against her in her legal battle with the mail on sunday. the duchess is suing the paper for publishing a letter she sent to her father. we'll have all the latest from our royal correspondent. the government rescue deal for flybe is branded a misuse of public funds by a number of other airlines. 60 people, including children, are treated for breathing difficulties, after a passenger plane dumped fuel over several schools in california. one of the most active volcanos in the philippines is close to erupting, say experts — tens of thousands of homes have been evacuated.

the us house of representatives will vote shortly on impeachment charges against president trump — with a trial likely to begin next week. and coming up on bbc news. some of tennis‘ biggest stars help raise over £2.5 million in an exhibition event for the australian bushfire relief efforts. good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the duchess of sussex‘s father, thomas markle, is prepared to testify against his daughter in her legal battle with the mail on sunday. the duchess is suing the paper for publishing a letter she sent to her father. meghan‘s half—sister samantha markle says if her father is called to give

evidence he will attend. high court documents have revealed that he forms part of the newspaper's defence. it comes as meghan made her first public appearance in canada since she and prince harry said they would step back as full—time royals. sarah campbell reports. stepping back from royal duties but still a campaigner. this is meghan yesterday at the east side women's centre in vancouver. she flew back last week, the day after she and prince harry informed the world and the royal family of their plans, which will include basing themselves in canada for at least part of the time. locals on vancouver island are getting used to the idea. very exciting. well, ithink getting used to the idea. very exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice break for them exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice breakfor them to come exciting. well, i think maybe it is a nice break for them to come to canada and chill with nice canadians. i think it is a nice move. beautiful place i know they have visited before and they liked it. happy to have them obviously.

the couple's unhappiness with the press coverage they have received is believed to be one reason by their decision to cease being senior working royals, it was announced last october meghan was suing the owners of the mail on sunday for the publication of extracts from a letter she sent to her estranged father thomas. the paper's defence rely also on telling his side of the story and his eldest daughter said today if her father is called to give evidence he will do so, raising the prospect of a potentially damaging case. if this case is to be determined, mr markle will have to give evidence, and i think there is more than likely to be a face off, u nless more than likely to be a face off, unless of course there is a settle m e nt unless of course there is a settlement between the newspaper and meghan markle. the court papers have already revealed details of what may be heard in evidence. in the run up to the couple's wedding in 2018, mr

markle 58 ledges he had been planning to attend and walk his daughter down the aisle. however he had to undergo and emergency heart procedure and texted meghan to say doctors wouldn't allow him to fly. he said he receives a text back accusing him of causing hurt to meghan. mr markle responded via text: the court documents state meghan and her father haven't spoken since the wedding and thomas markle has yet to mean his son—in—law harry or grandson archie. today in bradford, prince william and catherine going about royal duties, but well—wishers‘s thoughts here are with meghan and harry.” think they need do what is right for them and i think good on them, they have a young family now and your perspective changes. it is important

the royal family are seen as people. it is quite brave as well. sol the royal family are seen as people. it is quite brave as well. so i say good luck to them. following the queen's statement, sanctioning the new life away from royal duties desired by harry and meghan discussions are continuing behind closed doors to see exactly how this might work in practise. and sarahjoins me now. so thomas markle not definitely appearing but prepared to do so. yes, i think it is fair to say it has been no secret meghan has had a difficult relationship with her family members over the last few yea rs, family members over the last few years, and samantha markle, her eldest sister has been the most vocal among them. when the bbc contacted her, in the us where she lives now and asked directly whether meghan's father thomas markle will give evidence in relationship with herfamily give evidence in relationship with her family members over the last few yea rs, her family members over the last few years, and samantha markle, her eldest sister has been the most vocal among them. when the bbc contacted her, in the us where she lives now and asked directly whether

meghan's father thomas markle will give evidence in court, her exact words were "if he is called, he will come." so that is not from his mouth, that is from her mouth, but the strong implication there being that if this case is brought to course, her own father may be willing to give evidence against her. the fact we have got these court document, they were put on a website last night, by the group in charge of associated newspapers is this ratcheting up of the ante just to show exactly what this court case could involve, an airing of extremely personal detail. very hurtful detail, no doubt. and we don't know if that is the case but clearly if this does go to court, potentially this could be very damaging, certainly for meghan and harry but also for the royal family. thank you sarah. the government rescue plan for the loss—making airline flybe has been branded a misuse of public funds by a number of rivals. last night the government told flybe it could defer payment of a substantial air passenger duty bill, and shareholders agreed to inject additional investment.

