membership to have their nato membership application ratified. it was all sort of hinging on whether the turkish government are well prepared to give it the thumbs up. we are now hearing that turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's bid in parliament. that is after he says the country took steps to keep its promises regarding clamping down on what president erdogan regards as kurdish opposition. there has been a news conference with his finnish counterpart and president erdogan said he will continue his discussions with sweden on terror —related issues on which he believes finland have made good progress and sweden's nato membership bid would depend directly on measures it chooses to take. this has been rattling on for about a year now after russia invaded ukraine. it

focused minds are somewhat in helsinki and stockholm and pushed those two countries for the first time to apply for nato membership. so some movement by turkey regarding finland's application to join nato. giving young babies between four and six months old tiny tastes of smooth peanut butter could dramatically cut peanut allergies. that's according to new research, showing there is a crucial opportunity during weaning to cut allergy cases by 77%. the allergy has been soaring in the uk with one—in—50 children now affected. scientists now say the government's advice on weaning — which says no solids until around six months — needs to change. let's speak to our medical editor fergus walsh. this sounds promising, tell us how it works? it this sounds promising, tell us how it works? , , ., . ., this sounds promising, tell us how itworks? , , ., . ., �*, it works? it is research from king's colleae it works? it is research from king's college london _ it works? it is research from king's college london university - it works? it is research from king's college london university of- college london university of southampton and they have been involved at this for decades. and they are hoping this is the definitive study on peanut allergy

because i can remember going back 20 years, when the advice was to avoid giving children nut products until the age of three. and it was coinciding with this massive increase in peanut allergy. but what they now think is that actually did they now think is that actually did the wrong thing. there is this narrow window between four and six months where you should introduce, never whole nuts are crushed nuts, we're talking about smooth peanut butter, it may be mixed with breastmilk, complementary to breast—feeding. and a spoonful mixed with liquid a couple of times a week and complimentary to breast—feeding. they reckon that would reduce the number of children in the uk who develop a peanut allergy. take it

down from 13,000 a year and reduce it by 10,000. really, thousands and thousands of children could be spared what can be a life—threatening allergy. i spared what can be a life-threatening allergy. i can imaaine life-threatening allergy. i can imagine baby _ life-threatening allergy. i can imagine baby smacking - life-threatening allergy. i can imagine baby smacking theirl life—threatening allergy. i can imagine baby smacking their lips at the prospect of this, why has the rate gone up? fix, the prospect of this, why has the rate gone up?— rate gone up? a lot of things, in the uk for— rate gone up? a lot of things, in the uk for example, _ rate gone up? a lot of things, in the uk for example, there - rate gone up? a lot of things, in the uk for example, there has l rate gone up? a lot of things, in - the uk for example, there has been a massive increase in recent decades in peanut butter consumption. at the same time, parents were being told don't introduce your babies to it. it meant babies were getting their first introduction to it via the skin and it is the skin where allergies tend to develop. rather than through the gut. the official guidance from the nhs is weaning and peanut products should be introduced from around six months. the researchers want it brought down to four months and they said the children he will especially benefit it will be those who are highly

allergic, have things like severe eczema. but it has to be done very carefully. it’s eczema. but it has to be done very carefull . �* , ., eczema. but it has to be done very carefull . �*, ., , ., carefully. it's not “ust for children i carefully. it's not “ust for children where h carefully. it's notjust for children where peanut i carefully. it's not just for - children where peanut allergies carefully. it's not just for _ children where peanut allergies run in the family? 140. children where peanut allergies run in the family?— in the family? no, it is for all children. _ in the family? no, it is for all children, they _ in the family? no, it is for all children, they are _ in the family? no, it is for all children, they are saying - in the family? no, it is for all children, they are saying that in the family? no, it is for all - children, they are saying that this would be beneficial. it is understandable, parents are worried, peanut allergy can be life—threatening, they are worried when they introduce these foods. but they take as an example, israel, where children, infants are given peanut products from a very early age and there is barely any incidents there of peanut allergy. that is what prompted the start of this, going back ten, 15 years. it makes sense. thank you very much, fergus walsh. killers who have a history of controlling behaviour towards their victims could face longer jail sentences, under new government plans. thejustice secretary, dominic raab, wants coercive or violent behaviour to be considered when courts pass sentence. campaigners against domestic violence have welcomed the proposal, but say they'd like to see a minimum

sentence of 25 years introduced. mark lobel reports. untold tragedy has turned these mothers into campaigners. their daughters were murdered by ex—boyfriends. 24—year—old poppy devey waterhouse, described as a prodigiously gifted mathematician, was stabbed at home 49 times by her ex—boyfriend, after three years living together. she had more than 100 injuries. her killer, joe atkinson, was sentenced to 16 years. poppy's family thinks excessive force used in her murder should have led to a longer sentence. poppy had finished the relationship, her bags were packed in the corner of the bedroom. joe atkinson saw that and took that as a final thing, "well, i'm not letting her go." it is a massive trigger, and a lot of women are killed at that time, very, very vulnerable moment, so, we are very pleased that the government have recognised that. the ministry ofjustice in england is announcing the findings of an independent review of the sentencing of so—called domestic murders

by barrister clare ward. it says killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour will face tougher sentences. and the use of excessive or gratuitous violence will be made aggravating factors in sentencing decisions. the next step is to find how much weighting that will carry, and that will involve lawyers and judges being trained. so when could we see longer sentences? i will look to get it rolled out as swiftly as we can, but i don't want to rush it either, because it needs, it involves quite a lot of nuance, quite a lot of sensitivity, quite a lot of awareness, but the judiciary i know are committed, as they always are, to getting this right. for these family members of women killed by men, there is also another hopeful development from the government, in the form of a consultation on whether the starting point of 15 years in prison for domestic murder cases should be raised to 25. mark lobel, bbc news.

scientists in scotland say they've solved the mystery of why people from the orkney islands, off the northeastern coast of the country, may be more susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer. it's all about a gene variant, which is already known to increase the risk of those cancers, being more common in people of 0rcadian heritage. laura goodwin has the details. people have lived here on the island of westray for many thousands of years. in part, the community's deep connection to their roots have helped scientists solve a 25 year medical puzzle. an increase in family history of breast cancer first noticed by the screening services in 0rkney. now a team of geneticists have come to the island to communicate their findings face to face. around one in 1,000 women across the uk have a brca1 variant. the study found one in 100 people with 0rkney grandparents have this particular variant. the historical nature of small island communities means there is some shared ancestry

and researchers have been able to trace its origin back hundreds of years to westray. linda hagan can map her own westray family tree for many generations. i lost my sister four years ago, she was younger than me, to breast cancer and an aunt, a well—loved aunt who died when she was 46. so it has affected our family and there are cousins as well who have had breast cancer. although this is news that we don't want to hear, it is important for us to know what is going on in the hopes that some maybe further treatment or at least a recognition of what could happen if we carry the gene. karen scott has already been tested for the gene due to herfamily history of breast cancer. she didn't have it, but hopes other women will be tested. 0rcadians are all over the world.

this is a massive discovery and hugely important for the health of every individual in 0rkney, and the generations to come. there are other communities within the uk that have a known prevalence of brca gene variants, but identifying founder mutations like this is rare. women with the same variation have already been found across the uk and america, which means their roots most likely lead back to 0rkney. laura goodwin, bbc news. let's catch up with one of the winners from last sunday's oscars now — the best—short—film �*an irish goodbye'. the cast made headlines when they sang happy birthday on stage to one of the lead actors, james martin. it's been a huge week for them but last nightjames and the team were back in northern ireland for their official homecoming party. emma vardy was there, too — and she sent this report. sorry about your mother.

set on a farm in rural northern ireland, an irish goodbye tells the story of estranged family brought back together by loss. i told you, i'm staying here to look after the farm. i'm not getting stuck here for the rest of my life, mothering you. the big success achieved by this small cast and crew has not only brought pride for northern ireland's film industry but been life changing forjames martin who worked in a belfast starbucks while taking on acting jobs and celebrated tonight with his father. being at home to see my family and friends, which is really good. you know, we wanted to create a character that was well—rounded and the disability was the bottom of the list of interesting things. the film deals with the tensions between the brothers over what will happen to james's character after their mothers death. and as the first actor with down�*s syndrome to win an oscar,

it's also highlighted the issue of diversity in films and james hopes the writers and directors of the big screen will become more open to storylines which involve disability. it's really down to the actors themselves, really. but i think we should be included because it doesn't matter what disabilities is out there, as long as we connect, that's the main thing. i think what's crucial is for representation, it's like not making the disability the main event. james is such a multifaceted guy, i know so many others with down's syndrome and other disabilities, their disability isn't what defines them. and i think representation for representation's sake isn't enough, you've got to try harder and work better, give people meaty roles, juicy roles. after the glitz and glamour of the awards, james says the next stop is to bring that 0scar home to his drama group in belfast. i've done it! they hope the next project will be a feature length film and believe

it was northern ireland's characteristic dark humour which helped win over the academy churches and bring a bit of red carpet prestige back home. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise it isa it is a case of mixed fortunes for many for the remember of the day. it has been a grey and gloomy start across kent this morning, as you can see from the puddles, quite significant sharp showers here but further north and east in county durham we've had beautiful blue sky and sunshine. it's likely that across north—east england we could see the highest temperatures for the remainder of the afternoon. this is the story, as you can see. sharp showers easing away from the south—east and a cluster of showers developing the wide spread to northern ireland which will gradually push their way through

wales in the afternoon. sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most and a mild story with the wind coming from a southerly direction, so generally those temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees, slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. it is a messy mix as we go through the night, we keep quite a lot of cloud around, we continue to see some showers from time to time. some of these still quite heavy but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent the temperatures from falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend, temperatures between five and 9 degrees. low pressure control is the story for the time being. the first half of the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled and this weather front could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day in the far north—west. sunny spells and scattered showers, starting off grey and gloomy across the south—east. with lighter winds on saturday, some of these showers could be quite slow moving. 0nce of these showers could be quite slow moving. once again, can't rule out the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures will be at around 13 or

14 temperatures will be at around 13 or 1a degrees. not quite as warm as friday. with more persistent rain and to northern ireland, western scotland as we go through the middle part of the afternoon as well. in terms of that reign, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles and the winds will pick up. on the back edge of that we could see for a time, some snow. shouldn't cause too much of an issue and that will ease away on sunday. sunday will ease away on sunday. sunday will be acquired today as original pressure builds. good deal of dry weather, fewer showers around before cloud and rain arrived into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for sunday afternoon ranging from 1a to 16 degrees. take care.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm martine croxall. our top stories: china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week for talks with president putin. but ukraine's foreign minister tells the bbc that he doesn't think the talks will result in an end to the war. i do not think china has reached the moment now when it wants to, when it is ready to arm russia, nor do i think that this visit will result in peace. turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid as the leaders of the two countries meet. a review of london's metropolitan

police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. markets rise after the announcement of 30 billion dollar rescue package for the embattled first republic bank in the us. hello and welcome to bbc news. the chinese president, xijinping, will travel to russia next week for talks with president putin. the state visit follows us claims that china may be considering sending weapons to russia to support its war in ukraine. beijing is currently promoting a plan it says can bring a negotiated end to the war in ukraine. meanwhile, there's been a boost for the ukrainian government.

