this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 9:00. an ethiopian airlines plane with more than 150 people on board has crashed on a flight from addis ababa to nairobi. two leading brexiteers have urged the prime minister not to delay leaving the eu if she loses the meaningful vote on her withdrawal deal in the commons this week. two more british women living in detention camps in syria, with five children between them, are reported to have been stripped of their uk citizenship. sir cliff richard joins other public figures calling for a law to protect the anonymity of people suspected of sexual offences until they are actually charged with a crime. the family of a 23—year—old british woman missing in guatemala say they're "desperately worried" for her safety.

and our sunday morning edition of the papers is at 9.35 — this mornings reviewers are business commentator, josie cox, and education editor at the sunday times — sian griffiths. we start with breaking news this hour — that ethiopian airlines has confirmed that one of its planes has come down on its way from addis ababa to the kenyan capital, nairobi. the ethiopian prime minister, abiy ahmed, has tweeted his condolences to those who have lost loved ones. there are no details of casualties —

149 passengers and eight crew members were on board, ethiopian airlines has confirmed that a scheduled 737 flight from addis ababa to nairobi crashed shortly after taking off. there is no official information about casualties but flight et302 left addis ababa in the morning and a traffic control lost contact with it six minutes later. the crash area is believed to be in bishoftu — about a two hour drive from the capital. 149 passengers and eight crew on board with search and rescue operators at the scene trying to find any survivors. two leading brexiteers are warning that delaying brexit would do "incalculable harm" to public trust in politics.

the comments — from tory mp steve baker and the dup's nigel dodds — come two days before the commons again votes on theresa may's eu withdrawal deal. our political correspondent — jessica parkerjoins me now. tell us a bit more about what these mps have been saying. tell us a bit more about what these mp5 have been saying.” tell us a bit more about what these mps have been saying. i think what they are saying went, is too much of a surprise. steve baker and nigel dodds... a surprise. steve baker and nigel dodds. . . we a surprise. steve baker and nigel dodds. .. we are having a couple of problems with your microphone, jessica. keep going! nigel dodds from the dup writing together this article in the sunday telegraph using some pretty strong language saying any delay to brexit would be a political calamity and for some it would mean democracy is effectively dead. they also say if the deal is unchanged ahead of the vote they think it would face a sizeable

defeat. all eyes are on geoffrey cox who has been in brussels discussing the backstop for northern ireland. no sign yet of a breakthrough on the issue, what the uk wants is some sort of legally binding assurance that the whole of the uk can't end up that the whole of the uk can't end up in definitely tied to eu customs rules. no breakthrough yet. this article today from steve baker and nigel dodds will make theresa may think she really needs that breakthrough to stand a chance on tuesday. took us through the timetable for the commons this week. we expect that on tuesday there will be the meaningful vote for the second time on theresa may's brexit deal. should that not pass, the next day we expect mps to get the chance to vote on whether they want to see a new deal scenario. if they don't wa nt to a new deal scenario. if they don't want to see that, the next day we expect them to get the chance to vote on whether they want to extend

article 50 to delay brexit. i suspect that's what steve baker and nigel dodds are referring to. i think a lot of people looking at the numbers in parliament, this idea of extending article 50 hasn't been tested but a lot of people theorising it could well pass in parliament and of course the brexiteers desperately want the uk to leave the eu on the 29th of march. which isn't very far away! there is still so much uncertainty about which of these outcomes there could be. you could play out a number of different scenarios. now the door has been opened in terms of the door has been opened in terms of the possibility of a delay, theresa may has been speaking in grimsby on friday, warning it would lead to a moment of crisis if mps reject her

deal. there are people out there who think that would be a wonderful thing, they don't want brexit to happen but as far as the government is concerned, still sticking to the line but it needs to be delivered. thank you. more than 50 businesses in northern ireland have written an open letter to mps urging them to unite behind a deal to leave the eu. they warn that a no—deal brexit would have a damaging impact on the local economy and political stability — and urge them to compromise. among the companies that signed were bombardier, coca—cola and queen's university belfast. the uk will remain in "pole position" after brexit, when it comes to technological innovation, according to the chancellor phillip hammond. he's expected to unveil plans for a £200 million in investment in cutting—edge scientific research during his spring statement on wednesday. our business correspondent rob young has the details.

new technologies are shaping how we live and how we work. scientific discoveries today could determine the economy of the future and can improve our health. on wednesday, the government is expected to say it will allocate £200 million for investment in cutting—edge research. £79 million is earmarked for a new national supercomputer. based at the university of edinburgh, the machine is promised to be up to ten times faster than the current supercomputer. another £81 million will be spent on state—of—the—art laser technology in oxfordshire. one recent laser invention was used to detect explosives hidden in airport luggage. there will also be £45 million for health research taking place in cambridge.

