hello. it's wednesday, it's ten o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. they're threatening major disruption of the capital next week in protest at climate change. you're watching bbc news at 9 this programme has been behind with me, annita mcveigh. the scenes with extinction rebellion to meet the activists the headlines... theresa may heads back to brussels aiming to be arrested. to ask the european union to extend the brexit deadline simon mccoy don't want to speak my weekend in a police cell and i don't until the end ofjune. wa nt to weekend in a police cell and i don't want to be going more work to our overstretched and undervalued police the key with any delay is we are able to terminate it once we ratify, force. but i don't feel like i had any other options. in order that we can then get on and theresa may's off to brussels today get a deal through parliament, ratified that agreement and leave to ask eu leaders to delay brexit the eu. until the 30th ofjune. but, at their emergency summit but in a letter to eu leaders the council president tonight, eu leaders are expected is recommending they back a longer, to say they want a longer extension — of up to a year. more flexible delay to brexit i don't want to see a delay for a if we extend it for a number of months, or perhaps for a year, it year. the key with any delay is that does give the united kingdom we are able to terminate it once we certainty and time in which to deal ratify with the ratification process. israel's prime minister bejamin netenyahu looks on course to win an historic fifth term — after elections ended in a dead heat

between the two main parties. hundreds of thousands of people aren't claiming the council tax discounts they're entitled to because of dementia, parkinsons or stroke. as the final series of game of thrones begins next month, we look at its economic impact on northern ireland — where much of the filming took place. and tottenham scored late to secure a 1—0 victory over manchester city in the first leg of their champions league quarter final. good morning — and welcome to the bbc news at 9. theresa may heads to brussels this afternoon — where eu leaders will hold an emergency summit to consider her request

for another delay to brexit, 12 days after britain was due to leave the european union. the prime minister wants a short postphonement of the date the uk leaves — until the 30th ofjune, but the european council president donald tusk says there should be a longer delay — the date to be agreed — of up to a year. and this, he says should come with conditions, including no re—opening of negotiations on the withdrawal agreement. the uk is currently due to leave the eu in two days‘ time at 11pm on friday, 12 april. our political correspondent, alex forsyth, has more. it was first stop berlin yesterday as the prime minister tried to win support for her latest brexit plan. then the diplomatic push continued in paris, theresa may trying to convince eu leaders to sign up to a short delay to brexit ofjust a few months. later tonight, all the eu countries will gather here in brussels to discuss her request. and what will happen

is farfrom certain. a draft version of what they might agree suggest they will back an extension to the brexit process to stop the uk leaving without a deal on friday. but for how long? so far, that part has been left blank. last night, donald tusk, the president of the european council, published a letter he'd written to eu leaders ahead of today's meeting. he said, i believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension of up to one year with the option for the uk to leave earlier if a brexit deal can be agreed. in westminster, talks between labour and the government are continuing to try and find an agreement parliament can back but, so far, there has been no breakthrough. here, most mps have made clear they won't support the idea of leaving the eu without a deal in place. so a pause seems highly likely. the question is, how long and what for?

lets across to brussels and adam fleming. is it simply a formality now, at this stage, that the extension, in whateverform now, at this stage, that the extension, in whatever form that comes, will be agreed to? yes and no. a majority of european countries are in favour of this idea that has been put forward by donald tusk, the president of the european council, ofa president of the european council, of a long, flexible extension to the brexit process that the uk could leave earlier if it ratifies the deal. the danish prime minister, in the last few minutes, said he was behind that idea. although the actual end date for that extension is still a bit of a mystery, because in the draft document that has been circulated in brussels, that leaders will sign up circulated in brussels, that leaders willsign up to, circulated in brussels, that leaders will sign up to, the maximum end date is in there as xx.xx.xxx, left

for eu leaders to decide. the options are either december this year or march next year, spring 2020. here is what the irish mep and vice president of the european parliament had to say about that. i think it is quite a good proposal. they would debate the best date and i think there will be different views as to if it should be a number of months or a year. i think what it does is it takes away from the united kingdom and ourselves an uncertainty about a rolling cliff edge. for example, friday the 12th is the day at the moment that the united kingdom would leave the european union. clearly, the uk prime minister and europe does not wa nt prime minister and europe does not want to see a crash out of brexit. we want an orderly brexit. if we extend it for a number of months or perhaps a year, it does give the united kingdom certainty and time in which to deal with the ratification process. a very interesting tweet from donald tusk, i will try to

quote it accurately, saying there are times when you need to give time to time, and perhaps this is one of those times, when we do need to understand the different political balance in the house of commons. the prime minister hasjust opened talks with the labour party. it is unlikely they would conclude in the immediate term, but i hope they will see a good conclusion perhaps within weeks or months. in other words, it takes pressure off everybody. it gives certainty to europe, it would gives certainty to europe, it would give certainty to the united kingdom if there is a longer extension than the time requested by the prime minister. while all the focus is on what numbers replace those xs for the extension, there is interesting stuff in that draft document that they will be chewing over tonight. notjust they will be chewing over tonight. not just the they will be chewing over tonight. notjust the end date, there is another date i would draw your attention to, the ist ofjune. i am calling that the ejector seat clause, because that would be the date on which the uk would have to leave the eu, deal or no deal, if it

