hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. 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 — but the withdrawal has also been met with skepticism and mistrust from the yemeni government. hodeida and a number of other smaller ports are crucial for the distribution of international aid, in a country where millions are on the verge of starvation. this report from our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, contains some distressing images. the first signs of life in a deal that was almost dead. today, fighters started pulling out from three key ports saying all their men will be out within four days. they had been in charge here for nearly five years. now the coastguard will be running yemen's vital gateway. they put on a show today. the yemeni government says it is

all a show. accusing houthi fighters of changing uniforms to keep their men in place. the houthi s accused them in their saudi lead backers of blocking any progress translation: now it is in the hand of the so—called government and the people of yemen who are trying to pressure those who are trying to pressure those who are trying to pressure those who are trying to obstruct this agreement. we cannot move forward unless other countries keep their promises. un vehicles were on the move today as well. it is up to them to monitor this fragile process. if this first step succeeds both sides are meant to withdraw their forces from this strategic area. it would help move yemen towards peace talks and away from a looming famine. almost all of its crucial aid and imports come through here. we anticipate and expect that as the port becomes

demilitarised that the united nations in the form of the delegation here will have unhindered access to carry out their responsibilities to support the port authority. this shocking starvation has come to symbolise yemen's plight. millions need aid but even more than that they need peace. 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 iooo%. chris buckler — our correspondent in washington — explained why over a0 states are filing these lawsuits. according to that investigation at times they seem to be doubling, tripling or as you mentioned, rising by over iooo%. sometimes with no

explanation whatsoever. and that is why the states have been looking into this and have now brought the lawsuit. they suggest that 20 of these companies along with 15 individuals have been involved in some kind of conspiracy to try and manipulate prices and also to try and restrict competition. of course, extremely serious charges. what they say they want to do is bring this suit to try and force change but to claim damages and try to ensure that drug prices remain lower. there are 20 companies and 15 individuals so we do not have a response from all of them but it seems clear that the majority of them, if not all, will fight this suit. we had a response from an israeli pharmaceutical giant which says they have done nothing wrong. they insist they broke no rules, have broken no laws. and what is included in this lawsuit are a number of claims. in the official

statement they say they set by high—quality medication to patients around the world while maintaining commitment to all laws and rules and they say they will continue to examine the issue eternally —— internally and there is nothing in their conduct that could lead to civilian or criminal accountability. but if you listen to any politicians here, including president trump, they say time and time again that americans are paying more than people in other parts of the world all medication and they cannot understand the reason for it. it is one of the rare issues in the us at the moment that unites republicans and democrats. they both want something done about it although they can't quite agree on what that should be. some democrats have suggested that they should try to tie the prices of these medications and these are generic drugs that are much cheaper than some of the brand names but the same job to tackle conditions and illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and the like. they feel if

they tied those prices of those generic medicines to the cost paid in another part of the world that would ensure that americans were getting a fair deal stop so far we have no proposals for legislation that will address this issue properly and i suspect it will be discussed a lot leading up to the 2020 presidential campaign. 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 saw 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 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. two french tourists —

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 national park in neighbouring benin last week. 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. you can follow all the latest analysis and developments on south african elections on our website. labour has announced plans to introduce a ten pounds an hour minimum wage for all workers, including those under the age of 18. at present 16— and i7—year—olds get less than adults, with the labour leaderjeremy corbyn saying society shouldn't be "discriminating

against young people." but some business leaders warn there's a risk employers may decide not to hire as many younger workers. here's our business correspondent katy austin. baristas, bar staff and fast—food workers are among those most likely to be on the lowest pay, and 16 and i7—year—olds can be paid less than their older colleagues. today, jeremy corbyn said he would change that. we will abolish the youth rate of the minimum wage. workers should be rewarded fortheirwork, not theirage. equal rights for workers means just that, irrespective of age, gender, nationality, or ethnicity. that would be a big change for some small businesses, like this cafe in north london. workers under the age of 18 are currently entitled to a minimum wage of

£4.35 per hour. just over half the amount of over 25s. labour has a plan for what it calls a real living wage of £10 per hour and it's now said that would extend to 16 and 17—year—olds, adding, it says, £2500 to the amount they earn on average every year. the owner here likes the idea, but fears it's not practical. it's nice, but i don't think many businesses will survive having a minimum wage at £10 an hour. i think 16 and 17—year—olds aren't experienced enough to be on £10 an hour. even though they'll probably be enthusiastic they don't have the life skills and experience. small businesses say they are already facing mounting cost pressures and they'd need more details on a labour promise to support them through a rise. questions have also been asked about the kind of impact it would have on the young. nearly all 16 and 17—year—olds live with their parents at home. most are being supported one way or another, so do they need £10 an hour?

