hello, you're watching afternoon live — new guidance is expected from i'm simon mccoy. today at 2. the international olympic committee, which is striving to find a balance between its promise of inclusivity on a mission she admits she personally regrets: theresa may while ensuring fair play. arrives in brussels — to ask the eu for a short extention to article 50. we spoke to the man responsible for shaping the ioc's policy on trans—athletes. i think it's important that we get iam i am still working on ensuring that parliament can agree a deal so we a resolution to this as agreed as it can be amongst the whole can leave an orderly way stop what breadth of stakeholders, matters is that we deliver on the where there's these extremes vote of the british people. of view, but most of us are somewhere in the middle where we want people to be able in westminster — to compete but we also want it to be anger as mps react to the prime minister's tv address — in which she blamed them fair, and so i think we need to sort for the brexit delay. it out as soon as we can. the murder of six—year—old alesha macphail. ajudge sentences her teenage killer to life in prison after studying back in the foothills of the rockies, jillian bearden reports on what he did. is focused on the road ahead. clinging on for life the debate over the inclusion of trans—athletes is long and complex. in mozambique after the cyclone that's left millions homeless. a permanent solution that satisfies all sides seems a distant ben rich has got the weather. destination and there may well be many more mountains left to climb. alex capstick, bbc news, colorado.

time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. good afternoon. it's mild for all of us good afternoon. it's mild for all of us out there today, but to unlock the real warmth you need to see some sunshine. many of us have been stuck ina cloud, sunshine. many of us have been stuck in a cloud, but have a look at this, this is the coast of north—east england. blue skies and sunshine coming through full stop the satellite picture tells the story. you can see the breaks in the cloud gci’oss you can see the breaks in the cloud across north—east england, and gci’oss across north—east england, and across shetland for example, and a few breaks across parts of the midlands and east anglia. some of these filling again once against with cloud so these big slabs of cloud floating across the sky, some rain across cloud floating across the sky, some rain gci’oss western cloud floating across the sky, some rain across western scotland. if you are under the cloud, 13—15. get some sunshine, 16—17 very likely across parts of eastern england. during this evening and tonight the rain in western scotland will drift its way northwards. the overnight hours are likely to be pretty cloudy, a bit misty and murky and drizzly across hills and coasts in the west. you see the rain band creeping into the

picture. ahead of that that winds will start to strengthen. we get off toa mile will start to strengthen. we get off to a mile start tomorrow morning but gci’oss to a mile start tomorrow morning but across the northern half of the uk quite a windy start. we could see wind gusts of 50—60 mph, may be more for the most exposed spots of north—west scotland. the outbreaks of rain creeping south eastwards gci’oss of rain creeping south eastwards across scotland and northern ireland through the day. for england and wales a lot of cloud. the odd spot of drizzle for western coasts and hills. towards the south—east we should do a little better in the sunshine tomorrow. still pretty mild ahead of this rain band, but behind it as things brighten up it starts to feel cooler and fresher. that ta kes to feel cooler and fresher. that takes us into the weekend. this cold front thinks its way south—east, most of the rain will fizzle but notice the way the front is left lingering across southern parts of england as we get into saturday. that could leave a legacy of cloud along these channel coasts as we go through saturday. the odd spot of drizzle. elsewhere a lot of dry weather, some spells of sunshine, some wintry showers into northern scotla nd some wintry showers into northern scotland because it will feel considerably cooler and fresher,

8-12. considerably cooler and fresher, 8—12. quite windy across northern scotla nd 8—12. quite windy across northern scotland as well. we keep the brisk winds across northern scotland on saturday night and we keep some cool air, so where the winds are light further south we are likely to see a touch of frost takes into sunday morning. quite a chilly start to the day. for england and wales it's looking largely dry with some spells of sunshine. some showers across scotla nd of sunshine. some showers across scotland and northern ireland. some of these will be wintry. the temperature is once again a little bit lower. it's going to be cooler as we head into the weekend. blustery showers in the north but also some sunshine. that's all from the bbc news at one. it's goodbye from me. on bbc one, we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. have a very good afternoon. good afternoon. you're watching bbc news. i'm olly foster. bryony frost is going to miss next month's grand national meeting at aintree.