had not taken part in the european parliament elections on the 23rd of may. that is an insurance policy to guarantee the legitimacy of the next european parliament, which sits on the 2nd ofjuly. there is a concern in the eu that you could have a situation where the uk has ended up still in the eu after the summer, but not having had the elections for the european parliament. so, a member state would be unrepresented in the european parliament, which would call into question the entire legitimacy of the european parliament, and every decision it took. it might sound like a real technicality, but that is a really important issue for people in brussels. the other big thing we are going to be discussing tonight is how do you ensure, if the uk stays infor how do you ensure, if the uk stays in for longer, it sticks to the rules, particularly because you might end up with a new prime minister or a very different kind of government in the uk? on one side, you get the relaxed countries who

say, look, the eu treaties already have something in it called sincere cooperation, which means if you are a member of the eu you stick to the rules. surely you can come up with a form of words between the uk under the eu that means everybody is on the eu that means everybody is on the same page? then you get people at the other end of the spectrum, particularly president emmanuel macron of france, he wants to come up macron of france, he wants to come up with some kind of mechanism that ensures the uk cannot muck up big european decisions like the next long—term budget or the new president of the commission, who will be appointed in the summer. does that mean you have a situation where the uk is excluded from the meetings? or the french could propose you have rendezvous points every few months, where a check is done on the uk to see if it is behaving in a way that could be described as a sincere cooperation. i suspect tonight a lot of the debate between the 27 leaders will be about that, rather than the date. although let's face it, normal people like you and me, that is what

we ca re people like you and me, that is what we care about. when is brexit going to happen? we will remember that phrase, the ejector seat clause. let's see if we come back to that, as the brexit lexicon grows every day. let's cross to westminster and catch up with what is going on there. iain watson is here. speaking of new words and phrases, new terminology, is there anything new in the discussions between the conservatives and labour? it's a lwa ys conservatives and labour? it's always interesting, the discussion has lasted about four hours yesterday, six cabinet ministers we re yesterday, six cabinet ministers were involved and there is a commitment to restart the talks tomorrow. i think what is also interesting is that i'm hearing that the conversations were more positive than the bland statements may suggest, getting down to the nitty—gritty bits of the political declaration. there are differences within labour's rights to if they should tie any deal to a

confirmatory ballot, or another referendum, even if you call something like a customs union a slightly different tone, will that satisfy some of the long—standing leave campaigners in theresa may's side who are very worried about any compromise she makes with labour? i think this is a problem she is having. in order to try to get out of the european union relatively quickly, she has to reach out to labour in the first place. the more she reaches out, the more there is a backlash from some of her own members of parliament. what is interesting if she is having to do some somersaults to justify the likely decision taken in brussels later on today. for example, she is going to be a prime minister's questions today, facing questions from her own side and from the opposition. three weeks ago she said she could not, as prime minister, except a dilated brexit beyond june the 30th. today, she may have to accept a delay beyond then. and

stephen barclay was asked if he could also accept that kind of delay. i don't want to see a delay, but the key with any delay is that we are able to terminate it once we ratify, in order that we can then get on and get a deal through parliament, ratify that agreement and leave the eu. i think that is what that eu leaders want, it is what that eu leaders want, it is what the prime minister wants. the prime minister is clear, the best way forward is to have a short extension to the 30th ofjune. if there were to be an extension beyond that, it has to be one we can terminate. i think this is what steve barclay and theresa may are holding on to, that if there is a longer extension, talking about brexit terminology earlier, an idea ofa brexit terminology earlier, an idea of a full —— flextension, if they can geta of a full —— flextension, if they can get a deal, it will happen earlier. that means that steve

barclay, who opposed a long extension earlier, would not have to resign. benjamin netanyahu is on course for a fifth term as israeli prime minister, after elections ended in a dead heat. with 97% of the votes counted, his likud party and the blue and white coalition of the centrist challenger, benny gantz both have 35 seats in parliament, but mr netanyahu is considered to be in a stronger position to form a government. yolande knell reports from tel aviv. at the end of the voting came the first predictions, this poll giving political newcomer benny gantz a narrow lead over the prime minister. but both men have now claimed victory. translation: the largest party is the one that needs to be mandated by the president and form the government.

translation: i want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart. you have brought an amazing, almost inconceivable achievement. it is an almost unimaginable achievement, in the face of hostile media, and the likud has actually grown dramatically. benjamin netanyahu, who has corruption charges looming, has been fighting a tough campaign to win a fifth term in office. his rival has gained popular support, with his strong military record and promise of change. some in israel vote along religious lines, others on key issues like security. in this poll, there were more than a0 parties to choose from. the next prime minister will have to build and lead a coalition government. the dalai lama has been admitted to hospital in the indian capital