slovakia has followed poland with a promise to send it combat aircraft. from kyiv, james landale reports. before the war, they agreed what they called a partnership with no limits. one that next week will bring president xi to moscow in a rare show of solidarity, for a leader in need of allies. china has neither endorsed nor condemned president putin's invasion of ukraine. but it has kept close diplomatic ties with moscow. translation: during his state visit to russia, the president will meet with president putin. china will uphold its... and very constructive role in peace talks. —— play a

constructive role. this is the message to the entire world, to the west, but also most importantly to the non—west, that russia is not alone, that there is china who is talking to them. do you think the chinese come to broker peace, or to arm russia? i don't think china has reached the moment now where it's ready to arm russia. nor do i think that this visit will result in peace. poland has promised ukraine four soviet—era fighterjets, like these. today, slovakia went further, saying it would deliver 13. but kyiv is still impatient for more planes and more ammunition. if one delivery is postponed for one day, it means that someone

is going to die on the front line. on that front line in bakhmut, the fighting continues, with russian forces, still struggling to encircle the city. james landale, bbc news, kyiv. vladimir putin's aide says the russian president and president xi will have an informal private meeting and dinner on monday, where they'll discuss the most important and delicate issues. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg has more from moscow. presidents putin and xi have regular contact, i think the two men have actually met in person 39 times, so in that sense not a surprise that the chinese leader will be coming to russia. if you think back to last year, putin was in beijing for talks, and that was just three weeks before the russian invasion of ukraine, so this will be xi's first visit to russia since the invasion and in that sense, yes, it is a show of support for russia at a time when the kremlin is under intense international pressure over the invasion, but then again,

the two leaders have very similar world views. they both embrace the idea of what they call a multipolar world against american domination and both men have proclaimed that their partnership has no limits. but that is not exactly true, there are limits. up till this point china has not provided russia with the lethal aid that would allow it to win the war in ukraine on the battlefield. and we have heard that america suspects, or claims, that china is considering doing that. so what can we expect from the talks? i think they will be talking about boosting cooperation, their partnership. they will probably be talking about the chinese initiative to end the war in ukraine. but again, very important to keep in mind, what there is not is an actual peace plan on the table. what there is is a lot of scepticism amongst european governments, western governments, that china, even if it wanted to, could actually

broker peace in ukraine. 0ur russia editor the. let's get more now on the announcement that two of ukraine's neighbours will be sending it fighterjets. president zelensky�*s government has been repeatedly asking its allies to send warplanes since russia invaded more than a year ago. up until now, the answer has always been no, but with the decision by poland and slovakia, that has all changed. slovakia will send 13 mig—29s, adding to the four which poland announced it was donating on thursday. they are soviet—era fighters, and slovakia retired its fleet of them last summer, so for ukraine these jets may be more useful for parts and servicing other craft. but sending these fighterjets might now encourage other nato countries to follow suit, rather like what happened with the sending of tanks. the kremlin has promised that any warplanes sent to ukraine will be "destroyed". i'm joined now by dr patrick bury, a defence and security expert at the university of bath and former

nato analyst. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. we have said these are quite older aircraft so how important will they be for ukraine? good afternoon. i think actually with the slovakian announcement they will send their entire fleet, the potential there to make a difference is certainly larger than a polling descending four which would have looked mainly symbolic. slovakia's fleet essentially has been retired from service because when the war started, as far as i understand, the russian mechanics and the contractors who are there to service, they have the expertise, were told to go home and therefore slovakia itself did not have the expertise, so those aircraft have been looked after in the last year. it does not necessarily mean they have to be cannibalised just four parts. if they are in decent enough shape they can be used and the

ukrainians who have been asking for these aircraft are so 2014 will be highly adept to getting these up to speed and capability. —— using these aircraft. what has been interesting is the way in which the russian air defence system is really led around where they have their troops, it is very difficult to penetrate it in any kind of concentrated manner. it is very swept up. the ukrainians have been using the sets in a couple of roles, flying in pairs or a single aircraft very low, very fast, trying to target russians on the front line when they are called in. or using them in the air defence 0r using them in the air defence role may need to try and shoot down cruise missiles if they get the chance or they have also been used against drones. they have these two are offensive and defensive elements and i think what you expect to see

is mig—29s can be used and are up to itand is mig—29s can be used and are up to it and brought into service can be used in those roles. whether this opens... i think this is a low hanging fruit really for countries in nato to offer their own but donate these aircraft which ukraine have been looking for for over a year. interestingly, poland said they would be open to transferring these back in march 2022 it has just taken a year to get political consensus, and managing the risks around escalation in line asexually. you cannot really say this is a native initiative, can you come really say this is a native initiative, can you, when it is happening on a piece basis so what happens for others to follow suit? —— around escalation in line essentially. -- around escalation in line essentially.— -- around escalation in line essentiall. ., ., ., essentially. right from day one, for the sense of— essentially. right from day one, for the sense of urgency, _ essentially. right from day one, for the sense of urgency, immediate i essentially. right from day one, for. the sense of urgency, immediate risk of consensus and the consensus emerged within nato, it is that the

ukrainians are under intense pressure and if they do not get them, things will change for the worse on the battlefield. i think with the aircraft, we are not at that stage at. if you're talking about the use of f—16s and staff. nato coordinate through its ministers, when they host ministerial meetings of member states it coordinates and discusses who will do what when and what are the best ways of doing things, but it is not actually in nato sending these weapons, it is the individual member states and that is also an important thing, hence why poland is able to lead the way and say four more and the next thing slovakia says 13, it is still seen as developed through the nation states rather than nato itself.— rather than nato itself. patrick, we a- reciate rather than nato itself. patrick, we appreciate your _ rather than nato itself. patrick, we appreciate your insight. _ rather than nato itself. patrick, we appreciate your insight. as - rather than nato itself. patrick, we appreciate your insight. as ever, . appreciate your insight. as ever, thank you very much forjoining us. turkey says it will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid in parliament after the country took concrete steps to keep its promises.

it comes after the finnish president has been visiting his turkish counterpart in ankara. finland and sweden applied for nato membership after the russian invasion of ukraine. turkey had delayed ratifying their bids, saying the nordic countries haven't done enough to combat kurdish militant groups. 0nur erum is from the bbc�*s turkish service. so, this is going ahead, how long do we think it will take? we so, this is going ahead, how long do we think it will take?— we think it will take? we are not exectin: we think it will take? we are not exaeeting it _ we think it will take? we are not exaeeting it to — we think it will take? we are not expecting it to take _ we think it will take? we are not expecting it to take long, - we think it will take? we are not. expecting it to take long, because the government has a majority in parliament and also the opposition is supporting that nato membership too, but we have to say that turkey's approval is not the end for finland, because they still need to get approval from finland, because they still need to get approvalfrom hungary, the last nato member who is yet to ratify. this nato member who is yet to ratify. as far as turkey is concerned, what has been done to win its backing? this auestion been done to win its backing? this question was _ been done to win its backing? ti 3 question was asked to president erdogan in today's press conference and he said they approved turkey's

demands and they sent some people back probably... demands and they sent some people back probably- - -_ back probably... these are kurdish militants? we _ back probably... these are kurdish militants? we do _ back probably... these are kurdish militants? we do not _ back probably... these are kurdish militants? we do not know, - back probably... these are kurdish militants? we do not know, he - back probably... these are kurdish| militants? we do not know, he said we demand — militants? we do not know, he said we demand this _ militants? we do not know, he said we demand this and _ militants? we do not know, he said we demand this and finland - militants? we do not know, he said l we demand this and finland approved our demands but sweden did not so we do not know what specifically has been done but there were demands of sending some people back who turkey considers as terrorists. we sending some people back who turkey considers as terrorists.— considers as terrorists. we have said before _ considers as terrorists. we have said before many _ considers as terrorists. we have said before many of _ considers as terrorists. we have said before many of the - considers as terrorists. we have l said before many of the decisions that get taken by president erdogan will of course be influenced by the forthcoming elections. how do the elections play into this decision about ratifying finland's bed? yes. about ratifying finland's bed? yes, turke has about ratifying finland's bed? yes, turkey has an _ about ratifying finland's bed? yes, turkey has an election _ about ratifying finland's bed? yes, turkey has an election in _ about ratifying finland's bed? 13:3 turkey has an election in two months and president add erdogan has been negotiating about buying newjet fighters and the united states wanted to turkey to approve these

countries' nato membership for the talks proceeded over the selling of the fighter jets to turkey. talks proceeded over the selling of the fighterjets to turkey. has talks proceeded over the selling of the fighterjets to turkey.- the fighter 'ets to turkey. as you said, the fighterjets to turkey. as you said. sweden _ the fighterjets to turkey. as you said, sweden is _ the fighterjets to turkey. as you said, sweden is still— the fighterjets to turkey. as you said, sweden is still behind - the fighterjets to turkey. as you i said, sweden is still behind sweden in this process. what do you know about what they are doing to get ankara on side?— about what they are doing to get ankara on side? president erdogan said what they _ ankara on side? president erdogan said what they have _ ankara on side? president erdogan said what they have not _ ankara on side? president erdogan said what they have not been i ankara on side? president erdogan| said what they have not been doing actually. he said they are still probe people marching in stockholm, and turkey has given a list of 120 people who turkey considers as terrorists for extraditing but sweden did not take any steps. thanks for clarification. thank you. a major review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. baroness casey was appointed to examine the met�*s standards and internal culture after the murder of sarah everard by wayne couzens,

a serving policeman. the bbc has been told the review — published next week — will be extremely bad for britain's biggest police force. 0ur correspondent lucy manning has been talking to former partners of police officers, who say the met fails to deal with abusive officers in its ranks. sirens they used to be in uniform, until they were convicted. since wayne couzens was arrested, more met police officers have been sentenced, many for sexual offences or violence against women. the force has faced criticism it can't deal with complaints against its own officers. i think it's easier to let these police officers stay than try and get rid of them. sally — not her real name — was the partner of a met police officer. they met when he investigated a crime she was the victim of. last year, she told the met he'd domestically abused her, and misused police powers. how do you feel that they have dealt

with him, given the fact he is a police officer? well, they haven't dealt with him, have they? he's still working. he's still getting paid. he's still going to get his full pension. get everything he asked for. he is now going through the met�*s misconduct system, on restricted duties. i think, 100%, if he had attacked me and he wasn't a police officer, he would have been arrested, and taken and carted off. where are you on being able to trust the met? i don't. i don't trust the police at all. and i do not understand why we report allegations against police to other police officers. there is no place in the police service for an officer like him. absolutely not. the met boss has accepted he is unable to sack hundreds of officers, and the bbc understands the casey review next week will heavily criticise the way the met tolerates wrongdoing and puts its own people

ahead of the public. do you believe the head of the met when he says they are going to do better? no, sorry. prove it. prove it by actions. don'tjust stand there and give us a load of old words. we want proof that you're going to act on those words. you're brought up to believe the police are there to protect. the police should be there to protect. that's what we pay taxes for. but theyjust seem to protect themselves. natalie claims her ex—husband, a met officer, coercively controlled her. she struggled to find the right avenues to complain to the force to get them to take action. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her anonymity. i've been in police stations. i've spoken to policewomen who squeezed my arm and looked compassionate, and told me this time it would be sorted, you know? it was unacceptable. you know, then like i said, you hear nothing.

and it then makes him worse. he's bolstered by this, isn't he? he's enabled, and protected. what more do you think the met needs to do now? 0wn up. i think they need total reform. we will take the most robust action against officers that are found to have committed these crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise we are in a bad place. but we are committed, and absolutely determined, to turn that around, and we are going to do so. i completely understand that people will often feel nervous or hesitant to go to the police to report a crime committed by the police. but it's clear it's notjust about a few officers who've been sentenced. the entire force will face serious accusations of racism, misogyny and homophobia. its reputation and ability to regain trust in serious doubt. lucy manning, bbc news.

