this is bbc news, i'm samantha simmonds. our top stories: president maduro refuses to allow aid into venezuela. he says the country doesn't need foreign handouts. not everyone agrees. translation: i want this aid to get in because people are dying. mr president, we are dying. families are dying. still searching for a brexit breakthrough — the british prime minister meets with her irish counterpart in dublin. thailand's king denounces his sister's unprecedented bid to try and become prime minister, calling it "inappropriate". i take itakea i take a tip from the fishes, never bite and mr bate is good. —— i take a tip from the fishes, never bite unless the bait is good. and acclaimed as one of britain's greatest actors, hello.

the first trucks carrying us humanitarian aid for venezuela have arrived at the colombian border, which remains blocked by venezuelan troops. president nicolas maduro said that he would not allow what he called the "cheap show" of false humanitarian aid. opposition leaderjuan guaido, who has declared himself interim president, has warned many venezuelans are in danger of dying without aid. our correspondent orla guerin reports. a convoy that could save lives. lorries full of desperately needed humanitarian aid headed for venezuela at the request of the opposition. they didn't get far, thanks to these containers on the venezuelan side of the border. president maduro insists there's no humanitarian crisis and no need for foreign help, so the spectacle of venezuelan troops blocking the aid, even as some of their countrymen gathered nearby, begging for help. translation: i'm not hoping for food

or anything else for me. i want this aid to get in because people are dying. mr president, we are dying. families are dying. despite the roadblock at the border, the us is promising a great flood of aid. this is a down payment. this isjust a beginning. it's important, it's significant. it will be distributed to venezuelans in venezuela. but it is an effort to respond to 20 years of mismanagement, of corruption. but among president maduro‘s supporters, no changing the tune. the refrain here is about hugo chavez and the great socialist past. they queued up to sign a petition, refusing aid from the hated us.

and from their president, no hint of compromise. "these are historic days," he says, "that could decide between war and peace. we demand the end of us aggression and threats of military intervention". for him, the greatest threat may be hunger among his people. the political landscape could change fast if the opposition manages to get aid into the sprawling slums of caracas. for years now, in areas like this, the poorest have been relying on the government for their survival. they depend on monthly rations. president maduro is putting food on the table and that ensures a certain loyalty, and the distribution of aid is very tightly controlled. we saw the system in action.

it's in the hands of colectivos — local committees loyal to the president. we've been told that maduro supporters are guaranteed basic supplies, but opponents can go empty—handed. nelson diaz stands by the president and is grateful for his government aid. this proud nationalist wants no help from washington. "i don't think we should take it," he says, "because it comes with bad intentions. if they really wanted to help us, they wouldn't interfere with our economy. they want a silent invasion." aid is much needed here, but it has become a weapon between the government and the opposition, between president maduro and president trump, who is keen to remove him. orla guerin, bbc news, caracas. a train crash in spain has left one train driver dead and more than 90

passengers injured, three of them seriously. the accident happened when two early evening suburban commuter trains collided, north of barcelona. officials say around 400 people were on board the two trains. an investigation is underway into the cause of the incident. theresa may is in dublin tonight, holding talks with the irish prime minister leo varadkar. it's her latest attempt to resolve issues over the so called irish backstop — the mechanism to prevent a hard border between northern ireland and the republic after brexit. mr varadkar was himself in belfast earlier today, urging political leaders at stormont to restore the power—sharing executive which collapsed more than two years ago. our ireland correspondent emma vardy has this report. the neighbours, coming over for dinner. two countries, in the most difficult of times, trying to stay friends. at ireland's official state guest house, theresa may and the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, discussed brexit over a private meal. earlier today, mr varadkar called

in on his neighbours, too. northern ireland has been without a government since the parties fell out two years ago, but the tussle over the most controversial part of the brexit deal took centre stage. the decision that we have made as a european union is that the withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation. but we can talk about the joint political declaration and what changes might be made to that. theresa may's partners in government are demanding more than ireland is willing to give. the important thing is that the backstop is the problem in the withdrawal agreement for most people in the house of commons, who voted against it by an overwhelming majority, and it is that that has got to be addressed. so no sign of any quick resolution here. ticket to dublin, please. next stop for leo varadkar was on down to dublin. the shuttle diplomacy continues. announcement: this train

calls at dublin connolly. you'd hardly know you're crossing what will become the new eu frontier. the backstop‘s a last—ditch measure to ensure no return to border checks in ireland. but both sides today showed they are still far from reaching a new compromise. i would congratulate varadkar on his stance. he's just standing up for irish interests, both north and south. who do you think should give way? i think london should, really, because we want peace to continue. with theresa may in dublin, over dinner, the two prime ministers once again tried to find common ground, knowing it could affect so many livelihoods if they don't. we rely heavily on the uk. an awful lot of products from around the world, especially in this business, come through the uk into ireland. we're quite a small market, so we rely on our larger neighbour. how do you think people in ireland will view theresa may's visit here? diplomacy.