new delhi with a chest infection. his aides say his condition is stable. the spiritual leader of the gelug school of tibetan buddhism is 83. he has lived in northern india since fleeing tibet 60 years ago, after a failed uprising against chinese rule. at least nine people have been killed by flash floods in the brazilian city of rio de janeiro. authorities have declared a crisis. heavy rains turned streets into rivers and swept away vehicles. three people were found dead in their car. two others died when water poured through their home. the headlines on bbc news... theresa may will ask eu leaders to delay the brexit deadline until the end ofjune. she'll make that request at today's eu summit. meanwhile donald tusk has written to all eu27 leaders, recommending they accept a longer, more flexible delay to brexit. and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu looks set to win

an historic fifth term in office after close fought elections leave him able to form a right—wing coalition. the final season of game of thrones is about to start. i am live in belfast looking at the impact the series has had on northern ireland. and in sport, son gives tottenham a slender advantage against manchester city in the champions league. and liverpool beat porto at anfield. and rory mcilroy is eyeing a career grand slam as his quest to win a grand slam as his quest to win a grand slam as his quest to win a grand slam at augusta gets under way tomorrow. tesco has announced that its pre—tax profits for the year are up 28%. the retail chain's chief executive, dave lewis, says he's "very confident" for the year ahead, and "delighted" at improvements across the business.

joining us now is bbc business presenter dominic o'connell. this figure, 28%, it really fits with the hopes and ambitions that tesco had, this turnaround plan, after pretty tough times? some very dark times for tesco, five years ago they had a string of profit warnings, then an accounting scandal that led to them admitting they had artificially inflated their profits. dave lewis was recruited from unilever, coming in as chief executive. he's done a lot of things in the intervening five years. he sold a lot of the international operations, he let go thousands of people in the back office and the head office. and he squeezed supply is pretty hard. all of this is now coming to fruition. he said today, along with this big jump in profits, that he was about to meet all of the goals he set five years ago for the plan. very nearly job goals he set five years ago for the plan. very nearlyjob done. goals he set five years ago for the plan. very nearly job done. a couple of other interesting business

stories to get through, let's pick up stories to get through, let's pick up on debenhams. we were talking about it yesterday going into administration. mike ashley, he wa nted administration. mike ashley, he wanted to take charge, but hasn't been able to, he has really been expressing his anger about that. normally announcements to the stock exchange are couched in very nice legal terms. he said it was a national disgrace and everybody who had advised their board should go to jail. a bit of hyperbole, really. he was a big shareholder, he owned 30%. at the debts were so big, that the lenders took control and shareholders no longer had control. he lost about £150 million. obviously he is very angry about that. some of the things that fall out of this is that he has registered an interest to buy the company out of administration. he could perhaps end up being the owner of debenhams. also, he said he might consider legal action against the debenhams board, the company has offered no comment at all on what he

had to say. finally for the business round—up, some railway franchise news? never a day goes by without another row or debacle on the railways. stagecoach, one of the last few uk companies actually interested in operating rail franchises, was bidding for three franchises. the department for transport has barred them from all three. the reason is that stagecoach said it would not sign up to the potential pension liabilities for the three franchises. the pensions regulator recently said there might need to be more injections of cash from the operators of the franchises, but has not said how much. stagecoach said, we are not going to sign up for a blank cheque. the department for transport said, 0k, the department for transport said, ok, goodbye then. it also said this morning that it has complete confidence in the process. stagecoach made some pretty trenchant stagecoach made some pretty trencha nt comments about stagecoach made some pretty trenchant comments about the state of the way the dft has handed out franchises. the dft is sticking to its line, though.

let's return now to our main story — eu leaders will hold an emergency summit in brussels today, to consider the prime minister's request for a delay to brexit. let's speak now to anne—marie morris, the conservative mp for newton abbot and a member of the pro—brexit european research group, she joins me from westminster. good morning to you. you must be deeply unhappy today. generally with the direction of travel? yes, i am unhappy. but that doesn't mean to say this is the end of the road. there is still all to play for. at the moment, we clearly have no idea what the eu will agree to or not agree to. although with past experience, my suspicion is at the end of the day we will have this extension. it looks pretty much a dead cert that they will agree an extension and they are talking about a longer, flexible extension. clearly, that is not what you want. but do you think that would give the government and to give other mps

here in the commons a chance to unite around some sort of proposal? i would put it this way. i think it is clear across the house there is no agreement on what that new proposal should be. ithink no agreement on what that new proposal should be. i think what i would say is today, as we sit here, the position is if we do not reach agreement, whatever deadline set, we could go out on world trade terms. so, we still have leaving with what people call no deal, but is actually a very good deal on wto terms, that is still there. there isn't a majority for that. the other option, asa majority for that. the other option, as a donald tusk reminded us yesterday, was to revoke article 50? remember, it is not parliament's decision with regard to wto. at the moment, that is the legal backstop, dare i say it. it is something which mps already, effectively, prove, when they voted for article 50. as for going back in, my understanding

from all the conversations i've had, and all of the votes we have had is that nobody in the house would say there was a majority to revoke article 50. i don't think that is generally on the table. lets focus on the weeks and months ahead, the uk participating in eu elections, which looks like a definite possibility. you have said you would not campaign for the conservative party in those elections. you said at the beginning of this week you might even vote for a candidate put forward by nigel farage's brexit party. do you want to correct that? what i said was that i would be happy to support a candidate who would deliver on brexit, if you like, on that agenda. frankly, that could be conservative, it could be a member of another party. as to who, i want somebody with some real credibility, and i want somebody who is honourable. do you feel, given you have said that, that the

