this is bbc news. the headlines: britain's prime minister is to ask the eu for another delay to brexit, to give her more time to reach agreement with parliament. theresa may will also try to reach welcome to bbc news, a compromise with the leader broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. of the labour opposition, my name is mike embley. jeremy corbyn, a move which has incensed many senior figures britain's prime minister is to ask within her own party. for another brexit delay and seek talks with the opposition in a fresh huge crowds in algeria celebrating the news that president bouteflika bid to break the logjam. is standing down. this debate, this division, he announced the resignation cannot drag on much longer. with immediate effect, after weeks of protests it is putting members of parliament against his initial plans to stand for a fifth term. and everyone else under immense pressure. he is 82 and has been celebrations in algeria in powerfor 20 years. as president bouteflika resigns the corruption trial of the former after 20 years in power, after weeks malaysian prime minister najib razak gets underway shortly. of protests and pressure. he is accused of stealing billions of dollars from the country's sovereign wealth fund 1mdb. it has become one of the world's fresh peace talks in afghanistan. greatest financial scandals. we report from helmand province, where the taliban still casts now on bbc news, stephen sackur a long shadow. talks to writer angie thomas

and a0 years after the moon landing, a new exhibition celebrates our nearest celestial neighbour. hello. britain's prime minister is to ask the european union for another delay to brexit to give her more time to reach agreement in parliament. theresa may has also said she will try again to reach a compromise with the leader of the labour opposition, jeremy corbyn, which has incensed many senior figures in her own party. here is our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. after two failed attempts at brexit, and a big split in cabinet, the prime minister finally felt forced to consider compromise, her announcement in downing street a dramatic change of direction. i know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave

with no deal next week. i've always been clear that we could make a success of no—deal in the long—term, but leaving with a deal is the best solution. so we will need a further extension of article 50, one that is as short as possible, and which ends when we pass a deal. i'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan, that we would both stick to, to ensure that we leave the european union and that we do so with a deal. if we cannot agree on a single, unified approach, then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship, that we could put to the house in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue. crucially, the government stands ready to abide by the decision of the house. but, to make this process work, the opposition would need to agree to this too. the labour leader, invited now to offer his ideas for brexit, again spelt them out. we've put forward our proposals, which are to ensure there is a customs union

with the european union, that there is access to those markets, and above all, there's protections of our standards of consumer, environmental, and of course workers‘ rights. and we'll ensure that those are there, on the table, so that there is no danger of crashing out. but at westminster, most mps lean towards a so—called softer brexit, potentially closer to the eu than that on offer by mrs may. conservative brexiteers are angry, and the thought of building bridges withjeremy corbyn, or trying to, has gone down badly, especially with one who's a likely contender for mrs may's job. the result will almost certainly be, if corbyn gets his way, that we remain in the customs union, so that we can't control our trade policy, the huge areas of lawmaking we can't control, and brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration.

senior mps who've been pushing for compromise have welcomed the possibility of brexit by consensus, but weren't taking it on trust. after 2.75 years, she's now said she wants to reach out. but we have been here before. and the net result was the prime minister listened politely, but her mind remained closed. and she really needs to give, i think, parliament an indication that she is willing to move. if mrs may does buy more time, it's time that'll be used by her critics and potential successors, who are keen to end her time in number ten, and carry on brexit under new management. john pienaar, bbc news, downing street. it is notjust about what the uk wants. all 27 member states of the european union have to agree too. france's president has declared that, although the eu is willing to help theresa may, it can't be held hostage to britain's political crisis. here is our europe editor katya adler. here in brussels, eu decision—makers listened very carefully

to the prime minister's statement this afternoon, and they want to be glass—half—full about it, although there is a certain dose of scepticism in there. they like her intention to look for compromise and for national unity around brexit, but then those that i speak to say they have seen very little evidence of it so far, either in government or in parliament. the french foreign minister this evening said, "let me know if anything changes". so the mood has lightened slightly. but eu demands on the uk have not changed at all. basically, the uk has up until next week — remember, the eu leaders‘ brexit summit on 10 april, to either get the withdrawal agreement passed through parliament, or leave the eu without a deal, or ask for a longer brexit delay. now, the prime minister says that she will do that, but if and when she does, eu leaders have some pretty strict conditions attached. first and foremost, they will demand that the uk prepares to take part

