this is bbc world news today. our top stories: first signs that houthi rebels in yemen are starting to withdraw troops from key ports, making way for much needed un aid. an attack on a five star hotel in south—west pakistan is over. the regional interior minister says the gunmen have been killed. south africa's president promises to build a democratic, prosperous and united country after his party's victory in parliamentary elections. migrants who survived when their boat capsized off the coast of tunisia have given their account of the disaster in which at least least sixty people drowned. fighting for life, we are frightened, we were swimming eight hours.

and more gilets jaunes demonstrations in paris, but is the movement beginning to run out of steam 7 hello and welcome to world news today. the united nations says houthi rebels trying to topple the government in yemen are honouring a pledge to withdraw troops from key ports in the country. the unilateral pull out from hodeida and a number of smaller harbours, is scheduled for the next four days, and marks the first significant step in a ceasefire agreement, brokered by the un last december. the ports are crucial for the distribution of international aid in a country where millions are on the verge of starvation. forfour years the houthi rebels, supported by iran, have been fighting the yemeni government, which is backed by a coalition of countries led by saudi arabia. this report from our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, does contain some distressing images. a vital lifeline for a nation on the brink of famine.

nearly all of yemen's aid comes through here. the houthis control this port and two others nearby. now they say they are pulling out theirfighters. if they do, it's the first step in the deal reached in stockholm in december, hailed then as a rare breakthrough. we have reached an agreement on hudaydah port and city, which will see a mutual redeployment of forces from the port and the establishment of a ceasefire. now the deal is on the verge of collapse. so is yemen, a country facing what the un calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. images like this have shocked the world. not enough to end a brutal war between houthis aligned to iran and yemen government forces backed by a saudi—led coalition and armed by the west.

earlier this year we saw how a fragile ceasefire in hudaydah was largely holding. but both sides agreed in stockholm to withdraw their forces from this strategic corner of yemen. there is deep distrust. if this first step succeeds, it could lead to broader peace talks. if it doesn't, yemen's best chance in years could also fail. lyse doucet, bbc news. officials in pakistan say an attack on a luxury hotel in the port city of gwadar in balochistan has ended with the deaths of all three gunmen. at least one security guard at the pearl continental hotel was killed. a militant separatist group, the balochistan liberation army, said it carried out the attack, saying it was targeting chinese and other foreign investors. our correspondent in islamabad secunder kermani explained how the attack unfolded. well, what we know is that three gunmen, we believe, entered the heavily guarded pearl port city of gwadar,

killing a security guard who was attempting to stop them. security forces then surrounded the gunman inside the hotel and engage them in a gunfight. we believe that is still ongoing although there are some reports that the episode could be coming to an end. the balochistan liberation army is a separatist militant group, they have claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was targeting deliberately chinese and foreign investors. now, this group is part of a long—running nationalist insurgency in the south—western province of balochistan. it is pakistan's most deprived province. militants claim its natural resources are being exploited by outsiders. gwadar, where the attack took place, is the focal point of the huge chinese infrastructure project which aims to cut import and export times to china from the middle east by moving goods through pakistan so it is probably why the militant groups have decided to target this city. these same separatists have targeted chinese interests in pakistan before. the same group last year

attacked china's consulate in the city of karachi. i've been inside that hotel myself on a trip a few years ago, i know that it is quite heavily guarded. indeed, the whole city has quite a strong military presence, security force presence there, so there will be concerns about how this breach took place. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. two french tourists who were rescued from kidnappers in burkina faso have been welcomed home by president macron. earlier, they paid tribute to the two french soldiers who died during the operation to free them. they were seized from a remote national park in neighbouring benin last week. during the rescue operation, two women from the united states and south korea were also freed. in a new rally, the venezualan opposition leader has again urged his supporters to go on nationwide protests against president nicholas maduro. juan guaido is recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries. this follows a failed military uprising in an attempt to oust mr maduo last month.

the us insists it doesn't want war with iran, after sending a second navy ship to the middle east amid growing tensions. another aircraft carrier is already heading towards the persian gulf to deter what the pentagon calls an increased threat from tehran. briony sowden reports. as america's carrier strike group moves closer to the gulf, the pentagon sends more firepower to the region in a show of military force. a navy ship and an air defence missile system are also heading to the middle east, just days after the uss abraham lincoln and b—52 bombers were deployed. washington says it is sending a clear message to iran, because they had warnings about an unspecified attack. it released this statement but did not go into detail.