but willie walsh, the chief executive of iag, which owns british airways, is among those who've questioned the deal — saying taxpayers would be picking up the tab for the airline's mismanagement — and has now filed a complaint with the european commission, in relation to rules about state aid. the government says any changes to taxes would apply to all airlines. our business correspondent simon gompertz reports. flybe's now become a target in the intense rivalry between the world's major airlines. it's part owned by virgin atlantic, which itself is part owned by one of the biggest carriers of all, delta. so british airways has gone on the attack. willie walsh, the ultimate boss of ba, argues that virgin and delta have the resources to rescue flybe themselves, and the taxpayer was picking up the tab for their mismanagement of the airline. he added, "this is a blatant misuse of public funds." flybe is the latest in a succession of troubled uk travel companies. last year, it was thomas cook,

with 9,000 jobs, which the government decided not to save. ministers have moved quickly to defend their approach this time. the government isn't in the market to bail out private companies. what we do, on a case by case basis, is look to see whether a business is viable. the difference, for example, between flybe and thomas cook was that in the case of thomas cook it had huge amounts of debt, and any taxpayers' money would have simply been throwing good money after bad. it was not a viable company. it is understood that the flybe rescue package involves the government allowing it to defer £100 million of tax, the air passenger duty, which it collects from travellers and is then supposed to pass on the the exchequer. also at least £80 million shareholders, including virgin and stobart air, and a possible loan from the government in the future. flybe is relied on by smaller airports round the uk, and the government was under

pressure to step in to back its promise to level up the regions. the chancellor's agreed to review the £26 of flight air passenger duty on these routes, provoking criticism from environmental campaigners. but overall, the package has kept flybe flying. regional fly is traditionally a difficult market to work in. some routes can never be made to actually pay, and there's actually a mechanism, something called public service obligation, where a tender can be made and operators can fly certain routes on a subsidised basis, but the rest has to stand on its own two feet on a normal commercial basis, so this is looking rather politically murky at the moment for the government. but 2,400 staff at flybe are hartley relieved today, along with all those who have booked to fly in the coming days and weeks, and now have more confidence they will get where they want to go. our business editor simon gompertz is here.

where is this going now? ba has written to the european commission? the backlash is growing, because ba has put in this complaint, questioning whether the rescues package breaches state aid rules and those rules are in place to make sure that government subsidies don't distort competition with private operators competing with each other for our benefit. so they have put that in and we have had easyjet and ryanair criticising the that in and we have had easyjet and rya nair criticising the deal as well. so, trying to block it in some cases, what the airlines do like is the idea of reviewing air passenger duty which they hate, £26 for a return flight. the question there will be where the line is drawn, if the treasury reviews it and cuts it 01’ the treasury reviews it and cuts it or eliminates it for some flights andi or eliminates it for some flights and i think the other big question mark over all of this is what happens if this rescue package isn't enough, and in the next few months, 01’ years, enough, and in the next few months, or years, flybe comes back and says

we would like more money please, that would be a huge headache for ministers. yes, all right for now, thank you. simon gompertz. the ta'al volcano, one of the most active in the philippines, is continuing to release ash more than half a mile into the sky. nearly 40,000 people have been moved out of the area because volcanologists say a dangerous eruption could happen within hours — but despite that warning, some people have been returning to their homes to check on the livestock they've left behind. howard johnson sent this report. they've declared a state of calamity here, and it's clear to see why. but despite the continued threat of a hazardous eruption, some people are returning to their family homes. margie and noel vargas own a small plot of land in the vicinity of the volcano. they grow vegetables and breed chickens for a living. but their lives were turned upside down on sunday when ta'al began erupting.

