hello, this is bbc news with rebecca jones. we will be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment. first the headlines: fears of at least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone idai this is bbc news, i'm rebecca jones. hits the country, leaving a 30—mile the headlines at 11:00pm: fears of at least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone idai stretch of land underwater. hits the country, leaving a 30—mile theresa may asks for more time. the prime minister will tomorrow stretch of land under water. write to the european council president to lay out the government's plan for delaying brexit, but an impatient brussels translation: i still haven't found wants a concrete strategy. where my daughter was buried in the debris. there was no furniture, no new zealand's prime minister has vowed never to say the name of the christchurch mosque gunman. clothes, only rubble and stones. it comes as people gather in the city for a burial ceremony for one of the victims. theresa may will tomorrow write to the european commission president 50 people were killed to lay out the government's plan for delaying brexit. in last friday's attack. but an impatient brussels wants and a warning from the head of the environment agency that, a concrete strategy. within 25 years, england will not extended uncertainty without a clear have enough water to meet demand. plan would add to the economic cost

for our businesses, but could also incura for our businesses, but could also incur a political cost for the eu. also this evening: new zealand's prime minister has vowed never to say the name of the christchurch mosque gunman. she was speaking as people gather at memorial park in christchurch for a burial ceremony for one of the victims. 50 people were killed in last friday's attack. and a warning from the head of the environment agency that, within 25 years, england will not have enough water to meet demand. and at 11:30pm, we will be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, jessica elgot and david davies. stay with us for that. good evening and

welcome to bbc news. it is feared hundreds of thousands of people are homeless after what is thought to be one of the worst natural disasters to hit africa. cyclone idai struck the coast of east africa four days ago, swamping mozambique, zimbabwe and malawi. the united nations says the world has yet to realise the full scale of the massive disaster. the storm made landfall on the coast of mozambique, bringing 100 mph winds and floodwaters that were swept inland. no—one knows how many people may have died. the red cross says urgent aid is needed. in a moment, shingai nyoka reports from chimanimani. but first, our africa editor fergal keane is in the port city of beira, in mozambique, which has been flattened. whatever once lay here has been overwhelmed. now, the flooded land is an expanse of questions. what has become of

those who lived here? only a silence below. and very occasional moments of reprieve. these survivors landing at beira airport, rescued from high ground near their submerged village. driving into the city, we saw how nature's full, awesome force had ripped through homes and lives. 90% of the city has suffered destruction. and you see it in the ruins, and in faces. because we were foreign, because we came from a richer world, the people called out to us for help. no food, no water, no place to rest — we heard it again and again. this man led me to his family's

battered, one—room house. the floodwater soaked their meagre belongings. so how many of you live here? ten — ten peoples. ten people, in this little room? yes. here, his sister, seriously ill with tuberculosis. already marginal lives, now made desperate. i have more problems. my house is broken. and in my house, i don't have nothing to eat — nothing, nothing. from morning up to now, we have nothing to eat. we're getting a few minutes' respite now from the rain, because it's been falling nonstop, and just adding to people's misery. the really striking thing as you walk through here is just how exhausted they are. person after person has come up to us, as you have seen, asking for help, wondering

when aid is going to arrive. beira is severely damaged, but it is at least reachable, and even here, the warehouses that store food aid have been badly damaged. it is out in the countryside, though, that many are thought to be waiting for rescue. this is a glimpse of what helicopters and courage can do, but there are too few such rescues. some food aid is now being distributed, but the relief effort is still nowhere near what is needed. everything the storm could destroy, it did, and there is an ominous sense that the tragedy we have seen so farforeshadows much worse to come. fergal keane, bbc news, beira. the cyclone has carved out a whole new landscape. rivers and waterfalls now flow where generations have lived. communities separated and in need of help. the weak, the old, women with children on their backs,

have trekked for hours through mud to get to safety. this makeshift centre has only the basics. food, shelter, a few medicines for the injured. we've heard harrowing stories. some rescuers have told me of homes and also bodies being washed away in the rivers below, washed away to mozambique, which is behind this mountain range, gone, never to come back again. the trauma of the last few days is written on most faces here. many homes collapsed as people slept. sarah mhlanga managed to escape. herjob, as a survivor, has been to bury the dead. translation: most of the bodies were badly decomposed. we weren't able to move them, and we had to bury them in pairs because we didn't have enough coffins. yesterday we buried 70 people. others are making their way back through the treacherous roads to search for their loved ones.