she broke her collarbone in a fall at southwell. she became the first female jockey to win a grade i jumps race at the cheltenham festival last week. she also came fifth in the national last year, although she hadn't yet secured a ride in the big race. a second—string wales side laboured to a 1—0 win against trinidad and tobago in a friendly last night. ryan giggs rested his senior players, including gareth bale, ahead of their opening euro qualifier against slovakia on sunday. that diappointed a lot of the crowd at wrexham's racecourse ground, which was hosting the national side for the time in 11 years. liverpool teenager ben woodburn scored the winner in injury time i wanted to keep a lot of the lads fresh. yeah, everyone is available for the weekend, so that's good. we gave players minutes you needed minutes and gave rest to a few who needed a rest, so overall, we are in good shape and everyone will be available for sunday.

northern ireland host estonia tonight and scotland are in kazakhstan, as both start their qualifying campaigns. the scots kick off at three this afternoon on the artifical turf at the astana arena. the manager believes his young squad can finally deliver. you have to go back to 1996 for the last time that scotland played at the european championship finals. the competition just now and i think the inspiration of certain players in the uk now, scottish players, is getting youngsters really excited now, and i see a lot of the young players raising their game, so hopefully, there will be something that comes of this and it is one of those cycles where scotland come good. england face the czech republic at wembley tomorrow night. marcus rashford is a slight doubt — he didn't train with the main group today, because of an ankle problem.

germany drew 1—1 with serbia in a friendly in wolfsburg last night. manchester city must have been concerned when leroy sane found himself on the wrong end of a terrible challenge. it came in injury time, right at the end of the match. serbia's milan pavkov came flying in studs up and caught sane just above the ankle. the player was sent off and sane did get to his feet but he was substituted staright away. england's women cricketers have completed a 3—0 whitewash over sri lanka in their one day series. the hosts could only manage 174 all out after winning the toss in katunayake. england knocked off the runs with eight wickets and over 23 overs to spare. amyjones and tammy beaumont both made half centuries the way we started the indian leg of

this tour, when regard the opportunity to beat a team comprehensively, we wanted to do it. it isa comprehensively, we wanted to do it. it is a chance for the batters and the bowlers. really pleased. championships take —— my points at sta ke championships take —— my points at stake as well. it wasn't a dead game. i think we are up to microsecond in the table. a nice position to be in. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. i will be back after two. thank you. theresa may is in brussels to make a direct plea to eu leaders to postpone brexit for three months — a delay she's described as "a matter of great personal regret". the president of the european council, donald tusk, has suggested that a short extension will be approved only if the commons backs mrs may's deal next week. but she's facing a backlash from mps after her address to the nation last

night which blamed them for the delay. well, on her way into the meeting with eu leaders, the prime minister stopped to speak to reporters. iam here i am here today to discuss with fellow leaders are request for a short extension to article 50 until the end ofjune. as i said yesterday, this delay is a matter of personal regret to me. but a short extension would give parliament the time to make a final choice that delivers on the result of the referendum. we must also not forget that we're here as leaders of 28 countries discussing the global challenges that we face. i have a lwa ys challenges that we face. i have always said that although we are leaving the european union, we will continue to have shared interests, notably security and prosperity, so the uk will continue to be involved in discussions. and at this summit of those discussions are expected to cover issues like china, ukraine,

disinformation, and we will continue to work with the eu on issues of shared interest when we leave.“ your deal fails shared interest when we leave.“ your dealfails and shared interest when we leave.“ your deal fails and you will not ask for a longer extension, are you preparing to leave the country out of the eu without a deal a week tomorrow? what is important is that parliament delivers on the result of the referendum and deliver brexit for the british people. i sincerely hope we can do that with a deal. i am still working on ensuring that parliament can agree a deal so we can leave in an orderly way. what matters is that we deliver on the vote of the british people. thank you. what matters is that we recognise that brexit is the decision of the british people. we need to deliver on that. we are nearly three years on from the original vote. it is now the time for parliament to decide. a short extension gives us that opportunity to leave the european union, to deliver and honour the result of that referendum, and i sincerely hope that will be with a negotiating