translation: around four in the afternoon, we panicked. we saw a huge smoke cloud coming from the volcano and we could smell something awful. ash began falling with small stones and soil. we evacuated because some people said that there would be a tsunami on the lake next to ta'al. we became scared. noel says he wanted to return to his house today to check on his livestock. but he found that many of his birds were in a sorry state. noel is showing me a fighting cock here. it's a popular sport in the philippines. and the bird here is covered in dust and ash. he said a lot of the birds were affected when he left his five were affected when he left his farm to seek safety in a shelter, an evacuation centre. and other chickens are in a bad state, you can see one at the back with what looks like a broken wing. the philippine department of agriculture says the thick ash has caused more than $10 million worth of damage to livestock and crops.

noel is showing us his vegetable patch, he grows squash. but he says that the condition of these plants now is so bad that he can't harvest them and he can't take them to market for sale. today, state seismologists say although the eruptions in the main crater have been weaker in the last 2a hours, residents evacuated from the 1a kilometre danger zone should not be lulled into a false sense of security and return to their homes. howard johnson, bbc news. there's growing speculation that the bank of england may cut interest rates later this month, after the uk's inflation rate fell to its lowest level for more than three years. the consumer prices index rate was 1.3% in december — down from 1.5% in november. our economics correspondent andy verity is here. how has this changed the picture for the economy? it is down beat, this is lower than we expected. the consensus was 1.5%.

you have a few specific items pulling the cost of living down, the rise in the cost of living down from where it might have been. so cheaper hotel room, they fell by about 7, 8% and clothing, there have been big discounts on women's clothing. if you look at that in the round, and you look at that in the round, and you ask yourself the question is there inflation coming down the pipeline? then you can look at producer price, the producer prices tracks the cost for example prowsers of clothes or food, manufacturers are paying for their raw materials coming in. that was down slightly, down 0.1%, that coming in. that was down slightly, down 0.1 %, that indicate coming in. that was down slightly, down 0.1%, that indicate there's is very little pressure coming there the pipeline, so the question is no longer are we worried about prices taking off, more is to do with are we worried that economic growth is what we hoped it might be and that is what the monetary policy committee will be keeping an eye on. with the contraction of the economy in november when it shrank and grew

by o.1%, in november when it shrank and grew by 0.1%, the prediction is from the markets, that actually the probability of a rate cut now by the end of the month, 62.5% it was this morning, that was the implied probability that the bank of england would cut rates to 0.5% from 0.75% when they meet, it depends really on the figures in the coming week, the hope hag been we will have a bounce, that now we have all that brexit uncertainty out of way, we have had the election result. confidence will come back and consumers and businesses will start to spend and invest more, but some of the members of the committee are by no means sure of that. they will be watching the data like a hawk. all right. thank you. at least 60 people, many of them children, have been treated for breathing problems and skin irritation, after a passenger plane dumped fuel over a number of schools as it made an emergency landing in los angeles. an investigation has been launched — although fuel is allowed to be released in an emergency,

it is meant to be done over designated areas and at high altitude. richard galpin reports. you could hear schoolchildren playing outside as this delta air lines passenger jet playing outside as this delta air lines passengerjet flies directly over them dumping thousands of litres of aviation fuel. eventually an adult realises it is dangerous. that cannot be good! the emergency services were soon called out to several schools in the region. more than 60 people, many of them children commit needed treatment for minor injuries. worried parents rushed to find their children. minor injuries. worried parents rushed to find their childrenlj minor injuries. worried parents rushed to find their children. i was scared. i was scared, we were all scared. i was scared, we were all scared. none of the patients required transportation to hospital which is a great sign and obviously means that the irritations were minor. the affected areas of the

children or adults that were complaining were minor. in a statement delta air lines said... the dumping of the fuel is now being investigated by the authorities. it is supposed to be done at high altitude and over unpopulated areas. until something more services and given that it appears that the aircraft did not request fuel jettison but the airline subsequently confirmed that it appears to be highly questionable. in emergency situations jettisoning fuel can be vital but could the plane have gone out to sea to

prevent causing injuries? richard galpin, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime. the duchess of sussex‘s father is prepared to testify against her in her legal battle with the mail on sunday. and still to come — medical experts question why many different mesh implants are used by the nhs to treat hernias, without proper assessment. and in the sport on bbc news. england all rounder ben stokes is named the men's cricketer of the year by the international cricket council following his world cup heroics and ashes display at headingley. six of the democratic presidential contenders have clashed during a televised debate in iowa, with the sharpest exchanges on the issue of whether a woman could win the election against donald trump. the biggest applause of the night went to elizabeth warren, who said the two women on the stage

