this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk, on pbs in the us and around the globe. i'm annita mcveigh. our top stories... a new bill aims to crackdown on migrants who travel to the uk illegally — especialy those crossing the english channel in small boats. the home secretary admits it's pushing the boudaries of international law. china's leader xijinping makes an unusually direct rebuke of the united states — blaming it for trying to "contain, encircle" and suppress" his country. ukraine's president zelensky says he has instructed his military commanders to find the forces to boost the defence of the eastern city of bakhmut. russian troops have so far failed

to drive out the ukrainian forces. france braces for a day of strikes and widespread disruption — as unions battle against planned pension reforms. the scene in paris as people prepare to go on strike against those pension reforms. hello. welcome to viewers here in the uk and around the world, including those watching us on pbs in america. britain's home secretary, suella braverman, has accepted the government is pushing the boundaries of international law with new legislation aimed at stopping asylum seekers crossing the english channel in small boats. it's thought the measures, being introduced today,

and which put a legal duty on ministers to remove anyone who enters the uk illegally — would face legal challenges. here's our political correspondent, iain watson: five years ago, fewer than 300 migrants attempted to cross the channel in a small boat. last year, more than 16,000 undertook the hazardous journey. and as the numbers grew, so too did the political pressure on the government. so injanuary this year, the prime minister made this pledge. we will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. and the government will begin the process of passing a new law today. it would place a duty on the home secretary to remove anyone who comes here by an illegal route and it would prevent them from claiming asylum in the uk. those who are removed won't be permitted to return or to seek

british citizenship. the prime minister and home secretary have written in conservative supporting newspapers this morning. in the sun, rishi sunak has said, "this new law will send a clear signal that if you come to this country illegally, you'll be swiftly removed." and in the telegraph, suella braverman declared there would be "no more sticking plasters or shying away from difficult decisions. we've pushed the boundaries of international law to solve this crisis." dover's mp says this is part of wider measures and she wants to see more action to stop small boats setting sail. what i'm hoping to see from this package of measures is that we see more action taken to stop those boats leaving france in the first place, more is done in terms of managing the english channel between the two countries, and that there's strengthening of the returns. and that's what we're expecting in the bill this week. anyone arriving by an illegal route from today onwards could be subject to the new law. but some experts say there are potential practical problems with the government's proposals. where are we going to send tens

of thousands of individuals who arrive via small boat? to do that, we need bilateral agreements with countries or an agreement with the eu. and there's precious little evidence so far that we have made much progress in hammering out agreements of that kind _ of course, we do have one policy like that, that's with rwanda, but we haven't sent anyone there yet. critics, too, are questioning whether the government has the capacity to detain large numbers of people prior to their removal from the uk. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, has called the government's plan unworkable and is calling on the government to do more to tackle the criminal gangs who are responsible for ferrying asylum seekers across the channel. but the prime minister believes if he doesn't try to introduce a new law to stop small boats, he could pay a high political price. iain watson, bbc news. our correspondent, lucy williamson sent this from calais.

as sent this from calais. news of the government's ne policy as news of the government's new policy trickles through camps in northern france here, there is a sense that it is not in and of itself going to slow the flow across the channel. policy announcements by themselves have not tended to change many minds here. if you think back to the rwanda policy, when that was announced, there was a few days when many migrants here were considering whether it was worth it, there was a little bit of anxiety, but it passed pretty quickly, particularly when there were no concrete measures taken. i think this raises the question of how the government is going to implement this new policy, particularly when it comes to removing people from the uk when they land on those shorts. the rwanda policy is still mired in the courts in france is so far been adamant it won't take back migrants return from the uk, at least not without a wider eu policy. so the sense here in northern france this morning is that this policy in and of itself is not going to change

many minds or deter people from trying to cross the channel. it is just going to be added to the list of risks that they have been through, the list of risks they prefer not to think about, and migrant associations say rather than slow the flow of small boats, it is simply going to criminalise people who are seeking refuge under international law. simonjones is in dover, simon tell us more about these proposals. does anyone there where you are think this new law will actually stop people arriving by small boats, given it does not directly address how to tackle the people smugglers, the people where lucy is in france who are putting people on the small boats to travel to the uk? it is boats to travel to the uk? it is certainly the — boats to travel to the uk? it is certainly the british _ boats to travel to the uk? it 3 certainly the british government's calculation that this will make a difference and has to make a

difference. rishi sunak rating in the sun newspaper today says the uk has a proud history of welcoming people who are fleeing persecution or fleeing war—torn areas such as ukraine, but he says people crossing the channel in small boats over from northern france are not directly fleeing a war zone, their lives are not in imminent danger, and he says that simply isn't fair. the message to migrants today is although this new idea may take several months to become law, it will be applied retrospectively, so anyone arriving from today will potentially face being deported from the uk to rwanda or another so safe third country, and told they cannot claim asylum in the uk and can never claim asylum in the uk and can never claim asylum in the uk. but if you speak to people overin the uk. but if you speak to people over in northern france, in the camps over in calais, wanting to get across, and the charities that work with them are saying people there are not studying the ins and outs of

the law and the law and we changed our repose, people simply want to get across to the uk, many of them genuine refugees, other mainly for economic reasons, but they will still continue despite the threat they could ultimately end up being banned from the uk for a lie. {flare banned from the uk for a lie. give us a sense — banned from the uk for a lie. give us a sense of— banned from the uk for a lie. give us a sense of how _ banned from the uk for a lie. give us a sense of how much _ banned from the uk for a lie. give us a sense of how much activity, small boat activity there has been there of the coast of dover in the last few days. i there of the coast of dover in the last few days-— there of the coast of dover in the last few days. i was here yesterday mornin: last few days. i was here yesterday morning and _ last few days. i was here yesterday morning and we — last few days. i was here yesterday morning and we saw— last few days. i was here yesterday morning and we saw several- last few days. i was here yesterday| morning and we saw several groups last few days. i was here yesterday i morning and we saw several groups of migrants being brought ashore by the border force comedy life but also brought a group of people in, do not think we saw potentially 200 people brought to shore during the course of yesterday, and that really shows this has become an all year—round operation, organised by the people smugglers that you were talking about earlier. so far this year more than 3000 people have made the crossing by small boat, and that's probably double the amount we saw in the first couple of months of last

