this is bbc news. i'm sally bundock, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. britain's prime minister embarks on a fresh round of diplomacy, hoping to ease tensions over ukraine. as the blockade of ottawa continues, local car—makers on both sides of the border warn production is being hit. protests spread across india against a ban on the muslim headscarf in some colleges in one southern state. and time takes its toll on this picturesque cornish village, struggling to survive as its main industry declines. hello, and welcome.

we begin in india, where protests are spreading across the country on a ban against muslim headscarf �*s in some colleges in one southern state. the controversy began when hijab—wearing students were denied entry to their schools in karnataka. all high schools and colleges in the state have been shut down for three days. protests have now spread to other cities including kolkata and chennai, two of the country's largest cities, and hyderabad. the pakistani government has criticised the ban, and summoned the indian ambassador to formally express its concern. dr shanti raman is a co—founder of the australia—new zealand the anger against some colleges

in karnataka state refusing to allow students to wear the hijab has spread to other parts of india. hundreds took part in the rallies in the cities of kolkata, chennai and hyderabad. the controversy has rocked karnataka, where high schools and colleges have been shut for three days. muslim women say wearing the hijab is part of their faith and their right. imposing dress code should be compatible with the fundamental rights. the fundamental rights state in article 19—1 the right to speech and expression, and we have the religious freedom, which gives us the right to practise, profess and propagate religion. all chanting. the hijab issue has taken a communal twist. here, hindu students arrive at schools with saffron hats and shawls — this colour seen as a hindu symbol. they oppose their student colleagues for wearing the islamic headscarves. a place of learning has now become a battleground for the two communities.

the hindu nationalist bjp government insists that they are only trying to implement uniform rules. karnataka is following a uniform dress code in the schools, and it is a discipline in the education interest and every student to follow the discipline. they cannot come as they want to the schools. the global education activist malala yousafzai says... critics say minority muslims in india are already feeling marginalised and discriminated against in the hindu—dominated india. but the government denies the allegations. for now, the uneasy standoff over the hijab continues. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news. dr shanti raman is a co—founder of the australia—new zealand chapter of hindus for human rights, and is in sydney for us.

share with us your thoughts on the situation in india?- the situation in india? well, we are shocked _ the situation in india? well, we are shocked and - the situation in india? well, | we are shocked and horrified the situation in india? well, i we are shocked and horrified at this turn of events, i am speaking on behalf of hindus for human rights, an organisation which advocates for pluralism in civil and human rights in the south asian region and the deus bra, and we really want to provide a voice of resistance to the country, racism and oppression of all sorts. this recent series of events which is targeting women and young girls wearing the hijab in karnataka as part of a past that pattern of oppression towards minorities, especially muslims. i think this is sinking to a new low, where

they are targeting women and girls, and prohibiting them from accessing their rights to education. we are concerned also because the form of secularism in india which we have been so proud of, which is in stride in our constitution and as part of the fabric of our republic, we were a secular democratic republic, and the form of secularism that we have in india has always been one that celebrated diversity, in india, everyone wears their culture and their religion on their sleeve. and they are proud to do so. this is really disturbing, this is also worrying for the way it is targeting women, and i think this is anotherform of oppression of women, so collectively, we are concerned, but we are also keen to provide

support and reach out to our muslim peers, and what is of value and note here is that there has been widespread support for hijab wearing girls or muslim girls in general, and there have been huge groundswell of support as well as targeted attacks, so i think it is worth noting that this has happened. in it is worth noting that this has happened.— it is worth noting that this has happened. in terms of the timin: of has happened. in terms of the timing of this, _ has happened. in terms of the timing of this, and _ has happened. in terms of the timing of this, and the - timing of this, and the decision about banning muslim headscarves in some colleges, what do you think is behind that, is politics playing a this with regional elections under way?— this with regional elections underwa ? ~ , ~' under way? absolutely, i think olitics is under way? absolutely, i think politics is a _ under way? absolutely, i think politics is a huge _ under way? absolutely, i think politics is a huge part - under way? absolutely, i think politics is a huge part of - politics is a huge part of this. there is no doubt that this. there is no doubt that this is politically motivated. it is actually trying to make this a big issue at a time when the ruling party, the bjp,

