this is bbc news. i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. more airstrikes and rocket fire between israel and palestinian militants. attacks continue despite reports that the two sides are close to agreeing a ceasefire. serious differences, but talks are constructive — foreign ministers from the us amd russia meet on the sidelines of the arctic council in iceland. politicians and the ioc insist the tokyo olympics are safe, but public opposition intensifys. and american actor billy porter says no to stigma — he shares with the world he's been hiv positive for the past iii—years.

hello and thanks forjoining us. there's been another night of sustained israeli airstrikes on gaza despite reports that the two sides are close to agreeing a ceasefire. earlier, a senior hamas official said he was predicting a pause within days. president biden has called on israel for a serious de—escalation. the conflict has already cost more than 200 lives, including dozens of children. mark lobel reports. more trauma and tears in a gaza hospital. behind this crowd, a palestinian father killed alongside his pregnant wife and daughter after an israeli air strike hit their home

as they cooked a family meal. israel continues to shoot down rockets fired from gaza. a near miss here as an israeli family fled this house moments before a rocket struck. the us presidentjoe biden has told benjamin netanyahu he expects a significant de—escalation. i do think that president biden has been appropriate and actively engaged, although today's public statement may be the first time he is making it clear that he is applying some pressure. the israeli prime minister says he is determined to carry on until calm and security are restored to israeli citizens. outlining his strategy for dealing with hamas to foreign ambassadors in tel aviv. there are only two ways that you can deal with them. you can either conquer them, and that's always an open possibility, or you can deter them, and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence, but i have to say we do not rule out anything. for a watertight ceasefire to emerge soon, israel will want to prove it has deterred hamas from attacking

israel for some time, especially after hamas launched rockets atjerusalem in solidarity with the wider palestinian cause. but for any endgame on the horizon, a political process will need to rise from the ashes. translation: our work is now focused on stopping the israeli | aggression against our people injerusalem, the west bank and gaza. and then entering a serious political process under clear international backing that leads to ending the israeli occupation of the lands in the state of palestine. as the conflict enters its 11th day, it's notjust arabs in occupied lands who need reassurance but those living within the state of israel. unexpected violence between israel's jewish majority and arab minority is now an open wound that

needs serious attention. mark lobel, bbc news. earlier our reporter from gaza, rushdi abualouf, told us how this night was for people over there. long and very busy for most of the people in gaza, especially in the northern part of gaza city. it's been hit hard according to locals. i can hearfrom my house, the sound of air strikes, it has been terrifying this area, smoke was rising up was rising up to the sky, according to locals. some infrastructure, some military sides, presumed to be of hamas were targeted along with a main road link with the city. that caused a major power cut to most of the city. you can see that as part of the power cut. this morning, the health

ministry released a statement five minutes ago saying that 32 year old woman was killed the fighting continues for the 11th day now. yesterday it was intense, about 150 rockets were fired, targeting cities and towns in the south of israel. hamas, a senior leader last night said we are close to a ceasefire. it is a matter of a day until we reach a ceasefire. and the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu said last night said the

operation would continue. let's get some of the day's other news. the us house of representives has voted to go ahead with a bipartisan commission to investigate the siege of the capitol building by donald trump supporters in january. the commission would be charged with examining security and intelligence failures surrounding the riot in which trump's supporters interrupted the formal congressional certification ofjoe biden�*s election victory after an incendiary speech by his predecessor. five people died in the violence. special belgian police units are searching for a heavily armed soldier with far—right views who they believe poses a serious threat. the suspect has been named asjurgen conings, a military instructor who took weapons from a barracks. he is said to have made threats in the past against virologist marc van ranst, who led belgium's public health response to coronavirus. a french court is expected to decide whether more than 2,500 women, including many from the uk, who were victims of the pip breast implant scandal should receive compensation.

a german company which awarded safety certificates for the faulty implants, is being sued for negligence. thousands of women have suffered a range of medical problems as a result of the implants. there have been some wild fluctuations in the price of cryptocurrencies, after china imposed new restrictions on their use. at one point, bitcoin was trading at less than half the all time high it reached just last month, and its value fell by 20% in the course of an hour. it later regained lost ground. a new law banning abortion from as early as six weeks has been signed in the us state of texas. the texas heartbeat act, as it's called, bans abortions after the detection of what anti—abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat. but medical authorities say this term is misleading.