deal. let's also hear whatjeremy corbyn had to say this morning, about the importance of finding an agreement to prevent a no—deal scenario next friday, and to ensure a constructive relationship with the eu in the future. we have had very constructive discussions with michelle barnier and martin sell meyer, and r determination is to prevent a no deal bugs from the european union next friday. —— no—deal brexit. we are looking for alternatives and building a majority in parliament that agree on a future constructive economic relationship with the european union. we have been discussing how this could come about and we have been trying to reach out here as indeed both kier starmer and myself have been reaching out across collea g u es myself have been reaching out across colleagues in all parties in the uk parliament. the issue will come back

to the uk parliament on monday and tuesday of next week, probably for the rest of the week as well, and oui’ the rest of the week as well, and our determination is to find an agreement which means that we prevent a no deal exit and we have a future constructive relationship with the european union that could be negotiated during an extension period. this morning's meetings have been positive. we have done what i believe the government ought to be doing, which is instead of bringing back a twice rejected deal to the british parliament, instead looking for a constructive alternative, which is exactly what i said to be prime minister in my discussions with her last night. there is no need to shout because we are all here. i can see who you are. i will call you in the fair and decent way i try to conduct myself. isn't it time to put the country first and recognise it is time to vote for the prime minister's deal? the deal has

been flatly rejected twice by the british parliament. we do not believe it is a way forward. therefore, we are looking for an alternative that can command a majority in parliament. mr corbyn, how can hour viewers take seriously your statement you want to reach out to everyone when just last night you left a meeting of mps from all parties with the prime minister that was called in order to find such a consensus? there was a confusion over that meeting. i had a separate and extensive discussion with the prime minister later. i am also arranging to meet the prime minister next week on a one—to—one basis as leader of the opposition. i have met with the leaders of all the other parties in parliament in my office this week and cure has also met with delegations from across the house of commons. we have done a great deal to listen very carefully and try to construct to listen very carefully and try to co nstru ct a to listen very carefully and try to construct a majority that can bring about a resolution of this crisis.

labour leaderjeremy corbyn. and the irish prime minister leo varadkar has been commenting on theresa may's requests to european council, ahead of the epp meeting. lots of other things on the agenda but brexit but brexit is the matter of greatest concern for ireland at this meeting. prime minister mae made two requests yesterday. one was that about the two documents agreed in strasbourg last week should be formally agreed by the european council. that is a reasonable request. we should cut the british government some slack in that regard. the second was that there should be an extension. that needs to be discussed among the european heads of state this afternoon. we have always said that any extension has to have purpose. we will see how that discussion goes. lee over outcome. —— mike lee of arad kerr.

there's a warning that if current trends continue, the number of unfilled nursing positions in england could double in the next four years, to nearly 70,000. three leading health think tanks say radical solutions are needed to ensure there'll be enough key nhs workers in future. here s our health correspondent, nick triggle. it is well documented the nhs is short of staff, and the government in england has responded by increasing training places for doctors and nurses. but now the three leading think tanks are warning that alone will not be enough. on current trends, they predict by 2023 nurse shortages could more than double to 67,000 and gp gaps could nearly triple to 7,000. there is obviously some concern. but those projections are what would happen unless action is taken, and the important thing about this report and the recommendations we make is that we think if we do act on these we can reduce very significantly what the shortfall will be. the think tanks recommend annual grants of £5,200 be introduced to make studying nursing more attractive.

that will still mean 5000 nurses per year will have to be recruited from abroad, something that has been made more difficult by brexit and a global shortage of nurses. closing the gp gaps will require a different approach as training and international recruitment will not provide enough doctors to meet demand. the think tank set other staff, such as physios and pharmacists, will have to do see some of their patients. that is an idea that is already being looked at. the government said recruiting more staff is a key priority for the extra funding being invested in the health service. in a moment we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news. theresa may has arrived in brussels this afternoon for a crunch summit. eu leaders are set to decide whether oi’ eu leaders are set to decide whether or not to approve her request for a three—month brexit delay.

