pym reporting. later this week, hugh will look at how the royal bournemouth hospital is working with others to encourage people not to go to a&e unless it's an emergency. the "super blood wolf moon" was visible in the early