and unlike past anti—abortion laws, this one gives individuals the right to sue doctors who perform abortions after six weeks. meanwhile, of course, most women are unaware they are pregnant before six weeks. drucilla tigner is the texas reproductive rights political strategist for the american civil liberties union, shejoins me now from houston. how unusual is this law? this law is very — how unusual is this law? this law is very unusual, - how unusual is this law? this law is very unusual, it - how unusual is this law? this law is very unusual, it is - law is very unusual, it is the first of its kind in texas at least, we have not seen an abortion ban this early in gestation period in texas since roe v wade was decided, and it is very unusual nationally. several states have passed similar laws that have banned abortion at six weeks gestation, this is the only law that would be enforced by allowing anyone to sue anyone in the world, and abortion

provider, nurse, counsellor, anyone who supports a patient who needs care, it subjects them to unlimited liability, so in that way it is very unique and extreme stuff given the doctors and clinics could be leaving themselves open to unlimited liability, in your view does that mean that they are therefore going to be unlikely to provide these services or continue to provide these services to the women of texas? if i was a doctor, it would give me pause, and we are fighting a very similar law within texas city, and i know the abortion provider there is also considering not providing care if that law goes into effect, and that would be on june one, so this will have a very extreme, chilling effect on the ability of providers to provide care and for people in texas to receive care. that way it really could shut down the

vast majority of clinics and taxes if it was able to go into effect. . ._ , , effect. there will always be demand for _ effect. there will always be demand for an _ effect. there will always be demand for an abortion, i demand for an abortion, wherever in the world we are talking. where does this leave the women of texas in finding those services, if the clinics are under this unlimited liability, and therefore in your view unlikely to provide a service? , ., , your view unlikely to provide a service? , . , ., , service? this law is really designed _ service? this law is really designed to _ service? this law is really| designed to push abortion back into the shadows. as you said, there will always be a need for abortion, and we know that people with means will always be able to seek out care, the care that they need. it's the people who are low income who do not have the ability to travel hundreds of miles, to cross state lines, that will be disproportionately impacted by this. ., , , ., this. where does this leave organisation _ this. where does this leave organisation such _ this. where does this leave organisation such as - this. where does this leave organisation such as yours | this. where does this leave - organisation such as yours that wish to challenge this law?

this law is clearly unconstitutional under the current framework of the united states. abortion is a fundamental right, it is protected by the constitution, and while this is a little bit different, every single other state in the past with similar laws, and every single one of those states has had their law blocked by a court, and while this law is different, the harm is the same. with the unlimited liability we expect that abortion will be pushed out of reach for the vast majority of texans, and as a result, our mission is to protect the fundamental rights and the constitutional rights of all texans, and all options are certainly on the table and how we can fight back against this. thank you very much for your time. the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov,

the president of the international olympic committee has insisted that they can go ahead safely. opposition is intensifying with the opposition facing growing number of coronavirus cases in a slow—moving vaccination programme. shouting. never before has the summer olympics face such overwhelming opposition from the people of the host nation. as japan's covid pandemic continues to get worse, the opposition is growing louder and more prominent. it's an old photo from world war ii of japanese children training to fight the americans with bamboo spears. except now the enemy is covid. "no vaccines," it reads, "no drugs, are we supposed to fight the virus with bamboo spears?" the head of japanese online retailer, rakuten, is also making headlines. he described holding the olympics now as a suicide mission. even those who have signed up

as olympic volunteers are saying it is time to stop. definitely so. i don't hear people saying, "we should have the event." i never hear about it. they're just hoping, you know, that they're going to cancel the event. i think that's the public main opinion. while the virus is now well into its fourth wave here, japan, has barely begun vaccinations. so far, just 3% received a single shot. this is the city of nagoya, in centraljapan. and i've come here because this city has just been placed under a state of emergency because of rapidly raising covid infections i've also come because medical workers here are up in arms that they are being requested to volunteer at the olympic village in tokyo, when they're desperately needed in hospitals here. this young nurse who doesn't

want to show her face has watched the covid unit in her hospital filled to capacity. translation: we already don't have enough staff in hospital- beds for covid patients. people are already dying at home because they can't get into the hospital. they want 500 nurses to volunteer for the olympics. that means more covid patients won't get the care they need. far to the north of the amid the rice fields of niigata, the small town of kamo has been preparing to host the russian gymnastics team. some of kamo's young gymnasts are trying out the new equipment, specially installed for the russians. takashi ikarashi tells me the town spent over a $500,000 us on all of this. because of covid, the russian team will now never use it. long—timejapan resident and sports promoter robert maes thinks there is one very obvious solution. to delay the olympics again.