year, and it shows an ongoing problem at the home office here in the uk. they are preparing for up to 80,000 people to make the crossing during the course of yesterday, working with the crime agency and french authorities going after the people smuggling gangs who are making huge amounts of money from organising these dangerous crossings, crossings that release trade in human misery, charging perhaps 3000 euros for each person making the crossing, and when you consider how many people there often are on the sports, dangerously over packed comedy money quickly adds up. the opposition labour party year in the uk says more money needs to be ploughed into the national crime agency to really go after those gangs, because if you can try to stop gangs, then that potentially will help reduce the number of people making the crossing, but i think also that is a tricky thing to achieve because in the past when

gangs have been targeted in crime agencies have had success, targeting those gangs, because this is such a lucrative trade, other people are quick to move into the market knowing they can make a lot of money doing this. it'sjust knowing they can make a lot of money doing this. it's just another example of how intractable this problem seems to be.- example of how intractable this problem seems to be. thank you very much. i'm joined now by peter walsh. he's a senior researcher at the migration 0bservatory and departmental lecturer in migration studies at the university of oxford. as simon was reflecting, this has been an intractable problem for government for some time now, and there are two key issues here for there are two key issues here for the government with this proposal, detaining people and then deporting them. so, your thoughts on the practical application of those aspects of this law? and can they be made to work from the government perspective? it is made to work from the government persnective?—

perspective? it is very difficult to see how. perspective? it is very difficult to see how- the _ perspective? it is very difficult to see how. the uk— perspective? it is very difficult to see how. the uk is— perspective? it is very difficult to see how. the uk is a _ perspective? it is very difficult to see how. the uk is a tension - perspective? it is very difficult to | see how. the uk is a tension stay perspective? it is very difficult to i see how. the uk is a tension stay at the moment, its capacity is about two and a half thousand individuals, while last year we saw around 16,000 people want to small boats, so clearly that would have to be substantially upscaled to be able to detain people in those numbers, and i think they would have to be detained, because after all, they are being threatened with deportation, it would not be sufficient to house them in hotels or local communities because they would be a high risk of absconding. so that is a really big practical challenge. probably that will be subject to legal opposition, but let's assume the government can detain these people, then that brings to the second practical challenge, where will it send them? the government has actually had quite a similar policy on the books for two years, and it has returned only 21 individuals out of about 20000 and the government considered

for removal. why is the removal rates are low, because we need these all—important agreements with countries to send people there, and we don't have them, except for rwanda, but that is mired in the courts and it's unlikely we'll see anyone sent there, if indeed anyone is in their ultimately this year. let me ask you to repeat the figures. 21 people moved up about 20,000 in the last two years, i am checking i had you correctly? that's riaht, we checking i had you correctly? that's right. we had _ checking i had you correctly? that's right, we had rule _ checking i had you correctly? that's right, we had rule is— checking i had you correctly? that's right, we had rule is very _ checking i had you correctly? that's right, we had rule is very similar. right, we had rule is very similar to ones that were strengthening the borders act last year and are returning the legislation that we will see today. they will see if you come from france, we will not allow you to claim asylum, we will try to remove you to a safe third country, about 20,000 individuals have been considered for removal under the policy, but there has beenjust 21 removals, and that's from the 1st of january 2021 to the 30th of september last year. finally and

briefl , september last year. finally and briefly. you've — september last year. finally and briefly, you've got _ september last year. finally and briefly, you've got two _ september last year. finally and briefly, you've got two ways - september last year. finally and briefly, you've got two ways of l briefly, you've got two ways of looking at this, the political rhetoric around all of this and the desire by the government to be seen to be doing something. that's very different from the practical application of any such law or policy. application of any such law or oli . , . application of any such law or oli _ , . 4' ., , application of any such law or oli . , . «a, policy. very much so i know is also the body of — policy. very much so i know is also the body of evidence _ policy. very much so i know is also the body of evidence as _ policy. very much so i know is also the body of evidence as well - policy. very much so i know is also the body of evidence as well that l the body of evidence as well that suggests deterrence policies of the scan, this is a deterrence policy, that they are not all that effective. for quite a simple reason, the people travelling on these boats don't have a detailed knowledge of uk asylum policies, the policies that will greet them on arrival, instead they have chosen the uk because they have family members here, because they know a little bit of english, those are the factors that really drive them to choose the uk, and many of them would probably go on to be genuine refugees. there is this other thing of course that many of these people will be successful in their claims, come from countries like afghanistan and syria, some of them most chaotic parts of the world, and this policy appears to ten withdrawal from the

global asylum system, that's what this policy appears to entail, that system is based on the idea of hearing claims regardless of how they arrive, even if without authorisation.— they arrive, even if without authorisation. ., ~ , ., , . authorisation. thank you very much for our authorisation. thank you very much for your thoughts _ authorisation. thank you very much for your thoughts on _ authorisation. thank you very much for your thoughts on the _ authorisation. thank you very much for your thoughts on the story - for your thoughts on the story today. the chinese leader, xijinping, has made an unusually direct criticism of washington — saying that the balloon incident is just one of a series of american actions which show that the us is trying to encircle and contain his country. it appears to be part of a concerted effort by the chinese leadership, which is gathered in beijing for the national people's congress. china's foreign minister ching gang has also voiced criticisms. he said that the us knew china's balloon posed no threat — but over—reacted and created a diplomatic crisis. washington has claimed the balloon was part of a sprawling chinese intelligence collection programme. 0ur china correspondent,

