this is bbc news, broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. our top stories: french officials say more than a50 people have been arrested and 400 police officers injured in another day of nationwide protests against a raise in the country's pension age. the head of the uk's education watchdog says school inspections will continue, despite calls for a pause after the death of a headteacher. china denies asking for access to user data stored by tiktok overseas, as pressure mounts in the united states for a ban on the video—sharing app. british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe puts in a revised bid to buy uk football giant manchester united.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the french prime minister has condemned the violence that accompanied a day of mass demonstrations against reform of the country's pension system. the interior ministry says more than a50 protestors were arrested and 440 members of the security forces injured. more than 1 million people took to the streets on thursday to protest against the retirement age being raised from 62 to 64. most of the protests were peaceful, but there were violent clashes with police in paris and in other cities, including bordeaux, toulouse, lille and nantes. vincent mcaviney reports. bordeaux's town hall set alight

by protesters overnight. more than a million had taken to the streets across the country through the day, angry at president macron�*s raising of the retirement age from 62 to 64. in paris, where over 100,000 had marched in a largely peaceful demonstration, the night was also hijacked by violent protesters. running battles through the capital's centre between small groups and the police saw bins set on fire, projectiles hurled and tear gas launched in response. there were clashes too in cities including lille, strasbourg, nantes and toulouse. 0vernight, the interior minister visited police headquarters. translation: since this morning, police have been the target - of unacceptable attacks. 149 have been injured, some of them seriously. they have been hit with acid, molotov cocktails and cobblestones. labour protests are not

uncommon in france. but what has irked huge swathes of this country this time is the way president macron made his pension reforms, forcing them through without a vote and appearing on television to double down. it was seen by pretty much everyone as a middle finger to the entire population, and people were angry already, and itjust threw a lot more oil on the fire. translation: if parliament had voted for it democratically, _ i probably wouldn't be here at this protest today. i'm not a militant, protesting isn't what i like to do. more protests are planned for next week, which could disrupt a state visit by king charles and camilla queen consort, who are travelling to paris this weekend. but president macron made two promises when he first ran for office — to reform france and unite it. this battle is forcing him to choose which promise he most wants to keep. vincent mcaviney, bbc news.

0ur correspondent hugh schofield is in paris. clearly significant numbers of french people angry with the pension age going up and indeed the way the government has handled this, passing the law without a vote. how is this going to be brought to some sort of conclusion?— conclusion? absolutely no idea, no one does- — conclusion? absolutely no idea, no one does. don't _ conclusion? absolutely no idea, no one does. don't listen _ conclusion? absolutely no idea, no one does. don't listen to _ conclusion? absolutely no idea, no one does. don't listen to anyone i conclusion? absolutely no idea, no l one does. don't listen to anyone who says they have a clear idea of how it will pan out. the government is clearly hoping reality will set in and people will come to appreciate, unhappy they may be, but the law is the law and no real way of getting the law and no real way of getting the government to turn back and at that point they will return to their ordinary lives. the atmosphere on the street kind of argues against that. everyone you talk to demonstrating yesterday, my neighbour is here —— my neighbours

here, they say it all feels like one of those moments, when the people of france get behind a cause and don't give up until they get some kind of victory. right now, there is absolutely no way out, there is going to be another big day on tuesday. i've no doubt the confident mood protesters were projecting yesterday will continue then. they will be out in force. we will have to see which gives first. it is a battle of strength between the government, president macron, and this mass of the people, one of those french episodes linked historically to the revolution where the people feel they have right on their side and they want to take down the head of state, then monarch, a peg or two. given the mood, monarch, a peg or two. given the mood. given _ monarch, a peg or two. given the mood, given that _ monarch, a peg or two. given the mood, given that context, - monarch, a peg or two. given the mood, given that context, how. monarch, a peg or two. given the i mood, given that context, how does the visit by king charles sit with the visit by king charles sit with the french public, given all of this is going on? i