just going to bring you some breaking news before we move on to banking. we havejust received quite a lengthy statement from the international criminal courtjudges. they have issued arrest warrants against vladimir putin and they say that he is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population, children in particular, and that of unlawful transfer of population, children, from occupied areas of ukraine to the russian federation. that is also the russian federation. that is also the commissioner for children's rights in the office of the president of the national federation, who is also allegedly responsible for similar charges, so the iccjudges claim. we know this will be extremely difficult to get them into court if that is the way they want it to happen, but there is a pre—trial chamber that is being

considered based on what they believe to be reasonable grounds to think that the suspect bears responsibility for these unlawful deportations. this follows a commission that found that russian troops had committed human rights abuses during the last 12 months in ukraine. clearly the icc trying to put pressure on the russian president and his commissioner for children's rights. the silicon valley bank financial group has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the united states, while it seeks buyers for its assets. last week, its former division, silicon valley bank, was taken over by us regulators. shares in credit suisse have fallen again today, after rallying on thursday following support from the swiss central bank. recent bank collapses in the us have raised fears over the health of the banking system. earlier on, i spoke to bloomberg's senior executive editor, stephanie flanders, and asked her about the markets this week.

you know, barely a week ago, central banks around the world were just wondering how much further they were going to have to go in raising interest rates to tackle inflation and quite a lot of people in the financial markets and elsewhere were sort of wondering why the very steep increase in interest rates we have seen, especially in the uk and the us over the last year, had not had a bigger impact on the real economy and on financial markets, and now, a week later, you have had this sudden outbreak of tension and concern rippling through markets. some people questioning whether there will be any more interest rate increases because central banks are so worried about the prospect of further banking collapses, so itjust shows that you can have nothing happen for several months but actually in the course of a week, the implications of all of those increases of interest rates that we saw last year finally coming home to roost and some big questions being asked.

larry fink from the investment house blackrock has said that he foresees some kind of rolling crisis. what does he mean by that, do you know? what will it look like? how will it affect us all? yeah, it is interesting. i guess it depends also on your definition of crisis. i mean, i think although there were some parallels being made this week when we had the question marks around the swiss bank, credit suisse, people were making parallels with the global financial crisis and northern rock and lehman brothers collapse, it does not feel like that, certainly doesn't feel like that yet, and i think what he means by rolling is that we will have this period where we see more and more financial institutions and other parts of the economy perhaps face their own moment of reckoning when it comes to the implications of much more expensive lending, you know, the fact we have had this long period of basically free money, that came to an end a while ago

for the uk, we got pushed into that very quickly by the crisis over the mini budget in september. now other parts of the global economy are starting to feel the effects of higher interest rates and that could produce a period where we have rounds of concern around the financial system without actually seeing a crisis on the scale that we did in 2008. just briefly then, what might we see in terms of action by other central banks, having seen interventions certainly by the swiss national bank and the united states? we are watching very closely at bloomberg what happens to credit suisse. there is a lively debate about whether the other big bank in switzerland, ubs, is going to be more or less strong—armed by the authorities to take over or to merge with credit suisse. i think we will continue to see central banks just watching the situation, seeing whether these concerns

in markets actually start to affect real activity and that could affect whether they raise interest rates any further, but we are not there yet, i don't think. the funeral of footballer christian atsu has been taking place in the ghanaian capital, accra. his body was recovered from the rubble following the earthquake in turkey and syria. christian atsu spent most of his career playing in the english premier league for clubs including chelsea, newcastle and everton. thomas naadi reports. trumpets play hundreds of mourners, including former national team—mates, attended the ceremony. tribute after tribute eulogised the late ghanian star who was killed in last month's earthquake in turkey. he had moved there to play for hatayspor. but he spent most of his career in england, playing for clubs such as chelsea, newcastle and everton.

he also made 65 appearances for the senior national team, the black stars, helping them to reach the finals of the 2016 africa cup of nations and awarded player of the tournament. many in this country have told the bbc he will be remembered for his love for humanity and for supporting the poor. atsu will be buried later today at his home town in south—eastern ghana. thomas naadi, bbc news, accra. new zealand's government has become the latest to ban tiktok on devices with access to its parliamentary network, due to security concerns. this is because of fears that the chinese—owned app passes information about users to the chinese government — something the owners, bytedance, deny. earlier on thursday, the uk followed the united states, and the european commission, in banning the app from sensitive government devices. china says it's a politically motivated decision, not

one based on facts, and tiktok�*s european spokesman had this to say. we are very disappointed. the government has said this is about fears rather than facts. we haven't done anything wrong. and we believe this is based on geopolitics more than anything else. i think tiktok is a political football in all of this. new zealand's prime minister, chris hipkins, outlined the guidance — and he was asked if he used tiktok himself. no, i'm not that hip and trendy. all right, thanks, everybody! there'll be no further strikes by teachers in england for two weeks, after the government and unions agreed to hold "intensive talks". the government says the move will create a "period of calm" from the national education union in england, as talks take place. the discussions will focus on pay, conditions and workload, and follow strikes which hit schools

across england earlier this week. more than half of schools closed or restricted attendance on 15th and 16th march. you are watching bbc news. hello there. it's a case of mixed fortunes for many for the remainder of the day and for the start of the weekend as we see a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. it's been a rather grey and gloomy start across kent this morning, as you can see from the puddles. quite significant sharp showers here. further north and east in county durham, we've had beautiful blue sky and sunshine and it's likely across north—east england we could see the highest temperatures for the remainder of the afternoon. this is the story as you can see, sharp showers easing away from the south—east and a cluster of showers developing, more widespread to through south—west england and wales

for the remainder of the afternoon. so it is an afternoon of mixed fortunes, sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most. a mild story with the wind coming from a southerly direction, so generally those temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees. slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. it's a messy mix as we go through the night and we keep quite a lot of cloud around, we continue to see some showers from time to time, some of them quite heavy but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent those temperatures falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend and temperatures widely between five and nine degrees. low pressure controls the story for the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled and this weatherfront could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day in the far north—west. once again it is sunny spells and scattered showers. starting off pretty grey and gloomy across the south—east and with the lighter winds on saturday, some of these showers could be quite slow moving. once again, can't rule out the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures will be at around 13 or 14 degrees, not quite as warm as friday. more persistent rain into northern ireland, western scotland as we go through the middle part

of the afternoon as well. now in terms of that rain, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles and the winds will pick up. 0n the back edge of that we could see for a time some snow. shouldn't cause too much of an issue. that will ease away on sunday. sunday will be a quieter day as a ridge of high pressure builds. a good deal of dry weather, few showers around before cloud and rain arrives into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for sunday afternoon ranging from six to 14 degrees. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines: china's president, xijinping will travel to moscow, next week for a state visit to hold talks with president vladimir putin — the kremlin says the two leaders are expected to discuss strategic cooperation. ukraine's foreign minister, tells the bbc that countries failing to support kyiv during its darkest hour will be held to account after the war ends — and warned weapon delivery delays would cost ukrainian lives. turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's stalled application for nato membership. finnish president sauli niinisto arrives in the turkish capital ankara today to hold talks

and a working dinner with president erdogan. you're watching bbc news... sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's betty. hello. good afternoon! it's gold cup day at the cheltenham festival — one of the big highlights of the horse racing calender. the race has just got under way — galopin des champs was the pre—race favourite, while rachel blackmore and a plus tard will be hoping to win the race for a second successive year. there's already been some irish success on st patrick's day — trainer willie mullins had the first fourfinishers in the triumph hurdle. but in the group one novices hurdle there was a surprise win for the 18—1 shot stay away fay, ridden by harry cobden and trained

in somerset by paul nicholls. we'll try to bring you the gold cup winner before we go chelsea boss graham potter says he is �*excited' by the prospect of facing holders and record 14 time winners real madrid in the quarter finals of the champions league. it's the third successive season they've met in the competition. chelsea beat real in the semi's on their way to winnin the trophy in the 2021 season, before losing 5—4 on aggregate last season in the quarters. manchester city meanwhile have drawn bayern munich — a reunion with his former club then for boss pep guardiola. city have never won the champions league before, while bayern have won it six times. they've not met competively since 2014, when gurdiola was in charge of the german club. tough routes for both premier league teams. michael brown has been speaking on the football news show: chelsea are going to have to find something possibly different to what they have been doing in the premier

league. we have seen how they have struggled and limped across, not necessarily scoring goals and he cannot decide on his team selection. this is real madrid, and it didn't look like they were going to get through but a wonderful return and we are really looking forward to the game. it will be really tough for chelsea but they have to got that confidence, they have to have the belief they can go and get through. if you are pat cardy oola now? timer;r if you are pat cardy oola now? they will been watching _ if you are pat cardy oola now? they will been watching the _ if you are pat cardy oola now? tue: will been watching the training if you are pat cardy oola now? tue will been watching the training and he would have had a little smile and thought, i'm guessing that is what was going to come my way. i have to beat my former team and it will have to be a special event for pep guardiola. the pressure is mounting on chelsea to win the champions league and a few manchester united supporters will have a little smile with that draw, i am sure. manchester united will meet spanish side sevilla

in the quarter—finals of the europa league. they're still afer an owner — sirjim ratcliffe — the uk's richest man — has arrived at old trafford for talks over a possible takover of the club. he submitted a bid to buy it in february. and has been pictured at the stadium. crystal palace have sacked boss patrick vieira — after a run of 12 matches without a win. they lost 1—0 at brighton on wednesday — their third defeat on the bounce — and even though they are twelfth in the premier league they are just three points above the relegation places. palace fan and podcast host robert sutherland says he thinks its the right call: i would say on the balance of things it probably is. the performances haven't been good enough, especially in an attacking sense. defensively we do a good job, the team doesn't concede that many goals but when it comes to scoring goals, it is all down to not creating chances and not taking them and unfortunately, that has been the biggest issue for patrick viera. carlos alcaraz will meet jannik sinner in the semi—finals

at indian wells later. the 19—year—old spaniard came through his match with canada's felix auger—aliassime, winning 6—4, 6—4 overnight. alcaraz will return to number one in the rankings if he wins the tournament. the other semi is daniil medvedev against frances tiafoe. no problems for the women's world number one iga swiatek in her quarter—final. she beat sorana cirstaya in straight sets. the defending champion plays wimbledon champion elena rybakina next. the winner of that will play the winner of maria sakkarri against aryna sabalenka in the final. and just the latest from cheltenham... we have got six fences to go in the gold cup. you can catch all of the latest on five sports extra and the latest on five sports extra and the latest reaction and what is happening over on our website. but from us, it's goodbye for now thank you very much.

doctors' leaders and government ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england. unions representing health workers — including nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics — are recommending their members back a 5% pay rise following months of industrial action. the uk's deputy prime minister dominic raab hopes that continued talks mean nhs strikes will come to an end soon. i think it's regrettable that we had the strike action, i am not going to start finger pointing because i think it is good that the two sites have come together and that we feel on the cusp of a settlement here. i think that is what your viewers will want to know, the strikes will end, we can focus working together on getting those nhs waiting lists down, there's a huge amount of investment that has gone in, and i hope thatjunior will follow suit. adam brimelow is from nhs providers, the membership organisation for the nhs hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services. thank you very much forjoining us

on bbc news. how welcome development this offer? ~ .,' , ., this offer? well, the offer is a welcome _ this offer? well, the offer is a welcome development. i this offer? well, the offer is a welcome development. we i this offer? well, the offer is a i welcome development. we just have this offer? well, the offer is a - welcome development. we just have to hope now that things will go well in terms of the membership view on it. we wouldn't presume to tell them how to vote, but it is really encouraging that after a very long hiatus we got the two sides together. then it didn't take that long to come up with an agreement. so here is hoping this can be followed through with an agreement by members and that the disruption we've seen, which has been so difficult for many, many people, patients and staff and the nhs as it seeks to catch up on bike locks, that period can be over and we can move forward. of course, the next challenge is resolving tojunior doctor dispute and that is a big worry. doctor dispute and that is a big wor . , �* , _, ., doctor dispute and that is a big wor. , ., ., ., worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. worry. yes, let's come to that in a second- in — worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. in your _ worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. in your view, _ worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. in your view, what - worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. in your view, what makesi second. in your view, what makes this deal are particularly good one?