had won more elections than the four men, while bernie sanders again denied ever telling her that a woman could not win the presidency. our correspondent, gary o'donoghue, reports from des moines. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome tonight's candidates. and then there were six. six white people on the cnn stage for the last democratic debate before the voting begins. but it was the issue of gender that was the focus of a row between the two left of centre candidates, bernie sanders and elizabeth warren, after senator sanders was accused of saying a woman couldn't beat donald trump. why did you say that? well, as a matter of fact, i didn't say it. and i don't want to waste a whole lot of time on this because this is what donald trump and maybe some of the media want. the sanders campaign first called the accusation ludicrous, then said there had been crossed wires. elizabeth warren sidestepped

an outright row. what did you think when senator sanders told you a woman could not win the election? laughter. i disagreed. can a woman beat donald trump? look at the men on this stage. collectively they have lost ten elections. the only people on this stage who have won every single election that they've been in are the women. former vice presidentjoe biden took the opportunity to make his case that he was the candidate that could move beyond identity politics and unite the opposition against donald trump. but the real issue is who can bring the whole party together and represent all elements of the party. african americans, brown, black, women, men, gay, straight. the fact of the matter is that, i would argue that in terms of endorsements around the country, endorsements wherever we go, i'm the one who has the broadest coalition of anyone running up here. foreign affairs was always

going to make an appearance in this debate after the killing of qasem soleimani and the brinksmanship with iran. so what about those us troops? there were differences on whether they should be brought home. i would leave some troops there but not at the level that donald trump is taking us right now. no, i think we need to get our combat troops out. you know, we have to stop this mindset that we can do everything with combat troops. we can continue to remain engaged without having an endless commitment of ground troops. while sparks didn't exactly fly tonight, there were tensions between the two progressive candidates. and it was clear at the end of the debate that they weren't happy with one another. none of the four frontrunners could have claimed a knockout blow tonight. but for those candidates still in single digits, this could have been the final roll of the dice. gary o'donoghue, bbc news, at the democratic debate

in des moines, iowa. the impeachment process against donald trump will reach a critical moment later this afternoon when the house of representatives votes to send formal charges against the president to the senate for trial. democrats in the lower house say they will include new evidence that mr trump abused his power and obstructed congress. the senate impeachment trial is likely to start next week. ben wright is in washington. it has been a lengthy progress but todayit it has been a lengthy progress but today it feels it could be a significant day in all of this. this isa significant day in all of this. this is a milestone moment because donald trump will be only the third american president to be tried in the senate and today it will be dramatic. in the next couple of hours house democrats will announce who the impeachment managers are going to become the people who will prosecute this trial in the senate and then shortly after that we

expect the articles of impeachment to be carried from the house of representatives to the capitol building under the dome to the senate where they will be read out to senators and the charge against donald trump spelt out to the nation. then perhaps soon after that the chiefjustice will be brought over from the supreme court to be sworn in and he will then swear in the senators who will act as the jury. so quite a dramatic day with a lot of political theatre in the trial itself then gets going next week. we expect it to be on tuesday. for weeks now there's been an argument about whether new evidence should form part of the trial and last night the democrats released dozens last night the democrats released d oze ns of last night the democrats released dozens of messages and text messages from rudy giuliani who of course is the personal lawyer to donald trump saying that they show how he was seeking to put pressure on ukraine to unearth evidence that could damagejoe to unearth evidence that could damage joe biden who to unearth evidence that could damagejoe biden who of course once to be the presidential nomination for the democratic party. so a big i’ow for the democratic party. so a big row going on as the child kicks off,

few in washington expect donald trump to be convicted and turfed out of office because the republicans control the senate but for a few weeks the spotlight will be very much again on donald trump and his character and judgment. ben wright, thank you. one in six women who lose a baby in early pregnancy have experienced symptoms of post—traumatic stress, including nightmares and flashbacks, many months later. a new study says say women need more sensitive and specific care after a miscarriage, to deal with its psychological impact. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. baby ivy, a little miracle. she was eventually born after her mother laura worsley had lost 13 pregnancies. laura says the miscarriages were heartbreaking. it was the one thing i wanted and i had to just keep trying. at times i felt really low and like i thought, i couldn't see a future