the french public, given all of this is going on?— is going on? i don't think anyone has any particular— is going on? i don't think anyone has any particular beef— is going on? i don't think anyone has any particular beef against . is going on? i don't think anyone i has any particular beef against king charles. they don't have the same affection they had for his mother but no particular reason to hold anything against him. it is a republic, everyone is a republican, but they quite like the royal family. i don't think there will be any protest directed at him. much more of an embarrassment in a way for president macron to be seen next to a king in state splendour because it plays into the caricature of him as being a quasi monarchic figure. if he is wining and dining with another king in versailles of all places on monday night, to use the terrible cliche, the optics are not particularly good.— terrible cliche, the optics are not particularly good. thank you very much, particularly good. thank you very much. hugh _ particularly good. thank you very much, hugh schofield _ particularly good. thank you very much, hugh schofield in - particularly good. thank you very much, hugh schofield in paris. . the organisation that oversees standards in england's schools says inspections must continue, despite calls from unions and head

teachers to pause them. it follows the death of a primary school headteacher. according to her family, ruth perry took her own life due to the pressure. speaking for the first time since the tragedy, the chief school inspector says she knows the process can be challenging but that it remains in children's best interests. graham satchell reports. the death of ruth perry has devastated the education world. the headteacher of caversham primary school in reading took her own life after her school was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate. it has led to calls for 0fsted inspections to be paused and radically reformed. in her first public statement since the death, 0fsted's chief inspector, amanda spielman, said ruth perry's death was a tragedy. "our thoughts remain with ruth's family, friends and the school "community of caversham primary." she goes on to defend the current system. "i don't believe that stopping or preventing inspections would be in children's best interests," she says. "our aim is to raise standards, so that all children "get a great education." the department for education

in england and a protest by the national education union, carrying banners saying, "replace 0fsted" and photographs of ruth perry. this is the latest part of their campaign to change the inspection process. they handed over a petition with more than 50,000 signatures. our members tell us that we need an inspection system that is fit for purpose. that we need an inspection system that doesn't judge schools on a single word ofjudgement based on a two—day visit. the criticism of the current system in england is long held, that its one—word judgement — outstanding, good, inadequate — is too simplistic for the complex roles schools play in different communities. and the anxiety and stress of the inspections themselves has become unbearable. the pressure that we're put under, as we prepare for 0fsted inspections, is enormous. and alongside the general stress of running state schools at the moment,

i can absolutely see how some headteachers will be pushed to breaking point. in her statement, amanda spielman concludes by saying, "the broader debate about reforming inspections to remove grades "is a legitimate one, but it shouldn't lose sight "of how grades are currently used. "they give parents a simple and accessible summary of the school's "strengths and weaknesses. "any changes to the current system would have to meet "the needs of both parents and of government." the department for education in england say inspections in england remain hugely important because they hold schools to account for their educational standards. but teachers are determined that ruth perry's death must be a catalyst for change. graham satchell, bbc news. china has responded to the controversy surrounding the video—sharing app, tiktok, by saying it has never asked any company to provide data located in foreign countries and has no plans to do so. the foreign ministry spokesperson

mao ning was answering questions about the testimony of tiktok�*s ceo shou zi chew in the us congress. tiktok is owned by the chinese company bytewise. mr chew faced a grilling by us lawmakers for five hours on thursday, where he defended the app against concerns it was a threat to us national security. 0ur north america technology reporterjames clayton has the latest. if tiktok�*s boss thought washington would roll out the red carpet for him, he thought wrong. forfour and a half hours, shou chew faced hostile and relentless questioning. the chair of the energy and commerce committee set the tone. tiktok collects nearly every data point imaginable, from people's location, to what they type and copy, who they talk to, biometric data and more. and from there, it didn't get much better for tiktok�*s boss. it's notjust politicians in the us that are worried.