should rightly be scrutinised by how they have failed the country in terms of health education and lifting unemployment and standard of living, so i think this isjust a distraction, and i think this is a very easy way of whipping up is a very easy way of whipping up support among their base, and they do have large armies of people but they can call upon, riots are very easy to make happen in india, and they do have the ability to raise further over ridiculous issues. —— raise fervour. it is clearly politically driven, because the visuals of seeing saffron clad young men and women targeting hijab wearing girls and young women isjust so

hijab wearing girls and young women is just so lovingly ridiculous. mil women is just so lovingly ridiculous.— women is just so lovingly ridiculous. women isjust so lovingly ridiculous. , ., ridiculous. all right, sorry to wra - ridiculous. all right, sorry to wrap you _ ridiculous. all right, sorry to wrap you up. _ ridiculous. all right, sorry to wrap you up. but _ ridiculous. all right, sorry to wrap you up, but we - ridiculous. all right, sorry to wrap you up, but we are - ridiculous. all right, sorry to - wrap you up, but we are running out of time. thank you so much for being the programme, and we will of course keep a close eye on how this develops. voting has begun in india's most populous state, uttar pradesh, one of five federal states holding assembly elections this month. they're seen as a test of the popularity of prime minister narendra modi and his hindu nationalist bjp a year before national polls. borisjohnson is to embark on a fresh round of diplomacy in brussels and warsaw, for talks about the ongoing crisis in ukraine. in belgium, the prime minister will tell the secretary general of nato, jens stoltenberg, that britain is putting 1,000 troops on standby to support a humanitarian response to any russian invasion. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, will also hold his own talks with mr stoltenberg, as our political editor,

laura kuenssberg, reports from brussels. russia has been massing troops on its snowy border. ukraine and its neighbours worried aboutjust and its neighbours worried about just what might and its neighbours worried aboutjust what might come next. the uk's leaders hoping today to show their support. the prime minister and the labour leader will both be on foreign soil today. in brussels, the prime minister will promise a thousand more british troops in the region to be ready to help if everything goes wrong if a humanitarian crisis unfolds.— crisis unfolds. this is exactly what the _ crisis unfolds. this is exactly what the uk _ crisis unfolds. this is exactly what the uk government - crisis unfolds. this is exactly . what the uk government should be doing and this is what eastern european allies of the uk, of euro atlantic partners are looking for, poland, the uk, and ukraine have an agreement that they will be

neutrally supporting each other throughout this crisis, and this is what the uk needs to do, the prime minister needs to show leadership on this, even if the uk is no longer in the eu, but that the uk is in fact a major player in europe. keir starmer is — a major player in europe. keir starmer is visiting _ a major player in europe. keir starmer is visiting the nato headquarters as well, to send a similar message that labour would be prepared to stand firm against russian aggression as well. but he hopes also to send a different message. things have changed sincejeremy corbyn�*s time in charge. the uk may not be the decider in what happens next on europe's edges. but its political leaders, both in their different ways, want to show the uk can lead. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. detectives from scotland yard are preparing to send out questionnaires to around 50 people suspected of attending lockdown parties in downing street. recipients will be expected to respond within seven days. here's our

political correspondent damian grammaticus. this i think is a significant development. this is the metropolitan police special enquiry team who have said they have identified more than 50 individuals who they believe took part in those parties, events in downing street, in whitehall. they are each going to be sent a letter with a legal questionnaire, being told they have to answer truthfully and within seven days and they are investigating, remember, 12 parties. damian grammaticas reporting on that story for us. let's get some of the day's other news. the main suspect in the 2015 paris attacks, salah abdeslam, has told a french court he has not killed or injured anyone. one 130 people died and many more were injured in an islamist attack at the bataclan concert hall. mr abdeslam is believed to be the sole surviving member of the is group. anti—vaccine protesters clashed with police outside of new zealand's parliament on thursday. dozens were arrested

after demonstrators, who have laid siege to the legislature over the past three days, were ordered to move on. the protest began tuesday in solidarity with the freedom convoy in canada. the american singer, betty davis, whose music has influenced generations of artists, has died at the age of 77. davis enjoyed little commercial success during her career but her raw, sexually candid songs from the �*60s and early �*70s won a cult following and paved the way for later artists such as prince and madonna. to the winter olympics now, and the international olympic committee has reiterated the medals ceremony for the figure—skating team event has been delayed as it was the subject of a legal dispute. there has been intense speculation surrounding the delay with the ioc refusing to comment on allegations in the russian media about a failed drugs test on the winning russian team.