the fact that after a period of when it seemed so hard to get the two sides together, i think it is really encouraging that once they get down to talking about this year's pay, things seem to fall into place relatively quickly. in other words, the two sides seem to be poles apart and now we seem to have a meeting of minds. and that hopefully is a template for what can happen with thejunior template for what can happen with the junior doctors. template for what can happen with thejunior doctors. because template for what can happen with the junior doctors. because the template for what can happen with thejunior doctors. because the nhs can ill afford further disruption brought about by industrial action. it already overstretched. we need to get a resolution so everyone can concentrate on the big strategic issues are for the nhs, including catching up on backlogs. what issues are for the nhs, including catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to — catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to happen _ catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to happen now— catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to happen now then i catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to happen now then with | think needs to happen now then with regards tojunior think needs to happen now then with regards to junior doctors? i think needs to happen now then with regards to junior doctors?— regards to “unior doctors? i think we need regards to junior doctors? i think we need to _ regards to junior doctors? i think we need to see _ regards to junior doctors? i think we need to see both _ regards to junior doctors? i think we need to see both sides i regards to junior doctors? i think| we need to see both sides getting past this period of blockage, really, in terms of not being ready

to make the compromises necessary to even talk to each other. we hope things can move very quickly and getting onto the substantive issues that will allow further industrial action to be called off. it is so important for so many patients that that happens. we are still getting the full scale of the disruption that has been brought about by the recent industrial action, it is very significant and we cannot afford to see more of that.— some breaking news now regarding the international criminal court warrant for russia's president vladimir putin accusing him for war crimes committed in ukraine, namely the deportation of children into the russian federation. the ukrainian prosecutor general has hailed this warrant as an historic decision.

moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of atrocities over the last year, since it invaded ukraine in february 2022. the russian foreign ministry has issued a statement saying... russia is not a member of the rome statute on the underpinning the international criminal court and has no to it. that is problematic for the international criminal court, but it hasn't stopped judges issuing an arrest warrant for vladimir putin and also his children �*s commissioner. a major review of the metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. lady casey, the uk's first victims' commissioner, was appointed to review the met�*s culture and standards after the murder of everard by wayne couzens, a serving policeman. her second report is due out on tuesday and the bbc has been told the findings are "very serious". joining me now is shabnam chaudhri a former

detective superintendent with the metropolitan police. thank you very much forjoining us this afternoon. we haven't seen the full report of course, but some information about it has been released, what is your reaction to it? ., ., ~ , ., ., , it? language like, it is atrocious and horrible _ it? language like, it is atrocious and horrible is _ it? language like, it is atrocious and horrible is an _ it? language like, it is atrocious i and horrible is an understatement. it is going to be an incredibly damning report. not at all surprising, this is the kind of challenges many of us made over decades of policing have been ignored. post the stephen lawrence murder and the recommendations were made in the mcpherson requiring. they were ignored and review after review that was ignored. i carried out a review myself in 2014 when i went to the director of hr and that was subsequently brushed under the carpet. the suggestions it would be morphed into something else and disappeared into thin air. a waste

of police and public money. idietitian disappeared into thin air. a waste of police and public money. when you work in this environment, _ of police and public money. when you work in this environment, you - of police and public money. when you work in this environment, you found l work in this environment, you found problems otherwise you wouldn't have gone forward with those complaints. so what were your experiences facing misogyny and racism? i had so what were your experiences facing misogyny and racism?— misogyny and racism? i had a fantastic career _ misogyny and racism? i had a fantastic career and _ misogyny and racism? i had a fantastic career and i - misogyny and racism? i had a fantastic career and i love i misogyny and racism? i had a fantastic career and i love my i misogyny and racism? i had a i fantastic career and i love my job fantastic career and i love myjob with the passion and that is why i stayed the 30 plus year. i called out racism around 1999. it tarnished me, there were some grossly offensive comments made in a community race relations setting as a result of the macpherson inquiry recommendations. that tarnished me for the rest of my service. everywhere i went i was labelled as a racecard playing b i t c h. people say, you went up to superintendent, but yes i did, but those hurdles

went up for me. i am gutted this is the same thing going on and many police officers, women and black minority officers are still experiencing this kind of behaviour within policing. that experiencing this kind of behaviour within policing.— within policing. that affects recruitment, _ within policing. that affects recruitment, doesn't i within policing. that affects recruitment, doesn't it i within policing. that affects. recruitment, doesn't it which within policing. that affects i recruitment, doesn't it which the police are struggling with? the met has had this will play an informing role in shaping our work to deliver the project called lustrous —— more trust less harm. the the project called lustrous -- more trust less harm.— the project called lustrous -- more trust less harm. the met have made these kind of— trust less harm. the met have made these kind of statement _ trust less harm. the met have made these kind of statement in _ trust less harm. the met have made these kind of statement in the i trust less harm. the met have made these kind of statement in the past, | these kind of statement in the past, they have given different types of policing and different branding. the branding the met need to accept as they are misogynistic, sexist and racist. when they accept the view and they start to go into what is going on within policing, it will take a very long time for the changes to actually come into place. thank you very much.

a new study has suggested that introducing peanut products to young babies could help cut the rates of allergies. current guidelines suggest that babies should not try products containing peanuts before six months of age. however, new research suggests that introducing the allergen into babies' diets between four and six months could help cut the rates of peanut allergies by 77%. joining me now is lead author of the study professor graham roberts. professor roberts, thank you for joining us. it sounds like we have been doing exactly the opposite of what we should be doing? we have, unfortunately. _ what we should be doing? we have, unfortunately, but _ what we should be doing? we have, unfortunately, but that _ what we should be doing? we have, unfortunately, but that was - what we should be doing? we have, unfortunately, but that was based . what we should be doing? we have, | unfortunately, but that was based on old research from awhile ago, where people just watched to what happens with babies regarding a peanut allergy. with this research, it has looked at data from randomised trials where we have compared babies who were introduced to peanut products early and later, so we know exactly what the impact is of

feeding babies tina products early. it is very confusing when you are the parent of a new baby and the weaning stage is quite a fraught time, with conflicting information. what do you believe the guidance now should be? i what do you believe the guidance now should be? ., ., . ., , should be? i agree, the guidance has chanced a should be? i agree, the guidance has changed a number— should be? i agree, the guidance has changed a number of— should be? i agree, the guidance has changed a number of times. - should be? i agree, the guidance has changed a number of times. from i should be? i agree, the guidance has| changed a number of times. from the results of this study, we think peanut products should be introduced into babies' diets between four and six months of age. if a baby has eczema, it needs to be four months and we have called for the government to rethink the guidance of introducing peanuts into the baby's diet. but of introducing peanuts into the loahy's diet-— of introducing peanuts into the bab 's diet. �* , ., , ., baby's diet. but it needs to be done carefully with _ baby's diet. but it needs to be done carefully with certain _ baby's diet. but it needs to be done carefully with certain types - baby's diet. but it needs to be done carefully with certain types of i carefully with certain types of peanut products, could you expand on that? ., . , ., ., , that? young children should not be liven that? young children should not be given whole — that? young children should not be given whole nuts _ that? young children should not be given whole nuts or— that? young children should not be given whole nuts or chopped i that? young children should not be given whole nuts or chopped nuts, | given whole nuts or chopped nuts, they need to be given something like smooth peanut butter, which they can

safely consume. bud smooth peanut butter, which they can safely consume.— safely consume. and tell us a bit about what _ safely consume. and tell us a bit about what you _ safely consume. and tell us a bit about what you believe - safely consume. and tell us a bit about what you believe this i about what you believe this particular study might help with other allergies to other things? that is a good question. all foods are slightly different, but increasingly we are coming to a realisation that actually, we should be doing what our great grandparents were doing and actually introducing solids to baby really quite early, between three and four months of age. we have got really good evidence for peanuts. we do need more evidence for some of the food, and there is an interesting study produced in scandinavia last year suggesting early introductions on three or four months of all the solids is a very effective way of reducing food allergy in small children. ., ,,., reducing food allergy in small children. ., , ., ., reducing food allergy in small children. ., ., , children. professor graham roberts from the southampton _ children. professor graham roberts from the southampton biomedical. from the southampton biomedical research centre, thank you for your

time. let's return to the news about the international criminal court issuing an arrest warrant for vladimir putin for trafficking children from occupied parts of ukraine. let's speak to 0lga ivshina from bbc russian. the icc had published on its website they have issued a an arrest warrant for president putin and the children's ombudsman. the defender, supposed to be the defender of children's rights in russia and she has been a very prominent figure in all of this process of moving those children from russian occupied areas of ukraine to russia and she was in charge of settling them down when some of them were put into russian families. the very fact this was published is very prominent. 0n the

other hand, russian officials and the russian foreign representative has reacted saying russia is not a party to the rome institute. so the decisions from the icc are not mandatory for russia to fulfil. she is trying to make a sarcastic comment saying it doesn't mean anything for russia. yes, technically, it would be quite hard to arrest president putin unless he leaves the territory of russia. yes. leaves the territory of russia. yes, ukraine's prosecutor _ leaves the territory of russia. yes, ukraine's prosecutor general said it is an historic decision, whether it is an historic decision, whether it is symbolic or actually enforceable yet, it doesn't look likely, does it? but this follows on from this commission which found russia had committed human rights abuses over the last year in ukraine? yes. committed human rights abuses over the last year in ukraine?— the last year in ukraine? yes, that is what russia _ the last year in ukraine? yes, that is what russia was _ the last year in ukraine? yes, that is what russia was trying - the last year in ukraine? yes, that is what russia was trying to i the last year in ukraine? yes, that| is what russia was trying to debunk for a long time. it is very important, especially internally, they say they are saving children of

they say they are saving children of the donbas, saving children of ukraine, defending children of ukraine, defending children of ukraine was very important internally and it seems that it would be a very harsh question for discussion, both internationally and within russia at the moment. so russia trying to show they are actually doing good for the children. that is the thing which was debated by ukraine, by the international authorities, by ngos and there were different examples. it is important to remember it is a very tricky issue, it is a topic which is not black and right. because things which are happening over happening in the war zone, yes, the lives of those kids were definitely in danger. 0n the other hand, what we have seen with those kids, what was happening to them, to many of them in russia was that some of them were put into russian families, some of them spent quite a lot of time in camps, children's

camps, but they had to speak russian and they say they had to sing the russian anthem every morning. so this doesn't look like a purely humanitarian effort. and i guess that was one of the things which the icc have taken into consideration when preparing for such a decision. thank you very much. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale is in kyiv. how significant is this, james, when the russian foreign ministry have been very quick to point out, they are not a member of the statute that underpins the international criminal court? ii underpins the international criminal court? . , underpins the international criminal court? ., , , ., , court? if that is the baseline, then we should note _ court? if that is the baseline, then we should note that _ court? if that is the baseline, then we should note that ukraine i court? if that is the baseline, then we should note that ukraine is i court? if that is the baseline, then we should note that ukraine is not| court? if that is the baseline, then l we should note that ukraine is not a signatory to the icc and no is the united states. the united states doesn't recognise the authority of the icc. the key point about this, the icc. the key point about this, the international criminal court has chosen to focus on president putin.