the uk parliament has banned tiktok from its work devices over concerns about security, with similar measures taken by the scottish and welsh governments. there are two primary concerns about tiktok. they both involve china. the first is that we know tiktok hoovers up data from your phone, like usage data, location information and biometric data. there are worries that this could be handed to the chinese government — something that tiktok categorically denies. the other concern is that so many people now use tiktok, it wields enormous influence. could the chinese government tweak the algorithm to influence what we think? this is what shou chew said to that. i'm making the following commitments to you, and to all our users. number one, we will keep safety, particularly for teenagers, as a top priority for us. number two, we will firewall protect the us data from unwanted foreign access. number three, tiktok will remain a place for free expression and will not be manipulated

by any government. the uk often follows the us's lead when it comes to cyber security. and what we know now is that many politicians in the us don'tjust want the platform reformed, they want it banned outright. james clayton, bbc news. well, to discuss this further, i'm nowjoined by our asia—pacific editor, celia hatton. tell us first of all a little bit more about china's reaction. interesting, the chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman this morning went a bit further in pushing the idea that the us has no evidence when it goes against claims, when it is questioning the tiktok ceo to prove that china is taking data. it is accusing the united states of being xenophobic, of fearing outside companies, and really one big thing

i saw today which is appearing in the chinese state media today and we have one editorial campaign that has appeared in the global times, one of the main hawkish state newspapers, bringing up this idea of the us being after the red menace, going back to the times of the 1940s, 19505, back to the times of the 1940s, 1950s, mccarthyism, famously the us senatorjoe mccarthy used very controversial tactics and really threw around a lot of false accusations in his efforts to root out communism. they are saying this harks back to that and they are bringing this up again and again, their key line today. if bringing this up again and again, their key line today.— their key line today. if there is a continued _ their key line today. if there is a continued push _ their key line today. if there is a continued push back _ their key line today. if there is a continued push back against - their key line today. if there is a i continued push back against tiktok in the us, how big a problem is that for that? in the us, how big a problem is that forthat? it in the us, how big a problem is that for that? it is a huge market, if tiktok cannot thrive and survive in the us, is that the end of tiktok?

we are coming up to a bit of a brick wall when it comes to tiktok. 0n the one hand, we have the biden administration considering an outright ban of tiktok in us unless it is sold to an american entity. at the same time, we have the chinese government coming out yesterday to save they firmly oppose the forced sale of tiktok. both sides are up against it. i think really there is only possibly a middle way, can they find a way for tiktok data to be relocated on us servers? that is the challenge. we should also say china's own version of tiktok... tiktok itself does not exist in china. tent two which owns tiktok has a separate app available in china which has a 40 minute limit for children to use —— bytewise which owns tiktok. it is heavily censored, very different from the

version of tiktok available elsewhere.— version of tiktok available elsewhere. . ~' , ., , . elsewhere. thank you very much. sta in: elsewhere. thank you very much. staying with _ elsewhere. thank you very much. staying with social _ elsewhere. thank you very much. staying with social media - elsewhere. thank you very much. staying with social media for - elsewhere. thank you very much. staying with social media for a i staying with social media for a moment. the us state of utah has become the first to require parental permission for children to use social media platforms, citing growing concerns for youth mental health. the bill requires a parent or guardian's explicit consent before children can create accounts on the apps. it also gives parents full access to their child's accounts — including posts and private messages — and a social media curfew will block children's access between 1030pm and 630am. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, will hold talks with rishi sunak in downing street this morning. discussions are expected to focus on the war in ukraine and iran's nuclear programme, but the meeting is likely to be overshadowed by the continuing protests in israel, where mr netanyahu is pushing ahead with controversial reforms that would limit the power of the courts.