the ioc instead asking for patience and understanding from fellow ice skaters. 0ur correspondent, robin brant is there. robin, what can you tell us? well, what we appear to have, a week into this beijing games, is the beginnings of allegations of doping. very little is being said the ioc today. there is speculation in moscow, here in beijing, in the united states, specifics as well, unsubstantiated, uncorroborated by the ioc or some of the other agencies involved, so let me tell you what we do know. the medal ceremony for the winners, the silver place and bronze placemat is —— medallists is welcome in the team figure skating event, has not happened. it looks like there isn't going to be any

likelihood of that happening soon. the roc, the flag under which the russian athletes are competing, they won. the americans came second, the japanese third, the canadians forth. that medal ceremony hasn't happened yet. we do know because the international testing agency, the ita, has confirmed that some kind of investigation is ongoing it has not named the person who it had rules in place, especially with regards to minors, people under the age of 18, and it doesn't name those people. so we know an investigation is under way. thirdly, because we heard from mark adams, a spokesperson for the ioc, the international olympic committee, in the last hour or so, they are the people running this whole thing, of course, he said there are legal issues ongoing which prevented him, as far as issues ongoing which prevented him, as faras he issues ongoing which prevented him, as far as he sees it, from giving any further details. so, no medal ceremony yet. some kind of investigation under way for the people looking to

doping allegations, but as far as the ioc is concerned, legal issues prevent them going any further in terms of the team, a person, and when this may be resolved. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, not so modern man: the discovery in france that shows homo sapiens may have arrived in europe a lot earlier than we thought. there's mr mandela, mr nelson mandela. a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti havej flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting - of their former president,

'ba by doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: protests spread across india and beyond against a ban on the muslim headscarf in some colleges in one southern state. britain's prime minister embarks on a fresh round of diplomacy, hoping to ease tensions over ukraine. canadian police have warned truck drivers they'll be

arrested if they continue their blockade of the capital, 0ttawa. automobile companies either side of the canada—us border say production is being hit by the blockade. hundreds of trucks are lining the streets as drivers protest vaccine mandates for a second week. from 0ttawa, samira hussain reports for the third consecutive day, truckers furious at vaccine mandates have blocked the busiest land border crossing in north america. horns blare the economic impact could be serious. 25% of all trade between canada in the united states happens here — or it did, until angry truckers decided to intervene. in canada, rage seems to have spread as fast as 0micron, which seems strange in a country where politics used to be a pretty civilised process. now, police in the nation's capital are calling for reinforcements as they work out how

to dismantle an occupation. hampering their efforts, reports that a quarter of trucks have children living in them. for now, the tactic is to slowly starve the convoy of cash and fuel. if one of the aims of this weeks—long protest is to eliminate vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the border, well, that hasn't happened yet. but as covid—19 cases begin to recede here, as it is across north america, some of the restrictions that protesters here despise are disappearing anyway. the western province of alberta is ending vaccination requirements to dine indoors and mask mandates for schools. other canadian provinces have indicated they will follow suit in the coming weeks. canada's attempts to control one global threat, covid, seems to have stirred another, an angry populism that rejects government control. and as the threat of covid starts to wane, the question for political leaders is —

how much of that anger will remain? samira hussain, bbc news, 0ttawa. we will look in detail at the economic damage it is because in our business coverage in around ten minutes time. a new bill that would ban discussion of sexual orientation in primary schools in florida has been criticised by the white house. people who oppose the parental rights in education bill have dubbed it the, "say no to gay" bill. they warn that it will stigmatise lgbt people and those issues. supporters of the legislation, including governor ron desantis, say it's about preserving the rights of pa rents. we've seen instances of students being told by different folks in school, oh, you know, don't worry, don't pick your gender yet, do all this other stuff, they won't tell the parents about all these discussions that are happening.