conservative party is still the right party for you? yes, i do. there is a lot more to the conservative party done brexit. i find it very sad that right now the current term is being determined entirely on the brexit agenda. at the conservative party has many fine qualities and good principles. as soon qualities and good principles. as soon as qualities and good principles. as soon as we can get this brexit piece sorted, i sincerely hope the next prime minister and the next leader will begin to drive forward a proper education and health agenda. that is desperately needed. do you think it will be as straightforward as you make that sound ? will be as straightforward as you make that sound? can the conservative party, after all of this, the way it has been ripped apart, people so divided within the party, that you can somehow reunite and carry on? absolutely. the party has a good record of having done this in the past. frankly, dare i say it, we have the advantage that the main opposition is in much worse state. are you confident at this

stage, taking into consideration the possibility of a deal between labour and the conservatives over brexit, the possibility of a much longer extension and possibly a much softer brexit than you would like to see? that you could remain a member of the conservative party in the longer term? the conservative party is about more than brexit. the answer to that is yes. i guess i don't share your expectations that a deal will be done with labour. i think thatis will be done with labour. i think that is not an labour's interests, and history showed it would be a bad move for them. i can't see there being an indefinite suspension. people argue if they were a long extension that somehow the brexit energy would dissipate. that is not right. it has been an issue for many people nationally, for so many yea rs. people nationally, for so many years. it's not going to go away. the fight carries on. you talk about a new leader, would you be supporting moves to see theresa may removed as prime minister sooner rather than later? absolutely. i have twice put in letters of no

confidence. as you know, she has already had a meeting with the executive of the 1922, who have told her in no uncertain terms that she needs to go. there are protocols and procedures for removal. clearly, the end date in any event would be december. i am end date in any event would be december. iam hopeful that end date in any event would be december. i am hopeful that the party board, 1922 and theresa herself will find a way of enabling herself will find a way of enabling her to step down before that. game of thrones has become one of the most talked about tv shows of the last decade, and its filming locations are proving to bejust as popular. the last ever series is set to air next week — but the legacy for northern ireland will continue for many years to come. let's go to belfast now, and our ireland correspondent chris page. who could have imagined when this series began that it would have such a huge impact on the fortunes of northern ireland ? a huge impact on the fortunes of

northern ireland? that's right, it has been a global cultural phenomenon, and much of game of thrones was filmed here. this exhibition in belfast is opening to the public tomorrow. it is celebrating the series, you have props and costumes. fans of the series will recognise him as ned stark, one of the key people way backin stark, one of the key people way back in the first series. in a moment, i will be talking to the exhibition curator. first, i have been taking a look at a huge difference to the series has made to this part of the world. the real—life westeros — this part of the uk has been home to perhaps the biggest tv series in the world for the last decade. we want to know is where melisandre gave birth, and that's in here. well, you can really see how the caves, the cliffs, the crashing waves on this stretch of coastline in county antrim appealed to the game of thrones location scouts. and now thousands of tourists are coming here to see for themselves the places where so many of the major scenes in the series were filmed. it's wonderful that you're being taken to places like this where you would never usually go before.

the village of cushendun gets coachloads of visitors every day from china to california. i love the game of thrones, it's a fantastic show, northern ireland is gorgeous. one of the most beautiful places i've ever been, and i can't wait to come back. yeah, absolutely. and obviously game of thrones is a huge plus. all sorts of local people have benefited from the thrones effect — a show this epic requires plenty of swords, daggers and arrows. one man who's had a big part in bringing those scenes to the screen practices his art in the county down countryside. this blacksmith made weapons used to fight for the iron throne. it is the stuff of dreams, i mean, i was a fan of the books before i knew the show was ever going to get made, and then when you hear the show was going to get made, i thought it was fantastic, and then finding they were making it here was even better! the show has generated newjobs, career opportunities, and an international profile

for the tv and film industry. this production company has more than tripled its staff since game of thrones arrived. it has persuaded parents and colleges that the creative industries now is a very acceptable place to work, it's a very acceptable ambition to want to work in creative industries. hbo's involvement was a major reason why a government agency invested heavily in the pilot episode ten years ago, but it still felt like a bit of a gamble. it was a punt, but we knew this was the best opportunity northern ireland was ever going to get. we will continue to grow, it will get bigger and better in many ways, but i don't think there will ever be anything like game of thrones. the fantasy show has had a fantastic impact on northern ireland, 9but the question now is, who will be left standing at the end of the final season? i'm pleased to say that i am joined

at the exhibition by its curator. robin, really good to see you. the statues a re robin, really good to see you. the statues are pretty incredible. just a flavour of what you can see? absolutely. we are really excited to be in belfast. the exhibition has been travelling the world and we are backin been travelling the world and we are back in belfast. you get to see amazing props, armour, the incredible detail that went into the show. you been involved in exhibitions like this for the likes of the harry potter films, avatar, what gives game of thrones its magic? it is such a rich story, so rich in characters, the level of detail that went into making the show. it took them ten years. it was so special that it was made here in northern ireland. a lot of the people from this area and you get to see their expertise on the exhibition. a range of people from northern ireland involved in all aspects of the production. one of the things that really struck me looking at everything here, something you may be don't appreciate always on screen, the