before he left for the uk, mr netanyahu said he was determined to press ahead with plans to change israel's judicial system which have met with stiff opposition. on thursday, tens of thousands of israelis demonstrated against the plans. mr netanyahu vowed to do everything to bring calm and cohesion to the country. from jerusalem, tom bateman sent this report. israelis are stopping the traffic over their politicians�* plan to overhaul their courts. weeks of protests are boiling over into a bitter division. this is a fight for the flag. and now it's spilling blood onto the streets of tel aviv. he sprayed us with mace, and then i tried to stop him and he hit me with the can in the face.

how does this make you feel about all of this, what's happening in your country? we have a dictator in israel that is trying to make these people hurt us. you tell your government, you tell your people. the demonstrators had reached the british embassy last week, wanting foreign governments to add pressure as mr netanyahu heads abroad, visiting london today. they warn of dystopia and dictatorship and a muzzling of legal protections by the new coalition of the ultra religious and the far right. this government is the first post—zionist, messianic government. my father and his brothers didn't fight in wars for a theocracy for orthodox jews. the israeli leader is caught between deepening dissent and a coalition he needs to survive, and he's vowing to push on. translation: i will do everything - i everything - to calm the situation l

and to end division among the people, because we are brothers, and with the help of god, together we will manage, and together we will succeed. but his far right and religious coalition is under growing international pressure over both its rhetoric and its policies amid spiralling violence. in the west bank, the protests feel a world away. for palestinians, the faces of israel's forces may change, but the occupation remains, and things are getting much worse. for people here, it feels like a crisis arriving from all sides. israel's most extreme government in its history, a palestinian leadership losing its limited security grip on key cities around here. and that is why the fears are growing that the west bank could slip out of control. for over a year, i have seen

militants rearm in nearbyjenin and nablus as violence grips this region. israel's political turmoil comes amid calls for calm that may be impossible to heed. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. protesters have been gathering in london, awaiting mr neta nyahu's arrival at downing street. among them are israelis and britishjews opposed to hisjudicial reforms. here's what one protester, sharon shochat of the organisation defend israeli democracy, told us this morning. we are expecting the israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu to arrive around 9am this morning. he landed at 4am in the uk. we are here protesting, standing in solidarity with the people in israel who are protesting, ourfriends with the people in israel who are protesting, our friends and families. we are against the legislation that is going on in israel, thejudicial legislation that is going on in israel, the judicial coup as we call

it and we are here to make it very clear, make a clear stand against what is going on in israel these days. the chaos unleashed by this government. well, let's speak now to paul adams, our diplomatic correspondent. first of all, on the protests in the uk, how widespread do you think the opposition is among britishjews to the plans from binyamin netanyahu's government to introduce these reforms? , , ., reforms? definitely something that is spreading. _ reforms? definitely something that is spreading. deep _ reforms? definitely something that is spreading, deep anxiety - reforms? definitely something that is spreading, deep anxiety among i is spreading, deep anxiety among many— is spreading, deep anxiety among many britishjews, many is spreading, deep anxiety among many british jews, many of whom are relatively— many british jews, many of whom are relatively secular and very much believe — relatively secular and very much believe in — relatively secular and very much believe in the secular institutions of the _ believe in the secular institutions of the israeli state, in particular the supreme court, and that is something they see is being undermined by this legislative push by the _ undermined by this legislative push by the binyamin netanyahu government. they are saying that and extremely— government. they are saying that and extremely unhappy about the presence of people _ extremely unhappy about the presence of people they would regard as out and out _ of people they would regard as out