the us patriot missile defence system can counter ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, and had been scheduled to go to the region, but at a later date. last week, john bolton, america's national security adviser, said any iranian attack would be met with unrelenting force. iran swiftly dismissed that, and claimed american psychological warfare. the foreign minister with this message on twitter. if the us and clients do not feel safe, it is because they are despised by the people of the region. blaming iran will not reverse that. tehran has retaliated by threatening to cut off access to the strategic strait of hormuz, through which about one—fifth of all oil consumed globally passes. but tensions are not just at sea. this week, iran's president

threatened to restart his country's nuclear activities within 60 days if his country is not shielded from the effects of sanctions. the move risks killing a landmark nuclear deal which america pulled out of a year ago. but this is what the iranians call us intimidation. one of america's powerful military assets has now passed through egypt's suez canal as it steams towards the persian gulf. south africa's governing african national congress has promised a fresh start after winning another five years in office with a reduced majority. president cyril ramaphosa acknowledged the anc had made mistakes in government and that it had lost the trust of many people. the final results from wednesday's vote gave the anc just over 57% of the vote. the final result still puts it comfortably ahead of its next closest rival, the democratic alliance, on 20.7%. the radical economic freedom

fighters came third with io.8%. speaking at the results centre in johannesburg, president ramaphosa pledged to build a prosperous and united country. we can declare with certainty that democracy has emerged victorious in our country, our people have given all the leaders of this country a firm mandate to build a better south africa for all. the yellow vest movement in france is marking six months of weekly protests with a series of marches across the country. it's hoped the anniversary will re—galvanise support for the group. protest numbers have fallen from a high of 300,000 to less than 20,000 so does this mean the end of the yellow vests? kieron mirchandani reports. in november last year, the yellow vest protests sorts thousands come out on the streets of paris. contrast with today's protest, and it is a very different scene.

only a small group of protesters are taking part, their message still strong but their numbers depleted. a lot has changed in france since the yellow vest movement erupted six months ago. president emmanuel macron was set to implement a fuel tax which many argued would unfairly target the poorest in france. week after week of anger saw the president finally relent in a televised address. translation: i've given the impression of giving constant orders, of being tough, sometimes unfair. i regret that because it is not what i'm like deep down, and i don't think it has helped my case. but perhaps what has hurt the yellow vest protests the most is a sense of that most french of sentiments — ennui, from the surrounding businesses and residents. of course, this isn't to say the yellow vest protest won't spark the interest of the french public again. for now at least, whilst these protesters still wear their famous

gilets jaunes, many have stayed at home, their yellow vests hung up for the foreseeable future. kieron mirchandani, bbc news. stay with us, still to come, dozens of us states joined a lawsuit.

more than a0 states in the us have filed a lawsuit against there are signs that houthi rebels in yemen are starting to withdraw troops from key ports, making way for much needed un aid. an attack on a five—star hotel in south—west pakistan is over. the regional interior minister says the gunmen have been killed. more than a0 states in the us have

filed a lawsuit against 20 pharmaceutical companies. they are accusing them of price—fixing and conspiring to reduce competition. this follows a five—year investigation into why prices have sometimes suddenly increased and in some cases by over i,000%. chris bucklerjoins us now from washington. chris, why other states filing these lawsuits, then? there has been widespread concern about the rising cost of medications here in the us. according to our investigation, at times they seem to be doubling, tripling, or as you mentioned there, rising by more than 1000%. sometimes with no explanation whatsoever. that is why the states had been looking into this and have now brought lawsuits. they are suggesting 20 of these companies, along with 15 individuals, have been involved in some kind of conspiracy to try to manipulate and influence prices and

also to try and restrict competition. of course, extremely serious charges. they want to bring the suit to try to force change but also to claim damages and try to ensure drug prices to remain lower. what have the pharmaceutical companies in question said in response to these allegations? well, obviously, there are 20 companies and 15 individuals. it seems clear that the majority of them, if not all, will fight the suit. we had a response from a pharmaceutical giant, they say they have done nothing wrong, they insist they have broken no rules, they have broken no laws and that really what is included in this lawsuit are a number of claims, and the official statement they say they provide high quality medication to patients around the world while maintaining a commitment to applause. they will examine the issue internally and

there is nothing in its conduct, it insists, that could lead to civilian criminal accountability. is there a larger issue surrounding the pricing of medications within the industry? yes, if you listen to any politicians here, including president trump, they say time and time again that americans are playing —— paying more than people in other parts of the world for their medications and they cannot understand the reason for that. it is one of the rare issues in the us at the moment that unite republicans and democrats, they both want something done about it that i can't quite agree what that should be. some democrats had suggested they should try to tie the prices of these medications and we are talking about generic drug is here that are much cheaper than some of the brand names but do the same jobs, to tackle conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and the like. they feel if they tie the prices at the generic medicines to