the money will be spent on potential new therapies to tackle genetic diseases. the government says innovation will be at the core of the spring statement on wednesday. the chancellor says he wants britain to maintain its competitive advantage in science and technology after brexit. but the chancellor is not splashing the cash. the money being dished out for the research comes from existing budgets. many people will be watching what the chancellor has to say about the forecasts for the economy. growth has been lower recently, as brexit uncertainty and a global economic slowdown affect the uk. rob young, bbc news. there are reports that two more british women who married so—called islamic state fighters are to be stripped of their citizenship. according to the sunday times, reema iqbal and her sister zara travelled to syria in 2013 and are now in the al—roj refugee camp. it follows a decision by the home office to remove 19—year—old shamima begum's citizenship. thousands of women and children have arrived in syrian refugee camps in recent days after fleeing the final stronghold

of the islamic state group. baghouz is the last village still controlled by thejihadi militants. but it may not be in their hands for much longer, as lebo diseko reports. they've left the final stronghold of the so—called islamic state. women and children evacuated out of baghouz now searched as they arrive in territory held by the us—backed syrian defence forces. the western—backed kurdish and arab fighters are poised to launch their final assault on the tiny enclave, which is all that's left in is control. but they've been waiting for the families to leave. thousands have done so in recent days, with more reported to have left on saturday, loaded onto at least four trucks. the same fighters waiting to begin their final assault on what's left of is land are also those trying to get civilians to safety. translation: we are now

at the end of baghouz. the euphrates river is 700 metres away from us. the camp is one kilometre behind us. we are trying to evacuate most of the civilians after sunset. we are evacuating hundreds — hundreds — of civilians. those who make it out of baghouz will be sent here to al—hol, both a detention and refuge centre in northern syria. it's run by the us—backed syrian kurdish fighters, but aid workers have been allowed in to help. tens of thousands of people are now here, with more than 10,000 coming in recent days. the few facilities available were struggling even before the increased arrivals. now, aid workers warn that they are overwhelmed. so far, we have counted them and 106 people dead. we have to count that these people are coming from a very poor camp condition and they have to travel more than 150 kilometres in a very, very, very harsh winter with cold, so some of them arrive so weak that

any complication in their health condition may end in a fatal casualty. it's not clear how many civilians are still left in baghouz, nor how long the sdf fighters will be willing to wait for them to leave before making that final push. lebo diseko, bbc news. a 17—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was stabbed in the chest in north london. police were called to reports of a stabbing on a bus in north finchley yesterday afternoon. the 19—year—old is in a critical condition in hospital. let's return to that breaking news — that ethiopian airlines has confirmed that one of its planes has come down on its way from addis ababa to the kenyan capital, nairobi. the ethiopian prime minister, abiy ahmed, has tweeted his condolences to those who have

lost loved ones. there are no details of casualties. 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board. tomi oladipo is our africa security correspondent and joins me now from nairobi. what more can you tell us? this plane took off at 8:38am local time from addis ababa. just six minutes after take—off, the air traffic control lost contact with this plane and it is believed to have gone down just south—east of the capital of ethiopia, addis ababa. so far we aren't hearing any official figures relating to casualties but we are just waiting on official details from the authorities in ethiopia. pretty large number of passengers

and crew are on board. yes, indeed. 149 passengers and eight crew members on board. this is one of the newest planes, reported to be four months old. ethiopian airlines is the largest airline in africa and have been expanding their rates across the world. there go to airline fora across the world. there go to airline for a lot of travelling so this will be a major setback for them. the prime minister's twitter account, as i was saying, he has expressed condolences to the families indicating that perhaps there won't be survivors. that seems to be the view of the government. there won't be survivors. that seems to be the view of the governmentm appears to be the few, if they are to express condolences. at the same time they haven't given us any details. they have sent search and rescue teams out there to find out what the state of things is at the

site where the plane came down. we're still waiting to hear those details but it will be some time before we hear exactly what the state of casualties are. thank you. sir cliff richard has joined a campaign demanding legal anonymity for anyone suspected of committing a sexual offence, until they're charged. the singer was named after he was accused of an offence, but never arrested or charged. our home affairs correspondent dominic casciani has this report. vindicated by the high court, sir cliff richard after he won his landmark privacy battle against the bbc last year. it's going to take me a little time to get over the whole emotional factor, and so i hope you'll forgive me. the bbc broadcast a police search of his surrey home after being falsely accused of a sexual offence. the judge said it was a serious breach of his privacy and should never have been broadcast. now he isjoining a growing campaign to protect the anonymity of some people facing this investigation.