whenever you asked the people in charge, "why would you not even consider 2022?" there's really no answer. there is only, like, very direct and firm, "we will not organise in 2022, it's now or never." i argue for the exact opposite, because i think that everybody involved here is better off with an organisation in 2022. it may already be too late for another delay, it looks like the olympics will either go ahead or be cancelled. but for these young gymnasts in kamo, the excitement they once had a welcoming the world to japan this summer is already a fading memory. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in niigata, northern japan. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: american actor billy porter says no to stigma — he shares with the world he's been hiv positive

for the past iii—years. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it's become the first country in the world to approve the change in the national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far! - but suddenly, the police - are tear—gassing the crowd — we don't yet know why! the pre—launch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least,

it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: airstrikes in gaza and israeli cities have continued but a senior hamas official has predicted a ceasefire within days. international pressure is mounting to end the violence we report from japan where politicians and the ioc insist the tokyo olympics are safe, but polls show a majority want the event delayed further or cancelled. the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, has said his first meeting with the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has been constructive. the two men held almost two hours of talks in iceland on the sidelines of a meeting of the arctic council. us state department officials said talks had been business—like but there had been no breakthroughs. will grant reports

from washington. the two nations need to work together on a variety of issues. i think this was an opportunity on the sidelines of this arctic council summer to have a bit of face—to—face contact. the secretary of state, blinken, said biden administration wanted with russia was a predictable and stable relationship. both men went on to set out how difficult that would be. this was perhaps a first step on the path. i think the nord stream two, the pipeline that will supply gas to germany is a huge and vital piece of infrastructure for germany and russia and it is at either —— a very developed stage of development. the state department after this meeting did announce some restrictions there would be waived. on the company that is

making the pipeline, on its ceo, on a number of its senior figures, the sanctions there will be waived which i think is some form of olive branch at the very least. you will end up having a slightly illogical situation where the ships building this pipeline still have sanctions placed on them while the company behind the project doesn't. nevertheless, i think it is seen as a step in the right direction by moscow. let's catch up with all the latest sport now. hello, i'm gavin ramjaun with the latest from the bbc sport centre. juventus have won a record extending 14th coppa italia — beating atalanta 2—i. federico chiesa's goal proved the difference between the sides. the win salvagesjuve's season somewhat, after failing to win a 10th serie a title in a row. the club are also still hunting a place in the top four ahead of the final game of the season which would secure champions league football. paris saint germain also won a record extending 14th domestic cup on wednesday with a victory over monaco in the coupe de france. they won 2—0, thanks mainly to kylian mbappe who set up the first,

pouncing on defensive errors here, to allow mauro icardi to score the first. mbappe finished the game off for his 41st goal of the season. psg now have the chance to claim a league and cup double. liverpool moved back into the top four of the english premier league on wednesday after thrashing burnley 3—0. goals from roberto firmino, nat phillips and alex oxlade—chamberlain put them firmly in the driving seat to secure champions league football next season. they're level on points with fifth—placed leicester city, and with a goal difference four better than the foxes. and now, game on on the weekend. obviously, three, four, four short three incredibly important football games stop even when relegation is decided, the championships is decided, the championships is decided, the championships is decided, three, four, five teams have to go for everything. i am teams have to go for everything. iam pretty teams have to go for everything. i am pretty sure they will go. tottenham's star striker harry kane might have played his last game in front of home support.

the england captain was given a rapturous welcome, and was emotional at the end of the premier league game, kane this week expressed his frustration at the lack of major honours at spurs. golf's second major of the year, the us pga championship gets under way on thursday. it's back at kiawah island and the south carolina course could play at a staggering 7,876 yards, which would be a record in a major championship. defending champion collin morikawa is getting used to the course and his title. people came up to me and called me dc. and i was like i don't know what it means. it obviously means defending champion now. but, i don't know, i don't feel an extra weight. my fellow people look at you and they know you won last year but in my sense i'm coming out here to win and i see these guys every single day and every week. it really doesn't change much. finally, anthonyjoshua and tyson fury traded blows on social media on wednesday. the british pair — whose fight for the undisputed

world heavyweight crown — which was scheduled for august, but is now in doubt had a go at each other. joshua called fury a fraud for claiming he had signed off their fight on sunday, just a day before an arbitration hearing in america declared deontay wilder had a right to a rematch with fury. fury responded aggresivley challenging joshua to a bareknuckle fight and telling him he will smoke wilder first then come for him. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, gavin ramjaun and the rest of the sport team, we'll see you next time. we certainly well. —— will. china has released the first images of their zhu rong rover on the surface of mars. the spacecraft tianwen—i landed on the surface of mars on saturday. the rover will study the planet's surface soil and atmosphere, and look for signs of ancient life. china is the second country to land a craft on mars, after the united states.

environmentalists say the surface of lake titicaca, in the andean mountains, between bolivia and peru — is being taken over by duck—weed algae. the aggressive non—native species of algae blocks sunlight from reaching other life in the lake, suffocating fish and natural vegetation. it feeds on high concentrations of phosphates and nitrates in the lake, caused by pollution, industrial waste and organic erosion from nearby cities — which spill directly into the rivers that fill lake. environmental activists have this week led a co—ordinated community clean—up — but say there is an urgent need for long—term strategy. the american actor billy porter — who stars in the hit show pose — has shared with the world that he's been living with hiv for the past 14 years. the star made his name on broadway, winning a tony award for his role in the musical kinky boots in 2013. freya cole reports.