in european parliamentary elections at the end of may. they don't believe that she will be able to get her brexit house in order before then. there's also talk now of trying to get the uk to commit to being a constructive eu member as long as it stays inside the european union, so as long as it delays brexit, because there are concerns, for example, it could block the eu budget that needs approval in the coming weeks and months, and that is a key concern in brussels. let's get some of the day's other news: police in los angeles have arrested suspect in the murder of the hip—hop star nipsey hussle. they allege that eric holder fled the scene of sunday's shooting ina car. the rapper, who became a respected community organiser, was gunned down outside his clothing store. venezuela's government—controlled assembly has stripped opposition leader guaido of his immunity and

organised a prosecution for proclaiming himself interim president. he has responded by saying nothing. his intention of removing president maduro from power. president erdogan and his ruling party are challenging the results of the local elections. the opposition leader claimed ankara, but the government says there were irregularities. the opposition accuses them of trying to steal the result. a woman has been arrested while trespassing at mar—a—lago in florida. she was detained by the secret service who say she was carrying a memory stick with malicious software on it. after 20 yea rs after 20 years in power, the algerian president has resigned with immediate effect. there were weeks of protest against an earlier decision to seek a fifth term in

office. and now, huge crowds have taken to the streets of the capital, algiers, to celebrate. it is unclear who his successor will be. it is clear there are powerful figures moving behind the scenes. i spoke just now to journalist ryad benaidji in algiers. oh, you know, to me it was like tonight algeria won the world cup of football. you had people coming from everywhere. you had — out of their homes, and the smoke, the fireworks. people were singing, and it was like a really special atmosphere. you had people around the corners, talking, sharing views about the situation. and it was really, really an impressive atmosphere tonight. and ryad, just briefly, people have been calling notjust for the president to go, but for the whole governing elite to stand down.

what are the chances of that, in the present mood? oh, what i can say is that many of the people i have been meeting tonight and the last days were really optimistic about what is going on. they were saying, ok, did you see what happened in just six weeks? did you see what we obtained? and tonight there was a guy who told me that bouteflika was 80% of the system, because he was the head of the system, and now that the head is gone, the rest of the body will collapse by itself. but we could hear tonight many slogans, many people were saying we have bouteflika out, now he has to go, with the general of the army,

and the prime minister, and they were saying the president during the transition time, they were saying, ok, he has to go out as well. ryad benaidji talking to me from algiers. the bbc‘s rana jawad now on abdelaziz bouteflika's long hold on power. a military officer in algeria's final years under french colonial rule, a foreign ministerfor over a decade, and a coup participant. abdelaziz bouteflika's gradual rise to the presidency in 1999 appeared to be driven by both design and circumstance. his primary task was to rebuild the country and its economy. but first, he needed to end algeria's brutal but dying civil war, sparked by the military‘s refusal to recognise the election victory of the islamic salvation

front in the early i990s. a range of amnesties were granted to local islamist militants. it was a strategy with initial successes, that were later partially reversed through a newborn insurgency, led by al-anda, in the country's vast desert. over time, president bouteflika's rapprochement with the west and openness to economic reform did little in the way of freeing the state from its dependency on oil revenues, reducing public debt, and defeating growing unemployment. born in morocco in 1937, president bouteflika went on to rule algeria for 20 years, through landside election victories, tainted by a leadership that prevented the rise of any political opponent that could replace the president or his political party, the national liberation front. in more recent years, even senior members of the country's military and intelligence services were quietly sidelined.

the man who once said he would not accept being "three quarters a president" spent his last years in a wheelchair, after a stroke in 2013, rarely appearing in public and fuelling fierce debate over who was really in charge. despite this, he was put forward as a candidate for a fifth term in office in 2019. this sparked massive and rare public protests, challenging that prospect, and the ruling party's grip on algeria. whether by design or circumstance, this man managed to survive algeria's tumultuous history and the 2011 upheaval in neighbouring countries, that toppled long serving heads of state, however unlikely it seemed in his final years at the helm. rana jawad, bbc news. canada's prime minister has announced a former attorney general and former treasury board minister

are no longer part of the liberal caucus. justin trudeau described wilson—raybould secretly recording a phone call with a top civil servant as unconscionable. both ministers quit the cabinet, saying they had been put under pressure not to prosecute a construction company in quebec. jody wilson—raybould and jane philpott are no longer members of the liberal caucus. the trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken. whether it's taping conversations without consent, or repeatedly expressing a lack of confidence in our government, and in me personally, as leader, it's become clear that ms wilson—raybould and dr philpott can no longer remain part of our liberal team. still to come: 50 years after humans first stepped on the moon, a new exhibition celebrates our nearest celestial neighbour

in an exhibition. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. in this case the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel.