the singer says the media's reporting of the false allegations he faced was the worst thing that had happened to him in his entire life. a stigma has been almost impossible to eradicate, and that has led him to believe only a new law can protect others from the same misery. the campaign joined by sir cliff calls for a simple change in the law. a legal guarantee of anonymity for anyone under investigation for a sexual offence, that would prevent media reporting, unless and until the individual is charged. today, the campaign's leaders welcomed sir cliff's decision tojoin them. we have a number of areas that we wish to change in respect of law reform. the primary one that we want to change is that a suspect is not named until charged. apart from anything else, that would create balance, because the complainant has anonymity, why shouldn't the person who is facing an allegation? and the allegation

being publicised out there is there forever, and mud sticks. sir cliff's case is the most high profile, but the question of privacy for people who haven't been charged with a crime has been increasingly debated. the radio presenter paul gambaccini, also part of the campaign, secured a pay—out from prosecutors over unfounded allegations of historical sex offences. and most recently, a couple from sussex were named in the media after being arrested over the disruption of gatwick by a drone — something they were innocent of. ministers have refused anonymity for suspects, saying it infringes on freedom of the press, but sir cliff and the campaign hope they can force reform on the specific issue of sexual offences. dominic casciani, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. an ethiopian airlines plane with more than 150 people on board has crashed on a flight from addis ababa to nairobi. two leading brexiteers have urged

the prime minister not to delay leaving the eu if she loses the meaningful vote on her withdrawal deal in the commons this week. two more british women living in detention camps in syria, with five children between them, are reported to have been stripped of their uk citizenship. the family of a 23—year—old british woman missing in guatemala say they're "desperately worried" for her safety. catherine shaw, from witney in oxfordshire, was last seen on march 4th in the lake atitlan area of the country. her parents said her disappearance was of "great concern". a foreign office spokeswoman confirmed it was supporting the family of a british woman and were "in contact with the local authorities". a climber is seriously ill in hospital in aberdeen after being stranded overnight on a mountain in the highlands. the 57—year—old man from nottinghamshire was airlifted to safety from a peak in the glencoe area yesterday —

reportedly suffering from hypothermia. a second climber was also rescued but is in a stable condition in hospital. oscar—winning actor anthony hopkins' multi—million dollar malibu home is in danger of falling off a cliff. the house appears to be teetering on the brink of collapse after weather erosion from recent storms ate away part of the cliff on which it stands. the house had a lucky escape last november when the fast moving woolsey fire tore through malibu and neighboring area of calabasas destroying dozens of nearby homes. hen harriers, which are rare birds of prey, are being deliberately targeted and killed, according to the rspb. in the most recent case in wiltshire one of the birds, which was being tracked by a satellite tag, has vanished and is presumed dead. police are investigating, and there are concerns over a government plan to introduce more

hen harriers into the wild, as andrew plant reports. out on the hunt for a bird of prey. teams have been searching this wiltshire countryside. it is where vulcan, a rare hen harrier, satellite tag suddenly stopped responding. but both the bird and its tag have disappeared. sadly, suspicious occasion. so that tag just one day stopped working? stopped working — so the tag was in very good health, and it's being investigated by wiltshire police as a very suspicious case. hen harriers almost died out in england. now, just a handful are born every year. conservationists tag the strongest ones. of 34 chicks in 2018, they tagged 11. six have now vanished, tags included — deliberately shot, say the rspb. so the question is, why would anyone want to kill one? well, that's a difficult question to answer, because this is a blatant criminal act. they are a highly protected bird.

but that is what you think is happening, that people are deliberately... that is what we know to be the case. unfortunately, there has been a pattern of birds of prey going missing in the area, and there is intense shooting. there has long been a plan to introduce more hen harriers back into england. the experts say that the environment can support a lot more breeding pairs. but, because of what has been happening to those tagged birds over the past few years, the rspb now say that plan should be put on hold. absolutely. all the research tells us that the environment in england can support hundreds of hen harriers, and yet we only have 34 chicks. and the one limiting factor, let's make no mistake about this, is illegal persecution. there is an estimated 575 pairs left in the wild, most in scotland. the rspb say, until the birds can be properly protected, they will continue to vanish into thin air. andrew plant, bbc news.

if you're a keen gardener, you may have noticed new pests amongst your plants. this year the warmer weather has seen insects more commonly found abroad turning up in our gardens. for the first time the southern green shield bug, which attacks fruit and vegetables, has made the royal horticultural society's list of top ten pests and diseases. melanie abbott from bbc radio 4's you and yours programme reports. this little thing might look pretty harmless, but the box tree caterpillar is top of the garden pest list for the third year running. this time—lapse film shows the damage they can do to the box hedge in just one day. they are at home with the unseasonably warm weather we've had lately, and in hotter climates they have really taken hold.