kururu nyakare‘s uncle and his wife have been missing for days. we're not confident, but we want to get information, so we can get help from other people, orfrom well—wishers. many more people remain huddled in schools and basic clinics, waiting for help. translation: my mother, my father, my two young sisters, one of whom had just had a child, they are all dead. translation: my house was destroyed in the floods, and i was buried underneath. my daughter was with me in bed, and was washed away from me. the nation is trying to keep up with the death toll. burying the dead is meant to bring a sense of closure, but many here don't even have time to grieve. they are still trying to survive. shingai nyoka, bbc news. with just ten days to go until the uk is due to leave

the european union, the prime minister is preparing to make a formal request to the president of the european council for an extension to the two—year deadline of negotiating britain's withdrawal. there was disagreement at the cabinet meeting this morning, as options for both a short delay until the end ofjune and a longer postponement were discussed. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, says theresa may must be clear about what the extension is for and how long it will last. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports from westminster. coffee 7 i'm fine, thank you. coffee 7 tea 7 something stronger might have been required in number ten last night. how do you explain to the public what you did, mr bercow7 it's a very, very impressive bobble hat you're wearing... after the speaker said yesterday the government can't have another vote on its brexit deal right now —

not what he wanted to talk about this morning. lots of people are annoyed at this decision. what would you reply to that? using a rule from the 17th century to block the possibility of another vote. thank you, sir. traitor! shockingly, that is a call heard often around here these days, while in government, where there has long been simmering frustration with the speaker, the search is on to find a way of keeping the prime minister's deal alive. will brexit ever happen? absolutely. ministers were told by the speaker they can'tjust keep going. is the deal finally dead, mr hunt7 have another third go at getting theresa may's compromise through the commons, unless it changes. the spea ker‘s ruling yesterday raises the bar, and we need to see what is different as we approach the next vote. but what one cabinet minister described as pantomime is not the big problem. that is still getting enough tories to back the pm. are you still persuadable, after yesterday's column7 no answers there yet, and the prime minister's northern irish allies aren't budging either.

there is an opportunity over the next number of days for the prime minister to go out to europe and say, "the speaker's ruling now makes it imperative that we have some change to the current agreement." don't hold out for that happening, at least not fast. after a fraught cabinet meeting this morning, theresa may is writing to her counterparts on the continent asking for a pause. after this morning's meeting, it is understood she'll say we should delay until end ofjune, but with an option to go further if needs be. downing street says there has been no final decision, but it seems the cabinet can't yet agree. well, people have got different approaches to how we should do this, of course. but we're all clear we want to get it done as soon as we possibly can. but maybe that's a forlorn hope now. what i'm trying to do is reach out all across the house for an alternative, because clearly her proposals do not enjoy a majority in the house. and, whatever the prime minister asks for... bonjour.

..attention — in truth, it's not up to her. it will be for the 27 leaders to assess the reason and the usefulness for an extension. eu leaders will need a concrete plan for the uk. a plan? there are plenty of them round here. but one that is sure to work, and last? don't be so sure. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. and, as our europe editor katya adler has been explaining, theresa may will face difficulties in getting any form of extension to the brexit process from the eu. trust in eu circles, and the prime minister, is very low now. so a number of eu leaders say they want proof that parliament will sign up toa proof that parliament will sign up to a longer extension before the eu debate sits, organises it and signs off on it. and this, sophie, means that the prime minister may not get