level of craftsmanship and detail that lifts things for the viewer. absolutely. a lot of times, the camera will go past a scene very quickly. right now you can get really close and just find the smallest of details. the amount of thought and detail that goes into the costumes is incredible. very much something that brings the show to life. lovely to talk to you. thank you forjoining us. the final series begins next week. millions of people around the world will be glued to that over the next few weeks. in northern ireland, the hope is that the legacy of game of thrones is going to last for many yea rs. thank you very much. great locations if you haven't visited them. let's hear what victoria derbyshire has coming up on her programme. they are threatening major disruption of the capital next week in protest at climate change. this programme has been behind the scenes with extinction rebellion to meet the activists aiming to be arrested. we do look like a bunch of troublemakers. troublemake rs change

the world. when they start calling you troublemakers, you are starting to get some traction. join us at ten o'clock. now it is time to check out the weather forecast. some of us started off with lots of sunshine, but also some frost. others started with rain. the rain is now pushing away across the channel islands and will eventually clear. you can see we have bits of cloud coming across the east, some of this will break and we will see some sunshine. for much of the uk, away from the far north—east of scotland, it's going to be a dry day with sunny intervals, but feeling cool with sunny intervals, but feeling cool. gusty wind to the south—east, and a breeze coming in from the north sea, accentuating that cold feel. through this evening and overnight, a lot of clear skies means we are looking at a widespread frost. cloud hanging on in the north and east. some of that producing drizzle. with cloud coming across

parts of northern ireland, it will not be quite as cold as where we have clear skies. a frosty started the day tomorrow. lots of sunshine around. still some cloud producing some drizzle across north—east scotland. highs up to 12. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: theresa may heads back to brussels to ask the european union to extend the brexit deadline until the end ofjune. but in a letter to eu leaders,

the council president is recommending they back a longer, more flexible delay to brexit israel's prime minister bejamin netenyahu looks on course to win an historic fifth term, after elections ended in a dead heat between the two main parties. hundreds of thousands of people aren't claiming the council tax discounts they're entitled to because of dementia, parkinson's or stroke. and tottenham scored late to secure a 1—0 victory over manchester city in the first leg of their champions league quarterfinal. time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. well, brexit is our top story, and the prime minister will be arriving on the brussels red carpet later today, hoping to secure another delay to the uk's eu departure date, tilljune the 30th. the brexit secretary steve barclay spoke to mishal hussein

on the bbc radio 4 today programme a little earlier — and he told her what he thinks of the eu council president's of the eu council president's suggestion for a longer, more flexible delay to brexit. i don't want to see a delay for up to year but the key with any delay i don't want to see a longer extension, the prime minister doesn't want to see a long extension thatis doesn't want to see a long extension that is why her request today... you may know what —— may not want to see but the cards are in the eu's oz, the length of an extension or delay is not something the uk can agree on its own, they are the ones in control, aren't they? they are because we had a vote in parliament a couple of fridays ago where we had the right, under the previous agreement, to leave on the 22nd of may if parliament had passed a withdrawal agreement but the fact is, once again, parliament refused to agree to the withdrawal agreement, even though, ironically, most of the concerns were with the future arrangement and not with the withdrawal agreement, so the key issue here is how do we deliver on

the vote, for the 17.4 million people that voted to leave, how do we respect the referendum and deliver on the manifesto is that both main parties stood for and leave at the earliest opportunity and my commitment both in that boat and my commitment both in that boat and today is to ensure we leave at the earliest possibility because that will give business the certainty it needs, the citizens for clarity they need and it is what the people voted for. it is clear, however, the anger on your own benches about this. yesterday, when we had a vote that was part of the cooper act process, that was about delaying even untiljune the 30th, there were 12 ministers who chose not to support the government on that, not to vote in favour of even the idea of an extension tojune the 30th. could the prime minister stay in office, remain as leader of her party, if she does end up agreeing toa party, if she does end up agreeing to a longer extension? as i say, the prime ministers looking for a short extension and that is what the discussions this evening will be

about, but what there is a common desire for across the conservative party is to get on with this, to get the exit through and i think that is what most of the people listening to the programme up and down the country want to see. she said at the dispatch box that she could not accept beyond june the 30th as prime minister. has that changed or is that still her position? well, it is parliament that is refusing to actually honour the referendum result. the reason that we have to go back, we had a right to leave on the 22nd of may, we had that agreement with the european union the last council. the reason we have to go back today is not because of the prime minister, it is because parliament once again refused to vote with withdrawal agreement. the brexit secretary there. let's ta ke the brexit secretary there. let's take a look at what you are reading and watching on the bbc news app. the most read story, in at number one now, is about a fulham fan in california suing a state department in california after he was banned

from having the letters coyw on a personalised number plate. officials fear the slogan "come on you whites" had racist connotations. this is a university professor, jonathan kotler, and he has said the california department of motor vehicles violated his right to freedom of speech. you can read the story in at number one. let's take a look at what you are watching, i really recommend you look at the story that is at number two on the most watched. really quite good fun and it is aboutjohn bercow‘s brexit stardom, is what they stay say here and how he is becoming really well known around europe for his rather distinctive phrases in the house of commons. let's take a look. order! order!