and out racists in the israeli cabinet, _ and out racists in the israeli cabinet, the new israeli government. 0ne cabinet, the new israeli government. one of— cabinet, the new israeli government. one of those ministers, finance minister. — one of those ministers, finance minister, said in paris on monday for example, there is no such thing as the _ for example, there is no such thing as the palestinian people. he has also called for a palestinian village _ also called for a palestinian village to be wiped off the map. that is— village to be wiped off the map. that is the kind of government that is causing _ that is the kind of government that is causing them deep anxiety. i also think— is causing them deep anxiety. i also think they— is causing them deep anxiety. i also think they are worried and you are hearing _ think they are worried and you are hearing this — think they are worried and you are hearing this from many people, you heard _ hearing this from many people, you heard it _ hearing this from many people, you heard it in _ hearing this from many people, you heard it in tom's piece as well from israei. _ heard it in tom's piece as well from israei. a _ heard it in tom's piece as well from israei. a kind — heard it in tom's piece as well from israel, a kind of theocracy in the making — israel, a kind of theocracy in the making. 0ne israel, a kind of theocracy in the making. one of the placards held outside _ making. one of the placards held outside downing street this morning says. _ outside downing street this morning says. don't— outside downing street this morning says, don't turn israel into another iran, _ says, don't turn israel into another iran, kind — says, don't turn israel into another iran, kind of— says, don't turn israel into another iran, kind of ironic given mr netanyahu wants to come here to talk to the _ netanyahu wants to come here to talk to the british government about concerns— to the british government about concerns about iran's nuclear programme. the fear being voiced as changes— programme. the fear being voiced as changes to _ programme. the fear being voiced as changes to the law in israel are being _ changes to the law in israel are being driven by religious nationalists, zionists, who want to fundamentally change the balance of power _ fundamentally change the balance of power between secular and orthodox. given— power between secular and orthodox. given att—

power between secular and orthodox. given all of— power between secular and orthodox. given all of that, the push to limit the power of the israeli courts, does it change rishi sunak�*s calculations going into the talks? it lends an air of extreme embarrassment to the whole proceedings, frankly. the fact the meeting _ proceedings, frankly. the fact the meeting at number 10 will take place in a secure _ meeting at number 10 will take place in a secure room, there is not going to he _ in a secure room, there is not going to be any— in a secure room, there is not going to be any kind of press conference afterwards, no opportunity for anyone — afterwards, no opportunity for anyone to ask mr netanyahu that he dissociates himself from the views of some _ dissociates himself from the views of some of— dissociates himself from the views of some of his right—wing colleagues, all of that suggests the british— colleagues, all of that suggests the british government, while willing to have this _ british government, while willing to have this visit, does feel somewhat uncomfortable with it. only earlier this week— uncomfortable with it. only earlier this week the two governments signed a document about future cooperation throughout the next seven years, it talked _ throughout the next seven years, it talked about the relationship between israel and the united kingdom being stronger than ever, something that raised eyebrows certainty— something that raised eyebrows certainly in the house of commons among _ certainly in the house of commons among critics, so i think there is a

feeling _ among critics, so i think there is a feeling they— among critics, so i think there is a feeling they would like to visit to pass off — feeling they would like to visit to pass off quietly and for mr netanyahu to return and get on with pressing _ netanyahu to return and get on with pressing business.— pressing business. thank you very much, pressing business. thank you very much. paul _ pressing business. thank you very much, pauladams. _ it's been confirmed that british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe has put in a revised bid to buy one of the world's biggest football clubs, manchester united. the qatari banker sheikh jassim is expected to submit a second bid later today. ratcliffe and jassim were the only publicly declared bidders until recently. but now the finnish entrepenuer thomas zilliacus has announced he wants to buy half the club. i'm joined now by former chelsea and scotland footballer, pat nevin. good to see you. no guarantees of course that the family will sell, they could be testing the market value. . , . they could be testing the market value. ., , ., ., , value. that is an absolute possibilitv- _ value. that is an absolute possibility. the _ value. that is an absolute possibility. the vast - value. that is an absolute i possibility. the vast majority of manchester united fans feel that. everyone knows the business is not the most popular owners and that has been kind about it. the manchester

