this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the prime minister of new zealand has announced a ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi—automatics, a response to the christchurch terror attack, that killed 50 people in two mosques. a very warm welcome to bbc news — she said the ban was expected to go broadcasting to our viewers through parliament and be in place in north america by april 11. and around the globe. she also announced interim measures, my name's mike embley. effective immediately, our top stories: in the past hour, to prevent a rush a major policy change from new zealand's prime minister — of sales before then. a dramatic response to friday's gun attack on two mosques. britain's prime minister has blamed parliament for delaying today i am announcing that new brexit and claimed she is on the side of the british people, who she says are tired zealand will ban all military style of the whole process. semiautomatic weapons. we will also she's asked the eu to extend britain's leaving date to the end ban all assault rifles. ofjune, but much depends on a crucial eu summit on thursday and friday. theresa may blames parliament rescue teams are still struggling to reach survivors a week for the brexit delay and claims after cyclone idai hit south—eastern africa. aid workers say thousands are still desperate for help. about 300 people are confirmed dead she is on the side of the british in mozambique and zimbabwe, people, she says they are "tired but the toll is expected to rise. of the whole process". rescue teams are still struggling to reach survivors, a week after cyclone idai hit south—east africa. hundreds are feared dead. 51 schoolchildren in italy have survived an ordeal,

when their bus was hijacked and set alight by their driver. hello to you. within the past few hours, new zealand's prime minister has announced sweeping changes to the country's gun laws, effectively banning immediately all military—style semi—automatic weapons and all assault rifles. also banned — parts that would modify guns into military—style semi—automatics. all this in response to last friday's attacks on two mosques in christchurch, that left 50 people dead. here is the prime minister. 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 with the ability to convert semiautomatic or any other type of firearm into a military style semiautomatic weapon. we will ban parts that cause a firearm to 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 now been drafted and will be introduced. a committee process will apply, so i encourage all those who wish to submit to start 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. prime ministers

jacinda ardern in the new zealand capital, wellington. —— prime minister. earlier, i spoke to our correspondnet in christchurch, phil mercer, who gave a full breakdown of the new gun control measures. what we are seeing now is all of the firearms used in last friday's attacks will be banned. all military style semi—automatics and also assault rifles will be outlawed within three weeks. in the meantime, there will be interim measures put in place by the government to stop a run on people buying those prescribed guns. the prime minister, jacinda ardern, as you say, speaking here in new zealand in the past hour, saying that these measures, very strict measures, will in her words, "prevent an act of terror." so there seems to be broad support among the new zealand population. earlier today, mps received a

petition with about 65,000 signatures, calling for the ban on semi—automatic weapons. there will be people who oppose what the pm is suggesting, but we get the sense here that there will be a vast swell of support for the prime minister's reforms. we were carrying that press conference live. did she not say that all people who currently possess military style assault weapons will be required to register via a website, and those weapons will then be seized by police and destroyed? there will be a government buyback, but did she really give a figure that it could cost between $100 million and $200 million? that's right. she said she couldn't put her finger on the precise figure, but it could be as much as $200 million. she said that was a price worth paying for the community's safety. what will happen is that gun owners, they're not being asked to take their firearms to the police in person.

what they're being asked to do is, in the next couple of days, to register online. there will be a compensation scheme, there will be an amnesty, and many of these changes mirror what happened in australia following the 1996 port arthur massacre, in which a lone gunman killed 35 people, and there was academic research last year in australia suggesting that australia's stricter gun laws had almost certainly prevented more mass shootings, so the new zealand government is very much hoping that that will be the effect here. 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. 0ur 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. the cabinet's not even united on how to press pause. they clashed over how long the country ought to wait for brexit. with her top team at odds, what hope does the prime minister have of getting parliament on side? this place voted for delay, but not her version. the outcome of a long extension would be endless hours and days of this house...