there have been great problems in london and the surrounds and it's beginning to spread. i've seen pictures in parts of france where box caterpillars are native on the hillside, and entire hillsides have been stripped, there are huge numbers of moths that come down to the villages and towns into the summer months and it becomes impossible to eat out of doors. so we're coming into the box alternatives garden. this area shows there are viable alternatives that the caterpillars won't eat, and they can be shaped and pruned in the same way as a box hedge. this chap has made its way into the top ten for the first time ever, it's the southern green shield bug. this one is preserved, but come august, you might find them in your garden. they do prefer more southerly climes, but it is becoming established here in the uk. slightly bigger than the native green shield bug, the advice is to hand—pick them off. laborious, but it avoids pesticides.

it's not just heat that's causing problems. it's got honey fungus in its roots. honey fungus has topped the list of diseases. it thrives in damp weather, if dry conditions follow like we saw last year, roots will struggle to get water. it's rotting it right away. this is, you know, it will have killed the tree by preventing it from taking the water up from the soil. and now even after death, it's carrying on rotting into that wood and using it as a food source. once it's taken hold, unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. gardeners do need to think about protecting and preparing the soil for dry weather. the royal horticultural society has just employed the uk's first garden water scientist. if you are planting in your garden, then mulch, organic mulch on top of your soil will actually help the roots to stay cool and it avoids the soil losing quite so much moisture from evaporation. the drier weather has kept some problems at bay,

like the disease leaf spot. and who knows, if it continues, plants like these might one day thrive notjust in the greenhouse in wisley gardens but in our back gardens. melanie abbot, bbc news, wisley. competitive motor racing is a dream for many — but for people with disabilities it is even harder to make it come true. team brit racing academy trains and equips disabled drivers with race licences — ready to take on any circuit in the world. laura trant has been finding out more. believe and achieve. it's a difficult industry to get into, even more so for people with disabilities. just ask lewis hamilton's brother, nick. he has cerebral palsy, and is currently competing in the british touring car championship and races in a specially modified car.

he's supporting team brit. people who have a disability, they don't know what their limitations are, so you look at a car like this, you think there is no way i will ever be able to drive this, because that is exactly what i thought. i had been driven in many cars growing up and looking at what the driver does, thinking there is no way i would ever be able to do it myself, and here i am taking passengers out in an aston martin. this was intended for ex—servicemen, but it has become so popular, with such a high demand, it has been widened out to civilians with disabilities as well, and you can see them behind me training on a simulator. richard newton had his left leg amputated after a motorbike accident. then a few years later, he lost his right leg after a car crash. i am really lucky with the family and friends around me, and obviously with the guys here at team brit, they sort of push you.

if you feel a bit low on motivation one day, you will get a little bit of a telling off and you will crack on and go on about things again. so what does being part of team brit give you? a reason to sort of go for things, and we can all have bad days, but with the guys sort of pushing you and — it isjust a great place to be. team brit was set up by dave player from newbury, the dream — team brit making their tyre marks and competing the ultimate test. yeah, the le mans 24 hour is the pinnacle of team endurance car racing, so if we want to make a statement that anybody with a disability can race, then if we can become the first disabled racing team to compete in the world's most gruelling 24 hour race, then we have succeeded in our message over

normalising disability. it is another crazy british challenge. all right, come on! are you ready for me to be your passenger? are you ready?, is the question. no, it is going to be great fun, you'll enjoy it. music. it looks fun! now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. it will feel as though we've taken a step back into winter today. there isa step back into winter today. there is a risk of further snow throughout the rest of the day from showers but also some strong and gusty winds are picking up as well. that and the

rain combined making for some atrocious conditions out there. the snow is falling across many northern areas. that will have fairly significant snow over the hills, we are talking 5—10 centimetres building up. there could be some snow at lower levels such as glasgow and edinburghfora snow at lower levels such as glasgow and edinburgh for a time. lower—level snow across the midlands with snow showers falling across northern ireland and later in northern england. wind is the main feature in the south, gusting at 50 01’ feature in the south, gusting at 50 or possibly 60—70 mph in exposed localities. feeling much colder than yesterday. another cold day because we've got that wintry weather further north. that is setting us up for a wintry evening and night—time. snow showers coming through thick and fast, easy late in the night as

the ridge of high pressure bulges in from the atlantic temporarily. a cold start this morning in scotland but a cold night more widely tonight. given that we've had showers and they have continued, it could turn quite icy as we head towards monday morning. apart from the frost on the ice, monday looking like a much quieter weather day. breathing a sigh of relief temporarily. lighter winds and sunshine, feeling more springlike. it doesn't last because the next area of low pressure starts to barrel in from the atlantic three monday night. more wet weather and potentially more windy weather on monday night and then later in the day on tuesday. tuesday is looking far wetter. wintry showers following, the main concern is the wind and rain. they really escalate late in the day across the north and west with severe gales pushing into northern ireland and northern and western scotland. there are warnings out for the met office for that event. you can see more of those on

the website. goodbye for now.