this is bbc news. the headlines: the prime minister of new zealand has announced an immediate ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi—automatics, in response to the christchurch welcome to bbc news, terror attack that killed 50 people. broadcasting to viewers she said the ban would go in north america through parliament and be in place and around the globe. by the 11th of april. she also announced interim measures to stop a rush of sales my name is mike embley. our top stories: in the meantime. theresa may blames parliament the british prime minister blames for the brexit delay and claims parliament for delaying brexit she's on the side of the british and said she is on the side people she says are "tired of the british people who are "tired of the whole process." rescue teams are still struggling of the whole process." to reach survivors, a week she has now asked the eu to extend after cyclone idai hit south—east africa. hundreds are feared dead. the leaving date to the end ofjune. 51 schoolchildren in italy have rescue teams are still survived an ordeal when their bus struggling to reach survivors a week was hijacked and set after cyclone idai hit south—eastern africa. aid workers say thousands alight by their driver. are still waiting for help. hundreds are feared to have died. disturbing images of weight loss that glamorise eating disorders are being viewed and swapped by children on the social media platform instagram, a bbc investigation discovers.

britain's prime minister has blamed members of parliament for not delivering brexit on time. in a televised speech, theresa may claimed she was on the side of the british people, who she said were tired of the whole process and just wanted out of the european union. the uk is currently set to leave injust over a week, with no withdrawal deal approved by parliament. mrs may has asked brussels to delay brexit, but indications from eu officials are that a delay will only be granted if she can get her deal through parliament. and her speech has infuriated many of the mps she needs to pass it. our political editor, laura kuenssberg reports. what is really going on in there? grappling with what officialdom admits is a genuine crisis for the country. the prime minister's statement asking to delay brexit delayed slightly itself. then what felt like a solitary moment, but aimed at us all. this delay is a matter of great

personal regret for me. and of this, i am absolutely sure — you, the public, have had enough. you're tired of the infighting, you're tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rows, tired of mps talking about nothing else but brexit. i passionately hope mps will find a way to back the deal i've negotiated with the eu, a deal that delivers on the result of the referendum and is the very best deal negotiable. two former ministers immediately chose the word "delusional" to describe her statement as she walked away. and even before her podium moment, the eu had been on their own platform, saying yes to a short delay, but with a big if. i believe that a short extension will be possible, but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the house of commons. just leaving laura's report for a

moment to take you live to wellington, new zealand, where prime ministerjacinda ardern is speaking to the media, new developments in policy, we understand, relating to friday's attacks on two mosques in christchurch. sadly since that time the most substantive changes to our laws came following the 1980s shootings. those attempts did not go far enough. successive attempts have been made to change our laws since then, and have failed. those attem pts then, and have failed. those attempts were 1999, 2005, 2012, and more recently to a select committee requiring in early 2017. —— enquiry. still, none of the changes that have been made in the past dealt with one of the most glaring issues we have that sets new zealand apart from many other nations. the availability of military style semiautomatic

weapons. the attacker, on 15 march, took a significant number of lives using primarily two guns. they were assault rifles and they were purchased illegally on an a category gun licence, the standard license held by gun owners in new zealand. —— purchased legally. the capacity of these rifles was then enhanced using 30 round magazines, essentially turning them into military style semiautomatic weapons. while the modification of these guns was illegal, it was done easily through a simple online purchase. the guns used in this terrorist attack had important distinguishing features. first, their capacity. and also, their delivery. they have the power to shoot continuously, but they also had large capacity magazines. i

absolutely believe they will be a common view among new zealanders, those who use guns for the judgement purposes and those who have never touched one, that the time for the mass and easy availability of these weapons must and. —— there will be. and today they will. today i am announcing that new zealand will ban all military style semiautomatic weapons. we will also ban all assault rifles. we will ban all high—capacity magazines. we will ban all parts of the ability to convert semiautomatic or any other type of firearm into a military style semiautomatic weapons. we will ban parts that cause a firearm to generate semiautomatic, automatic, 01’ generate semiautomatic, automatic, or close to automatic gunfire. in

short, every semiautomatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on friday will be banned in this country. these changes will require legislation. that legislation has 110w legislation. that legislation has now been drafted and will be introduced under urgency. a short and select committee process will apply, so i encourage all those who wish to submit to begin now. my expectation is that the law will be in place by the end of the next two weeks sitting session, which is by the 11th of april. —— two—week sitting session. as a government, however, we did not wish to allow a situation where irresponsible dealers continue to cell weapons that will be banned within a few weeks. that is why we have taken an interim measure. as of 3pm today, an order in council took effect. these changes to our regulations will