stephen mcdonell, updated us on what president xi had said. this has been a very high profile, two pronged attack on the us from the chinese government, not only involving the foreign minister but also the supreme leader, xijinping, no less. he made a speech in which he said that the west, as led by the us, was encircling and containing china and that this represented a serious threat for this country. now we don't know a lot more about what he said because that was a speech behind closed doors to these business delegates at a political advisory body. but foreign minister qin gang held a press conference on the sidelines of the national people's congress. he said that unless washington hits the brakes soon instead of ramping up tensions, that there was a real risk of conflict between the us and china. he went through these various points

of tensions, for example, the balloon incident. now he said that was basically an accident, but the us hyped it up, leading to a diplomatic crisis. he said that the biden administration, when it speaks about competition with china, really means trying to control china, trying to constrain it. and in terms of the ukraine war, he said that china had put forward a peace plan for ukraine, but that the proposals for peace were being stifled by this invisible actor, this invisible hand. it's pretty obvious he's talking about the us there. but the accusation of this invisible hand wanted the conflict to continue in ukraine for its own geopolitical ends. so this is a very serious allegation being levelled at the us that it wants the war there to keep going. you know, in recent times we've had a lot of tension between washington

and beijing and it does seem to continue to deteriorate. it seems it was not that long ago that there was to be this visit by the us secretary of state to beijing to try to repair relations. and yet now we have this tension increasing and even more dire warnings coming from the chinese side as to what this tension could lead to. let's show you some live pictures of striking workers in france. a continuation of previous strikes, over proposed changes to the retirement age. the government they are proposing to raise the retirement age from 60 to 264. unions in france are staging this general strike over the proposed pension changes and you can see

these pictures coming to us from outside paris, close to charles de gaulle airport and huge disruption expected today across so many sectors, transport, schools, fuel depots so a general strike across france —— from age 62 to 64. people across france, readying themselves for the sixth day of strikes and protests since mid—january. and they're set to be the biggest yet with more than a million people expected to turn out in paris and other major cities. it's all about proposed changes to pension reform, an issue the government is showing no sign of backing down on. 0rganizers say they're prepared to bring the country to its knees as transport and public services grind to a halt. in the days ahead, they'll be calls to extend the strikes in key sectors like power generation

and gas terminals. translation: i hope that there will be more movement. - at least the government will react. hereafter we have to adapt, but it's for a good cause. i tell myself that it's ok. i thought that when they told us train strikes it would be two or three trains. but in fact, no, it's really almost all trains. and, really, we feel it really badly, very bad. so far, for all the disruption, the campaign has caused little damage to the economy. and in the meantime, the bill is proceeding through parliament. unions and the left know time is running out before the reform becomes a fait accompli. all the more reason for them to up the pressure now. stephanie prentice, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news. today's headlines: a new bill aims to crackdown on migrants who travel to the uk illegally — especialy those crossing the english channel in small boats. the home secretary admits its pushing the boudaries of international law.

china's leader xijinping makes an unusually direct rebuke of the united states — blaming it for trying to "contain, encircle and suppress" his country. ukraine's president zelensky says he has instructed his military commanders to find the forces to boost the defence of the eastern city of bakhmut. russian troops — have so far failed to drive out the ukrainian forces. the european commission together with poland are set to launch a new initiative aimed at tracing ukrainian children abducted and taken to russia during the invasion of ukraine. in a report published last month, yale university researchers identified at least 43 camps and other facilities where ukrainian children are held. arseniy yatsenyuk is the former prime minister of ukraine from 2014—2016. he joins us from kyiv.

that give your tape delay. —— thank you for your time today. how many ukrainian children are now in russia? there are various accounts, different numbers we are hearing. irate different numbers we are hearing. - don't know the exact number, the attorney general and special ukrainian envoy for human rights, they disclose the number of around 17,000 kids. it started in 2014, that time as prime minister i instructed my foreign minister and department ofjustice to reach out both to the foreign minister of russia, lavrov, to make an urgent call in place of the european court of human rights. the day of russian mercenaries kidnapped a bus of 25 kids. in the end, in a few days we managed to take these kids back from the russian territory back to

ukraine. this is a new kind of war crimes, crimes against humanity that russia has started to commit. as of now, the situation is much more complicated and very difficult. going back to the number, we don't know yet the exact number. we need to de—occupy the territory and figure out how many ukrainian kids have been stolen, actually, by the russian regime. has have been stolen, actually, by the russian regime.— have been stolen, actually, by the russian regime. as far as we can see from the research, _ russian regime. as far as we can see from the research, some _ russian regime. as far as we can see from the research, some of- russian regime. as far as we can see from the research, some of these - russian regime. as far as we can see | from the research, some of these are children who have been taken from theirfamilies, some are children who have been orphaned and taken away to russia, somewhere in the care of the ukrainian state before the invasion, so it's really difficult to piece together exactly who the russians are. —— who the russians have. who the russians are. -- who the russians have.— who the russians are. -- who the russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video _ russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video after— russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video after that _ russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video after that you - russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video after that you put - russians have. absolutely. have you seen the video after that you put an | seen the video after that you put an address the russian people, there

was a kid from mariupol, if i'm not mistaken her name is daria, and russian propaganda put this kid on the scene to show that they had been rescued by some kind of war russian criminal but they called him a saviour of ukrainian people, so what russians are doing is using ukrainian kids in russian propaganda. this is the first point. and that they forcefully adapt these kids. also they re—educate and indoctrinate these children. who is the ringleader? definitely vladimir putin. it is the henchmen and hence women is a special russian