united fans want the right owners to take over at the right price, so the work that needs to be done, 18, the stadium, with a plan going forwards, so there is all of that to take into account —— the team. there are bigger things to concern the funds. there is the third bid coming in now, also possibilities of and not by not the entirety but a part of the investment which i do not think most manchester united fans want. they want the glazers. what most manchester united fans want. they want the glazers.— most manchester united fans want. they want the glazers. what do they think of an owner _ they want the glazers. what do they think of an owner from _ they want the glazers. what do they think of an owner from the _ they want the glazers. what do they think of an owner from the middle i think of an owner from the middle east, qatar in particular? just think of an owner from the middle east, qatar in particular?- east, qatar in particular? just like manchester _ east, qatar in particular? just like manchester united, _ east, qatar in particular? just like manchester united, just _ east, qatar in particular? just like manchester united, just like i manchester united, just like newcastle united before them, they did not like the owner they had, they knew they needed investment, wanted investment, wanted a group they could trust, but didn't get exactly what they wanted, but most

newcastle fans have now got a group in charge that they would not have said yes to had they not intensely dislike the one they had. it might be manchester united fans have the same problem. a lot of the fans when the glazers took over, they stop supporting the club, green and yellow scarves thing they had going as well, they wanted it to be a club that had a moral base to it that they could feel comfortable with. every single club at the top levels of world football have to consider ethical arguments as well as financial ones and those are two things more often than not do not fit particularly well together. thank you very much for your thoughts on that story. stay with us on bbc news. one more story. hundreds of people gathered on bondi

beach in sydney to raise awareness for mental health. it was organised tjy for mental health. it was organised by one—way. you are watching bbc news. an unsettled week all in all. we have had rain followed by sunshine and showers and today will be one of sunshine and showers with an area of low pressure sitting on top of the uk. once again, like all weak, mild in the afternoon. area of low pressure slowly pushing across the country and the winds will be light, but blustery in central and southern areas through the afternoon. the gusts will reach 40-50 afternoon. the gusts will reach 40—50 mph on southern and western coasts, rattling heavy thundery showers through quickly. showers slower moving in scotland with the

lighter winds. slower moving in scotland with the lighterwinds. mild slower moving in scotland with the lighter winds. mild data can. —— mild day to come. still chilly for the northern isles. again it will be blustery in southern areas overnight with showers or longer spells of rain, lighterwinds further with showers or longer spells of rain, lighter winds further north, nowhere particularly cold. into the weekend, we continue with the theme of sunshine and showers and fairly mild on saturday. by sunday, things turning colderfor all areas, increasing chance of wintry showers increasing chance of wintry showers in the north. this area of low pressure skirts to the south of the uk moving through saturday night into sunday, eventually clearing away. as it does, opening the floodgates to the arctic northerly spreading south across the uk on sunday and it will stay cold into the start of next week as well. this is the picture for saturday. sunshine and showers. not quite as many showers as we were expecting

today. still breezy in eastern areas. the winds will turn lighter. signs of the colder air starting to make inroads in the far north, but mild for england and wales and northern ireland. we see the overnight rain slowly clearing away from southern areas on sunday morning. eventually it will do, but colder air spreads south and increasing chance of sunny spells and wintry showers in scotland. temperatures dipping in the north, just about making double figures in southern england. sunday night will be called taking us into monday. this weekend the clocks go forward by one hour.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the french government says more than 450 people have been arrested in clashes between police and crowds protesting an increase to the country's pension age. more than a million people took to the streets in major cities across france. china has said it has never asked any company to provide data or intelligence located in foreign countries. on thursday, tiktok�*s chief executive faced strong questioning from us lawmakers about the social media app's alleged threat to us national security. protests continue outside downing street,

ahead of a meeting between israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and uk pm rishi sunak. it comes amid a growing political crisis in israel, where mr netanyahu is pushing ahead with controversial reforms that would limit the power of the courts. you are watching bbc news. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's rebecca. good morning. it was a record—breaking night for harry kane and england. they needed to dig deep in the second half, but held out for their first win away in italy in 62 years. it gets their euro 2024 qualifying campaign off to the best possible start against the main rivals in their group, as jane dougall reports. at 29 years old, harry kane has ample time to add to his impressive international career. for now, he's england's record goalscorer.