the court could have focused on lots of other military commanders on the russian side who have bombed civilians, schools, hospitals, residential areas. all of which are accused of being war crimes. instead, what the court has done, it has chosen to focus on two things. one, the deportation of children, which is, you know, considered a war crime. but specifically on the responsibility of notjust the children's commission of a president putin himself. the court says the reason they are doing it is to try and deter this happening at the moment. they say this crime is ongoing at the moment and by going public with these declarations of the warrants, they are trying to deter further crimes taking place. whether that succeeds or not remains to be seen. so i think the significance of this is, you are right, it is very unlikely that president putin is going to leave

russia and placed himself in a location where he could be arrested. but at the same time, this is a signalfrom the but at the same time, this is a signal from the international community that what is taking place in ukraine and has taken place in ukraine is against international law. and the court is making the allegation that president putin is responsible for that. as you say, the foreign ministry in moscow is saying that this is nothing to do with them, they say the decisions of the international court have no meaning for our country. this is the spokeswoman. she says that russia is not a party to the rome statute to the international criminal court. there is no obligations and russia does not cooperate with this body, and so on. not surprisingly, the ukrainians have taken a different position. they have made it clear they welcome this. the chief prosecutor, i am looking for the quote here, has had very specifically that the world has received a signal that the russian regime is criminal. and they say

they will be held accountable. that is really significant to the ukrainians. they have been demanding a process of accountability to start. they know it will be a long game, they know any form ofjustice will take many, many years. if you go back to the conflict in the former yugoslavia, go back to the conflict in the formeryugoslavia, it go back to the conflict in the former yugoslavia, it took decades before some people were prosecuted on some people were convicted. the ukrainians are happy that at least the process is starting. $5 ukrainians are happy that at least the process is starting.— ukrainians are happy that at least the process is starting. as you say it can take — the process is starting. as you say it can take a _ the process is starting. as you say it can take a very _ the process is starting. as you say it can take a very long _ the process is starting. as you say it can take a very long time. it i it can take a very long time. it depends how likely it is that president putin will leave russia. how often has anybody been arrested under those circumstances, not often thatis under those circumstances, not often that is the answer i am guessing? it depends. whichjurisdiction that is the answer i am guessing? it depends. which jurisdiction you are in and i think it is unlikely now that president putin will place himself in a position where he potentially could be arrested. but president putin doesn't do a great deal of travelling. that was heavily

constricted during covid and since then he travels relatively rarely. i imagine now they will be more cautious about where and when he goes, if there is an international warrant out for his arrest. james, for the moment, _ warrant out for his arrest. james, for the moment, thank _ warrant out for his arrest. james, for the moment, thank you i warrant out for his arrest. james, for the moment, thank you very l warrant out for his arrest. james, i for the moment, thank you very much. this weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the controversial invasion of iraq in 2003 by a us—led coalition of countries, including britain. the first phase of the war saw an intense aerial bombardment of baghdad, in which one of the many casualties was 12—year—old ali abbas. ali lost his parents and his younger brother in the attack, as well as both of his arms. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley, who was based in iraq before the war, has been to meet him. few iraqis carry deeper scars from the invasion than ali abbas. his father had been desperate to see the end of saddam hussein's dictatorship. we were farmers. my father was saying that

when he see the americans coming, he'lljust make like a party for them. he'll make a barbecue. you know, we werejust hoping for a better life. we were thinking that getting rid of saddam, we will have a good future for iraq. but it's never happened. i never know any family that they haven't lost a loved one, you know? ali's family had fled the capital, baghdad, for safety, but returned thinking the worst was over — just hours before their home was hit by a rocket. i remember the house collapsed on us. the fire everywhere. ihear my... my mother screaming, and my father also. it was terrible. i felt the fire burning my body and my arms. so this picture was the first picture when i arrived in hospital.

i remember my neighbour was telling me that when he pulled me out of the rubble, you know, that... because my arm was so badly burned. so when he pulled me out, one of my arms came off. ali now has a precious new family member. hello! his five—year—old son, yusef, who's with his mother in baghdad, though ali hopes to bring him here. when i go back to iraq, he's always spoiling me, you know? he doesn't let me do anything. he is trying to be my carer, you know? he's taking good care of me. yeah. if i'm trying to do something with my feet, he'lljust say, "no, daddy, i'll do that for you. you don't have to do it." he likes going out with me in the car a lot. you know, he likes my driving. i try to live independent. i do many things, i can write with my feet. i can use the phone. i can also hug him with my with my feet, you know. so it's ok with that. i just want to make a good future for my son, you know? and i hope also maybe i can

create my own charity one day and help people who are like in my situation, you know? i have been through very difficult times, especially just after the injury. i have to deal with it without parents and without arms. so it was very difficult in the beginning. and i always thank god for what i have got. so i think of the positive things. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. hello there. it's a case of mixed fortunes for many for the remainder of the day and for the start of the weekend as we see a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. it's been a rather grey and gloomy start across kent this morning, as you can see from the puddles. quite significant sharp showers here. further north and east in county durham, we've had beautiful blue sky and sunshine and it's likely across north—east england we could see the highest temperatures for the remainder of the afternoon. this is the story as you can see, sharp

showers easing away from the south—east and a cluster of showers developing, more widespread to northern ireland which will gradually push their way up through through south—west england and wales for the remainder of the afternoon. so it is an afternoon of mixed fortunes, sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most. a mild story with the wind coming from a southerly direction, so generally those temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees. slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. it's a messy mix as we go through the night and we keep quite a lot of cloud around, we continue to see some showers from time to time, some of them quite heavy but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent those temperatures falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend and temperatures widely between five and nine degrees. low pressure controls the story for the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled and this weatherfront could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day in the far north—west. once again it is sunny spells and scattered showers. starting off pretty grey and gloomy

across the south—east and with the lighter winds on saturday, some of these showers could be quite slow moving. once again, can't rule out the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures will be at around 13 or 14 degrees, not quite as warm as friday. more persistent rain into northern ireland, western scotland as we go through the middle part of the afternoon as well. now in terms of that rain, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles and the winds will pick up. on the back edge of that we could see for a time some snow. shouldn't cause too much of an issue. that will ease away on sunday. sunday will be a quieter day as a ridge of high pressure builds. a good deal of dry weather, fewer showers around before cloud and rain arrives into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for sunday afternoon ranging from six to 14 degrees. take care.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: judges at the international criminal court have issued arrest warrants for russia's president, vladmir putin, and his commissioner for children's rights. it said they were suspected of the war crime of unlawfully deporting children from ukraine to russia. china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week for talks with president putin. but ukraine's foreign minister tells the bbc that he doesn't think the talks will result in an end to the war.

i do not think china has reached the moment now when it wants to, when it is ready to arm russia, nor do i think that this visit will result in peace. turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid as the leaders of the two countries meet. a review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. hello and welcome to bbc news. the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russian president vladimir putin. the icc alleges he is responsible for war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of children from ukraine to russia. moscow has denied allegations of war crimes during the invasion. our russia editor steve rosenberg joins me now. what has the reaction been?

this story is onlyjust breaking, so the only reaction we have heard so far has come from the spokesperson of the russian foreign ministry. what she has done is reposted a commentary that she made it yesterday about the international criminal courts. according to which she says decisions by the international criminal court have no significance whatsoever for russia. she goes on to say that russia does not cooperate with the icc and that decisions by the icc are meaningless. that has been russia's position all along. moscow does not recognise the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. also russia does not extradite its nationals, so it is impossible to imagine at the moment vladimir putin being extradited to the

international criminal court. i think this is more symbolic, because what it does, this issuing of an arrest warrant, this tarnishes even more president putin's international reputation, his image, makes him even more of a pariah than he is at the moment. remember, that in three days�* time, the chinese president, president xi, is expected in moscow for a state visit, for high—level talks with vladimir putin. he will be sitting down to talks with someone for whom there is an arrest warrant out for now with the international criminal court. thank ou ve international criminal court. thank you very much- _ our foreign correspondent, anna holligan, has the reaction from the hague. does explain what the iccjudges have done. i’m

does explain what the icc “udges have done.— does explain what the icc “udges have done. �* , ., have done. i'm inside the icc now and we reported _ have done. i'm inside the icc now and we reported here _ have done. i'm inside the icc now and we reported here for - have done. i'm inside the icc now and we reported here for an - and we reported here for an interview, no advance warning of these arrest warrants given. what is really interesting as it focuses on one specific crime which is the alleged deportation of children from occupied areas of parts of ukraine by allegedly vladimir putin and as steve was saying, the commission of the children's rights in the office of the president of the russian federation, maria lvova—belova. the first time we have come across her, but of course not vladimir putin. the arrest warrants are being kept private, confidential, but according to this press statement, he, vladimir putin, russian president, is allegedly responsible for committing these acts, jointly or with others, the statement says, and failing to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed these acts or allowed for the commission.

as steve was saying, russia is not a signatory to the icc. it is highly unlikely russia would surrender any suspects to stand trial here but this is a hugely symbolic and there has been so much talk over the last few days about a possibility of arrest warrants in the future and now it has happened much sooner than many expected. one man has made this a parity affairs office, visited ukraine four times and he was pictured standing in eight children's centre is owned by empty cuts and he said at the time children cannot be used as the spoils of war and these arrest warrants are testament to his committed to bring justice to the people of ukraine. == committed to bring 'ustice to the people of ukraine._ committed to bring 'ustice to the people of ukraine. -- empty cots. it would take — people of ukraine. -- empty cots. it would take vladimir— people of ukraine. -- empty cots. it would take vladimir putin _ people of ukraine. -- empty cots. it would take vladimir putin to - people of ukraine. -- empty cots. it would take vladimir putin to leave l would take vladimir putin to leave russia and be in another country surely to be arrested? it russia and be in another country surely to be arrested?— russia and be in another country surely to be arrested? it will make it very difficult _ surely to be arrested? it will make it very difficult for _ surely to be arrested? it will make it very difficult for him _ surely to be arrested? it will make it very difficult for him to - surely to be arrested? it will make it very difficult for him to travel. i it very difficult for him to travel. we have seen cases like this before,

for example a share in sudan when he went to south africa there was pursuit of him and countries who are signatories to the icc. ukraine is not a signatory to the core but it gave the icc temporaryjurisdiction in order to investigate exactly these types of crimes, and of course we know already there were reports over the last few days that the icc may issue arrest warrants linked to the targeting of civilian infrastructure, so power supplies, water supplies, hospitals, so civilian infrastructure are not close to the front line that cannot be considered a legitimate military target, but according to this arrest warrant, just to go over this again, vladimir putin and the commission of the children's rights both allegedly

responsible for the illegal deportation of children, ukrainian children, into the russian federation since the start of the war, so since the start of russian invasion last year.— let's speak to olga ivshina from bbc russian. very symbolic here, significant, but it is the president, president putin, who is excited in this arrest warrant. not military leaders on the ground in ukraine.— ground in ukraine. yes, that is exactly what — ground in ukraine. yes, that is exactly what i _ ground in ukraine. yes, that is exactly what i was _ ground in ukraine. yes, that is exactly what i was thinking - ground in ukraine. yes, that is i exactly what i was thinking about. possibly this is one of the very few cases, may be the only possible case for icc, to issue a warrant directly against mr putin, the president in charge. in a way, this was an easier case compared to some other cases,

compared to war crimes, competitive fighting etc, but this was an easy outline to draw up because in the essence of this, it is notjust the very fact that russia have moved those kids in the way that is understandable because it is a war zone and kids were in danger, the trouble and the very reason why the icc has done it is not only because russia has moved them but because russia has moved them but because russia has moved them but because russia has made a significant effort in order to re—educate those kids, so those kids are not onlyjust moved physically from ukrainian territory to russian territory, many of them have been put into russian families, and those of them who are orphans are re—educated, some have spent quite a lot of time in a children's' camps together with child ren�*s' camps together with other children children's' camps together with other children where they have to sing at the russian anthem every day, heara sing at the russian anthem every day, hear a lot of stories about russia and also just the last week we saw that a lot of projects by russian ngos want sufficient funding

directly to re—educate those children full what they call patriotic upbringing and that is stated in the document. the international _ stated in the document. the international community and international community and international come further tarnishing the reputation if you can call it that of vladimir putin and next week he is hosting the chinese president, xijinping. yes. next week he is hosting the chinese president, xijinping.— president, xijinping. yes, the importance — president, xijinping. yes, the importance of— president, xijinping. yes, the importance of that _ president, xijinping. yes, the importance of that meeting i president, xijinping. yes, the i importance of that meeting now, president, xijinping. yes, the - importance of that meeting now, it is impossible to overstate. it is a time when opportunities further putin's international meetings are becoming more limited, there is a significant meeting and definitely they will be discussing the war in ukraine and russia more than ever needs allies, back—up, ways of negotiating with other partners come up negotiating with other partners come up with someone who, as russia believes, can first have their back and in a limited way but still, and

can negotiate with the united states, so the situation is becoming more and more complicated for russia and now more than ever it needs other partners on the international radar who can speak if not in favour of russia at least am not criticising it.— earlier i spoke to our diplomatic correspondent james lansdale. i asked him why the arrest warrant is so significant, given russia is not a signatory to the icc. if that is the baseline, then we should note that ukraine is not a signatory to the icc and nor is the united states. the united states doesn't recognise the authority of the icc. the key point about this is the international criminal court has chosen to focus on president putin. the court could have focused on lots of other military commanders on the russian side who have bombed civilians, schools, hospitals, residential areas, all of which are accused of being war crimes.