this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: after seven hours of talks with a divided cabinet, britain's prime minister is to ask the european union for another brexit delay and she is going to try again to reach a compromise with the labour opposition. celebrations in the algerian capital with the news that president abdelaziz bouteflika has resigned, bowing of protest and pressure. the southern afghan province of helmand has the strongest taliban presence. lyse doucet has been in the conservative stronghold of lashkargah, asking people there what they think of a possible return of the taliban, nationwide, as part of a peace deal.

the southern afghan province of helmand has the strongest taliban presence. the war can feel far away here in lashkargah, the capital of helmand, a conservative southern province. ‘hatar‘ means danger. no danger, he says. butjust a year ago, the taliban were very close to here and they were pushed back. you could see the life that's in this city now. the roads are full of traffic. the shops are open and full of goods. is it better or worse now in lashkargah? business is good for haji mohamed. for afghans like him peace makes sense. mobile. he sells goods in the rural areas still in taliban hands. they buy the things they once banned, speakers for music, phones with cameras. translation: the taliban are sons of the soil. they are our brothers. we are not sad for their return.

security will improve. our economy, our politics, everything will be solved. if only peace were so easy. until a few months ago this was a frontline until government forces pushed the taliban are back beyond this river. but so now this city feels peaceful. but this province has the strongest presence of taliban anywhere in afghanistan. 70—80% of the districts either controlled or contested by them. which means, wherever you go, the war isn't far away. i met the elders at this camp on the edge of the helmand river. forced to flee here years ago. they've lived through it all. the youngest among them has only known war. translation: when there is war in the country i can honestly say

whatever dreams you have you can't reach them. i have graduated from school. i want to be a doctor. but if this war goes on my dream will not come true. and today security is tight. early this morning a bomb exploded under an afghan journalist's car. afghan government forces secured the city where british troops were once based. us forces still do battle in this province. there is more talk now of peace with the taliban. but on the ground an old war goes on. lyse doucet, bbc news, lashkargah. the corruption trial of the former malaysian prime minister najib razak will get underway soon and sees him accused of stealing billions of dollars from malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1mdb. the current prime minister mahathir mohamad reopened investigations after he defeated mr najib in elections last may. our south asia correspondent jonathan head is in kuala lumpur. it is a very complex scandal.

the amounts of money arejust staggering. the usjustice department estimates $4.5 billion went missing from this government run investment fund, swiss authorities think it might even be higher. these are very flamboyant malaysia finance year, he was considered the kingpin in this negotiation of funds. the former prime minister, najib rajak, set up the fund, he supervised it in his role as finance minister and is alleged to have received significant sums of money himself. this trial today is the first of, we think, at least three that have already been scheduled, maybe many more. these are seven charges, money—laundering, criminal breach of trust, corruption, out of a2. this relates to only one of the businesses involved in this government investment fund where najib rajak is alleged to have received sums of about $10 million, transferred it to his bank account in 2014 and 2015. he has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him, his trial has been repeatedly delayed by petitions

from his own lawyers. once it starts today, we assume now it is going ahead, it will be the beginning of a marathon, in which the current government hopes to show transparent legal proceedings to convince najib rajak‘s supporters, he still has many, they are dealing with him differently than the way he is alleged to have dealt with many of his own opponent. just briefly, clearly this is going to be a long process. what are you expecting most immediately to happen. today the attorney general will outline the prosecution's case. this is not the largest amount of money that is alleged to have gone missing and i think in many ways, many malaysians will attest, what is important is that it starts and that the people see the process. there were huge demands for najib rajak to be locked up when he left power last year, the government is very keen to be seen that it is following due process of law, that is fair, and i think that once the malaysians see the court process begins today,

they will believe that there isjustice being done. a new federal government study has found that canada's arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. the report says changes are already evident in many parts of the country and more than half the observed warming is likely to be caused by human activities. caroline rigby has the story. industries such this have played a key role in the canadian economy but a new government report suggests they have also played havoc with the environment. a new study suggests human activities are likely to be responsible for half of all warming of canada's climate and research say temperatures are increasing at an alarming rate. the report shows average temperatures in canada have risen by 1.7 celsius, or 3.1 fahrenheit, since 19118. that,

researchers say, is twice as fast as the rest of the world because the global average is 0.8 degrees celsius. the situation is even worse in northern canada approaching the arctic circle where temperatures rose by around 2.3 celsius and researchers say this region is likely to continue to warm at more than double the global rate. they are saying warmer temperatures but also more heat waves, fewer extreme cold temperatures. we are seeing melting of the ice in the art, big reductions in arctic sea ice area, shorter snow cover season, glaziers melting, so that's affecting the strea mflow a nd melting, so that's affecting the strea mflow and rivers. melting, so that's affecting the streamflow and rivers. without drastic action, scientists warn the effects of temperature rise are likely to be reversible and campaigners are calling on the government to tackle it. the country's prime minister justin trudeau has declared climate action atop priority and canada has already