the fans crowding into the diego armando maradona stadium seemed to know they might witness history. kane didn't get the first, but he tried. kane — blocked. follow—up in! declan rice with the rebound. just before half—time, an italian handball in the box and the penalty—taker, harry kane, had his chance. england penalty. the last time he took one of these for england, he missed — and they went out of the world cup. would his nerves hold? and there is his immortal moment! his 54th goal for england. ecstatic to be his country's record goalscorer. but italy are the european champions, and fought back in the second half. a late red card for luke shaw didn't help italy — defeated by england for the first time in 11 years. england have won in italy. breaking the goal—scoring record, of course, would have been a proud moment, no matter the circumstance,

but, for sure it feels that little bit sweeter when you win. and, like i touched on, to win ourfirst game here in italy against italy for a long, long time, so, amazing, amazing night. to break the record in the manner he did, given the recent history, was an indication of his strength of character and his mentality. and, yeah, i couldn't be happier for him and his family — they're lovely people. he is a brilliant professional. and to do it as quickly as he has, as well, with still, you know, a lot of his career still to go, is an incredible achievement. this stadium has been the setting for so many great moments, and has been graced by the best footballers in the world — not least its namesake. but last night, the diego armando maradona stadium belonged to harry kane — england's record goalscorer. jane dougall, bbc news, naples. and afterwards kane was shown just how important he is to team—mates as captain and now record goalscorer. at 29 he'll push the tally much higher and here's something to hang

over the mantelpiece at his home — a night he will never forget. well, even before the match was over, the person kane overtook in the record books, wayne rooney, paid tribute to the england striker on breaking his scoring record. rooney tweeted congratulations to kane, saying "i knew it wouldn't take long but that was quick. great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an england legend. congrats harry" joint top scorer in the euro qualifiers after the first games is bolton wanderers�* dion charles who got two for northern ireland as they also got off to a winning start. san marino are officially the lowest ranked international side, but northern ireland secured a 2—0 win and a great start for manager michael o'neill in his second spell in charge. they now host finland on sunday. and elsewhere, cristiano ronaldo is once again in the record books. the portuguese star helping his national side to victory. a 197th portugal appearance means he became men's football's most capped international and he marked the occasion by scoring twice in a 4—0 win against liechtenstein. that's also a record

extending 120 goals too. defending champions st helens look to have got their season back on track with another win in rugby league's super league. they beat huddersfield giants — but onlyjust — winning14—12 at thejohn smith's stadium. tommy makinson with the try of the match as saints jump above their opponents into fifth. and that's all the sport for now. some news just some newsjust coming in, we are hearing... the bbc has agreed to suspend a proposal to close the bbc singers choir while it explores alternative funding models. in the last few seconds the bbc has

said it has agreed to suspend the proposed closure of the choir wallet expose other funding models. more than 200 amateur choirs backed calls to reverse the decision to axe the choir. the bbc now saying it has agreed to suspend that proposal to close the choir. also reports that conductor sir simon rattle might boycott the next bbc proms in protest at the move but the bbc now says it will explore an alternative funding model for the bbc singers. let's get more now on 0fsted, as the education watchdog in england says school inspections must continue, despite calls from unions and head teachers to pause them. it comes after the death of a headteacher who took her own life. her family say it was as a direct result of pressure from a school inspection.