mostly not. some no doubt would benefit from it, others would lose if they couldn't get the job in the first place because of the much higher wage being imposed. the conservatives told us under their government we've seen youth unemployment fall by half, the biggest increase in the minimum wage for under 25s in a decade, and the economy continue to grow, giving young people the security of a better future. at the moment the independent low pay commission advises the government on minimum wage levels. jeremy corbyn's proposal to shake up the system which governs the bottom rates of pay is one pitched squarely at the young. katy austin, bbc news. a man who suffered "horrendous injuries" after being shot with a crossbow in north wales, has died in hospital. gerald corrigan who was 7a, was hit outside his home in holyhead last month. police investigations are continuing. officials in pakistan say

an attack on a luxury hotel in the port city of gwadar in baluchistan 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 baluchistan liberation army, said it carried out the attack, saying it was targeting chinese and other foreign investors. gwadar is the centrepiece of a multi—billion—dollar chinese project, which militants say is little benefit to local people. our correspondent, secunder kermani — who's in islamabad — has more on how the attack unfolded. well, what we know is that three gunmen, we believe, entered the heavily guarded pearl continental hotel in the port city of gwadar, killing a security guard who was attempting to stop them. security forces then surrounded the gunman inside the hotel and engaged them in a gunfight. 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. the port city of 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. migrants who survived when their boat capsized off the coast of tunisia have given their account of the disaster in which at least 60 people drowned. initial reports said those on board were from sub—saharan africa. but the survivors say most of the passengers were from bangladesh. rahuljoglekar reports. 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 of just 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. italy doesn't want more migrants and is cracking down on those making this journey. this was the last voyage for the 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 arrived in europe from the mediterranean this year. that is a 17% drop from last year. but the un's refugee agency, the unchr, 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. 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. this is bbc news, the headlines: the un says houthi rebels trying to topple the government in yemen, are honouring a pledge to withdraw troops from key ports in the country. more on that story now. no hisham al omeysi,

a yemen analyst and activist, has more. in the same original position. right now, with a lot of pressure on the houthis, this is seen as a pr stunt. nothing more than that. there is no way we can verify the veracity of the claim that they actually did. the un believes this is a genuine withdrawal but that aside, could this at least be a first step towards trying to get aid into the year many people because the situation varies dire. the situation is indeed dire but they still go through hodeidah. —— aid goes through hodeidah. —— aid goes through hideto. —— hideto.

it goes through hideto. —— hideto. it goes through not just hodeidah through hideto. —— hideto. it goes through notjust hodeidah but other ports. it is a big step back towards the peace process. —— hodeidah. it has to be a step in the right direction. notjust the un, the many government. there is a reason why, it is not just government. there is a reason why, it is notjust the un that needed to observe this. the yemen government needed to be there. otherwise... the yemen government agreed to withdraw as well. they are not opposing this. they are not opposing it they also criticising the that they are not there observing the withdrawal. what is there to lose because if the hootly aren't genuinely withdrawing from hodeidah and other ports, the stockholm agreement will surely collapse. —— houthi. this is at least a possible positive step.

that is true. we still have three days to see if they actually did indeed withdraw. it rises from the fact that they pulled the same stunt and nothing changed on the ground. this is why everybody is sceptical. the us insists it doesn't want warwith iran, after sending a second navy ship to the middle east amid growing tensions. another air craft 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. tehran has retaliated by threatening to cut off access to the strategic strait of hormuz,

through which about one —ifth of all oil consumed globally passes. —— about a fifth of all oil. 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. bradley sourden, abc news. —— briony sowden. the government has admitted that, concerns over climate change, might restrict the growth of aviation in the uk. a senior civil servant says ministers may have to review their strategy,

including plans to expand heathrow. it follows a recent warning from the ‘committee on climate change', which advises the government that the planned increase in aviation would need to be curbed to control carbon emissions. our environment analyst, roger harrabin, reports. -- bbc —— bbc news. flying is on the up and the government has been planning for it to continue to grow. what about climate change, you might ask? under current policy, industry will have to cut more greenhouse gases so aviation can expand. but the government is now considering a plan to virtually eliminate emissions by 2050. and a civil servant has admitted in a letter to a green group that it may have to take note of advice from the independent climate change committee, saying that although people could continue to fly while meeting climate change targets, it was not possible for aviation to keep on

expanding. in the end, i think the logic of this is completely inevitable. we know that we have to reduce our emissions urgently and radically and expanding them is going in the opposite direction. itjust does not make sense and i don't think the public want to see the government committing to a plan that is inconsistent with a safe and prosperous future for all of us. any policy change may affect controversial plans to expand heathrow. it definitely means the government will have to think hard about whether aviation can continue to grow at a time of what parliament calls a climate emergency. roger harrabin, bbc news. it's been called the olympics of the art world, attracting big names, big money and big crowds. the venice art biennale opened on saturday with 90 national pavilions, each featuring the work of artists, commissioned to represent the host country. our arts editor, will gompertz, has been checking them out.

