this is bbc news. the headlines: police in northern ireland are questioning two men in connection with the killing of thejournalist, lyra mckee. she was shot while observing rioting in londonderry‘s creggan estate in northern ireland on thursday night. two teenage men have been arrested and are being held under the terrorism act. police in paris have fired tear gas and arrested more than 100 people following clashes between riot police and yellow vest protesters. a number of motorbikes were set on fire by the demonstrators who have been banned from the area around the badly damaged notre—dame cathedral. the metropolitan police commissioner has called on climate change protesters in central london to go home. hundreds of demonstrators have been

illegally occupying marble arch, parliament square and waterloo bridge since monday. over 1,000 officers have been on duty and over 750 people have been arrested. house plants do much more than simply decorate our homes. they can bring a sense of calm and help the environment. currently, plants which aren't considered food are subject to full vat, but campaigners say that should be reduced. laura foster has more. becca had struggled with anxiety and depression for months. counselling didn't work, medication didn't work, but then she was given a houseplant and from there, her collection grew to more than 100 plants. the well—being you get is so immense. when you stop focusing on looking so far in the future because you've got something to deal

with right in front of you, it can really help. they take so much time to grow and change and it makes you accept that in yourself as well. becca is not the only one. the popularity of houseplants has skyrocketed in recent years, helped in part by social media. at the moment, plants are considered to be a luxury item and, therefore, we pay full vat on them in the uk. but in other countries in europe, the taxes are less. as well as benefiting the environment, it is thought that cutting the vat could help more people manage their mental health, particularly individuals who don't have access to a garden or green space. if they are feeling that the cost of acquiring those plants is prohibitive, i think that is a great shame. anything that makes plants more affordable will be a good thing. but lots of people will make a difference in a recovery from some health issue. 0ne business feels so strongly about the issue, it has written

to the government, calling for rates to be reduced. places like france, germany, italy, the rates of vat on plants is up to half what it is in the uk, and in some places, more than that. some people might say that you are saying this because you sell plants. what do you say to those people? i recognise that, but we have a much broader mission. they are notjust a nice thing to decorate one space with, but they are an important thing in a healthy lifestyle. in a statement, the treasury said: but becca says the well—being you get from plants is so immense, it is worth considering. it's been quite life—changing, actually. in a small way, but also in a really, really big way. now on bbc news, our world. in australia's iconic outback,

an environmental disaster is unfolding. when you threaten my family and threaten my future and you threaten the world's future of feeding our nation and other nations around the world, then you can't get more personal than that. the darling river, a main artery of australia's murray—darling basin, is drying up. some blame climate change. others, the growth of industrial—scale cotton farming. whatever the cause, the result is sparking outrage on social media. look at these iconic fish of australia being treated like this. youse have to be bloody disgusted with yourself, youse politicians and cotton grower manipulators. these lakes should never be drained. with national elections due in may, a recent royal commission report containing revelations of government bungling, corporate greed and corruption

has thrust the issue to the forefront of australian political debate. with politicians ducking for cover, the worst environmental catastrophe in australia's history looms large. the empty rivers are threatening not only the nation's food security, but more than 40,000 years of subsistence living by its native people. it's a man—made drought we're living in now. we just won't suffer it. and it's notjust black people, it's everyone. white people and all. and it's got to stop. 10 years ago, after the worst drought in living memory, i travelled to australia's outback to investigate a water crisis that was described then as exceptional. a decade later, i've returned to find communities

on the edge of disaster and facing the possibility the water crisis is permanent. this landscape is at the heart of the battle over australia's scarce water supply. a nation which likes to call itself ‘the lucky country‘ is endowed with a fabulous wealth of natural resources. but when it comes to one of the essentials of life, the country is in deep trouble. water's never been plentiful here, but growing demand, mainly from farming and higher temperatures linked to climate change have collided to create the country's worst ever water crisis. the murray—darling basin drains more than a million square kilometres of south—eastern australia.

a network of tributaries flow into the darling river, which crosses the region to join the murray river, australia's longest at more than 2,500km. the darling river also feeds the menindee lakes. australia's most important agricultural region relies on these rivers and lakes. but after the hottest summer on record, most of the darling river has run dry and the lakes are virtually empty. for millennia, the menindee lakes system has been a flourishing ecosystem on the driest continent on earth and a vital lifeline for the outback. but that has all changed. just a few years ago, these lakes were almost 90% full. but after a decision by the new south wales state government

to decommission the lakes for water storage, they were drained dry, and this is the result. as australia's drought has worsened and with nothing in reserve, the darling river is now reduced to a few stretches of stagnating water. in december and january, at the peak of summer, a series of massive so—called fish kills, when more than a million fish died, left the country reeling. this is nothing to do with drought. this is a man—made disaster brought to you by the new south wales government, the federal government and the murray—darling basin authority. this is the result of draining the menindee lakes twice in four years, and killing the system. these are just two of the many. this is the most disgusting thing

i've ever seen in my life. in nearby menindee, population 550, residents are being forced to rely on bottled water and watch the local wildlife disappear. with each new fish kill, local fisherman graeme mccrabb has witnessed the devastation. there was just fish all the way down through here in clumps and it was pretty well connected for 30 kilometres of river, just dead fish. you saw the pictures of the little boneys all in pools, but they were just scattered everywhere like confetti here through this section of the river. we'd had a stinking hot week, probably seven or eight days over a5, a couple of days close to 50 and we dropped to about 20 degrees overnight that night, and, yeah, i don't know, it's hard to say, really. it's still emotional now for a lot of people, i suggest, probably two or three weeks on. with entire species of native fish under threat, government fisheries staff mounted a desperate

last—minute rescue bid.