a definitive answer on an extension on thursday this week when she comes face—to—face with eu leaders at summit. and that in turn is fuelling rumours and ever louder whispers that they could be a second emergency summit a week later. 0n that they could be a second emergency summit a week later. on 28 march, so just emergency summit a week later. on 28 march, sojust one emergency summit a week later. on 28 march, so just one day before the uk is still officially leaving the european union. now, there's no appetite for that second summit in eu circles, but if it takes place, eu circles, but if it takes place, eu leaders won't see it as a rubberstamping exercise on an extension, but rather the moment the european union took action to prevent a no deal brexit. american—backed forces in syria say they have captured the last piece of territory held by islamic state. it follows a lengthy air and ground assault on is's final stronghold, near the syrian village of baghouz. local forces have been celebrating what they called a victory notjust for the middle east, but for all humanity. but they say some is fighters may still be hiding underground. from baghouz, aleem maqbool reports. and a warning — his report contains

some flashing images. they're dancing forjoy in northern syria, afterfighters here claim they've taken back every last bit of territory from the islamic state group. we got to this point after a massive ground offensive. we were there for the opening salvos, a barrage from the hills into the remnants of the is camp. the militants had so many chances to surrender, but patience had been running out. the assault came from positions allaround the camp, and went on for many hours. in daylight, we were taken by a local fighter to a point where we could survey the damage. a large part of the camp had already been taken from the militants, but the offensive continued,

including from our own position. at one point, we could make out islamic state group fighters running through the battlefield, perhaps trying to launch a counterattack. is itself released a video from inside the camp, a female militant among those still fighting. but, just hours later, the front went quieter. "the entire area is under the control of our fighters," says the spokesman of the local forces. "we can say, as a territory, the so—called islamic state is completely finished." he cautioned that some is fighters were still hidden, and sporadic clashes would go on. but that wasn't dampening joy here. there is no doubting how these fighters who've just come back from the front line feel. they feel the job is done. they say that for the first time,

tomorrow, they're going to relax and celebrate what they feel is the end of the so—called islamic state. even if all is territory really has been retaken, no—one is under the illusion the danger posed by the group is over. for now, though, these men are savouring what they feel is their moment. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in baghouz, syria. the headlines on bbc news: fears of at least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone id—eye fears of at least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone idie hits the country leaving a 30 mile stretch of land under water. theresa may asks for more time — the prime minister will tomorrow write to the european council president to lay out the government's plan for delaying brexit, but an impatient brussels wants a concrete strategy. new zealand's prime minister has vowed never to say the name of the christchurch mosque gunman. it comes as people gather

in the city for a burial ceremony for one of the victims. 50 people were killed in last friday's attack. the owner of a hotel in northern ireland where three teenagers died outside a disco on st patrick's day has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. michael mcelhatton, the owner of the greenvale hotel in cookstown, is one of two men being questioned by police. lauren bullock, morgan barnard, and connor currie died after a crash. police are continuing to examine cctv footage. the first funeral for a victim of the mosque attacks in new zealand is taking place. these are the pictures live from at memorial park cemetery —— these are the pictures live from memorial park cemetery in christchurch as mourners gather. this funeral is taking place not far

from linwood mosque, the second places of worship which was targeted. new zealand's prime ministerjacinda ardern has arrived back in the city where the attacks took place last friday to pay her respects. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith reports. bereft of a son, a brother, a friend, hussain al—umari's family want to celebrate his life. witnesses saw the 35—year—old confront the christchurch gunman, moments before being shot. born in abu dhabi to a family from iraq, they say he lived and died a new zealander, and the country should honour him. that's what he did in the mosque, he sacrificed his life. he's a giver. he gave his soul. he immediately stood up and tried... tried tojump and grab the gun from him, and telling him, "what are you doing here?

get out, get out!" he's a hero. at parliament, the day started with reflection, and anger against the 28—year—old australian man accused of bringing bloodshed to christchurch. he sought many things from his act of terror. but one was notoriety. and that is why you will never hear me mention his name. he is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist. but he will, when i speak, be nameless. some have described this terror attack as new zealand's loss of innocence. the reality is more complicated. just like any other country, there are racial tensions here and politicians have railed against immigration. prior to the attacks in 2017, new zealand's deputy prime minister described immigrants as "not people we need", blaming them for low wages and a housing shortage.