is there anything that can come of it? probably not. both sides have agreed to keep on talking, but hope for the concessions theresa may needs is in danger of being snuffed out. let's get some of the day's other news. a mass murderer has been given a life sentence for murdering and sexually mutilating eight gay men in toronto. bruce mcarthur pleaded guilty to the killings committed over a seven year period from 2010 in canada's largest city. a 16—year—old boy has been pulled alive from the rubble of a apartment block in istanbul two days after it collapsed. turkish officials say 14 people have died. rescue teams have been working round the clock to try to find survivors. in greece, parliament has formally approved the country's northern neighbour joining nato under the name north macedonia. it marks the end of a 27—year dispute between athens and the former yugoslav republic. macedonia will take the final steps to complete its name change in the coming days. at least 10 people have been killed

after a fire swept through one of brazil's largest football clubs, flamengo, engulfing one of the player dormitories. the blaze happened at the club's youth team training centre in rio de janeiro. julia carneiro reports. a fire that put an end to young athletes‘s dreams while they slept. firefighters were summoned to the flamengo training ground in riera just after five am. —— riera. translation: the place was com pletely overta ken by fla mes, translation: the place was completely overtaken by flames, we tried as much as possible to locate victims but will be found were dead waddies. this is what is left of the dormitory. corrugated iron roofs we re dormitory. corrugated iron roofs were twisted by the blaze that charred walls and even nearby trees. this was a home from members of the youth team that had come from faraway states or neighbourhoods. families prayed outside the training

ground around the black and red flamengo flag, fans left flowers and m essa 9 es flamengo flag, fans left flowers and m essa g es to flamengo flag, fans left flowers and messages to their golden boys. some could hardly bare the weight, desperate venues of the victims. translation: for riera, the world, for one that supports flamengo, the families of victims, it is so sad and will struggle to get over this. translation: flamengo is notjust for all, it is a passion that involves the whole range of feelings, for the club, its history and mainly for the kids that have trained here since childhood to become great players. one by one, the ten young men killed were identified, aged 14—16. these young athletes were at the beginning of promising careers, having faced fierce competition to make this far. into flamengo and its famous ninho do urubu training ground, while vultures nest, a reference to the

mascot of brazil's most popular football club. most of the club's facilities had recently been modernised at the youth dormitory was still being renovated. and the young athletes were sleeping in an older lodging that burst into flames. police are investigating what caused the fire and whether an air conditioning unit triggered the blaze. rio city halls of the area hit had not been licensed as a dormitory but rather as a car park. flamengo has not yet responded to this and has declared it is in mourning. football clubs and players from across the world have expressed their shock and solidarity under the hashtag flamengo. what is included zico, whose career started at flamengo. translation: these were boys with dreams and goals, many of them planned to help theirfamilies,

and then a tragedy like this, i pray to god he did give some comfort to the families of these boys. brazil's passion for football has turned into mourning for those gone two soon. julia carneiro, bbc news. the oscar—nominated actor albert finney has died at the age of 82. he began his career at the royal shakespeare company before forging a reputation as one of britain's leading screen actors. will gompertz reports. albert finney was one of the original angry young men, salford or bookmaker son who helped redefine british film and theatre in the early 1960s. redefine british film and theatre in the early 19605. i take a tip from the early 19605. i take a tip from the fishes, never bite unless the bait is good. i would get married until i am good and ready. he appearing in a raft of kitchen sink dramas depicting the everyday realities and frustrations of working—class life. in postwar britain. i could get through in half the time if i went like a bull, but they'd only slash my wages, so they can get stuffed. he one about over this performance,

leading some to speculate he could the next laurence olivier. to would allude when playing a role of the fading actor manager in the dresser and when among friends in parity. we were all walking around as sir lawrence walked around in the film, with a limp and a hump, and a kind of deformed very strange left hand. and we used to be pressing the elevator button to get to a class, saying, as olivier/richard iii: i must take the lift... ..to fencing! i feel awake for the first time, madam. he turned down the opportunity to play the lead in the film lawrence of arabia, choosing instead the title role in tom jones, an 18th—century romantic adventure. albert finney had arrived. an international star of stage and screen with an eye for the ladies and the talent to take on a wide range of roles... don't be so daft, lottie! ..from directing and starring in charlie bubbles to playing agatha christie's hercule poirot. we now come to my own reconstruction of the night of the murder. when people look back at the gallery of his roles in the movies, and don't forget he was a great

stage actor too in the early days, i think people will always celebrate the versatility, the power, the humour, the humanity. erin, hi. a0 years after his film career began, a new generation of film directors discovered his remarkable screen charisma, casting him as a gruff lawyer in erin brockovich... and you and me are going to make them pay for it. ..and an even gruffer churchill in the gathering storm. at 35, i was home secretary. at 37, first lord of the admiralty. at 50, chancellor of the exchequer. doing pretty well. not bad. now look at me. albert finney never forgot his roots. he refused a knighthood because he considered it "snobby". above all though, he was a serious actor. a rare performer, such that, if he was in something, you would pay attention. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: last orders — why new research suggests a hangover may be impossible to avoid. there's mr mandela. mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader ayatollah khomeini has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, 'baby doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block.

shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories. head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: president maduro refuses to allow aid into venezuela. he says the country doesn't need foreign handouts. not everyone agrees. still searching for a brexit breakthrough — the british prime minister meets with her irish counterpart in dublin. thailand's king has denounced his sister's unprecedented bid to run for prime minister in the upcoming elections. in a statement, he described princess ubolrata na mahidol‘s nomination as "inappropriate".

the election is scheduled for march, and is seen as the first chance for thailand to return to democracy after five years under military rule. celia hatton‘s report contains flash photography. the thai king is an all—powerful figure in his country. a palace statement said the thai princess's embassy was unconstitutional. hours earlier, the king's sister, ubolratana hours earlier, the king's sister, ubolrata na mahidol, hours earlier, the king's sister, ubolratana mahidol, had been announced as the prime ministerial candidate for a party allied to the former government. a government which was overthrown in a military coup five years ago. but her name

was unveiled, it seemed as if the party of the ousted thai leader, thaksin shinawatra party of the ousted thai leader, tha ksin shinawatra had party of the ousted thai leader, thaksin shinawatra had come back into favour. a popular member of thai royalty, facing off against the army leader who led the 2014 coup. he has also been named as the candidate for prime minister. on social media the princess said it was her right at a citizen to accept the nomination. ubolratana mahidol gave up her royal status when she married an american man in the i970s, married an american man in the 19705, but is still treated as a venerated member of the thai royal family. but the princess asserted her desire to enter politics before her desire to enter politics before her brother, the king, said it was utterly inappropriate. a rare display of discord from behind the walls of the palace, where it seems, the princess will remain so now. —— for now. white house adviser kellyanne conway says a woman assaulted her in front of her daughter last year.

ms conway says mary elizabeth inabinett was "screaming her head off" when she grabbed herfrom behind and shook her in october. she denies charges of second—degree assault and disorderly conduct. she is due to stand trial in march. earlier today i spoke to our north america correspondent peter bowes who has been following the story. the details have really onlyjust emerged, kelly and conway has been talking to us media outlets, explaining what has happened back in october of last year when she was in this washington, dc area restaurant, she had her teenage daughter with her, when she says that she was approached by someone from behind. who grabbed her, the woman she says was screaming her head off, according to kellyanne conway. she says her teenage daughter managed to ca ptu re says her teenage daughter managed to capture some of this on video. the police were called, although she said the woman had actually left the

rest run by the time the police arrived. they clearly meant to catch up arrived. they clearly meant to catch up with her later. —— restaurant. she was arrested and has been charged, and will go on trial next month. she denies the allegations are infact month. she denies the allegations are in fact her lawyer has said that she did not assault ms conway and she did not assault ms conway and she was exercising her first amendment right to express her personal opinions. there's an old saying: 'beer before wine — and you'll feel fine'. but now scientists have dismissed the idea that the order in which you drink alcohol makes any difference to your chances of a hangover. here's our health correspondent catherine burns. there are a few sayings about this, like grape or grain but never the twain, or of course... wine before beer... wine before beer makes you feel queer, beer before wine makes you feel fine. we will start with beer and then move onto wine, it's natural. scientists from a university in germany decided to test the theory. they took 90 volunteers and split them into three groups. the first drank 2.5 pints of lager

followed by four large glasses of white wine. the second group did the same in the opposite order and the third did not mix their drinks. when it was over, they were not allowed any more but were put straight to bed — reluctantly, in some cases. several were sick, one couple split up and another got together. then came the morning after the night before. their hangovers were assessed, taking into account everything from headache and fatigue to dizziness and increased heart rate. a week later they did the same, but the other way round, and the result — no matter what order you drink them in, with this much alcohol a hangover is almost inevitable. the only outcome that is a good predictor of the intensity of your hangover is how drunk the participant feels and if you were sick or not. one of the messages is drink responsibly and listen to your own gut feeling. hangovers might be all too common, but from a scientific point of view we don't understand that much