representative, she is not a representative, she is not a representative for children's rights, a representative for children abduction. to rights, a representative for children abduction. ., , ., children abduction. to interrupt, to net to the children abduction. to interrupt, to get to the practicalities _ children abduction. to interrupt, to get to the practicalities of - children abduction. to interrupt, to get to the practicalities of what - get to the practicalities of what you want to do european commission together with poland, this new initiative as we outlined in the introduction, how are you actually introduction, how are you actually in the circumstances going to trace ukrainian children in russia and try to repatriate them? the ukrainian children in russia and try to repatriate them?— to repatriate them? the most important _ to repatriate them? the most important issue _ to repatriate them? the most important issue is _ to repatriate them? the most important issue is to - to repatriate them? the most| important issue is to establish to repatriate them? the most i important issue is to establish a special tribunal how to bring to justice those responsible. in order to get this we need an exact number, the exact names of every single kid who has been kidnapped, and forcefully adopted or moved to the russian federation. russia has become the biggest child threat in europe, actually. these activities are of importance, shall be department ofjustice and attorney general of ukraine, in collaboration with the european union and the un

human rights agency half to establish the exact number, and the names of every single child, and to bring tojustice those names of every single child, and to bring to justice those responsible for kidnapping and actually kid trafficking committed by russia. thank you very much. an alligator believed to be stolen from a zoo in texas 20 years ago has been discovered after being —— returned after being discovered at a nearby home. this eight—foot—long creature is thought to have been taken 20 years ago, as either an egg or a hatchling. the female gator — named tewa — was found near the city of austin last week, before being taken back to the animal world and snake farm zoo, where she's said to be settling in well. let's show you if we can some pictures from france, where the general strike is taking place

today. a continuation of previous strikes, over proposed changes to the retirement age. this is cali we are seeing now. more on the bbc news. —— some of us have seen snow already this morning and there's more to come as we go through the week. today we have this weather from continuing to move away with the wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow. we have a northerly wind coming straight in from the arctic and coastal will see further wintry showers to the course of the day, across northern scotland, northern ireland and north—east england. when the weather front does clear behind it will be a fair bit of cloud, winter flurries developing and then through the day but equally a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine and it's going to feel cold for most. temperature whiteley between 1—4 . the south—west and the channel islands, temperatures a little higher. through the evening and a winning

comedy where the fun starts to swing in in the south—west, initially we will see rain but disappointing to go there you can see how that readily turns to snow. clear skies further north, it will be cold, widespread frost, the risk of a sun untreated surfaces, temperatures and shelter grounds in scotland could fall as low as —13, —15. they are to care firmly in place tomorrow, atlantic air trying to push into southern areas, and for rush hour there will be snow likely across parts of southern england before that was away. more rain preceded by snow coming in across the south—west. north of that for scotland and northern england and northern ireland, much of east anglia, should be dry, but once again it will be a cold day away from the south—west. then it turns a little bit more disruptive, and thursday into friday... disruptive snow, heavy snowfall across the north pennines, northern ireland and

the scottish hills. this could affect you. a few live in these areas, we disruption to travel for example, the of low pressure comes in with its weather fronts. in the south, in the mail there, we are going to have rain and windy conditions. it will also be one day where we have the following snow, so that's not will be drifting and blowing. north of that in scotland, something drier and brighter, but still called the north, milder in the south—west, which is why we are seeing rain here and not snow. worth pointing out the areas the met office has warnings out for the heavy snow. this could lead to some disruption.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a new bill aims to crackdown on migrants who travel to the uk illegally — especialy those crossing the english channel in small boats. the home secretary admits it's pushing the boudaries of international law. china's leader xijinping makes an unusually direct rebuke of the united states — blaming it for trying to "contain, "encircle" and "suppress" his country. tributes are paid to three people found dead in a crashed car in cardiff, two days after they went missing. and, the wait is almost over — super—fans are poised online, as tickets for eurovision go on sale later.

sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. good morning. thank you, good morning. we begin with football. brentford beat fulham 3—2 last night in the premier league, a victory which moves them a step closer to european qualification, with both west london clubs enjoying brilliant seasons. it was a five goal thriller. matthiasjensen with the winning goal, as brentford edged it, the win leaves them ninth — a point behind fulham who are also going very well and dreaming of finishing in the european places. for me, it's very important that we are allowed to dream. we have said from the beginning, we want to aim as high as possible. we are always aiming as high as possible. i think

it's very important not to get carried away too much and really focus on the next game. we are in a good place and it's all about keep continuing and of course we hope at the end of the season we are in a fantastic place. but that's very, very far ahead. or fantastic place. but that's very, very far ahead.— very far ahead. a disappointing result, of course. _ very far ahead. a disappointing result, of course. we - very far ahead. a disappointing result, of course. we wanted l very far ahead. a disappointing | result, of course. we wanted to fight _ result, of course. we wanted to fight for— result, of course. we wanted to fight for the three points. 0ur desire — fight for the three points. 0ur desire was clear, to come and get the three — desire was clear, to come and get the three points. it's always the way we — the three points. it's always the way we play. but knowing the west london _ way we play. but knowing the west london derby, all the situations playing — london derby, all the situations playing here, away from home, we knew_ playing here, away from home, we knew the _ playing here, away from home, we knew the kind of game they were going _ knew the kind of game they were going to — knew the kind of game they were going to play. too sloppy are not aggressive enough in the right way, not brave _ aggressive enough in the right way, not brave enough and not with the quality _ not brave enough and not with the quality that we should have done. brentford — quality that we should have done. brentford with the bragging rights on that one. we know he's the most expensive english footballer of all time. nowjack grealish is pocketing a decent whack from a new record boot deal. care to hazard a guess? new five year deal, with puma. reportedly 10 million a year for the next five years.