..of this house carrying on contemplating its navel on europe and failing to address the issues that matter to our constituents. this house has indulged itself on europe for too long. that provoked calls of "resign". she was furious, but so were they. people, mr speaker, all over this country, are anxious and frustrated with this government's utter inability to find a way through the crisis. if the prime minister cannot get changes to her deal, will she give the people a chance to reject the deal and change the government? but if the solution is in bringing the parties together, it's far off.

she has failed, and i think that there are now big question marks as to whether she should be allowed to carry on, and see whether she can dojune 30, because there are a growing number of people who think it's time to move on. she spent most of her time castigating the house for its misconduct. at no stage did she pause to consider whether it is, in fact, the way she is leading this government which might be contributing to this situation. just exasperated, because she simply doesn't see the reality. she doesn't recognise that the house of commons has voted her deal down twice. and jeremy corbyn walked out when he realised one of the mps who'd quit his party was there. all the other representatives from other opposition groups all agreed to meet, no problem, but he had a problem with it, which i don't think is the kind of behaviour people expect from a leader of an 0pposition. labour said number ten couldn't manage its meetings properly, but what is working properly round here right now? not the machine around the prime minister, nor our political parties, nor our parliament — leaving us, the public, to watch on. we will known more after those

crucial eu summits this week. —— we will know more. 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 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.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a bbc investigation finds disturbing images of weight loss that glamourise eating disorders, swapped by children on the social media platform, instagram. 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. welcome back. 0ur breaking news this hour: the prime minister of new zealand has announced a ban on the sale of assault rifles and semiautomatics in response to the christchurch terror attack that killed 50 people in two mosques.

that is take you live to christchurch. thank you for your time. this is an effective ban on all military style semiautomatic weapons and with the interim measures coming in, its immediate. what is your response? labour this is what leadership looks like. the prime minister made this very clear once the attack had happened. the government has shown leadership by banning these weapons. it will go to parliament on april the 11th. and it's happened. i think it's a very clear statement that an issue that has been around for a number of years is finally being put to bed. you think the laws will go through, a ship them? is there enough feeling in the country generally? there is cross—party support. the deputy prime minister

said he supported. he is part of a coalition government. he supports it. the national party opposition have given their support as well. you have to remember, 20 years ago, there was a report. the government looked at in 2017. it's as never had the political will. do you think there might be any pushback against there might be any pushback against the likely cost of the buyback. she is saying that everyone already holds military style weapons will have to let police know, they will come and sees them and destroy them. there will be compensation but it could cost the country up to $200 million, she said. these things do cost, that's the reality. at the moment, the costs are in human lives. we had to deal with this

issue and that is the reality of the matter. when she says this is the start of the government's efforts to reform gun laws, what do she mean? they will look at licensing issues as well and making sure that people who hold a firearm licence are responsible users. we have a very strong hunting and farming gun owning community in new zealand but it's generally very responsible. the fish and game group which represents 150,000 users and federated farmers in short, there will be some grumbles, those who won't be happy but in general, this is something the wider population believes to be the wider population believes to be the right thing to do, that didn't mean military style semiautomatic or assault weapons or weapons that can have magazines added to them. it's just not necessary. you have to have

a gun licence to buy a gun in new zealand but he didn't have to register individual weapons. did you get the sense that something dramatic has changed in the country? absolutely. this is the outcome. the political will often struggles to get across the line and turned out to certain events, we saw it in australia after the port arthur massacre, they took immediate action. this is our opportunity to ta ke action. this is our opportunity to take action. the prime minister is showing the way forward and it's great news that they got on with it. 51 schoolchildren in italy have survived an ordeal after a bus carrying them was allegedly hijacked by its driver and set alight near milan. the driver — an italian of senegalese origin — apparently shouted that he wanted to kill himself and stop the deaths of migrants in the mediterranean. ramzan karmali has more.

the burnt—out wreckage of a school bus. earlier, there were over 50 children on board as it was driven into other vehicles. the 47—year—old driver, an italian who was born in senegal, is reported to have tired some of the children up, doused the bus with petrol and set it on fire. before the driver was apprehended, it was reported that he shouted, "no—one will survive!" but miraculously, everyone did with just 1a people suffering from smoke inhalation. the driver's motivations seem to come from his opposition to italy's migrant policy. translation: he made no reference to isis, nor to propaganda campaigns in favour of islam. he said it was his personal choice because he couldn't bear to see children torn apart by sharks and pregnant women drowned. italy's right—wing interior minister, matteo salvini, reacted with outrage and said that the man had a criminal record. but a spokesman from the bus company was at a loss as to why the driver could've done this. translation: we have no idea

because he never showed, until yesterday, any sign. i even asked personally to his chief that he sees every day, but we have no explanation. this really is a tragic situation. the ordeal lasted a0 minutes and ended shortly after police arrived. they'd been alerted by a boy who'd managed to used his mobile phone. they were able to smash the rear windows and let passengers offjust before it burst into flames. now, all that remains is the shell of a bus that took 51 schoolkids on a journey they may never forget. ramzan karmali, bbc news. the bbc has been investigating material shared among young people on instagram that encourages and glamourises eating disorders. advice is being shared on how to make the illnesses more extreme, along with disturbing images of weight loss. the royal college of psychiatrists calls it a problem "spiralling out of control". last month instagram promised to remove all graphic images of self harm — a move prompted by our reports about the death of molly russell.