billy porter is one of the hottest names on the red carpet. he is known for breaking barriers when it comes to fashion, and his hit show pose. �* ., , to fashion, and his hit show pose. �* . , ., i. to fashion, and his hit show pose. �* . , ., ., pose. and that is how you do it! now, _ pose. and that is how you do it! now, porter— it! now, porter hopes to break down the _ it! now, porter hopes to break down the stigma _ it! now, porter hopes to break down the stigma attached - it! now, porter hopes to break down the stigma attached to i it! now, porter hopes to break. down the stigma attached to hiv positive. the emmy award—winning actor was diagnosed with the illness 14 years ago and in an interview with hollywood reporter, he said he lived with that shame in silence. and... it is time... in silence. and... it is time- - -_ in silence. and... it is time... �* , ., ,, time... billy porter is proof that you — time... billy porter is proof that you can _ time... billy porter is proof that you can have - time... billy porter is proof that you can have a - time... billy porter is proof that you can have a career. | time... billy porter is proof. that you can have a career. he has been living with this disease for ia years, looks

great, has had some of the most important film and television roles in his life after he was diagnosed with hiv.- diagnosed with hiv. porter revealed — diagnosed with hiv. porter revealed he _ diagnosed with hiv. porter revealed he held _ diagnosed with hiv. porter revealed he held of - diagnosed with hiv. porter| revealed he held of making diagnosed with hiv. porter- revealed he held of making his diagnosis public over fear of further discrimination in the film and television industry. but the time for speaking out is now, he said, because the truth is healing and for him there is no longer any fear. freya cole, bbc news. some amazingly strong outfits there. millions. take a look at these pictures here —— brilliant. it looked like something from a hollywood film, but a high—speed police chase in florida that was caught on camera was all too real. the chase started after a suspected burglary and police pursued them along the highway with a number of other police cars joining the pursuit. eventually the driver lost control of the suv after

clipping two vehicles as it attempted to change lanes. officers with guns drawn surrounded the wreckage. miraculously all four occupants survived everyone survived in that crash. amazing. hello there. wednesday was another unsettled day. the majority of the showers that formed were across eastern areas through the afternoon, so we had some of these thunderclouds going across the skyline in cambridgeshire. further west, though, wales and western england, well, it was a largely fine afternoon with some long spells of sunshine at last. but it's not going to stay that way. on the satellite picture, we've already got our it's been moving quite quickly across the atlantic, but it's going to put its brakes on and become really quite slow—moving as the low spins its way across the united kingdom. so, we've got rain and strong winds to come for the next couple of days. now, that rain is already beginning to arrive across westernmost areas, and that process will continue for the next few hours. whereas across eastern areas, it stays drier. a dry start to thursday morning and not particularly cold. the winds picking up across the south—west, though, quite quickly

in the morning. bright start across eastern areas, and to be honest, there probably won't be that much in the way of rain across the south—east. northern scotland not faring too bad either. but, otherwise, a lot of rain to come across western areas, with some strong winds blowing into the coast of wales in particular. gusts here around 50—60mph. winds that strong will likely bring down a few tree branches. there could be some localised transport disruption. the low pressure's still there on friday. heavier rain this time going in across into the south—east of england through the afternoon. and the strongest winds going through the english again, we could see some localised disruption, but the majority of the rain will start to spin away from northern ireland. here we'll see some brighter weather pushing in, but probably with a few showers as well. what about the weekend? well, the rain clears, showers follow to saturday. and then we've got another dollop of rain for sunday. so, there's no end in sight, really, to this unsettled run of weather. marginally, saturday looks like being the better of the two days of the weekend, although rain never too far away from the south—east of england. and there will be some heavy showers around as well.

still, there will be some areas that get through the gaps between those showers and stay dry with some sunshine. temperatures continue to be pretty disappointing. sunday starts off on a promising note across the east, but we do have this band of rain that's going to be pushing in from the west as the day goes by. so, many of us will see some rain at times, and those temperatures still pretty rubbish for may. well, the rain clears, but showers follow. yes, monday and tuesday looking pretty unsettled.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. crypto chaos — bitcoin slumps by almost a third, before roaring back, partly thanks to a tweet by elon musk. milking it! a dairy substitute maker could be worth $10 billion when itjoins the nasdaq later. but is the valuation simply �*oatrageous'? a new departure. uk railways come under unified state control in the biggest shake—up since privatisation in the 1990s. plus, slim pickings. a lack of migrant workers could spell disaster for britain's strawberry crop