ensure virtually all of the weapons i have announced as being bands will be categorised as weapons that require an be class in norseman. —— being banned. the effectiveness will mean nobody will be able to buy these weapons without a permit to procure on police. i can assure people there is no point in applying for such a permit. this is an interim measure to ensure the trade of these weapons ceases from 3pm today. as a government we acknowledge that there will be gun owners who have legitimately purchased weapons we have now moved to ban. some, for instance, use them for large—scale colouring, such as doc. as a cabinet we will work through legalised exemptions for these purposes, but they will be tightly regulated. for others, these guns will now come out of circulation. i acknowledge and thank those retailers who are voluntarily

ceasing to sell military style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles. you will have seen the collective issues we face as a country, you have reacted swiftly, andi country, you have reacted swiftly, and i thank you for that. for other dealers, sales should essentially now cease. my expectation is that these weapons will be returned to your suppliers and never enter into the new zealand market again. the current owners of the weapons we have moved to ban, i acknowledge that many of you will have acted within the law. in recognition of art, and to incentivise their return, we will be establishing a buyback scheme. —— recognition of that. the details of the scheme are being developed in parallel with the drafting of the legislation to enforce the ban. in the meantime we are asking all cardholders of military style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles to visit

www. police. govt. nz. and assault rifles to visit www.police.govt.nz. now they and assault rifles to visit www. police.govt. nz. now they will find details of the weapons included in this ban. —— there they will find. in the next 48—hour is a formal be available on the site which we ask these gun owners to complete, identifying which banned guns they hold. the police will then arrange with —— arrange for these weapons to be handed over and eventually destroyed. details of the weapons handed back by owners covered by the ban will also be taken to ensure that they are and reasonable compensation is paid once the buyback is in place. —— fair and reasonable. if owners are unable to com plete reasonable. if owners are unable to complete the online form they are able to contact the police on the phone to arrange the handover of these now band guns. —— banned. i do wa nt to these now band guns. —— banned. i do want to emphasise, to manage the flow of information to police, online is the best way to arrange the return of your weapons. do not arrive at the police station

unannounced with these weapons in your possession. as the legislation is developed, we will determine the time available for the return of military style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles, and the duration of the buyback scheme. i can assure people that there will be time for the returns to be made. and thus they will not be criminalised overnight. after a reasonable period for returns, those who continue to possess these guns will be in contravention of the law. currently the penalties for this range from fines of up to $4000 and/or three yea rs fines of up to $4000 and/or three years in prison. the draft legislation will look to increase these penalties. i want to acknowledge that the weapons available in new zealand are only pa rt available in new zealand are only part of the problem, and loopholes with our current law continue to exist. 0n with our current law continue to exist. on monday, cabinet will convene and consider a further

amendment to our gun laws. these proposals will, however, go through a more fulsome process. but be assured, this is just a more fulsome process. but be assured, this isjust the beginning of the work we need to do. finally, i want to repeat a message i have consistently shared since announcing our laws would change. we do have guns in new zealand that are used for legitimate purposes by responsible owners. every single day. and that includes our rural community. they manage pests, they use guns for animal welfare, and also for recreation. i have been steadfast in my belief that the last majority of these owners will support what we are doing here today. —— vast majority. because it is about all of us. it is in the national interest and it is about safety. i will work hard to retain that support as we work on the remaining tranches of reform we must make to prevent an act of terror happening in our country ever again.

i will now handover to the minister of police. thank you, prime minister. two hours ago i was with a group of ministers who signed off on the order which tightens the law on the order which tightens the law on the sale of assault rifles. it is an interim step until legislation can be introduced and passed to ban all military style semiautomatic 's be introduced and passed to ban all military style semiautomatic '5 stop these measures will make a real difference to enable new zealand to become a safer place. as the prime minister has already said, the time to act is now. the order, which is now in effect, will discourage potential stockpiling of these assault rifles and encourage people to continue to surrender their firearms. dozens of firearm owners have come forward so far, and i expect more will do so. police are gearing up to enable these weapons to be taken out of circulation, but they will be supported by the new zealand defence force to enable safe storage, transport and destruction of assault rifles and mssas. as the prime minister has also alerted us

to, police are encouraging firearms owners to go to the police website and use the online form to arrange to hand over the mssas and assault rifles. finally, iwant to hand over the mssas and assault rifles. finally, i want to remind you that it is a privilege and not a right to own a firearm in new zealand. we know that there are many gun owners with legitimate reasons for owning firearms. especially in our ruraland for owning firearms. especially in our rural and provincial communities. this work is not directed at them. our focus is on ensuring the immediate safety and peace of mind of our communities. prime minister emma does the government have any idea how much this buyback is going to cost? the answer, in short, is not with any certainty. 0ne answer, in short, is not with any certainty. one of the failings of our system, of course, certainty. one of the failings of oursystem, of course, means certainty. one of the failings of our system, of course, means that we can have a range of weapons that are of this power and calibre, and simply not know how many there are. the estimate that has been made by officials is that the buyback could