instead, what the court has done, it has chosen to focus on two things. one, the deportation of children, which is, you know, considered a war crime. but also specifically on the responsibility of notjust the children's commissioner but president putin himself. the court says the reason they are doing it is to try and deter this happening at the moment. they say this crime is ongoing at the moment and by going public with these declarations of the warrants, they are trying to deter further crimes taking place. whether that succeeds or not remains to be seen. so i think the significance of this is, you are right, it is very unlikely that president putin is going to leave russia and place himself in a location where he could be arrested. but at the same time, this is a signal from the international community that what is taking place in ukraine and has taken place in ukraine is against international law. and the court is making

the allegation that president putin is responsible for that. as you say, the foreign ministry in moscow is saying that this is nothing to do with them, they say the decisions of the international court have no meaning for our country. this is the spokeswoman. she says that russia is not a party to the rome statute to the international criminal court. there is no obligations and russia does not cooperate with this body, and so on. not surprisingly, the ukrainians have taken a different position. they have made it clear they welcome this. the chief prosecutor, i am looking for the quote here, has said very specifically that the world has received a signal that the russian regime is criminal. that's what they say, and they will be held accountable. that is really significant to the ukrainians. they have been demanding a process of accountability to start.

they know it will be a long game, they know any form of justice will take many, many years. if you go back to the conflict in the former yugoslavia, it took decades before some people were prosecuted on some people were convicted. the ukrainians are happy that at least the process is starting. let's get more now on the announcement that two of ukraine's neighbours will be sending it fighterjets. president zelensky�*s government has been repeatedly asking its allies to send warplanes since russia invaded more than a year ago. up until now, the answer has been no, but with the decision by poland and slovakia, that has all changed. slovakia will send 13 mig—29s, adding to the four which poland announced it was donating on thursday. they are soviet—era fighters, and slovakia retired its fleet of them last summer, so for ukraine these jets may be more useful for parts and servicing other craft. but sending these fighterjets might now encourage other nato countries to follow suit, rather like what happened with the sending of tanks. the kremlin has promised that any warplanes sent to ukraine

will be "destroyed". dr patrick bury, a defence and security expert at the university of bath and former nato analyst, told me slovakia's announcement is significant. with the slovakian announcement that they will send their entire fleet of 13, the potential there to make a difference is certainly larger than with poland sending four, which would have looked mainly symbolic. slovakia's fleet essentially has been retired from service because when the war started, as far as i understand, the russian mechanics and the contractors who are there to service, they have got the expertise, were told to go home and therefore slovakia itself did not have the expertise, so if those aircraft have been looked after in the last year, it does not necessarily mean that they have to be cannibalised just for parts. if they are in decent enough shape, they could be used, and you would imagine that the ukrainians, who have been operating these aircraft in a combat role since 2014, are going to be highly

adept to maintaining and getting these up to speed and capability. so i think 17 mig aircraft is not inconsiderable at all when taken together. what's been interesting is the way that the ukrainians... the russian air defence system is really layered around where they have got their troops, it is really very difficult to penetrate it in any kind of concentrated manner. it is very swept up. so the ukrainians have been using the mig—29s in a couple of roles, flying in pairs or single aircraft very low, very fast, to try and target russians on the front line when they are called in, or using them in the air defence role, mainly to try and shoot down cruise missiles if they get the chance, or they have also been used against drones. so they have got these two offensive and defensive elements to them and i think what you will expect to see is the mig—29s that can be used and that are up to it and brought into service will be

used in those roles. whether this opens... i think this is a low—hanging fruit really for countries in nato to off their own bat donate these aircraft which ukraine have been looking for for over a year. interestingly, poland said they would be open to transferring these aircraft back in march 2022, it has just taken a year to get sort of the political consensus, and managing the risks around escalation in—line essentially. you cannot really say this is a nato initiative, can you, when it is happening on a piecemeal basis, so what needs to happens for others to follow suit? good question. i think really if you look at the history of the way that arms have gone into ukraine right from day one, really, for the sense of urgency, immediate risk and consensus to emerge within nato, it is usually that the ukrainians are under intense pressure and if they do not get them, things will change for the worse

on the battlefield. and i think with the aircraft, we are not at that stage at, if you're talking about the release of f—16s and stuff. the other thing is that actually, nato coordinates through its ministers. when they host the ministerial meetings of member states, it coordinates and discusses who will give what when and what are the best ways of doing it, but it is not actually nato sending these weapons, it is the individual member states and that is also an important thing, hence why, you know, poland is able to lead the way and say four and the next day slovakia says 13. it is still seen as developed through the nation states rather than nato itself. turkey says it will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid in parliament after the country took concrete steps to keep its promises. it comes after the finnish president has been visiting his turkish counterpart in ankara.

finland and sweden applied for nato membership after the russian invasion of ukraine. turkey had delayed ratifying their bids, saying the nordic countries haven't done enough to combat kurdish militant groups. onur erum is from the bbc�*s turkish service. what has finland done to win the support of mr erdogan?- support of mr erdogan? erdogan wanted finland _ support of mr erdogan? erdogan wanted finland to _ support of mr erdogan? erdogan wanted finland to stop - support of mr erdogan? erdogan| wanted finland to stop supporting two organisations which he calls terrorists and he said after negotiations which lasted one year, he is convinced that finland took concrete steps in stopping these organisations.— concrete steps in stopping these oruanisations. ~ ., ., , ., ., organisations. what does that mean the turkish government _ organisations. what does that mean the turkish government is _ organisations. what does that mean the turkish government is going - organisations. what does that mean the turkish government is going to l the turkish government is going to do? ., . , the turkish government is going to do? ., ., , ., ., �*, do? now, after president erdogan's eiloaue, do? now, after president erdogan's epilogue. the _ do? now, after president erdogan's epilogue, the bill— do? now, after president erdogan's epilogue, the bill will— do? now, after president erdogan's epilogue, the bill will come - do? now, after president erdogan's epilogue, the bill will come to - epilogue, the bill will come to turkish parliament and there will be

a vote on approving finland's nato membership. it is expected to happen in weeks and it is expected to be approved with a majority because both the government has a majority and the opposition supports this. but not sweden yet? ida. and the opposition supports this. but not sweden yet?— but not sweden yet? no, today, president erdogan _ but not sweden yet? no, today, president erdogan said - but not sweden yet? no, today, president erdogan said what - but not sweden yet? no, today, president erdogan said what he | but not sweden yet? no, today, i president erdogan said what he did not approve the application yet and said that there are things sweden has not done which are, according to him, there were 120 people, a list of 120 people given for extraditing who turkey considers as terrorists and he said there were not any concrete steps in sending these people back. another reason president erdogan said there are still kurdish militia marchers to in sweden and there's been nothing done to stop this. has

sweden and there's been nothing done to sto this. ., , , . , to stop this. has ever been anything in relation to — to stop this. has ever been anything in relation to the _ to stop this. has ever been anything in relation to the elections _ to stop this. has ever been anything in relation to the elections coming i in relation to the elections coming up in relation to the elections coming up in a couple of months' time, that he has decided to ratify the finland bed at this point?— bed at this point? yes, there was a ressure bed at this point? yes, there was a pressure from _ bed at this point? yes, there was a pressure from countries _ bed at this point? yes, there was a pressure from countries to - bed at this point? yes, there was a pressure from countries to approve the applications and president erdogan did not want to look as a leader supporting russia by blocking nato expansion, so after signing this, he is giving the signal that he is ready to accept new countries in as long as they give priority to turkey's security concerns. thank ou. the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russian president vladimir putin. we can hear now what the icc has said about it. the we can hear now what the icc has said about it— said about it. the international criminal court _ said about it. the international criminal court has _ said about it. the international criminal court has issued - said about it. the international criminal court has issued two l criminal court has issued two warrants of arrest in the ukraine

situation for vladimir putin, president of the russian federation, and maria lvova—belova, commissioner of children's rights, who alleged deportation of children from ukrainian territories into the russian federation. i'm not quite sure what happened there, we were hearing from one of there, we were hearing from one of thejudges of the there, we were hearing from one of the judges of the international criminal court about that arrest warrant. i'm not sure whether we were seeing it on a loop, but we got the gist of it. the funeral of footballer christian atsu has been taking place in the ghanaian capital, accra. his body was recovered from the rubble following the earthquake in turkey and syria. christian atsu spent most of his career playing in the english premier league for clubs including chelsea, newcastle and everton. thomas naadi reports. trumpets play

hundreds of mourners, including former national team—mates, attended the ceremony. tribute after tribute eulogised the late ghanian star who was killed in last month's earthquake in turkey. he had moved there to play for hatayspor. but he spent most of his career in england, playing for clubs such as chelsea, newcastle and everton. he also made 65 appearances for the senior national team, the black stars, helping them to reach the finals of the 2016 africa cup of nations and awarded player of the tournament. many in this country have told the bbc he will be remembered for his love for humanity and for supporting the poor. atsu will be buried later today at his home town in south—eastern ghana. thomas naadi, bbc news, accra.

new zealand's government has become the latest to ban tiktok on devices with access to its parliamentary network, due to security concerns. this is because of fears that the chinese—owned app passes information about users to the chinese government — something the owners, bytedance, deny. earlier on thursday, the uk followed the united states, and the european commission, in banning the app from sensitive government devices. china says it's a politically motivated decision, not one based on facts, and tiktok�*s european spokesman had this to say. we are very disappointed. the government has said this is about fears rather than facts. we haven't done anything wrong. and we believe this is based on geopolitics more than anything else. i think tiktok is a political football in all of this. new zealand's prime minister chris hipkins outlined the guidance, and he was asked if he used tiktok himself.