without a baby. and sometimes i questioned my existence, but that was the way i felt, how it made me feel. researchers say that for some losing a pregnancy can be the most traumatic event in their life. the study of 650 women led by imperial college london found a month after their loss, 29% of women showed signs of post—traumatic stress disorder. that dropped to 18% after nine months. it is estimated as many as one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. zoe clark coates runs a charity providing counselling for women who have been through miscarriage, she has had five herself and says women need more support. you hear from so many people who are suffering from ptsd and sadly often gps and medical professionals tell them it is just grief, so they are not offered the appropriate treatment. so it is great news this study has been done,

because it can mean for so many people they get offered the treatment they need. the researchers say the support women receive must improve. they suggest after a miscarriage women should be screened to see who needs the most help, and for specific treatments for ptsd to be made more widely available. laura would certainly welcome better support. i think it is very easyjust to dismiss it as one of those things, and you can try again and it will happen again, but it is not the case of that, it is a very traumatic time that obviously stays with you. it doesn't matter what stage you are at in your pregnancy, you have still lost something and everything is out of your control, that is another thing, you feel helpless. the next stage in the research will look at how to identify women most at risk of developing post—traumatic stress disorder after a miscarriage, and which psychological therapies will help them best. sophie hutchinson, bbc news.

medical experts have questioned why so many different mesh implants are used by the nhs to treat hernias, without proper assessment. it comes after the bbc‘s victoria derbyshire programme revealed that nhs trusts have purchased more than 100 different devices over a six year period. the mesh can cut into tissue and nerves — some people have been left unable to walk, care for children, or work. anna collinson reports. i no longer go to the gym. i no longer have the job that i loved doing and trained hard to go into. i don't have the freedom that i once had. roseanna clarkin had a hernia mesh repair in 2015. the 36—year—old said she was told recovery would take weeks, but now lives with chronic pain and is disabled. i shouldn't be living the life i am living. i struggle to dress myself. if i am not ready by the time my husband is away for work, i have to get my nine—year—old son to tie my shoes.

hernia repair is one of the world's most common surgical procedures. the majority of operations use mesh, and many go well, but international guidelines estimate one in ten patients will experience significant chronic pain. for decades, there has been a loophole in medical device regulation, where new products can be approved if they are shown to be similar to older devices, even if they have not specifically undergone rigorous clinical testing themselves. using freedom of information requests, we can reveal nhs trusts in england and scotland have purchased more than 100 different types of mesh to treat hernias. medical device experts are now concerned the nhs is using too many devices with little or no clinical evidence on safety. can you explain why more than 100 meshes is a concern for patients? there is no chance 100 can have evidence of effectiveness, not least because there just isn't 100 randomised trials in this area.

therefore some of these have no evidence attached to them whatsoever, and they have to go immediately. the bbc‘s victoria derbyshire programme has also been leaked a promotional video which was made over a decade ago, and funded by one of the biggest mesh manufacturers in the world. the footage shows a surgeon describing one type of mesh as been broken after being inside a patient. they shrink, they become more brittle. you can see how stiff this mesh is. this is a mesh tumour, and you can see what it looks like on the back table, how hard this mesh is. but we have found this type of mesh is still being sold by ethicon, and used by the nhs. ethicon says it stands by the safety and performance of all of its mesh products, which it says are rigorously tested and monitored. it says all evidence needs to be considered before drawing conclusions about a device. the regulator for medical devices, the mhra, says there is clinical need for mesh devices, but recognises

the system needs strengthening. new legislation is due to be brought out in may. anna collinson, bbc news. the former england, chelsea and juventus striker eni aluko has retired from football. it ends a career that's included five fa cups, three league titles — and 102 caps for england. aluko left italian club juventus in december, after nearly 18 months with the serie a champions and had been tipped to return to the women's super league. time for a look at the weather. here's mel coles. to date offers many areas the chance to draw breath after what has been a storming start to the week and we're seeing some emerging spells of sunshine. it has been quite a lot of cloud around this morning and looking at the atlantic we have this bank of cloud wringing wet and windy

weather on thursday. back