50 million in total. still dwarfed by neymar�*s with the same company, 23 million a year. he's come a long way since he wore these battered boots while captaining aston villa — he said they were his "lucky" boots. it is a big night ahead for chelsea. pressure's been growing on their manager graham potter, who's struggled to gel a squad of expensively assembled stars since taking over. and despite victory on the weekend, the champions league returns later with the club one nil down from the first leg of their last sixteen tie to borussia dortmund. it's the champions league, it's a chance to get the last eight. we are playing against a top opponent who are in a really good vein of form. so it's a huge challenge, but, at the same time,

what an opportunity. stamford bridge is going to be rocking, i'm pretty sure. and we're going to give everything to win the game and go through. he will be hoping to draw upon the support of a full house there later on. now it's been a frantic few days forjazmin sawyer, who jumped to gold at the european indoor championships in istanbul on sunday, prompting a priceless reaction. as the congratulation messages poured in, it was praise from two of her sporting heroes, denise lewis and jess ennis—hill that meant the most. now the 28—year old has her sights set on olympic gold next summer. those are two of my absolute idols. as a kid, i read the autobiography of denise over and over, excessively, really. she was the reason i wanted to be a heptathlete. i was never as good as either of those two incredible women at heptathlon but i did manage to fulfil my athletics dreams, going to an end to olympic games. now it's to take it to the next level and do what they did and go and get an olympic medal. she

what they did and go and get an olympic medal.— what they did and go and get an olympic medal. she certainly did that with the — olympic medal. she certainly did that with the record-breaking - olympic medal. she certainly did i that with the record-breaking jump that with the record—breaking jump over the weekend. and the annual boat race between oxford and cambridge is always a brilliant occasion for those involved — but the event will be extra special for one family in particular. brothers 0llie and jasper parish will find themselves on the same cambridge team for the first time. after winning the race as the women's cox last year, jasper will move to the men's team and join 0llie in the boat, who will be racing for cambridge for a third year in a row. the race takes place on the 26th march. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. that is all from me. back to you, annita. thank you very much. home secretary, suella braverman, has accepted the government is pushing the boundaries of international law with new legislation aimed at stopping asylum seekers crossing the english channel in small boats. it's thought the measures, being introduced today, and which put a legal duty

on ministers to remove anyone who enters the uk illegally — would face legal challenges. joining us now from westminister is our political correspondent, nick eardley. good morning to you. so you have the politics of this and you have the practical application of this law as well to consider. take us through both of those points. thea;r well to consider. take us through both of those points.— well to consider. take us through both of those points. they are both difficult for the _ both of those points. they are both difficult for the government, - both of those points. they are both difficult for the government, to - both of those points. they are both difficult for the government, to be | difficult for the government, to be honest with you, annita. this is a pretty radical plan. it does seem if you take it at face value from the briefings we have had so far to be more radical than what has come before, particularly that idea that the duty to remove asylum seekers would take precedence over asylum rights and human rights cases as well. so that does seem pretty radical. but the government is going to face some challenges here, one is legal. there are bound to be legal

challenges to its interpretation of how far it can go in pushing international law. there are some practical challenges. 0ne international law. there are some practical challenges. one is the fact that if you have tens of thousands of people crossing the channel on small boats who you are pledging to detain, you have to find somewhere to detain them. if you are going to deport them, you have to find some way of doing that. although the government is planning to buy up some property to do that, remember that the rwanda plan to send asylum seekers to rwanda hasn't happened yet because it has been caught up in the courts. so there are those practicalities, too. but the politics is always key here, isn't it? i was quite struck that both the prime minister and the home secretary have gone for the politics in pieces they have written for the newspapers this morning. the prime minister talking about labour not wanting to solve the smaller boats problem. the home secretary suggesting that labour was betraying the british people by not backing the british people by not backing the government's plan. i think it is

pretty clear that the government think this is going to be a big issue at the next election. they want to make it a wedge issue and they think they can win support on it. labourfortheir they think they can win support on it. labourfor their part they think they can win support on it. labour for their part say this is all nonsense, it's all gimmicks and the government would be far better spending its time focusing on returns agreements that allow you to send failed asylum seekers back to a safe country and on breaking up the gangs that send people from the north of france over the channel. and then moving on to the former health secretary, matt hancock. some interesting revelations in the latest of his text messages which have been revealed?— latest of his text messages which have been revealed? yes, the leaks from the telegraph _ have been revealed? yes, the leaks from the telegraph keep _ have been revealed? yes, the leaks from the telegraph keep coming. i have been revealed? yes, the leaks l from the telegraph keep coming. this morning is one that you might think sounds a bit obvious to some people, in westminster, it might. but seeing it written down is quite something. this is an exchange between the then health secretary matt hancock and one of his aides. it was a time when

we were talking daily about the local lockdowns, the tiered system in england during the pandemic. matt hancock�* aid writes about an mp who wants a disability hub in his constituency but is thinking about rebelling against the government. they said it should be made clear to him that the disability hub he wants is off the table if he doesn�*t vote with the government. matt hancock says he 100% degrees. i think it is a sign of some of the tactics that are used at westminster to try and win over and strong—arm backbench mps. i should say that both sides, both mr hancock and the mp involved in this, a guy called james daley, had said this didn�*t happen. the threat was never made and never carried out. but it has caused a bit of anger within the conservative party, particularly most of these

revelations are causing deep anger amongst those mps who are really sceptical of the government�*s strategy. jake bury saying this morning that matt hancock should be hauled before the house of commons to answer over this, that he had crossed the line and been drunk on power when he was making these sorts of threats on whatsapp. mr hancock�*s team say this is a partial account, it doesn�*t tell the full story, he was just trying to save lives. but the arguments in the conservative party over the tactics deployed during the pandemic and some of these whatsapps being published by these whatsapps being published by the telegraph, they are not going anywhere. the telegraph, they are not going an here. . ~ the telegraph, they are not going an here. ., ~ , . anywhere. nick, thank you very much. nick eardley — anywhere. nick, thank you very much. nick eardley in — anywhere. nick, thank you very much. nick eardley in westminster— anywhere. nick, thank you very much. nick eardley in westminster for - anywhere. nick, thank you very much. nick eardley in westminster for us. i police are investigating the events that led up to a car crash that killed three young people who lay undiscovered in the wreckage for almost 48 hours. darcy ross and eve smith, both 21 and 24—year—old rafeljeanne, were found dead in a car which had come off a major road in cardiff.