they are having quite a go at that, but not quite catching the dulcet tones ofjohn bercow, his fame is now resonating well beyond the chamber of the house of commons, as we will see. so we really recommend you have a look at that one. number two in the most watched. and further on down, rather lovely and rather more sedate than rather lovely and rather more sedate tha n eve nts rather lovely and rather more sedate than events in the house of commons, number seven, the blossom worth billions forjapan, a story about how the cherry blossom season in japan, it attracts around 5 million visitors to the country each year, some absolutely beautiful visitors as people travel to the country and, indeed, the japanese themselves take pa rt indeed, the japanese themselves take part in various events to mark

haname, the flower festival. beautiful cherry blossom images in that story at number seven. and that for the morning briefing. let's return now to news that benjamin neta nyahu is on course for a fifth term as israeli prime minister, after elections ended in a dead heat. with 97% of the votes counted, his likud party and the blue and white coalition of the centrist challenger, benny gantz both have 35 seats in parliament, but mr netanyahu is considered to be in a stronger position to form a government. we can now speak to noga tarnopolsky, an israeli journalist who joins us live from jerusalem. noga, hello to you. as we were mentioning, not many roads lead to be counted, what is the very latest state of play —— but not many votes left? the latest state of play is exactly how you heard it, in the balance, the fate of several small parties that may or may not make it

into this early parliament at all, that are really on the edge, so you have to get 3.25% of the vote in order to the threshold and netanyahu's order to the threshold and neta nyahu's ability to order to the threshold and netanyahu's ability to form a coalition and what sort of coalition may in part be determined by how the diplomats vote and soldiers vote, the last votes counted. so we suggested that perhaps he might be ina suggested that perhaps he might be in a better position to form a coalition with other parties. you are saying that that could be determined over the next few hours. yes, although you are right, he is ina much yes, although you are right, he is in a much better position already to form a coalition that would be, in many ways, the coalition that is the nightmare of his opponents, i have to say. it would be a coalition that include parties very much to the extreme right and two parties that

got more votes than they have before, that our religious right—wing parties so israel, as it stands now, seems poised to enter an area of assessment in their netanyahu area of assessment in their neta nyahu term with area of assessment in their netanyahu term with a narrower but stronger government for netanyahu. what do the corruption allegations that he is facing, how do they play into this? obviously, they don't seem to have had a big impact in terms of people coming out to support his likud party, but could those still have an impact?|j support his likud party, but could those still have an impact? i think it isa those still have an impact? i think it is a really important and complex question, especially because the indictments themselves are coming up injuly, so indictments themselves are coming up in july, so netanyahu indictments themselves are coming up injuly, so netanyahu will have three months now, many people believe that he will use these three months to try and pass what in israel is called a french law, in

other words, a law granting him a presidential style immunity so that these indictments presented against him injuly, these indictments presented against him in july, may these indictments presented against him injuly, may be august, won't be able to be presented against him, he won't be able to be charged, as long as he is prime minister. so many people saw this election as almost a personal reprieve for him, notjust political. but there is another side to the coin that has been highlighted by analysts here and it is that the israeli economy is doing well and israeli security is doing well and israeli security is doing well and, well and israeli security is doing welland, in many well and israeli security is doing well and, in many ways, it should have been a cakewalk for the prime minister and it hasn't been. he is ina dead minister and it hasn't been. he is in a dead heat with an opponent who is the complete opposite and looks to enter the knesset with the same amount of seeds as netanyahu's likud, so there is the possibility that his own party will feel cheated

and he is giving too many positions in high government to too many of these extreme coalition partners and he could face a rebellion in house that could be tied to people not wanting to be associated with indictments and his current predicament. a thought then, noga, before you go on benny gantz and his blue and white alliance. what is the benny gantz camp saying at this point? are they actively trying to form a coalition that could bring them to power as well? it is unclear to me how they could do that right now. what they are saying is that they respect the will of the voters, they respect the will of the voters, they are taking those to be a huge victory and they do have a point, this is a party that didn't exist two months ago and has won as many votes as neta nyahu's two months ago and has won as many votes as netanyahu's likud party and they say they are going to wait until the last vote is counted and then make a real statement but,

right now, it looks like benny gantz is going to lead the opposition in israel. noga, thank you very much, talking to us from jerusalem. just before we go to sport, some news on the latest gdp, gross domestic product, figures for february. the uk economy grew by 0.2% in february compared to the month earlier, according to the office for national statistics. it compares to a 0.5% growth in gdp seen injanuary, so those figures justin. time for sport, let's get a full round—up from the bbc sports centre. here is holly. we're reflecting on another dramtic evening in the champions league with liverpool taking a relatively comfortable 2—0 win over porto while tottenham claimed a narrow 1—0 victory over manchester city — but it may have come at a cost, with harry kane picking up what looked like a serious injury. adam wild has all the details. this is spurs' new home and this exactly the kind of occasion they dreamt would fill it.