cost a nywhere officials is that the buyback could cost anywhere between $100 million and $210. but that is a price that we must pay to ensure the safety of our communities. —— $100 million and $200 million. inaudible question. the effect of this legislation will close that gap between australia and new zealand. australia had an exemption which allowed, for instance, farmers to seek permits to continue to use opens like .22 for legitimate use. in new south wales there are 16,000 farmers who are able to use those kinds of guns. we have essentially achieved the same outcome, but by looking at those specific weapons which are used for legitimate use by farmers, but are not designed to undertake the kind of horror and attack that we saw on friday. inaudible question. essentially, as i say, it achieves a very similar outcome. they have used a permit process. we have instead designated those guns which have

been determined, and on the advice of the police, not to be guns that need to be targeted. there is legitimate use in our rural community. things like killing possums, animal welfare issues, we are targeting here the guns that are actually doing behind in our community and we saw that on friday. inaudible question. that was a new —— new zealand prime minister live from wellington with dramatic moves against guns in new zealand. the follow—up to the march 15 attacks on two mosques in christchurch. in case you have just joined us, two mosques in christchurch. in case you havejustjoined us, let me sum up you havejustjoined us, let me sum up what she said. she said primarily the attacks in christchurch were carried out using two guns, assault rifles, purchased on standard licenses but modified illegally though easily to make their military grade with the power to shoot continuously with large magazines. today matt —— new zealand will ban

all semi automatic weapons, all parts that can modify guns to make them into such weapons. she said every weapon of the kind used in the attack on friday will be banned, and she spoke of urgent legislation going through a shortened committee process to be implemented, she hopes to see that law in place by the 11th of april. she also specified an interim measure to come into effect from 3pm local time today, from when she began speaking, about 15 minutes ago, that no such weapons will be a bible without a permit, and "i can assure people there is no point in applying for such a permit." she said there will be tightly regulated exemptions. she spoke finally, to bring you up—to—date, of an amnesty and a seizure and a buyback. she asks all holders of military assault rifles, the police will visit, seize and destroy. there will be

compensation, the buyback is expected to cost between $100 million and $200 million for new zealand, but she said that is a price we think is worth paying. let's ta ke price we think is worth paying. let's take you back to the political story that has been gripping the uk for several years. britain's prime minister has blamed members of parliament for not delivering brexit on time. in a televised speech, theresa may claimed she was on the side of the british people, who she said were tired of the whole process and just wanted out of the european union. the uk is currently set to leave injust over a week, with no withdrawal deal approved by parliament. mrs may has asked brussels to delay brexit, but indications from eu officials are that a delay will only be granted if she can get her deal through parliament. 0ur europe editor katya adler spoke to us from brussels, ahead of thursday and friday's key summit, about how all this looks from there. european capitals are in a very sombre mood. here we are, eight days away from brexit day, and a very real prospect of a no—deal brexit, something that the prime minister and eu leaders have said they do not want is staring

everyone in the face. look, today started in utter confusion here, with brussels waiting and waiting and waiting for an expected letter from the prime minister, asking for a delay to brexit. by the time it finally arrived, it was too late for a number of eu leaders, including angela merkel, to talk to their national parliaments about it, as they do before they come to an eu summit. so in that scramble, donald tusk, the eu council president, tried to take the lead. he said there would be no short delay and there are disagreements here as to just how long a short delay would be, unless theresa may's brexit deal is approved by parliament next week. you can see full details of theresa may's plea to mps to just "get on with it." just go to our website for that, a really simple guide to brexit and a jargon buster of all the terminology. that's all at bbc.com/news, or you can download the bbc news app. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: happy new year, 1398! it's the persian new year, and 300 million people

across the world are starting their celebrations. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible,

and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: british prime minister theresa may hits out at mps as she addresses the nation from downing street. she blames parliament for the delays in brexit. aid agencies are struggling to reach survivors of the tropical cyclone that has battered south—eastern africa. communications are down, roads are cut off and some communities are completely inaccessible. the storm has left hundreds dead, thousands more homeless and without their livelihoods across mozambique, zimbabwe and malawi. and the british red cross is warning that a disastrous situation is about to become even more challenging. more heavy rain is predicted in the coming days. 0ur africa editor fergal keane reports from what's left of the port