two others are in hospital in a critical condition. joining us is our wales correspondent. what more can you tell us about the investigation. as we see there, huge amounts of tributes to their three young people who have died and the two who have been very seriously injured. yes, not much more about the events that took place in the early hours of saturday morning. but we have heard that sophie ruhs on, one of the two in a critical condition in hospital, her mother had spoken to the daily mail. she is another one that has been hugely critical of the police and the way they dealt with this investigation. she said she called them a number of times over the weekend. the impression she was given, it wasn�*t a priority for them. she was told at one stage to stop calling and at one stage

actually came to cardiff herself from newport to knock on doors here, to try and find some information about what had happened to her daughter. let mejust about what had happened to her daughter. let me just run through the timeline that we know of so far. three young women, they were out on a night out on friday in newport. they met up with shane and rafel also in newport. they then got in a car and drove to port call —— and thatis car and drove to port call —— and that is where they were last seen around 2am on saturday morning. shortly after that it is understood they came down this dual carriageway on the slip road here and it looks like they went off into the clearing here, down by there. where this crash took place, it�*s very difficult to see anything from the main road and because it is so busy, hundreds, possibly a thousand or so cars would have passed this point over the course of the weekend before the car was found. easy to

see why nothing was spotted by any of the passers—by because it isn�*t a footpath, it is not a causeway for anyone to walk by either. it is very difficult to see anything from where the car was originally found. nevertheless, friends and family, like sophie russon on�*s mother have been critical for the time it took for the police to begin their investigation. a local mp has urged caution. there were rumours, she says, flying around on social media and has urged caution to those speaking out about it saying the proper processes have to take place there will the facts can be found. forces involved in this have referred this to the independent 0ffice referred this to the independent office of police conduct, so they can form an independent opinion of how this case has been handled. what how this case has been handled. what is the latest of — how this case has been handled. what is the latest of the _ how this case has been handled. what is the latest of the two _ how this case has been handled. what is the latest of the two survivors of this dreadful crash? taste is the latest of the two survivors of this dreadful crash?— of this dreadful crash? we are hoinu of this dreadful crash? we are hoping to _ of this dreadful crash? we are hoping to hear— of this dreadful crash? we are hoping to hear an _ of this dreadful crash? we are hoping to hear an update - of this dreadful crash? we arej hoping to hear an update later of this dreadful crash? we are - hoping to hear an update later this morning on those two. we understand

that sophie underwent an operation last night and we are waiting to hear how it went. no more detail on shane loughlin, other than he was taken in a critical condition. the families of both of those will be hoping for the best news considering what has happened.— what has happened. thank you for that undate- _ scientists have produced a detailed "future flood map" of britain — simulating the impact of climate change. it�*s revealed that the annual damage could rise by more than 20 per cent over the next century — unless international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met. here�*s our science and environment correspondent victoria gill. as water trickles through this woodland in calderdale, a team of local volunteers are getting to work. what we�*re trying to do is just divert this into woodland. katie�*s nearby home has been flooded in the past because in this steep sided valley, heavy rain can swell the river very quickly. how bad does flooding get in this area? it�*s catastrophic.

it�*s incredibly fast. it�*s a wave of destruction. it�*s physically and mentally hard for people here. there�*ve been repeated devastating floods here in recent years. and when the water subsides, it can take months to repair the damage to homes and businesses. across the uk, destruction from flooding costs an estimated £700 million per year. here at the fathom labs in bristol, they�*re simulating all of the causes of flooding, creating maps that will help people to plan and prepare. we�*d call this a flood hazard map. so what we�*ve done is we�*ve simulated the probability and intensity of flooding on every river in the uk. scientists used layers of information about what causes flooding. they mapped the terrain of mainland britain and combined that with data on rainfall patterns, how water�*s moved through our rivers and around our coastal area. they�*ve combined all this information with details from the met office about how exactly climate change

will affect flood risk. even if we can keep global temperatures to a 1.8 degree increase, there are areas where flood risk will increase significantly, including the southeast and northwest of england and south wales. but there will be little change across northeast and central england as well as eastern and northern scotland. there are many places where risk is growing and being able to understand the communities and the regions where this is likely to happen allows us to make sensible investment decisions about making interventions such as engineering structures or natural flood management, or indeed moving people out of harm�*s way. a warmer climate means more extremes, including more heavy rainfall. but this new research shows that every town and village will be affected differently by climate change. and the scientists say that governments need betterforecasting to protect communities and make informed decisions about where to build. being able to forecast is ideal. anything, any early warnings

that we can have here i would say are so important, just because of the speed of things here. the best helper ever! it�*s information that will be crucial for katie and calder valley�*s next generation. victoria gill, bbc news in calderdale. the charity age uk is calling for all households on pre—payment meters to be given the choice to have it removed. energy firms have paused force—fitting the meters until the end of this month — but what happens next is yet to be announced. 0ur cost of living correspondent colletta smith has more. so the noodles have just been placed into boiling water. everyone here is keen to stay warm, have a chat and learn how to cook without spending a fortune. i've got an electric throw and i plug that in, put it around me, rather than put an electric fire on. get stuck in. jackie�*s here with her pals judy, madge and joe. but while they all pay