according to nayan, there is an undertow of racism here, which has allowed extremism to fester. it's very much present in new zealand, very deep—rooted. i mean, since i have been here for ten years, i have faced soft racism, getting called an n—word. you don't know it unless you are a person of colour. since the attack, hussain al—umari's family say they have experienced nothing but love and support. they hope that unity lasts beyond these first difficult days. when we see the people, when we see the community is together... it's an amazing feeling. i love it. thank you, new zealand. i love you, new zealand. the prime minister has returned to christchurch for the first funeral for one of the victims. others will be buried together in a group service, laid to rest in the country they called home. hywel griffith, bbc news, christchurch.

the number of employed people in the uk has risen again to a new record. the employment rate, the percentage of those in work, is the highest since records began in 1971. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity reports. this maker of prefabricated homes in leeds always knew it was going to struggle to get the skilled staff it needs. there is no sign of a slowdown in demand for its houses, so it is meeting that demand by teaming up with a local further education college and training young recruits in the multiple skills they need to assemble a ready—made house. it became very clear early on that, because of the skills shortages, we needed to step in and take some action to create more capacity for the industry. and when we are at full capacity, delivering up to 3,500 homes a year, we have about 400 operatives on the factory floor, who have all been through this nvq qualification.

the difficulty employers have recruiting skilled staff has helped to push up wages in construction by 4.5%. and while, elsewhere in the economy, skill shortages aren't as acute, employers who want to attract and keep staff have to offer inflation—beating pay. pay is now rising faster than prices and the gap between the two is now wider than it's been for more than two years. at the same time, unemployment has dropped tojust 3.9% of the workforce — lower than it's been in 44 years. and between november and january, the number in work hit a fresh high, with tens of thousands of women and older people joining the workforce. the obvious question is how, when the economy has been slowing down, it's been producing morejobs than expected and there are more people in work than there have been in nearly 50 years. part of the answer is that, although there are more of us in work, we are each producing a little bit less than before. to a company nervous about the future, taking on new people is less risky than investing large sums in technology to make each worker more productive.

it could be that brexit uncertainty is having less effect on the labour market than other areas of the economy, since it is less costly to reverse hiring decisions than it is to reverse spending on new equipment that may not be later needed. equally, though, it could be that brexit uncertainty has yet to have its full impact on the labour market, so the labour market figures might not be quite so buoyant in the coming months. while a tightjob market has driven up pay, the average pay packet still buys less than it did in 2007. for companies to sustain inflation—beating pay, productivity has to improve and that in turn requires the confidence for companies to invest more — a confidence which has recently been lacking. andy verity, bbc news. within 25 years england will not have enough water to meet demand. that's the stark warning today from the head of the environment agency. the impact of climate change, combined with population growth, means the country is facing an "existential threat" says sirjames bevan. he is calling on people to cut how much water they use,

as danny savage now reports. oh, look, there's one even... even worse further up. after the last few days in northern england, many people will be surprised to hear that there could be a water supply crisis in years to come. but remember what it was like last summer? this was one reservoir near bolton. but an awful lot of precipitation is needed if these reservoirs are to be replenished. eight months on, and things certainly look very different. i couldn't stand now where i was then. but the environment agency says that regular cycle of supplies running down during the summer months and then being replenished by winter rain is something that won't meet our future needs. the suggestion is that we are going to have to drastically change our attitude towards using water. what are customers doing differently?