that is entirely inappropriate. and we need... schools need to be teaching kids to read, to write, they need to teach them science, history. let me first say that every parent, as one myself too, hopes that our leaders will ensure their children's safety, protection and freedom. and today, conservative politicians in florida rejected those basic values by advancing legislation that is designed to target and attack the kids who need the support the most. kids from the lgbtqi+ community. a discovery in a cave in france shows that modern man arrived in europe some 12,000 years earlier than previously thought. 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh has the story. sifting through ancient remains, archaeologists have been scrabbling in the french summer heat, looking for clues to our own history. and they've discovered that the very first modern humans to have arrived in western europe came thousands of years earlier than previously thought. we are now able to demonstrate

that homo sapiens arrived 12,000 years before expected, and this population were then replaced after that by other neanderthal populations, and this rewrites literally all of our books on history. neanderthals had been living in europe for hundreds of thousands of years. the current theory is that homo sapiens arrived from africa around 42,000 years ago, and shortly after that, the neanderthals went extinct. but now, it appears that some of our species arrived 511,000 years ago — that's thousands of years earlier — and it means both homo sapiens and neanderthals may have lived on the same continent for much, much longer than previously thought before modern humans eventually gained the upper hand. scientists have been studying fossils for more than 100 years to find out why neanderthals went extinct and we survived. until now, the view was that we came along

and quickly overwhelmed them. but the new evidence suggests that the two species lived in europe for thousands of years, suggesting that the relationship wasn't that brutal, and there were more complex reasons for why the neanderthals died out. well, the neanderthals got these typical neanderthal features — a longer, lower brain case, big brow ridge over the eyes. the interaction of the two species, published in the journal science advances, are an important part of our own history. it wasn't an overnight takeover by modern humans. so, in some cases, neanderthals had the advantage. at other times, modern humans had the advantage. so, it was more finely balanced. was there a single thing that our species had that meant that the neanderthals didn't survive? we don't know the answer, but i think it's organisational, probably more than anything, that we were networking better, our social groups were larger, we were storing knowledge better and we built on that knowledge more effectively than the neanderthals were doing. the discovery that the two

species could have coexisted for thousands of years means that scientists will have to develop new theories for why neanderthals died out and our kind survived. pallab ghosh, bbc news. it's one of the uk's most filmed harbours, perhaps made most famous by the tv series doc martin. but it's falling into disrepair, and the cost of maintaining it is largely down to a fishing industry that's dwindled to just two vessels. the fear is without extra funding, the breakwater at port isaac won't get fixed, putting the village at risk of flooding. anna varle reports. the sort of work they are their families have been doing for many generations.— families have been doing for many generations. this has been a fishin: many generations. this has been a fishing port _ many generations. this has been a fishing port for— many generations. this has been a fishing port for generations. i a fishing port for generations. it was once a bustling with working boats, but now only two remain. this family have been

making a living for most of their lives but it is a very different picture now than it was just 12 years different picture now than it wasjust 12 years ago. maintaining the harbour has been largely paid for by commercialfishermen, but with commercial fishermen, but with just commercialfishermen, but with just two of them left, callum says they can't support the harbour alone. we says they can't support the harbour alone.— says they can't support the harbour alone. we can't afford to -a harbour alone. we can't afford to pay for— harbour alone. we can't afford to pay for the _ harbour alone. we can't afford to pay for the upkeep, - harbour alone. we can't afford to pay for the upkeep, so - harbour alone. we can't afford to pay for the upkeep, so the l to pay for the upkeep, so the harbour will fall into disrepair and then it will flood. things are changing rapidly and it was a slow walk and now it is a sprint. we have to do something now. the only modern note _ to do something now. the only modern note is _ to do something now. the only modern note is the _ to do something now. the only modern note is the fine - to do something now. the only modern note is the fine new i modern note is the fine new breakwater which gives way to security — breakwater which gives way to security against the frequent storms _ security against the frequent storms. , ., ,, ., security against the frequent storms. , w ., ., , storms. the breakwater wants shiny and _ storms. the breakwater wants shiny and new _ storms. the breakwater wants shiny and new has _ storms. the breakwater wants shiny and new has taken - storms. the breakwater wants shiny and new has taken a - shiny and new has taken a battering in the cracks are starting to show. a large chunk of concrete has come off and needs repairing. the filming of doc martin here has helped contribute to the maintenance of this harbour, that series is coming to an end. and with that