by direct debit, jackie�*s gas is on a pre—payment meter. and her gas costs more as a result. it isn�*t fair. everybody should be paying the same amount. but, you know, that�*s the way it goes at the moment. mary turns 80 this year and was switched to a pre—payment meter for gas and electricity after struggling to pay her bills. when you've got to get an extra £1 to put your power back on again. she says the thought of not being able to get out to the shops to top up in bad weather does worry her, and, occasionally, she�*s not noticed when she�*s running low. i had run out and the shop was shut. i had to wait till the next morning. while some customers are happy to pay an advance for their energy, that�*s not true for everyone. i�*ve spoken to so many different people of all different ages who�*ve moved into a house with a pre—payment meter or had one installed, and they�*ve had real difficulty

getting it reversed again. and that�*s what age uk wants to change. the regulator 0fgem are spending the rest of this month reviewing the way meters are installed and they�*re examining tougher rules for switching those in financial difficulty. but they and energy suppliers have told me that allowing people who already have a meter to choose to switch off it could leave millions of pounds in unrecoverable debt, which everyone else would have to pay for. but age uk think it�*s too dangerous not to allow people the option to switch away from pre—payment. i went to somebody�*s house and they told me that they were cooking a roast dinner for their wife and himself. they weren�*t cooking anything. i saw in their fridge, there was no food. i saw that they didn�*t have the electricity on. the neighbours said that they were concerned about them. it�*s not ok. and the next lucky winner is 123. cheering. there are no easy wins when deciding what happens next. there we go.

i told you it was going to be fast. but the government and the regulator are under pressure to protect prepayment customers better. colletta smith, bbc news, in trafford. christopher brooks is head of policy at age uk, hejoins us now. thank you very much for your time today. begin by telling us more about their specific concerns you have around older people who have these prepayment meters in their home. , ., , ., home. yes, well we have seen over recent months _ home. yes, well we have seen over recent months and _ home. yes, well we have seen over recent months and years _ home. yes, well we have seen over recent months and years a - recent months and years a significant increase in the number of older households which have a prepayment meter installed. it has risen to well over half a million now and that is about a quarter of all households with a prepayment meter. it isjust all households with a prepayment meter. it is just far too many people. the problems with prepayment meters were highlighted in the clip wejust heard. meters were highlighted in the clip we just heard. they are charging people more for their energy, so you are taking some of the poorest people in society, including many

older people, and you are charging them a premium on their energy which other households don�*t have to pay. that is just fundamentally unfair. we have obviously seen in recent months, media stories about how many people are being forced over to a prepayment meter against their wishes and without the energy companies following due process. so it is forcing even more people into this very difficult position, where they have a prepayment meter. for people who do have a prepayment meter, it�*s extremely common for people to what�*s known as self disconnect, which is where they don�*t top up, so they run out credit and are left living in the cold and the dark. all the time they paying the dark. all the time they paying the standard charge and building update which makes it difficult to switch back. it is putting a large number of people in an extremely difficult position which we shouldn�*t be experiencing in 21st—century britain. tail: shouldn't be experiencing in 21st-century britain.- shouldn't be experiencing in 21st-century britain. talk to us more about — 21st-century britain. talk to us more about the _ 21st-century britain. talk to us more about the energy - 21st-century britain. talk to us more about the energy social. 21st-century britain. talk to us - more about the energy social tariff that you would like the to

implement. so that you would like the to implement.— that you would like the to imlement. ~ , ., implement. so we think this would alleviate many _ implement. so we think this would alleviate many of _ implement. so we think this would alleviate many of the _ implement. so we think this would alleviate many of the problem - implement. so we think this would alleviate many of the problem is i alleviate many of the problem is that we are seeing at the moment. a social tariff is effectively a discount on energy bills. we are calling for a 50% discount for eligible households. so that is people claiming means tested benefits, it is people living in poverty. and it is people who are claiming other benefits as well. so it would help these people enormously. it would cut energy bills for some of the people who are least likely to be able to pay and meet the ever—increasing cost that we have all experienced over recent months and years. so we think this is the best way forward and the fairest way forward. it�*s also important to note that we think it should be paid out of general taxation, so it�*s not transferring the cost on to other bill payers. this is really important that our progressive tax system bears the brunt of the cost of this. that way we think we can deliver benefits to the poorest households in our

society, helping people to heat their homes and keep the lights on, while not playing an undue burden on other people who are also financially struggling. qm. financially struggling. ok, christopher, _ financially struggling. ok, christopher, thank - financially struggling. 0k, christopher, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today about your concerns at age uk. christopher brooks from age uk there. eurovision fans are preparing for the rush to get hold of coveted tickets for this year�*s song contest. there is expected to be high demand when tickets for the nine public shows being staged in liverpool in may go on sale at midday. joing us now is the bbc�*s eurovisioncast host daniel rosney. so, people are going to be poised. they are going to have perhaps multiple devices on the go at any one time, trying to secure a ticket. just take us through what the process is. i just take us through what the process is— just take us through what the rocess is. , ., ., . ., ,, process is. i 'ust had a whatsapp from a process is. ijust had a whatsapp from a friend _ process is. ijust had a whatsapp from a friend who _ process is. ijust had a whatsapp from a friend who has _ process is. ijust had a whatsapp from a friend who has booked . process is. ijust had a whatsapp from a friend who has booked a i from a friend who has booked a meeting at 11.50 when he is trying to get eurovision tickets, that�*s how seriously people are taking this. midday, you need to be