so, we are selling far more shower enclosures than we are baths. people are changing their bathing habits these days. they tend to shower rather than filling a bath. it appears we are concerned about water if it costs us. a lot of people are on water metres now as well, so they are very much more aware of how much water they're using, because, obviously, their bill goes up every month. the environment agency say these are some of the things we can all do to save water. take short showers, not deep baths. get a water—efficient washing machine. turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, and when it gets hot, don't water your lawn. it will survive. so what do the people living near the brimming reservoirs think of those ideas? we've got so much water around. and they're telling us to cut down on it and there's not going to be any. and there's plenty of it around, so, yeah. do you think there will always be plenty of water in north—west england? i think so, yeah. plenty of it. well, i think unfortunately, whether we like it or not,

it's something we're going to have to get used to. obviously, there's lots of water around here, but nationally, we can't actually use as much as we do at the moment. part of today's appeal is based on the belief that we will get more summers like last year. that certainly would put supplies under pressure. danny savage, bbc news, lancashire. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers jessica elgot and david davies. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30pm. now, it's time for the weather. you may have noticed it felt mild on tuesday, it will be warm still on wednesday, high—pressure moving in, warm aircoming in, wednesday, high—pressure moving in, warm air coming in, thejet stream retreating northwards, it is settling down and make a note of the positioning of the jetstream. settling down and make a note of the positioning of thejetstream. it settling down and make a note of the positioning of the jetstream. it is not a quiz, but it will be familiar when we look at next week's weather.

for now we have established it is settling down, turning warmer, but rain in the expectation, when it comes to sunshine, as we saw on tuesday, the next few days will have a lot of cloud. showing up on the chart here for wednesday, ran into western and northern scotland. most places, despite the cloud, will be dry, and there will be sunny spells, more especially to the east of high ground. cloud or sunshine, more especially to the east of high ground. cloud orsunshine, it more especially to the east of high ground. cloud or sunshine, it is warmer, but any prolonged sunny spells could lift your temperature into the high teens. that nicely coinciding with the spring equinox, where neither north or the south pole is tilted towards the sun, and theoretically anywhere on the surface of the earth, 12 hours of day and night, the equinox, lasting for equal night. it is a movable feast, it could happen on 19, 20 or 21 march, which is why meteorologists say it starts on the first of march, which rolls people up, but it is for equal length of the for statistical purposes. for the for statistical purposes. for the record the spring equinox is on the record the spring equinox is on the 20th of march and just before

10pm, which means thursday is the first full day of spring. a lot of cloud around, sunny spells, there is a lot of rain to come, up through thursday into friday across the north and north—west of scotland, persistent heavy rain in places. it won't feel like spring if you're underneath that. as the rain continues, rain totals mount up, especially in the north—west highlands. this is the picture into friday. add insult to injury, the winds are picking up as well, gales with the rain, breezy across the uk, low pressure will drive the rain bearing weather front southwards on friday across scotland, through northern ireland, into parts of northern england and wales. showers follow, but at least not the persistent rain. it is cooler behind it, it is mild and settled across east anglia and southern england. the weather front will clear friday night into saturday, barely any rain left with it, then we are into a flow of cool air coming from the north—west as we go into the weekend. but, with that, there will be more sunshine around. while most

are dry on saturday a scattering of showers into scotland, may be parts of northern england. wintry on the hills, but not necessarilyjust on the hills. a repeat of that on part two of the weekend on sunday. in fa ct, two of the weekend on sunday. in fact, more vigorous disturbance moving on, so heavier showers moving into northern ireland, northern england as well. elsewhere, mainly dry, breezy and you will feel rather cool in the breeze, and especially where you have the showers. now, back to the jetstream, its position at the start of next week on the one i'm coming down is where we have the rather cool flow of air. but notice how high pressure is building and once again, shunting the jetstream away from us, which is fairly similarto away from us, which is fairly similar to what we have at the moment. going into next week, the weather will be fairly similar to what we have right now. it will settle down once again with high pressure in control. mainly dry, variable cloud, sunny spells. chilly nights, though. you could well see frost in places. may be more u nsettled frost in places. may be more unsettled in the northwest late in the week, and we will keep an eye on that. but, whatever the weather, we

can all say now that spring has sprung. doesn't that sound good?