pledged to reach a paris agreement target of reducing co2 emissions by 30% by 2030 but others feel tighter regulation and carbon taxes on the wrong way to go so as the political battle continues to rage over canadian climate policy, it is shaping up to be a divisive issue for the country's general election later this year. caroline rigby, bbc news. to mark 50 years since humans first stepped on the moon, new york's hudson river museum is hosting a show, looking at how it's been portrayed in american art. we took a tour with chief curator laura vookles. the moon is never there by accident. so if it's there it's a very thoughtful thing that the artist has done. we all have a romantic notion of the moon. so you see a moon there and, all of a sudden, you might ask yourself some questions, like: was the artist really outside?

what are they thinking? do they just want a source of light for this landscape? or am i supposed to think it is midnight? am i supposed to think it is a certain time of year or a certain time of night? here we have one of the most romantic paintings in the show, and one of the most best—known paintings that we have in this exhibition. norman rockwell's boy and girl gazing at moon — also called puppy love, because of the cute little puppy dog in it. it's just such a romantic view of a little boy and girl who who've been out fishing and they stop to gaze at the moon. a0 years after he painted puppy love, nasa actually hired norman rockwell to help champion the space programme along with other artists. and this is a view he painted three years before they landed on the moon. he went down to nasa and saw models of the moon and models of the lunar

lander and even painted what he thought the earth would look like when they were on the moon. we're all part of one big planet. no matter where you are in the world you look up and see the moon. and we sort of care about it and it reminds us to care about the earth and ourselves. so i think it can be a unifying thing. as scientists learn more, as people built rockets to go to the moon, as people had pictures showing exactly what it look like, did people feel less romantic? i think we feel as romantic about the moon as ever. i'm not sure if this artist ever painted the moon but we should leave you these pictures from budding artist, lola june, who is two years old and has had successful shows in new york. people were snapping up for pictures by time, some of the more than $1000. her approach to work is pretty simple. she wants to start, she says painting and when she is done, she says" done".

hello there, good morning. at the moment, it feels like winter has made a comeback. we've had everything thrown at us in the last 2a hours. lots of weather watcher pictures of big hailstorms affecting the uk, and of course, the sunshine coming out in between has led to some lovely rainbow pictures as well. we're seeing a short, sharp burst of really cold air that's come down from the arctic. you can see how that colder air has plunged southwards, and with it all those shower clouds. the cloud that's in the north sea is coming back into scotland and northern england, which is why we're seeing some sleet and snow, and it's quite slippery over some high—level routes. some icy patches around, with temperatures in many places close to orjust below freezing.

so a cold start really, i think, to wednesday, and a pretty miserable morning across the far north of england and scotland. some rain, some sleet and snow across the hills. that wetter weather clears away from northern england, pushes its way into northern ireland, mostly rain here, and across north wales. but some heavy showers in the south—east and east anglia. some hail and thunder possible here. for many central and eastern parts of the uk, shouldn't be too windy, so those showers could hang around a bit, but it will be windy in the north and west of the uk — strong to gale—force winds here. so these are the temperatures, 7—9 degrees. it will feel colder in the wind. especially northern and western scotland, northern ireland, maybe the far south—west of england, and the channel islands, nearer to 2—a degrees. that's how it will feel in the wind.

we've got low pressure dominating our weather at the moment, which is why we're seeing all these downpours. it's cutting off that supply of colder air, mind you, on thursday. we've got that weather front wrapped around a low, so that's the focus for some more persistent what is probably mostly rain at this stage across northern scotland. some wetter weather curling back into south—west england, moving into wales, and into the west country too. a few heavy showers elsewhere, but a fair bit of sunshine around. not a bad day for northern england, southern scotland, and those temperatures are creeping up to around 9 or 10 degrees. towards the end of the week and the weekend, an improving sort of story. a bit warmer. many places will be dry, and some sunshine around as well. our low pressure from thursday into friday, still anchored to the south—west of the uk. but, instead of a northerly wind that we're getting, we're going to find more of a south or south—westerly wind, meaning temperatures get a boost. still got the threat of some downpours in the south—west of england, wales, perhaps into north—west of england. eastern scotland, eastern england a drier day friday, sunshine at times. temperatures continuing to climb up to 13, 1a celsius.