no, i'm not that hip and trendy. all right, thanks, everybody! jacqueline gold, the businesswoman behind the british lingerie brand ann summers, has died, aged 62. ms gold became a director of the brand in the 1990's, and was best known for growing the retailer into a familiar sight on many high streets. she transformed the company's customer base, and was made a cbe in the 2016 new years honours list. you are watching bbc news. a former professional australian surfer has broken the world record for the longest surf session. blakejohnston eclipsed the previous mark of 30 hours and 11 minutes at cronulla beach in sydney. he's raising money for youth mental health projects and said he felt "pretty cooked" after catching more than 700 waves in setting the record. he's risked infected

ears, dehydration, hypothermia and drowning. he also had to deal with swarms ofjellyfish, and at one point, and at night, pitch—black seas. yeah, pretty good. you just smashed the world record, are you tired? yes, i've still got a job to do, though, i said 40, so... how are you feeling overall at the moment? yeah, pretty good. i should say so. finally, if you've ever wondered who would win in a confrontation between a crane and an alligator, let me show you these pictures. these have come from the gulf coast city of sarasota in the united states. you can see an alligator climbing out of the water, confronting a crane. look at that, magnificent. the bird raises its wings and squawks at the animal, but then backs away. but as the alligator moves closer, the bird ultimately stands firm, continuing to squawk and the alligator retreats into the water. other birds in the immediate location appeared

unconcerned by the stand—off. now you know what to do. this is bbc news. hello there. it's a case of mixed fortunes for many for the remainder of the day and for the start of the weekend as we see a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. it's been a rather grey and gloomy start across kent this morning, as you can see from the puddles. quite significant sharp showers here. further north and east in county durham, we've had beautiful blue sky and sunshine and it's likely across north—east england we could see the highest temperatures for the remainder of the afternoon. this is the story as you can see, sharp showers easing away from the south—east and a cluster of showers developing, more widespread to through south—west england and wales for the remainder of the afternoon. so it is an afternoon of mixed fortunes, sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most. a mild story with the wind

coming from a southerly direction, so generally those temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees. slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. it's a messy mix as we go through the night and we keep quite a lot of cloud around, we continue to see some showers from time to time, some of them quite heavy but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent those temperatures falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend and temperatures widely between five and nine degrees. low pressure controls the story for the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled and this weatherfront could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day in the far north—west. once again it is sunny spells and scattered showers. starting off pretty grey and gloomy across the south—east and with the lighter winds on saturday, some of these showers could be quite slow moving. once again, can't rule out the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures will be at around 13 or 1a degrees, not quite as warm as friday. more persistent rain into northern ireland, western scotland as we go through the middle part

of the afternoon as well. now in terms of that rain, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles and the winds will pick up. on the back edge of that we could see for a time some snow. shouldn't cause too much of an issue. that will ease away on sunday. sunday will be a quieter day as a ridge of high pressure builds. a good deal of dry weather, few showers around before cloud and rain arrives into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for sunday afternoon ranging from six to 1a degrees. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines: judges at the international criminal court have issued arrest warrants for russia's president, vladmir putin, and his commissioner for children's rights. it said they were suspected of the war crime of unlawfully deporting children, from ukraine to russia. china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week for talks with president putin. turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid as the leaders of the two countries meet. a review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour.

you're watching bbc news... the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russian president vladimir putin. the icc alleges he is responsible for war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of children from ukraine to russia. moscow has denied allegations of war crimes during the invasion. the international criminal court has issued two warrants of arrest in the ukraine situation. for vladimir putin, president of the russian federation and for maria alekseyevna, commissioner of the russian federation children's russian federation child ren's rights, russian federation children's rights, for the alleged deportation of children from ukraine occupied territories into the russian federation. this is an important moment forjustice from federation. this is an important moment for justice from the federation. this is an important moment forjustice from the icc. the judges have reviewed the information and evidence submitted by the prosecutor and determined that there

are credible allegations against these persons for the alleged crimes. the icc is doing its hard work, it is a court of law. the judges issued arrest warrants. the execution depends on international cooperation. let's speak to lawyer and legal commentatorjoshua rozenberg. great to have you here, what is the point of this when russia has pointed out, we don't recognise and we are not a signatory to the icc? that is right, as thejudgejust said, it depends on international cooperation. so putin is not going to be arrested while he remains in russia. were he to leave russia for any region, he would be very vulnerable to being arrested by whatever country he visits. to some extent this is symbolic but what i think the court is trying to do is not only send a message, but also

make it clear this is a crime which, according to the prosecutor, is continuing. and what the court says, it thinks public awareness of these warrants may contribute to the prevention of further crimes. and thatis prevention of further crimes. and that is why the court allowed the decision to publicise these arrest warrants today. find decision to publicise these arrest warrants today.— decision to publicise these arrest warrants toda . �* ~ . ., , warrants today. and ukraine has said the reaard warrants today. and ukraine has said they regard it — warrants today. and ukraine has said they regard it as _ warrants today. and ukraine has said they regard it as an _ warrants today. and ukraine has said they regard it as an historic - they regard it as an historic decision, because it could have been that arrest warrants were issued for military leaders on the ground? yes. military leaders on the ground? yes, what we don't _ military leaders on the ground? yes, what we don't know _ military leaders on the ground? yes, what we don't know is _ military leaders on the ground? use: what we don't know is what other arrest warrants are lined up, but are sealed and haven't been published. as i say, the court thinks it's in the interest of justice for us to know about these particular arrest warrants. normally the court will issue the arrest warrant but not tell the person subject arrest, because they don't want to let the person escape. but in the circumstances, they decided this was the right thing to do. ianthem

this was the right thing to do. when other heads — this was the right thing to do. when other heads of _ this was the right thing to do. when other heads of state _ this was the right thing to do. when other heads of state have _ this was the right thing to do. when other heads of state have had arrest warrant issued? i other heads of state have had arrest warrant issued?— warrant issued? i don't think we have had one — warrant issued? i don't think we have had one that _ warrant issued? i don't think we have had one that has _ warrant issued? i don't think we have had one that has carried i warrant issued? i don't think we l have had one that has carried out against a serving head of state. but we do think about slobodan milosevic, he was tried, not by the international criminal court, but an international tribunal for the former yugoslavia. he died while he was on trial and there were other leaders who died before that tribunal. charles taylor was tried again before a special tribunal. the message is, you may be head of state today, you may not be head of state in the future and at some point, the argument is, the law will catch up with you. argument is, the law will catch up with ou. �* ., ., , with you. but you have to be atient, with you. but you have to be patient, quite _ with you. but you have to be patient, quite often - with you. but you have to be j patient, quite often question with you. but you have to be - patient, quite often question what you have to be patient but during this time possibly more deportations are going on and certainly the war is going on. but are going on and certainly the war is going on— is going on. but it does send a simle, is going on. but it does send a simple. it _ is going on. but it does send a simple. it may _ is going on. but it does send a simple, it may have _ is going on. but it does send a simple, it may have a - is going on. but it does send a i simple, it may have a diplomatic

impact on other countries who have been sitting on the fence. it shows the international criminal court has been working for the past year to try to bring the people to justice and this is the first sign of action in this way. and this is the first sign of action in this way-— a major review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. baroness casey was appointed to examine the met�*s standards and internal culture after the murder of sarah everard by wayne couzens, a serving policeman. the bbc has been told the review, published next week — will be extremely bad for britain's biggest police force. our special correspondent, lucy manning, has been talking to former partners of police officers — who say the met fails to deal with abusive officers in its ranks. sirens. they used to be in uniform, until they were convicted. since wayne couzens was arrested, more met police officers have been sentenced, many for sexual offences or violence against women. the force has faced criticism

it can't deal with complaints against its own officers. i think it's easier to let these police officers stay than try and get rid of them. sally — not her real name — was the partner of a met police officer. they met when he investigated a crime she was the victim of. last year, she told the met he'd domestically abused her, and misused police powers. how do you feel that they have dealt with him, given the fact he is a police officer? well, they haven't dealt with him, have they? he's still working. he's still getting paid. he's still going to get his full pension. get everything he asked for. he is now going through the met�*s misconduct system, on restricted duties. i think, 100%, if he had attacked me and he wasn't a police officer, he would have been arrested, and taken and carted off. where are you on being able to trust the met? i don't. i don't trust the police at all. and i do not understand why we report allegations against police

to other police officers. there is no place in the police service for an officer like him. absolutely not. the met boss has accepted he is unable to sack hundreds of officers, and the bbc understands the casey review next week will heavily criticise the way the met tolerates wrongdoing and puts its own people ahead of the public. do you believe the head of the met when he says they are going to do better? no, sorry. prove it. prove it by actions. don'tjust stand there and give us a load of old words. we want proof that you're going to act on those words. you're brought up to believe the police are there to protect. the police should be there to protect. that's what we pay taxes for. but theyjust seem to protect themselves. natalie claims her ex—husband, a met

officer, coercively controlled her. she struggled to find the right avenues to complain to the force to get them to take action. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her anonymity. i've been in police stations. i've spoken to policewomen who squeezed my arm and looked compassionate, and told me this time it would be sorted, you know? it was unacceptable. you know, then like i said, you hear nothing. and it then makes him worse. he's bolstered by this, isn't he? he's enabled, and protected. what more do you think the met needs to do now? own up. i think they need total reform. we will take the most robust action against officers that are found to have committed these crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise we are in a bad place. but we are committed, and absolutely determined, to turn that around, and we are going to do so. i completely understand that people will often feel nervous or hesitant

to go to the police to report a crime committed by the police. but it's clear it's notjust about a few officers who've been sentenced. the entire force will face serious accusations of racism, misogyny and homophobia. its reputation and ability to regain trust in serious doubt. lucy manning, bbc news. shabnam chaudhri a former detective superintendent with the metropolitan police, she told me what she made of the reports. atrocious and horrible is an understatement. it is going to be an incredibly damning report. not at all surprising, these are the kinds of challenges many of us made over decades of policing that have been ignored post the stephen lawrence murder in the macpherson inquiry, they have ignored many of those in

recommendations. i carried out a review myself in 2014 when i went to the director of h. it was subsequently brushed under the carpet, like many others. suggestions it would be morphed into something else and then disappeared into thin air. . ., , something else and then disappeared into thin air. ~ . , ., something else and then disappeared into thin air. ~ ., ., ,., . something else and then disappeared into thin air. ~ ., . ., into thin air. waste of police and ublic into thin air. waste of police and public money- — into thin air. waste of police and public money. clearly _ into thin air. waste of police and public money. clearly found - into thin air. waste of police and - public money. clearly found problems in this environment because he wouldn't have gone forward with these complaints, but what was your experience like in facing racism and misogyny? i experience like in facing racism and misoa n ? . . experience like in facing racism and misoa n? . . ., . experience like in facing racism and misoa n? . . ., misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved _ misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved my _ misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved my job _ misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved my job with _ misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved my job with a - misogyny? i had a fantastic career and i loved my job with a passion, j and i loved myjob with a passion, thatis and i loved myjob with a passion, that is why i stayed the 30 plus years. but i called out racism in my early stages, around 1999. that tarnished me, there were some grossly offensive comments made in a community race relations setting as a result of the macpherson inquiry recommendations. and that tarnished me for the rest of my service. everywhere i went i was labelled as a racecard playing person. iwas

denied opportunities and i missed out on promotion opportunities. people say you made it to superintendent? yes, i did but the fact is, those hurdles were very, very challenging for me, as they have been for many. i am gutted this is the same thing that has been going on many police officers, women and black minority officers are still experiencing this kind of behaviour within policing. fii behaviour within policing. of course, effect recruitment. the met have said this report will play an important role in forming and shaping our work to promote the work called more trust, less crime to high standards, how confident are you they can do that? i am high standards, how confident are you they can do that?— you they can do that? i am not confident. _ you they can do that? i am not confident, the _ you they can do that? i am not confident, the met _ you they can do that? i am not confident, the met have - you they can do that? i am not confident, the met have made | you they can do that? i am not. confident, the met have made the statement in the past. they have given different types of branding, if you like. the branding the met need to accept as they are misogynistic, sexist and racist. when they have accepted that, when

they have accepted the review and they have accepted the review and they really start to go into what is actually going on within policing, it will take a very long time for the changes to actually come into place. the kremlin has reacted to the international criminal court's arrest warrant for vladimir putin, in a phone call with journalists this evening. vladimir putin's spokesman dmitry peskov said: "the very question (raised by the icc) is outrageous and unacceptable. russia, along several other states, does not recognise the jurisdiction of that court and thus any decisions of this kind for russia are null and void from a legal point of view." mr peskov declined to take any further questions on the subject. doctors' leaders and government ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england. unions representing health workers — including nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics — are recommending their members back a 5% pay rise following months

of industrial action. the uk's deputy prime minister dominic raab hopes that continued talks mean nhs strikes will come to an end soon. i think it's regrettable that we had the strike action, i am not going to start finger pointing because i think it is good that the two sites have come together and that we feel on the cusp of a settlement here. i think that is what your viewers will want to know, the strikes will end, we can focus working together on getting those nhs waiting lists down, there's a huge amount of investment that has gone in, and i hope thatjunior will follow suit.