ai6—year—old boy has been sentenced to at least 27 years in prison for the rape murder of six—year—old ales ha the rape murder of six—year—old alesha macphail. clinging on for life in mozambique after the cyclone that has left millions homeless. i'm susannah streeter with the business news. the bank of england has kept interest rates on hold amid continued uncertainty over brexit. all nine members of the bank's monetary policy committee voted to keep rates at 0.75%, where they have been since august last year. retail sales rose in february are up by 0.4% on the previous month, official figures show. despite that positive news the high street is still facing challenges. fashion chain next continues to struggle with the falling use of its high street stores alongside a growing online business. and ted baker's profit has fallen a whopping 26% to just under £51 million. manufacturing body make uk says manufacturers were more

concerned than ever about a no—deal brexit and that it should be avoided under any circumstances. they added 70% of manufacturers have already put decisions on hold and had been building inventory. now, retail continues to be a bright spot for the british economy at a time of uncertainty ahead of brexit. retail sales for february rose unexpectedly by 0.4%, while annual sales growth for the three months to february was its strongest in over two years at 3.7%. but, as you havejust been hearing, fashion chain next and ted baker are facing challenges on the high street. you may recall also that lk bennett went into administration earlier this month. economist kirsten edwards—warren from consulting firm compass lexecon explained what's going on. the monthly data isjust the monthly data is just sales data. that does not necessarily translate into profits. sales are strong,

stronger than they were expected to be, and that is a good sign. consumer confidence was thought to be low and it was expected sales would go down. it is a good indication. but this does not necessarily translate into profits for retailers. many retailers struggled last year and went into administration. i don't think we can necessarily read across this increase in sales that everything is wholly positive for the high street following announcements from next and ted baker. and in other news, an average of 115 retail employees were attacked at work every day last year, some using knives according to the british retail consortium's annual survey. retailers spent a "staggering" £1.9 billion on crime prevention and losses from crime to the industry. that figure is up i2% on the previous year, and the equivalent of around 20% of the sector's estimated profits. following on from a record january for tax receipts,

the public finances registered a deficit ofjust £0.2 billion in february, an improvement of £ibn on last february. so, the chancellor remains comfortably on track to meet the revised forecast of a deficit of £22.8 billion for this financial year, with just one month to go. british video game retailer game has reported a 20.3% rise in pre—tax profits for the six months to the end of january. profits rose to just under £15m, compared to about £i2m for the same period in 2018. let's check in with the financial markets. as you can see on the board, the ftse 100 staying in board, the ftse100 staying in positive territory. that is after the bank of england kept interest rates on hold. brexit uncertainty is something we have heard a lot about recently. it wants guidance from the

us central bank, that set the tone in the markets across the world today. mining stocks and energy stocks are up after the federal reserve said it is not planning to push up interest rates this year. a real handbrake turn from january. despite higher retail sales figures overall, shares in both next and ted baker are down following those results. ted baker down by more than 6%. the pound is lower against the dollar and the euro. more positive overall retail sales did not make much change in its trajectory. that is all from me. thank you. up to 4,000 russian men are believed to have travelled to syria and iraq to fight for so—called islamic state. now that the caliphate has collapsed, and many of those militants killed, russian officials are being faced with appeals to bring back is wives and children. while some repatriations have stalled, dozens of children have already returned.

the bbc‘s sarah rainsford went to the southern russian republic of dagestan to meet some of them. abu bakr and samira grew up in the so—called islamic state. back home in russia, they are free to be children again. but it is their aunt who is looking after them. their father was killed in an air strike against isis. their mother is serving a life sentence in iran. the children spent almost two years locked in a cell with her. before that, samira remembers the bombing. they told us to get in the house immediately whenever the bomb started, she tells me. she would hide under the stairs, then, until it stopped. malika spent months pleading with russian officials to get children out a rock. —— iraq. they were finally flown home in december. translation: i think she is trying to forget.