comment means an end to that source of income. taste comment means an end to that source of income.— source of income. we used to run the beat _ source of income. we used to run the beat of _ source of income. we used to run the beat of the _ source of income. we used to run the beat of the car - source of income. we used to run the beat of the car park. run the beat of the car park in the summer months, but really, to help the village, because it was causing a lot of congestion, we closed the car park. that was another source of income. 0n the fishing industry there is not a lot of money available these days. the ho -e is money available these days. the hope is the _ money available these days. the hope is the fishing fleet here at port isaac will bounce back and harbour commission is trying to get an apprenticeship scheme of the ground to encourage the next generation into the industry. work will be starting shortly to repair the harbour wall, starting shortly to repair the harbourwall, but starting shortly to repair the harbour wall, but the next stage for the villages to start a gofundme page to raise enough money for the ongoing maintenance of this harbour. we have so much more for you. we mentioned we are looking at the economic damage going on in the us canada border currently because of the truckers protest, but also we have got the magic of disney, its earnings have come out. it has

wowed investors, as has uber. that is to come in a moment. see you soon. hello. a colder day for all of us on thursday, but across the northern half of the country, quite a wild day to come — all due to this amazing swirl of cloud we saw to the south of iceland on wednesday. it's an area of low pressure, which, as we start thursday morning, will have moved in across the western half of scotland in particular. to the south, we still have a weather front set to clear that will be sweeping away the last dregs of the milder air. to the north of it, a chilly start, risk of ice in places, a few wintry showers — but as i said, a particularly wild start to the day in parts of scotland, 60—70mph gusts across the western isles and those north—western coasts, big seas as well, and blizzards on the mountains. we'll see wintry showers across northern england, northern ireland, and parts of wales, but sunshine in between those and a blustery wind. strongest of the winds in scotland transfer eastwards

through the day. winds always lighter further south and once you've got rid of the morning cloud and patchy rain, it should be a bright and sunny day. the winds, though, will be a key feature — strongest through the afternoon in eastern scotland with gales. and it's here and across north—east england where it will feel substantially colder than the thermometers would suggest, made to feel well below freezing as we go through the afternoon. so a cold end to the day, rain, sleet, snow showers and strong winds clipping eastern parts of england for a time during thursday night, then skies clear, winds fall light. coldest night of the week, coldest commute of the week as we go into friday morning — temperatures could be as low as —10 through some scottish glens, a widespread frost and some ice to watch out for. but a lovely, crisp day to come for many on friday — a few wintry showers in the west, building amounts of cloud, as well, but most staying dry with sunny spells, best of which in the east. temperatures actually a degree so lower than normal for the time of year. but after a cold start to friday night, as you go into the weekend, it's going to turn milder, and with it, some wet and windy weather. on saturday, especially in the west,

outbreaks of rain coming and going all day long, more persistent through the afternoon in parts of northern and western england and wales. some parts of north—east scotland may get away largely dry, staying largely dry to east anglia and the south—east, but even here, we will see rain and strong winds sweep through as we go through into saturday night. and then for sunday, we just have to watch the potential development of this area of low pressure. a bit of uncertainty attached, keep watching the forecast, but it could bring some more persistent rain later in the day and strong winds around the english channel. further north, though, something a bit brighter, sunshine and showers, but feeling a little bit chillier. that's how it's looking. see you soon.

this is bbc news, with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. economic damage — production at major car manufacturers is halted. small busineses are counting the cost as truckers in canada protest against covid restrictions. the police threaten arrests. inflation watch — it's the turn of the world's biggest economy to reveal how high prices are as americans grapple with the rising cost of living. disney plus casts a spell on viewers and gives a boost to earnings as more fans return to their theme parks. shares in the disneyjump by 8% on their latest earnings news. and learning a skill the old—fashioned way, on thejob. we follow one apprentice deep underground.