adam brimelow is from nhs providers, the membership organisation for the nhs hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services. he gave his response. well, the offer is a welcome development. we just have to hope now that things will go well in terms of the membership view on it. we wouldn't presume to tell them how to vote, but it is really encouraging that after a very long hiatus we got the two sides together. then it didn't take that long to come up with an agreement. so here is hoping this can be followed through with an agreement by members and that the disruption we've seen, which has been so difficult for many, many people, patients and staff and the nhs as it seeks to catch up on backlogs, that period can be over and we can move forward. of course, the next challenge is resolving to junior doctor dispute and that is a big worry. yes, let's come to that in a second. in your view, what makes this deal a particularly good one? the fact that after a period where it seemed so hard to get the two sides together, i think it is really encouraging that once they get down to talking about this year's pay, things seem to fall into place

relatively quickly. in other words, the two sides seemed to be poles apart and now we seem to have a meeting of minds. and that hopefully is a template for what can happen with thejunior doctors. because the nhs can ill afford further disruption brought about by industrial action. it's already overstretched. we need to get a resolution so everyone can concentrate on the big strategic issues for the nhs, including catching up on backlogs. what do you think needs to happen now then with regards to junior doctors? i think we need to see both sides getting past this period of blockage, really, in terms of not being ready to make the compromises necessary to even talk to each other. we hope things can move very quickly and getting onto the substantive issues that will allow further industrial action to be called off. it is so important for so many

patients that that happens. we are still getting the full scale of the disruption that has been brought about by the recent industrial action, it is very significant and we cannot afford to see more of that. there'll be no further strikes by teachers in england for two weeks, after the government and unions agreed to hold 'intensive talks'. the government says the move will create a 'period of calm' from the national education union in england, as talks take place. the discussions will focus on pay, conditions and workload, and follow strikes which hit schools across england earlier this week. more than half of schools closed or restricted attendance on 15 and 16 march. passport office workers across england, scotland and wales are to strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over pay, pensions, and job security. more than 1,000 members of the pcs union will take part in the action from early april. the union has warned it's likely to have what it calls a "significant

impact" on the delivery of passports this summer. the home office have released a statement about this. they say they are disappointed in the union's decision to strike. and say they're working to manage the impact of strike action, whilst ensuring they can continue to deliver vital services, with comprehensive contingency plans. and they add that there are currently no plans to change our guidance to allow up to ten weeks to get a passport. killers who have a history of controlling behaviour towards their victims could face longer jail sentences, under new government plans. thejustice secretary, dominic raab, wants coercive or violent behaviour to be considered when courts pass sentence. campaigners against domestic violence have welcomed the proposal, but say they'd like to see a minimum sentence of 25 years introduced. mark lobel reports. untold tragedy has turned these mothers into campaigners. their daughters were murdered by ex—boyfriends. 24—year—old poppy devey waterhouse, described as a prodigiously gifted mathematician,

was stabbed at home 49 times by her ex—boyfriend, after three years living together. she had more than 100 injuries. her killer, joe atkinson, was sentenced to 16 years. poppy's family thinks excessive force used in her murder should have led to a longer sentence. poppy had finished the relationship, her bags were packed in the corner of the bedroom. joe atkinson saw that and took that as a final thing, "well, i'm not letting her go." it is a massive trigger, and a lot of women are killed at that time, very, very vulnerable moment, so, we are very pleased that the government have recognised that. the ministry ofjustice in england is announcing the findings of an independent review of the sentencing of so—called domestic murders by barrister clare ward. it says killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour will face tougher sentences. and the use of excessive or gratuitous violence will be made aggravating factors in sentencing decisions. the next step is to find how much

weighting that will carry, and that will involve lawyers and judges being trained. so when could we see longer sentences? i will look to get it rolled out as swiftly as we can, but i don't want to rush it either, because it needs, it involves quite a lot of nuance, quite a lot of sensitivity, quite a lot of awareness, but the judiciary i know are committed, as they always are, to getting this right. for these family members of women killed by men, there is also another hopeful development from the government, in the form of a consultation on whether the starting point of 15 years in prison for domestic murder cases should be raised to 25. mark lobel, bbc news. new research says homelessness and rough sleeping in britain has increased by a quarter in the past year. charity workers say that in rural areas of britain, the increase is actually greater than reported, because many rough sleepers in remote areas of farmland or woods go uncounted. researchers say despite government funding, local voluntary groups,

charities and church groups are often left bearing the cost of supporting the homeless in the countryside. our rural affairs correspondent claire marshall has this report. mo is finally getting his life back on track after years of troubles. i got into breaking the law and ending up in and out of prison. like thousands of others, he ended up sleeping rough — first in london, but then across the rural boroughs, market towns and coastal resorts of the south—east of england. the differences are massive. in the city, there were places that i would go. there were crack awareness projects, there were drop—in centres. it is here in the heart of the kent countryside where mo says he has found some salvation. thank god, through the grace of this village i'm able to kind of give back.

but mo is one of the lucky ones. a new report says rough sleeping in the countryside is still on the rise, by nearly a quarter injust one year. meanwhile, its authors say rural areas receive 65% less government funding per person than urban areas for preventing homelessness. all this means that across the country, including here in west sussex, this gap has to be filled by charities and other voluntary organisations. this is roffey place, a former bible college in the countryside near horsham. the charity turning tides is converting it into high—support temporary accommodation for 50 homeless people. but to do so it needs to raise £210,000, and relies on volunteers to muck in. like frank. he's has been homeless. he lived under tarpaulin in the woods for nearly two years.

it became my life and ijust became this almost feral human being. you know, i was living at the most base level. every day was about, how am i going to get food? how am i going to stay warm in the winter? the charity helped frank, setting him up in his own flat. they completely rebuilt me and put my life back together again. to reach out to those rough sleepers hidden in the countryside like frank, the charity also has this bus. funding all of this good work isn't easy. i am tasked, with my colleagues, to raise £650,000 in a year- to support the charity. it is enormously challenging to find the money. - and we're always . running at a deficit. the government says local councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads, and they're being given a £366 million this year to help with that. meanwhile, mo's thoughts are with those other hidden rough sleepers across the countryside.

don't lose faith. don't lose hope. and most of all, don't lose trust. because to get a stranger to come and help you, that takes massive trust. claire marshall, bbc news, kent. a new study has suggested that introducing peanut products to young babies could help cut the rates of allergies. current guidelines suggest that babies should not try products containing peanuts before six months of age. however, new research suggests that introducing the allergen into babies' diets between four and six months could help cut the rates of peanut allergies by 77%. earlier i spoke to our medical editor fergus walsh who gave me the details of the study. i can remember going back 20 years, when the advice was to avoid giving children nut products until the age of three.

and it was coinciding with this massive increase in peanut allergy. but what they now think is that actually did the wrong thing. there is this narrow window between four and six months where you should introduce, never whole nuts, never crushed nuts, we're talking about smooth peanut butter, it may be mixed with breastmilk, complementary to breast—feeding. and a spoonful mixed with liquid a couple of times a week and complimentary to breast—feeding. they reckon that would reduce the number of children in the uk who develop a peanut allergy. take it down from 13,000 a year and reduce it by 10,000. really, thousands and thousands of children could be spared what can be a life—threatening allergy. i can imagine baby smacking their lips at the prospect of this, why has the rate gone up?

a lot of things, in the uk for example, there has been a massive increase in recent decades in peanut butter consumption. at the same time, parents were being told don't introduce your babies to it. it meant babies were getting their first introduction to it via the skin and it is the skin where allergies tend to develop. rather than through the gut. the official guidance from the nhs is weaning and peanut products should be introduced from around six months. the researchers want it brought down to four months and they said the children who will especially benefit it will be those who are highly allergic, have things like severe eczema. but it has to be done very carefully. it's notjust for children where peanut allergies run in the family? no, it is for all children, they are saying that this would be beneficial. it is understandable,

parents are worried, peanut allergy can be life—threatening, they are worried about when they introduce these foods. but they take as an example, israel, where children, infants are given peanut products from a very early age and there is barely any incidents there of peanut allergy. that is what prompted the start of this, going back ten, 15 years. a magical editor fergus walsh. reaction from the european union on the international criminal court's issue of an arrest warrant for the russian president, vladimir putin. the eu foreign affairs minister has said this is an important decision of internationaljustice and for the people of ukraine. he goes on to say this isjust the people of ukraine. he goes on to say this is just the start of holding russia accountable for crimes and atrocities in ukraine. the kremlin has rejected this, saying it is null

and void because russia doesn't recognise the international criminal court. more on that story a five o'clock with ben brown, but first of all, the weather with louise. hello there. it's a case of mixed fortunes for many for the remainder of the day and for the start of the weekend as we see a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. it's been a rather grey and gloomy start across kent this morning, as you can see from the puddles. quite significant sharp showers here. further north and east in county durham, we've had beautiful blue sky and sunshine and it's likely across north—east england we could see the highest temperatures for the remainder of the afternoon. this is the story as you can see, sharp showers easing away from the south—east and a cluster of showers developing, more widespread to northern ireland which will gradually push their way up through through south—west england and wales for the remainder of the afternoon. so it is an afternoon of mixed fortunes, sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most. a mild story with the wind coming from a southerly direction, so generally those temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees. slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. it's a messy mix as we go through the night and we

keep quite a lot of cloud around, we continue to see some showers from time to time, some of them quite heavy but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent those temperatures falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend and temperatures widely between five and nine degrees. low pressure controls the story for the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled and this weatherfront could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day in the far north—west. once again it is sunny spells and scattered showers. starting off pretty grey and gloomy across the south—east and with the lighter winds on saturday, some of these showers could be quite slow moving. once again, can't rule out the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures will be at around 13 or 1a degrees, not quite as warm as friday. more persistent rain into northern ireland, western scotland as we go through the middle part of the afternoon as well. now in terms of that rain, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles and the winds will pick up.

on the back edge of that we could see for a time some snow. shouldn't cause too much of an issue. that will ease away on sunday. sunday will be a quieter day as a ridge of high pressure builds. a good deal of dry weather, fewer showers around before cloud and rain arrives into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for sunday afternoon ranging from six to 1a degrees. take care.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm ben brown. our top stories... the international criminal court issues arrest warrants for vladimir putin and his children's commissioner — accusing them of war crimes over the unlawful deportation of children from ukraine to russia. the judges issued arrest warrants. their prosecution depends on international cooperation. china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week, for talks with president putin. turkey will start the process of ratifying finland's nato membership bid as the leaders of the two countries meet. a review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and

a review of london's metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and