the cost paid in other parts of the world, that would ensure americans we re world, that would ensure americans were getting a fair deal, but so far were getting a fair deal, but so far we don't have any proposals for legislation that will really address this issue properly and i suspect it will be talked a lot about in the 2020 presidential campaign. gavin ramjaun has all the sport. centuries from england'sjos buttler and pakistan's farkhar zaman were the highlights in the second one day international between the two in southampton. buttler was especially brutal, hitting 110 offjust 55 balls for the second fastest ever odi century for his country. england won by 12 runs and now have a 1—0 series lead, after the opening game at the oval in london was washed out by rain. the third match is in bristol on tuesday. captain eoin morgan says the win was good preparation, for the world cup on home soil later this month. i think they are all pushing each other, i think it is a little bit like batting ends at the last two or

three years, guys that do well have missed out and unfortunately only a couple of guys out of this, well, definitely a couple of guys out of this will miss out. it will be a tough decision, regardless on how they perform in the rest of the series because of what they have contributed over the last period of time. and west indies have beaten ireland by five wickets to win their tri—nations match in dublin. despite andy balbirnie notching a century for the hosts, sunil ambris hit 148 to help guide the west indies over the line as they move top of the table ahead of bangladesh with ireland propping it up. saracens have beaten leinster to win rugby union's champions cup for the third time in four years. they were 10—0 down at one point, but fought back to win — in a relentless performance at st james park in newcastle. patrick gearey was there. as the capacity crowd leaves this evening, they will be discussing a game of incredible intensity when there was barely enough time to

blink. let alone think. it was won by saracens, their third european title, but it was led at one stage by lei nster title, but it was led at one stage by leinster who went ten — zero up. saracens, they went up the other end and responded, the ball was worked while —— wide and they were level at the break. they dominated the second half. in the end, it was incredible breakfrom half. in the end, it was incredible break from billy and ella half. in the end, it was incredible breakfrom billy and ella poser, the england forward busting his way through their leinster defence, a match—winning moment, there wasn't enough time for leicester to respond evenin enough time for leicester to respond even in this week of incredible sporting comebacks so saracens, brutally brilliant saracens are champions of europe. for the third time in a row, mercedes‘ valtteri bottas will start from pole. formula one's championship leader beat his team mate lewis hamilton to the front of the grid in qualifying for the spanish grand prix. jennie gow has more details from barcelona.

we always knew it was highly likely when it came to qualifying that mercedes would lead the way, they had been so dominant this far this season, especially in spain they just seem to have turned it on. joyful bottas, not so great for hamilton, he would have expected on a track where he was going so well in the past to be able to... it should lead to interesting dynamics. let's —— the ferrari driverjust failing to really set a key time in that second part of qualifying, having to use another set of tyres and only getting one bite of the cherry in the final part of qualifying. maybe he can turn things around in the race, we'll wait and see. fingers crossed it will be fantastic here in barcelona but the worry is it will

be another domination for... now to tennis, and romania's simona halep missed out on regaining the world number one ranking, as she lost the madrid open final to kiki bertens. a win would have seen halep overtake world number one naomi osaka, but she lost 6—4, 6—4. that's all the sport for now. migrants who survived when their boat capsized off the coast of tunisia have given their account of the disaster in which at least sixty people drowned. initial reports said those on board were from sub—saharan africa. but the survivors say most of the passengers were from bangladesh. these are the faces of men who had seen death at close quarters. some too shocked to say anything. others are devastated by what they saw. they all set off to start a new life

in italy. a dream interrupted by the harsh reality of death at sea. this man from bangladesh is one ofjust i6 man from bangladesh is one ofjust 16 who survived. fighting for life, we fighting, swimming eight, eight hours. eight hours swimming. then people dying, one by one, every minute people going under, down, every minute, one is going. i have lost my two brothers. one is cousin brother, one is brother—in—law. in front of my eyes. another survivor recou nts front of my eyes. another survivor recounts the horror of what happened on board. translation: our boat, the zodiac, started filling up with water, then it sank and capsized. this was at 12 o'clock midnight. we

ke pt this was at 12 o'clock midnight. we kept floating in the water until eight o'clock in the morning then a small tunisian boat came to our rescue, along with the tunisian army, they came and took us, thank god we are here in tunis. thank god. italy doesn't want people like these are men and is tracking down on those making this journey. are men and is tracking down on those making thisjourney. as are men and is tracking down on those making this journey. as 30 migrants were brought to the courts in lampedusa in italy on friday, the italian interior minister declared this was the last voyage for the rescue ship. translation: it is a sta nce rescue ship. translation: it is a stance that wins elections in italy and has brought down the number of migrants making the journey. 15,900 migrants making the journey. 15,900 migrants arrived in europe from the mediterranean this year. that is a 17% drop from last year. but the un's refugee agency, the unc hr, looks at the numbers differently.