one time she remembered something and i said, forget it, it's all a nightmare. and she said, it was a very long nightmare. very long. up to 4000 russians are thought to have fought for isis, most from this mainly muslim region suffered terror attacks of its own. when men here in the north caucasus began leaving to join isis, some officials weren't too worried. they felt that was reading this region, at least, of extremists. but with the caliphate in collapse and many of those fighters now killed, hundreds of families here have been appealing to the authorities for help to bring back the wives and the children. marina has already helped return dozens of them, working russia's diplomatic and military contacts. but efforts to bring back the women have stalled now for fear they are a security threat. translation: for us, this is just about small children, because no matter what crimes their parents have committed,

the children are not guilty of anything. they didn't choose to go there, let alone to a war. victoria was 18 when she ran away to the islamic state. she is now serving a five year suspended sentence, one of a handful of women returned to russia. born in syria, her little girl is slowly adapting to life without violence. but there is no de—radicalisation programme in dagestan. and even today, victoria tells me, she doesn't regretjoining isis, and she won't condemn it. but what about those killed in the name of that state, i ask. translation: i didn't kill anyone. i am clean before god and the authorities. i didn't kill. i won't answer for others. everyone must answer

for their own sins. the authorities are keeping an eye on victoria. she has a curfew. she says her only interest now is raising fatima. but russia's in no hurry to bring more isis women home. focusing on the children is far simpler. sarah raynsford, bbc news, dagestan. the weather in a moment. let me tell you the latest from brussels, that eu summit of leaders considering theresa may's request for a three—month delay to brexit. just hearing from president macron of france who has been meeting theresa may in the last few minutes, he has been quoted by the afp news agency as saying that it will be a no—deal

brexit if members of the british house of commons rejected theresa may's deal once again. there is president macron arriving for the european council summit in brussels. the french have been known to have taken a tough line on talk of a delay. prepared to grant that three—month delay it seems on condition that the vote goes through next week for theresa may's deal. macron now been quoted as saying that if british mps do reject for a third time her deal, then it will be a no—deal brexit. if that is confirmed as what he is saying, that is some tough talking from president macron fair in brussels. those pictures were recorded earlier. president macron arriving in brussels. all that will be

considered throughout the afternoon by christian fraser, who is covering the summit in brussels. first, the weather. ben rich will good afternoon. it is mild wherever you are. even where there is a lot of cloud. many of us are stuck underneath the cloud. but where that cloud breaks we will be getting some warmth. 16 to 17 degrees across parts of england. you can see there have been some breaks in the cloud. also, northern scotland, a beautiful day across shetland. a few breaks elsewhere. some outbreaks of rain across western scotland. if you are stuck on the cloud, 13 to 15 degrees, with some sunshine 15 to 17 degrees. through this evening and tonight, the rain drifts northwards across the western side of scotland.

elsewhere, predominately cloudy. most and mark in the west. —— mist. tomorrow morning we are expecting quite a windy spell of weather across the northern half of the uk, particularly for north—west scotland. winds 50 to 60 mph. may be more in exposed parts. and these outbreaks of rain which will push further south—east as the day wears on. for england and wales a lot of dry but cloudy weather. the odd spot of drizzle. the south east of the country might do a little bit better with sunshine tomorrow. mild ahead of the rain band. behind it, it sta rts of the rain band. behind it, it starts to feel cooler and fresher. that takes us into the weekend. the rain band, a cold front will sink south. it may well leave a stripe of cloud scraping into some of these english channel coasts during

saturday. elsewhere, spells of sunshine. wintry showers in the north of scotland. and it will feel incredibly —— significantly cooler. with the cooler air in place, away from the far north where it will be quite windy, we are likely to see a touch of frost to take us into sunday morning. a chilly start on sunday. for many though there will be spells of sunshine. outbreaks of rain and hilts no south eastwards across scotland and northern ireland. showers behind. a cooler, fresher feel, with temperatures 10 degrees in aberdeen, 12 in cardiff and plymouth. cool days and chilly nights, a touch of frost, blustery showers in the north. amidst all of that, some sunshine.