if a city could ever be called a work of art, surely it is venice? that man—made masterpiece rising out of a salty lagoon, with its magnificent palazzos, shimmering canals and napoleonic gardens. at the end of which is the british pavilion. a neoclassical building that plays host to a disturbing and, at times, brutal installation by the artist, cathy wilkes, whose display of eerie mannequins and household objects is representing britain at the 2019 venice art biennale. she trained in belfast, as did the sculptor eva rothschild, who has filled the irish pavilion with an array of materials and shapes that create a sort of landscape of art to wander through — and to climb on. to talk about the biennale's founding idea, dating back over 100 years, an artist representing a country. is there an argument against it? that it's an anachronism? i think there could be, if it happened everywhere. i think it's the fact that it is anachronistic and it is the only thing. i mean, if every major art exhibition was themed around national identity, i think that would be deeply problematic. but this is the only

one. and venice itself is an anomaly. i mean, who can believe it exists? not far away, across a narrow canal, is a welsh pavilion, where the cardiff—based artist sean edwards has created a forest of art. it's based on woodlands on the estate where i grew up in llanedeyrn in cardiff. and how these woodlands where the boundary of the estate as you grew up... so there was this idea that what is actually a boundary suddenly becomes an open space that leads you on to somewhere else. i've come from the welsh pavilion, which is just down the canal there, walked over this wooden bridge and arrived at this spot, which is the scottish pavilion. up until a couple of months ago it was a working boatyard. but the vessels have moved out and art has moved in, with charlotte prodger, the turner prize—winning artist, showing the third in her trilogy of films, which is a memoir or love, loss and queer identity. and it's in this space, which is a rather disorientating black

hole. voiceover: you have visited what that meant, don't you? idid. and after that, it was like a switch went off and i didn't go back. there are 90 national pavilions competing for this year's prestigious golden lion. every one is fascinating in its own way, revealing not only how a country sees itself but also how it wants to be seen. will gompertz, bbc news, venice. just before we go, a huge waterspout surprised singapore residents on saturday morning. videos were posted on social media showing the waterspout swirling off singapore's southern shore — with witnesses saying it lasted for around 20 minutes. the local environment agency say there are generally three waterspout occu rances each year. they form when strong winds occur over water. very impressive and appropriately, the weather

now with darren bett. a few showers around on saturday. a good day for chasing rainbows. pretty much everywhere is dry now, mind you. as we head out towards the morning, a frost in scotland won't be too far away from freezing. elsewhere across the uk and a cold night for east anglia and the south—east. you might see mist and fog patches. high—pressure building and right around the uk, fog patches. high—pressure building and rightaround the uk, limiting the chance of seeing a shower. the shunt —— sunshine might turn hazy at times. a good deal of sunshine. as you can see, limited amount of conviction. you might get in isolated light shower over the peaks, the pennines and maybe the downs in the south—east. more dry weather around more widely and for most of us, temperatures are higher than they were on saturday. mind

you, as than they were on saturday. mind you , as we than they were on saturday. mind you, as we head into the evening, it gets chilly very easy — make very easily as the sun goes down was a bit won't be as cold in scotland. ——. maybe escaping a frost. this is the story as we head into next week stop high—pressure, dry weather, more in the way of sunshine and as a result, it will feel warmer, much better than it has been over the last week or so. we still have some apache cloud around i think on monday. the sunshine probably a little bit hey —— hazy in places was stop — make some apache cloud. — make some —— some patchy was up,

suddenly wins into scotland. high—pressure sitting where it is. the air towards the south—east of the uk won't be as warm with the warmest air the uk won't be as warm with the warmestairand the uk won't be as warm with the warmest air and the highest temperatures more towards the north—west. we are still better than we have been. 17 or maybe 18 degrees here in the south—east of the uk. we have more of an easterly breeze whereas if you had the north—west of the uk, it is more of a southerly breeze that would will be warmer in the north—west of england and ireland, particularly scotland, temperatures as high as 23 or 2a celsius.

this is bbc news, the headlines 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. it marks the first significant step in a ceasefire agreement brokered by the

un last december. an attack on a luxury hotel in pakistan has ended with the deaths of all three gunmen. at least one security guard at the pearl continental hotel was killed. a militant group said it carried out the attack, saying it was targeting chinese and other foreign investors. labour has announced plans to introduce a ten pounds an hour minimum wage for all workers, including those under the age of 18. at the moment 16— and 17—year—olds get less than adults. jeremy corbyn said society shouldn't be "discriminating against young people." now it's time for dateline london.