they say while the number of deaths at sea has halved, the rate of deaths per number of people attempting the journey has risen sharply. we were shocked that 250 people died crossing the berlin wall during a generation of cold war, and now we seem to accept 2500 more people dying per year in the mediterranean. again, it is a damning verdict of the so—called european civilisation. we cannot have that happening. as the arguments continue, a long—term solution to complex problems, thousands gamble everything they have, including their own lives, to cross over to europe. a ceremony‘s been held in the american state of utah to mark the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad — the first continuous link across the united states. the bbc‘s tim allman reports.

fiddle music. even now, this is tough, rugged country. mile after mile, stretching out for as far as the eye can see. but using little more than shovels and pickaxes, dynamite and brute strength, this land was tamed. between 1863 and 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was built. much of the work was done by chinese labourers. by some estimates around 1,200 of them died. connie's great—grandfather worked on the project. she, along with the descendants of others who helped to build the railroad, came to pay their respects. this history has been so ignored and neglected. i have spoken to fellow descendants on the trip and they are saying

the same thing, we didn't grow up knowing this, we didn't ever have the sense of pride. the official ceremony was held at the exact location where the two branches of the line met up. a golden spike symbolically hammered into place, and there were thanks at last for those who gave so much. i am proud that we have highlighted the contributions of the more than 15,000 chinese labourers who, along with irish workers, mormon workers, native americans and many others, built the transcontinental railroad. critics point out the impact the railroad had native americans, who lost yet more of their land. but this was an engineering feat on an epic scale, and it helped transform america. tim allman, bbc news. that is just about it from us for now. you can get more news on our

website. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @sipusey. thanks for watching. we are still expecting better weather on the way for the second half of the weekend. the day when the sun was out it felt quite warm but there were quite a few showers around, this weather watcher picture tape and in derbyshire. we've even had one or two showers making their way into northern ireland and wales. earlier round there were thunderstorms in yorkshire and also sussex. both showers are starting to fade away now, once the sun goes down will see them completely fading away so it becomes dry, clear skies, light winds, temperatures will fall quickly. by the end of the night, we are more likely to have a thrust in scotla nd are more likely to have a thrust in scotland but further south we could have pockets of temperatures close to freezing so in some areas may be seeing a touch of ground frost at

the very least. high pressure building across the uk and that will inhibit the shower formation on sunday. the weather front grazing the far north—west, introducing a bit more high cloud into the western side of northern ireland into the north west of scotland so turning a bit hazy here. as temperatures rise, a limited amount of convection, a bit of cloud popping up which may give an isolated shower but on the whole it is dry and sunny and for most of us woman and it was today. that is the theme as we head into next week. a lot of dry weather, more in the way of sunshine, an improvement on the last week and with that sunshine it should feel warmer as well. not blue skies every day, a bit of high cloud coming further across scotland, northern ireland, england and wales, the sunshine hazy on monday but dry, some sunshine and the temperature is continuing to rise in most areas, it could be up to 20 degrees in the central belt of scotland. the

position of high pressure will be crucial, it will dominate the weather over the week ahead. it is sitting more to the east of the uk so that temperatures won't be quite as high in the south—east, the warmest of the air is pushing up towards the north—west of the uk, these temperatures are an improvement on what we have seen recently and it is going to be dry and they will be some sunshine, 16, i7 and they will be some sunshine, 16, 17 degrees for london and lincoln. higher temperatures in the north—west, looking at the low 20s for example around the marie firth and possibly 21 and livable. —— in liverpool.

this is bbc world news. the headlines... houthi rebels in yemen have confirmed that they plan to pull out of a port that is crucial to the flow of international aid. it's hoped the move will allow aid agencies to bring help to millions of people at risk of famine. officials in pakistan say a militant attack on a five—star hotel in balochistan province is over. all three attackers and one security guard died in the assault on the pearl continental in the port city of gwadar. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, has promised a fresh start after his party's election victory. the final results from wednesday's parliamentary vote give the governing african national congress just over 57%. anti—government protesters in france have struggled to mobilise support on the 26th consecutive saturday of demonstrations.