manchester city the familiar opposition, but there was plenty here that felt new. fitting, then, that modern technology produced the first half's talking point. here, raheem sterling's shot was blocked, the referee calling for help from a video replay. it showed the block was with an arm. penalty decision, eventually. no one has scored more goals for manchester city sergio aguero, but this was one development few predicted. chances for either side were scarce. son heung—min going close. missed penalties, missed shots and, for spurs, a player who will now be missed. there england captain harry kane forced to hobble from the field. their england captain harry kane forced to hobble from the field. but then came this first leg's decisive moment. son again left with plenty to do. he did it quite brilliantly. the tie's only goal, spurs already making themselves at home. anfield has seen many such occasions. the pride, the passion, always loud. some things in football

never change. against porto, liverpool were ahead within five minutes, thanks to naby keita's deflected shot. the lead doubled by roberto firmino. 2—0 and the reds on their way. adam wilde, bbc news. let's have a look at some of this morning's back pages. the champions league dominating, of course. the times — son puts spurs in charge. the telegraph — ecstasy and agony. the mirror — liverpool's win and rashford's £78m united contract. let's chat more champions league now with former city and spurs player michael brown, whojoins me now. so michael brown, whojoins me now. many talking pl from so many talking points, were there, from that game, but for tottenham, 16 points between them and manchester city in the premier

league, they will be happy with that result. they will be, when the tie came out, they will be the last club other than barcelona that spurs would have wanted. yes, there is less travelling for the opening of the new stadium was the talk and spurs said that sort of feel and that stature in the a champions league and did that with a great result. i few talking points as i mentioned, the video assistant referee raising it head again for the penalty, that sergio aguero missed. was it a penalty? for me, and there is a lot of debate over it, different referees, uefa rules, premier league rules, two clubs in the premier league playing in the champions league with a different rule, it is not a penalty because he has to dive across to block the shot and danny rose, the arm comes up naturally to block. we got to be very careful where this goes now and i understand the rules are there, but the players have to have that energy, their desire, which obviously raises the arms. no, harry

kane, we saw him hobbling off during that game, the ankle injury that has given him problems throughout his whole career. spurs must be worried. they will be worried and at that point, you were thinking, where with the game go? harry kane went in very, very tight with fabian delph, fabian delph didn't like it, and england colleague, saying, you know, it was your fault. they will be looking at it thinking how bad will it be? will it be the end of the season for him? but they did well after that, son stepped up, gets that goal but he will be amiss at the end in the second leg. son does that, steps up to the occasion. more action tonight, the big one, united and barcelona. ole gunnar solskjaer was saying united need to be streetwise in this game, what do they need to do to take on the likes of lionel messi? they have to be defensively sound, that is what their trademark is now, they need to... against barcelona in the

champions league in the last leg, they had been very good at that in they had been very good at that in the last leg away from home. 0—0 would be a good result for manchester united, i am not sure they will score. so what result will you go for? i will go for 0-0, it gives them a platform. counterattack wise, they are good, marcus rashford is clinical on the counterattack but it will be difficult to keep them out because defensively, united still have a lot of work to do. michael, thank you forjoining us. you can hear live commentary of that match on bbc 5live from seven o'clock tonight, kick off at eight, and you can get all the build up on sportsday at 6:30pm tonight on the bbc news channel. that's all the sport for now. more from the bbc sport centre at 11:15. thank you very much. let's take a look at the headlines on bbc news.

theresa may will ask eu leaders to delay the brexit deadline until the end ofjune. she'll make that request at today's eu summit. meanwhile, donald tusk has written all eu27 leaders, recommending they accept a longer, more flexible delay to brexit. and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu looks set to win an historic fifth term in office, after close—fought elections leave him able to form a right—wing coalition. an american actress has pleaded guilty to charges linked to an alleged sex trafficking operation disguised as a mentoring group. allison mack — who is best known for her role in superhero television series smallville — was arrested a year ago on sex trafficking charges. she pleaded guilty to racketeering at a court in new york and could face up to 40 years in prison. the mayor of new york has declared a public emergency in part of brooklyn, after the worst outbreak of measles since 1991. he's ordered everyone living there to get vaccinated

against measles or face fines. many living there oppose vaccination on religious grounds. there've been other recent outbreaks in new york state, washington, california, texas and illinois. here's our washington correspondent, chris buckler. almost 20 years ago, thanks to vaccinations, the united states declared itself free of measles. but now the illness is back. the biggest outbreak is in one neighbourhood in brooklyn. there have been almost 300 cases in new york in the last six months. mainly within williamsburg's orthodox jewish community, leading the city's mayor to declare a public emergency. the department of health will issue violations and fines to people who remain unvaccinated. the only way to stop this outbreak is to ensure that those who have not been vaccinated get the vaccine.

health workers, community leaders and rabbis have all united to reassure parents that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe. but not everyone here is convinced. well, my rabbi said otherwise and i will not name him. what is the basis for saying no to vaccination? oh, i could go on and on. i don't have the time. just like that guy said, preventative measures are not a reason to inject toxins into my child's body. we need you to say, no more. medical professionals are still having to counted are still having to counter discredited claims that the mmr vaccine can have side effects. vaccination rates have declined, and that's having an effect. across the us already this year, there have been 465 cases of measles reported, and the majority of those who have fallen ill are children. measles can result in things like pneumonia, brain inflammation, and can lead to death.