about exactly how to stop them, other than not drinking so much. hangover tips? lemonade in the morning. a good fry up in the morning, it helps you out. sleep it off. get through it, grow up. plenty of water, get up, if you're going at the next day, hair of the dog. researchers point out that hangovers have one important benefit. they are a sometimes painful reminder for people to learn from their mistakes. family, friends and former colleagues have been paying tribute to a washington legend. congressman john dingell has died at the age of 92. he was the longest—serving representative in american history, winning 30 straight elections over nearly six decades. dingell found internet stardom late in life with a twitter presence that would be the envy of people half his age, as mat morrison reports. john dingell‘s career in congress

are stretched over 59 years and 11 presidents. he first entered the house of representatives in 1955 taking over the seat held by his father. but in fact is —— is time began their even earlier. a date which will leaving into me. as a young page in 1941, john dingell was in the chamber to hear frank reloaded —— franco roosevelt's famous beach after pearl harbour. at age 18 he enlisted but never saw combat. dingell was demoted democrat, mingling with residents from john f. kennedy to clinton. presidents come and presidents go butjohn dingell is forever. presidents come and presidents go but john dingell is forever. he made friends across the aisle as well. george hw bush was a friend. in a statement, former president barack obama said he led the charge on so

much of the progress we take for granted today. a grateful nation honoursjohn dingell granted today. a grateful nation honours john dingelljunior for his lifetime of service. that record and his longevity in him the nation's highest civilian honour. hard work, integrity, decency, and willingness to work hard, because this job belongs to the people. in his later yea rs, belongs to the people. in his later years, dingell found any voice on twitter, launching verbal spit walls at the current administration. and his wit expanded beyond politics. when his team tried to explain the kardashians, a reality tv family, he wrote: after he retired, his wife debbie

was elected to take over his congressional seat, becoming a political force of her own. in a facebook post, she wrote: at nearly 644, dingell often towered over his friends and colleagues. his passing leaves a long shadow. congressmanjohn congressman john dingell who has died at the age of 92. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @samanthatvnews. and you can keep up with all our stories on our website. stay with us, we have all the headlines coming up us, we have all the headlines coming upfor us, we have all the headlines coming up for you very shortly. hello there, still not done with the

storm yet, there is more wind to come, we could see some very gusty winds through the early part of this morning. the storm passes to the north of the uk with a swathe of the 60-70 mph for north of the uk with a swathe of the 60—70 mph for southern scotland and northern england, gradually those wins will turn light into the afternoon. this swathe of potentially damaging, destructive winds will affect the northern half of the country for a while this morning, some heavy rain and snow on the tops of the pennines and the scottish hills, further south some blustery showers, we will start the day with temp riches of 6—8d. a windy start this morning, heavy pulses of rain, but the rain eventually becomes confined to the northern isles of scotland, as it pulls away into the north sea. further south there will be sunshine, a few showers across western areas, and a good deal of

dry areas. the winds gradually easing into the afternoon. temperature wise, england and wales are seeing double figures again, 10— 11 celsius, closer to 7— nine in scotla nd 11 celsius, closer to 7— nine in scotland and northern ireland. a little bit fresher there. there could be some disruption from the winds, particularly early on, keep tuned in to bbc local radio for the latest updates. store erik pushes into scandinavia, this next feature could bring whether through southern pa rt could bring whether through southern part of the country on saturday night, maybe on sunday some strong winds, but the strongest winds will be across the channel into the near continent. we could see some snow over the high ground of wales for a while, with this rain slowly easing away through sunday, it could hang back to east anglia and the south—east. older air will be pouring south eastwards behind it, these showers across northern areas will be turning increasingly wintry as temperatures back into figures

for all of us. we will have showery burst of rain through saturday into sunday night, and then we see high pressure building in which will settle things down but it will feel cold as we start monday off on a cold as we start monday off on a cold note. a little bit of frost around. but we have this wind of high pressure which should see a good read of dry weather, wins lighter than we have had for the past few days. temperatures 5—9d so it will feel a little chilly to how it will feel a little chilly to how it has felt at the start of the weekend. high pressure building in next week, things will come down considerably, dry weather and the return of chilly nights. this is bbc news. the headlines: the venezuelan opposition leader and self—proclaimed president juan guaido has called on the military to let us humanitarian aid enter the country. trucks carrying food and medicines donated by the us have arrived in a colombian border town, but have been blocked from entering venezuela by soldiers. the irish prime minister leo varadkar has spoken

of his determination to get a brexit agreement over the line. he's stressed a meeting with his british counterpart theresa may taking place in dublin was not for negotiations, as those must only be conducted with the european union. the king of thailand has denounced his sister's candidacy for prime minister, saying that such a move is inappropriate and unconstitutional. he said his elder sister would not be allowed to run for office because it was against tradition, even if she'd given up her official royal title. lung cancer screening trucks will be appearing in supermarket car parks under a new scheme across england. hundreds of thousands of people are to be tested in the next four