her family say she took her own life after viewing graphic content on the platform. you may find some of angus crawford's report distressing. a secret world of harm... i close my eyes and i can see them, images i'll never, everforget. ..promoting illnesses that can kill. the fact that i did have instagram, it fuelled the eating disorder. i was dying. if it hadn't been for immediate treatment, yes, i wouldn't be sat here today. but jodie has recovered and is thriving, the memory of the illness pushing her to help others. i love this one here. with her mum julie, using their instagram account to offer advice and to fight back against the damaging content they find there. i show them that it's possible. the pictures on there were so graphic, ofjust skin and bones, really, and anorexia would make you believe that actually you're bigger than that, you need to be like that. and instagram reinforced that, with the comments of "i feel so fat" all over these posts. but it's notjust about the images. we uncovered

a world of extreme diets and content promoting aggressive weight loss. some instagram users post their target or goal weight, dangerously low. it's a secretive community built around the illness. i think it's deeply worrying and, to some extent, the situation is spiralling out of control, because there's so much out there, how to be a better anorexic, tips and tricks to be better at having an eating disorder, so it is sinister, it can be dangerous. even more disturbing, look at this — instagram users searching for so—called ana—buddies to help them make their illness more extreme. we found this conversation — like many others, a child wanting other children to fast with. "i can't do it alone," she says. and there's a stream of replies. # i'm a bird... meet roseanne.

likejodie, she spent months in hospital. just having my whole life taken over by my eating disorder. i just felt lost and hopeless. and, likejodie, she's recovered. the fact that i did have instagram, it fuelled the eating disorder. she says instagram played a major part in her illness too. even on the ward, the platform bombarded her with recommendations for more harmful content. for me, it was the algorithms that weren't helping at all. i'd just get all these suggestions of kind of weight—loss hashtags or hashtags thatjust really weren't very helpful. itjust made it easier and, in a way, kind of tempting to look at it again, and tempting to dip my foot back into the eating disorder world. instagram insists it is taking the problem seriously, directing users to helplines, banning certain hashtags,

spotting harmful activity. in a statement, it said: jodie and her mum, julie, are still scarred by what anorexia did to their family. you and dad look so tired. we were — shattered. there's a lot of worry. in part, they blame instagram, and are now demanding change. please, just close all these awful sites down, get rid of the hashtags, get rid of the negativity there. it should be a safe space, it should be a happy place, and it certainly isn't either. angus crawford, bbc news. and there's another celebration to mark the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. noruz, the persian new year. it marks the first day of the iranian calendar. 300 million people are celebrating a three—thousand year

old tradition observed in many countries including albania, turkey and turkmenistan. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbc mike embley. 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. that's 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 we had yesterday. but it still should be, for many of us, dry. however, there's always an exception to the rule. for scotland, we have got this weather front, it's been moving in through the night, bringing 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 the coasts around the south and west of england and wales, scotland too where it remains quite dreary and quite damp as well. even though the rain makes its way further northwards, it has, as you can see, 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, we'll see temperatures again 16, 17 degrees. but for most of us, there's less sunshine, just a lot of cloud, but still largely dry weather. now, through the evening, that rain gets pushed away on a strengthening wind and we watch the next weather front hot on its heels coming back in to 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're changing our mild atlantic south—westerly winds for our slightly cooler, almost polar north—westerlies. still relatively mild, but temperatures dip back to where they should be for the time of year and we'll see the sunshine returning. although it could be disappointingly cloudy across southern areas on saturday. a third or fourth day of disappointing cloudy weather here. but eventually, that brighter weather will win through and temperatures as you can see are down, significantly so, because we're back into that chilly air and we have some wintry showers. thursday night, friday looks like the windier spell in the north, but we will keep the brisk wind coming in through the weekend. that will accentuate the chill considering what we have had this week. as for next week, we keep the high—pressure close to the south. temperatures recovering a little with some spring sunshine. bye— bye.