and what we've seen in new york city is that we have 21 people that have been hospitalised, five of which have ended up in the intensive care unit, all preventable with a very safe vaccine. although many of the concerns are for children, officials in the us know they have to get through to parents if they're to properly tackle this outbreak. residents of a japanese town near the fukushima nuclear power plant have been allowed to move back for the first time since it was destroyed by a tsunami eight years ago. okuma has been a ghost town since the tsunami. the town has been intensively cleaned to reduce radiation but officials say only 40% of it is currently safe to return to. japan's defence ministry is investigating what happened to an f—35 stealth fighter missing over the pacific. officials believe it crashed, and have found wreckage thought to be from the plane.

a search for the pilot continues. similarjapanesejets have been grounded. many women suffer cramps or mood swings in the run up to their period, but for around one in 20 people, these symptoms are so severe, they're unable to live a normal life. it's called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or pmdd, and could be affecting women without them even realising it. jayne mccubbin reports. pmdd. four letters experts say there is far too little understanding of, even though the cost of those four letters can be huge. lisa, what did it cost you? friendships, relationships. you think it cost you your marriage? yeah. now i do. now i know what it was, i do believe that it cost me my marriage. because of my anger. my irritability. lisa had a miscarriage in 2016

and from then on, the pmt she had always suffered spiralled into something far darker. even my gp would say it's like pmt on steroids. it's just... there is no comparison. there is no comparison at all. and the worst of it is the suicidal thoughts? yeah. i used to plan it in my head all the time because i didn't think that i was worthy of living and being with my children and having a family. these are four letters which cost lives. for lisa, this was written off as clinical depression until her gp had a light bulb moment. whenever lisa's periods and monthly hormonal changes were stopped by a birth control coil, so too did the depression. five months ago, she took the most extreme action — a hysterectomy to stop those hormonal ebbs and flows for good. and i think if we didn't have that

light bulb moment, i don't know where i would have been today. i think probably my children would have been taken off me, maybe. how do you feel today? amazing. absolutely amazing. i've got my life back, the kids are no longer eating takeaway food. i'm no longer in my bed 24 hours a day, crying. are you happy? happy, yes. yes. the condition was first fully recognised in america in 2014 and awareness is spreading to the uk with the first pmdd conference held in bournemouth this weekend. it's awareness that lisa knows can save lives. scientists are expected to reveal the first ever images of a black hole later today. up to now, we've only been able to see an artist's impression, because taking a picture of them is so difficult as they don't emit or reflect any light.

but a network of telescopes around the world have been pointed at two black holes — and it's hoped they can produce a clear image which will be unveiled later today. and we will have that image for you in afternoon live, from 2pm. the actress who'll play princess diana in the latest series of the crown has been announced. netflix have given the part to newcomer emma corrin who they've described as a "brilliant talent". the actress said she was "beyond excited" to be joining the show. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. we have had quite a lot of cloud this morning across southern parts of england but we have also had some spectacular rays coming through the clouds, some fascinating shots from our weather watchers this morning, those sun rays coming through the cloud and you can see from the satellite imagery through this morning where they have played across the south and also some cloud

moving in across eastern areas of england and the north and east of scotland. as we go through today, we will see more cloud coming in across eastern parts but it will break up at times to give some sunny spells. the cloud in the south was shipped away. for many northern and western areas, lots of blue skies and sunshine into the afternoon but the wind is still coming in from the east and north—east and it is still making it feel pretty chilly, especially if you are on the coast of north—east scotland, eastern parts of england, temperatures struggling at 7—9d. further west, temperatures 11—13 else's. tonight, a bit of cloud coming in across eastern parts but, on the whole, we are looking at some clear spells and it will turn really quite chilly. a widespread frost across england and wales up into central and southern parts of scotland, temperatures getting close to if not below freezing, so the call started thursday morning and we see more cloud coming in across parts of yorkshire, lincolnshire towards east

anglia and the south—east and later in the afternoon, more cloud in northern ireland and scotland and, further west, some sunny spells. a dry day for all of us, really and maximum temperatures similar to today, perhaps a degree so lower. high pressure centred close to scandinavia is keeping thing settled and blocking any of these weather systems coming in from the west, the rain bearing weather fronts, systems coming in from the west, the rain bearing weatherfronts, so systems coming in from the west, the rain bearing weather fronts, so for friday, another dry day, there will be some cloud around, particularly central and eastern parts, but there will also be some sunny spells developing on friday. temperatures on the cool side again, below the average for the time of year, about 9-13 average for the time of year, about 9—13 degrees. into the weekend, there is a slice of warm air trying to move its way in from the west. it will bring a bit of rainfall across western areas. otherwise, the higher pressure and colder air is still in place across eastern parts and for many of us over the weekend, it is going to be dry, some sunny spells, quite chilly and with some mild

weather coming towards the west, that could bring a little bit of rain towards northern ireland, perhaps western areas of england and wales during sunday. bye—bye.