city of beira in mozambique. the water consumes the land. homes, belongings and lives. this is 15 miles from the coast, but has become an inland sea. today, as the rain cleared, we were able to fly over one part of the flooded interior. 0ver people waiting for food, water and medical aid. this was the town of buzi. population — more than 170,000, wading through the floods

to the upper floors of buildings or any patch of dry ground. some sought refuge in the stands of a stadium. here, crowded onto a bridge. it leads to a cathedral, one of many buildings battered by the cyclone. others have camped on roofs. hundreds have already been rescued from here, but many more are still in desperate need. nearby, we stopped on an island of higher ground, where south african military helicopters were delivering aid. this single white tent represents the international aid community. 100 more are needed and expected, so many people have taken refuge here. what is striking is the dignity and weariness. this situation is very, very serious.

there is trouble here, you can say that we are in trouble. yeah, it's a dangerous situation, because the people are dying because of this flood. but those on the dry land are the lucky ones. this man was saved from a precarious refuge above the water. international rescue teams are now stepping up their operations, flying whenever the weather relents. 0n the ground, survivors are given what comfort is available. fresh water is the first, most basic need. in the city of beira, the thousands who've lost their homes are being sheltered in schools and churches in the few buildings that are largely undamaged. six days since the storm struck, there's severe overcrowding, and even in the city, a serious scarcity of food. this woman was lucky to get a small supply of rice. translation: help!

we are suffering here. help mozambique. here in beira, we're in a very bad way, very bad. we have no water, no food, or houses. a few days ago, they lived productive lives, growing their own food. it's not their habit to plead to the world for help, but they desperately need it. fergal keane, bbc news, beira. a bus has been hijacked and set on fire by its own drive in milan. all children escaped without serious injury. it lasted about 40 minutes. the driver shouted he wanted to kill himself and stop the deaths of migrants in the mediterranean. very briefly, our round—up of the other news. a special and vie for the

organisation of the american states says the government has agreed to release more than 700 demonstrators arrested in clashes that began last april. the foreman bosnian serb leader will spend the rest of his life in jail. the un court has rejected his appeal and increased his sentence. in 2016 he was found guilty of genocide and war crimes including the bloodiest atrocity in europe since world war the hungarian prime minister viktor albarn and his governing political party fidesz have been expelled as some members are demanding, but the people's party has voted to suspend it as well as all can committee decides what happens on the violated eu laws. very briefly, that main story again. new zealand has announced sweeping

new gun laws to come into effect almost immediately. that is it for now. thank you very much for watching. hello. it was the spring equinox yesterday and it felt like spring, particularly if you were in the sunshine. we had an abundance of sunshine across parts of east wales, the midlands and northern england, so sheffield, harden, two of the areas to reach 19 degrees. the highest it's been since that warmth we had in february. these are the sort of weather watcher pictures we had sent in. of course, we had the cloudier skies as well, such as here, and i think today on balance we will have rather more cloud than yesterday. but it still should be, for many of us, dry. however, there is always an exception to the rule. for scotland, we have this weather front bring this persistent vein to the highlands and islands. quite a wet spell here for the next couple of days. that south—westerly wind maintains the mild weather through the night, just the holes in the cloud fill

in with mist and fog. it could be quite murky first thing. that fog should lift except on the hills and coasts around the south and west of england and wales, scotland too where it remains quite dreary and damp. even though the rain makes its way further northwards, you can see it has drifted into central parts of scotland so a different complexion to the weather here. if we do see some brightness, potentially up in the north—east england, temperatures again 16, 17 degrees. for most of us, less sunshine, just a lot of cloud, still largely dry weather. through the evening that rain gets pushed away on a strengthening wind and we watch the next weather front hot on its heels through northern and western areas so through the night into friday, it turns very wet once again so parts of north—west scotland could have a considerable amount of rain in the next day or two. it does freshen up and dry up behind and sunshine returns but ahead of it on friday, for many, still be largely dry but rather cloudy and mild. it's a difference, really. we are changing our mild atlantic south—westerly winds

for our slightly cooler almost polar north—westerlies. still mild, but temperatures will dip back to where they should be for the time of year and we'll see the sunshine returning. though it could be disappointingly cloudy across southern areas on saturday. a third or fourth day of cloudy weather here. eventually, that brighter weather will win through and temperatures as you can see are down, significantly so. we are back into that chilly air and we have some wintry showers. friday, thursday night, friday, looks like the chillier spell, we will keep the brisk wind coming in through the weekend. that will accentuate the chill. as for next week, we keep the high—pressure close to the south. temperatures recovering a little, i should say, with some spring sunshine. bye— bye.