registered on ticketmaster. they nine shows three televised shows, three semifinals, the final and the production rehearsals. you can only buy for one event at a time. you can buy for one event at a time. you can buy four tickets for any of the live shows and six tickets for a preview show. tickets range from £30 to £380 depending on the event. they will be in high demand notjust in the uk but across europe as well. absolutely, so clearly the rehearsal shows, the tickets for those slightly cheaper compared to the semifinals, the grand final. but you can zoom in on which, focus on which show you want to get a ticket for, is that right? as opposed to going into a big pot for a ticket for one show? , , ., , . show? there will be nine shows. when ou aet show? there will be nine shows. when you get through. _ show? there will be nine shows. when you get through. if _ show? there will be nine shows. when you get through, if you're _ show? there will be nine shows. when you get through, if you're lucky - show? there will be nine shows. when you get through, if you're lucky to - you get through, if you�*re lucky to get through, they list nine shows a new click which one you want to buy tickets for. 0ften, new click which one you want to buy tickets for. often, the earlier rehearsals in the afternoon are easier to get tickets for and a lot cheaper. as i say, the live grand

final, the big saturday night show we are all used to watching with graham norton�*s commentary, that is £380. but because of how big the production is, the capacity for liverpool arena, production is, the capacity for liverpoolarena, is production is, the capacity for liverpool arena, is 11,000 normally. but because of how big the stage is, the production, the cameras, the lighting, the 37 artists, it�*s looking like there will be around 6000 public members that each of the nine shows. 50 6000 public members that each of the nine shows. , .. , nine shows. so significantly fewer than the capacity _ nine shows. so significantly fewer than the capacity otherwise, - nine shows. so significantly fewer than the capacity otherwise, and l than the capacity otherwise, and there is so much expectation around this show, isn�*t there, for the obvious political reasons but also because with sam ryder�*s success last year, there has been a reawakening around the whole idea of eurovision? i reawakening around the whole idea of eurovision? ~ ., reawakening around the whole idea of eurovision? ~' ., ., eurovision? i think if we were to go back two years _ eurovision? i think if we were to go back two years and _ eurovision? i think if we were to go back two years and say _ eurovision? i think if we were to go back two years and say we - eurovision? i think if we were to go back two years and say we would i eurovision? i think if we were to go | back two years and say we would be having this conversation now, i�*m not sure many people would believe us. there is a two—week cultural festival in liverpool going on at the same time as eurovision. it is

emphasising the slogan of this year�*s contest, united by music. one of my favourite things they have planned is a simultaneous rave in liverpool and kyiv because we are hosting it on behalf of ukraine. there are a lot of elements to do with ukrainian culture which liverpool city will be emphasising in that two week period. there is a fan zone 420 25,000 fans to watch on big screens. if are unlucky enough not to get a ticket the party atmosphere will be going on for two weeks at least. i atmosphere will be going on for two weeks at least.— weeks at least. i am sure you talk about this — weeks at least. i am sure you talk about this through _ weeks at least. i am sure you talk about this through the _ weeks at least. i am sure you talk about this through the day - weeks at least. i am sure you talk about this through the day and . weeks at least. i am sure you talk. about this through the day and how the ticket sales are going. i am sure they will go very quickly. minutes. ., ~ , ., , minutes. daniel, thank you very much. minutes. daniel, thank you very much- time _ minutes. daniel, thank you very much. time now _ minutes. daniel, thank you very much. time now for _ minutes. daniel, thank you very much. time now for a _ minutes. daniel, thank you very much. time now for a look - minutes. daniel, thank you very much. time now for a look at i minutes. daniel, thank you very l much. time now for a look at the weather and here is the latest with carol. hello again. some of us have seen some snow already this morning and there�*s more snow to come as we go through this week. today, we�*ve got this weather front continuing to move away with its wintry mix of rain,

sleet and snow. we�*ve got that northerly wind coming straight down from the arctic and windward coasts will see further wintry showers through the course of the day, across northern scotland, northern ireland and northeast england. now, this weather front eventually does clear, but behind it, there�*ll be a fair bit of cloud, some wintry flurries developing inland through the day, but equally a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine and it�*s going to feel cold for most. temperatures widely between 1—4 degrees. in the southwest and the channel islands, temperatures a little bit higher. as we go through the evening and overnight, this weatherfront starts to swing into the mild air in the southwest. so initially we�*ll see some rain, but as it bumps into the cold air, you can see how that readily turns to snow across southern counties and also the south midlands. under clear skies further north, it�*s going to be cold. there�*ll be a widespread frost, the risk of ice on untreated surfaces and temperatures in sheltered glens in scotland could fall as low as —13, possibly —15. so tomorrow, we still have the arctic air firmly in place. the atlantic air trying to push into southern areas. and for the rush hour, there will be some snow likely

across parts of southern england before that moves away. but later in the day, we�*ll see more rain preceded by snow coming in across the southwest. move north of that for scotland, northern england, northern ireland and much of east anglia, it should be dry. but, once again, it is going to be a cool day away from the southwest. then it turns a little bit more disruptive on thursday into friday. disruptive snow, heavy snowfalls across the north pennines, northern ireland and the scottish hills. so this could affect you if you live in these areas with disruption to travel, for example, as this deep area of low pressure comes in with its weather fronts. now in the south, in the mild air, we�*re going to have rain and windy conditions. it�*s also going to be windy where we�*ve got the falling snow. so that snow will be drifting and blowing. north of that in scotland, something drier and brighter, but still cold in the north, milder in the southwest, which is why we�*re seeing rain here and not snow. but worth pointing out the areas that the met office has the warnings

out for the heavy snow, this could lead to some disruption.

this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. our top stories... a new bill aims to crackdown on migrants who travel to the uk illegally — especialy those crossing the english channel in small boats. the home secretary admits its pushing the boudaries of international law. china�*s leader xijinping makes an unusually direct rebuke of the united states — blaming it for trying to "contain, encircle and suppress" his country. live pictures from marseille, where another day of strikes bring widespread disruption across france — as unions battle against planned pension reforms. tributes are paid to three people found dead in a crashed car in cardiff, two days after they went missing.