we can go to downing street before we continue with that 0fsted story. there is israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu being greeted by rishi sunak. his arrival here in the uk has been met with significant protest as well, including from israelis and britishjewish people opposed to his government's plans to limit the powers of israel's courts. we will have more detail on that visit for we get it. let's return to the 0fsted story, the education watchdog for england saying school inspections must continue despite the death of a head teacher who took her life, herfamily says it the death of a head teacher who took her life, her family says it was as a direct result of pressure from a school inspection. our education reporter vanessa clarkjoins me now. good morning. tell us more about what chief inspector amanda spielman has said. this

what chief inspector amanda spielman has said. , , , has said. this is the first time we have heard _ has said. this is the first time we have heard quite _ has said. this is the first time we have heard quite a _ has said. this is the first time we have heard quite a detailed i have heard quite a detailed statement from 0fsted after all this. she started by talking about the news of ruth perry's death saying it was met with great sadness and that the inspectors are all former or currently leaders in school so they know the pressures that head teachers face. but her point was that school inspections should continue and stopping them would not be in children's best interests. one interesting thing in the statement is that she did say the statement is that she did say the debate about removing grades is legitimate so at the moment 0fsted were going to a school and at the end of the report you will get either a grade of outstanding, good, it requires improvement, or inadequate. so that one—liners normally at the top before the summary findings. she said this way of doing it gives parents a simple and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses and it's also important for the government to

be able to pinpoint schools that are struggling and may need a bit of intervention. she says any changes to this would have to provide both these things. she also recognised it's a very difficult time for head teachers at the moment, especially after the pandemic with school absences, mental health in school has risen, but very much saying that inspections are important for parents and schools and should continue. ~ . . , parents and schools and should continue. ~ ., ., , ., parents and schools and should continue. ~ ., ., , continue. what has the reaction been to this from — continue. what has the reaction been to this from the _ continue. what has the reaction been to this from the education _ continue. what has the reaction been to this from the education unions i to this from the education unions and others involved in the sector? basically since ruth perry is sadly took her life injanuary and since herfamily have come took her life injanuary and since her family have come out to speak about the pressures the 0fsted process had on her, there has been a big reaction from teachers, head teachers and unions. three unions called for the pausing of inspections to step back and consider how it all works. in the schools, some head teachers who are

getting 0fsted in at the moment for inspections are wearing black arm bands in solidarity. in reaction to this statement, the schools leaders union have said the decision to not pause inspections is a terrible mistake and this should be a watershed moment. yesterday the national education union handed a petition to the department for education calling for a number of things, but one specific thing was that they should be looking at other nations and one nation that is doing it slightly differently is wales where they have got rid of the overall grade and now it's very much a summary for parents and then a separate findings of what went on in the school. the reaction will probably continue today because this is the first time 0fsted have come out of quite a lengthy statement, so this story is sure to continue. vanessa clark, education reporter, thank you.

the bbc has seen data that suggests older workers are less likely to get jobs at the treasury than younger people. it comes as the chancellorjeremy hunt urges over—50s to return to work, to help tackle staff shortages. the treasury said its recruitment processes were "fair, open and based on merit". our business reporter noor nanji is with me now. tell us more about what was found in the data? we tell us more about what was found in the data? ~ , ., ., ., the data? we used a freedom of information _ the data? we used a freedom of information request _ the data? we used a freedom of information request to _ the data? we used a freedom of information request to see i information request to see recruitment data from the treasury over the past five years and the results were very interesting. what they reveal is that older workers who gotjob interviews that the treasury, they got a lower proportion ofjob offers compared to younger workers. proportion ofjob offers compared to youngerworkers. if proportion ofjob offers compared to younger workers. if we take a look at the numbers we can see 17% of over 50s who got interviews at the treasury were successful at getting job offers. that compares with 20% of people in their 30s and 22% for under 30s. we also asked to see the average age of people working at the

treasury. taken as a whole we can see that in december of last year, the average age of people who worked at the treasury was 34 years old. that's well below the average age of workers across the uk, which was 42 according to the latest data we have. just under 10% of people who work at the treasury are over 50 years of age and again that's much lower than the wider workforce, where 32% of people are aged over 50. , ., ., , where 32% of people are aged over 50. , . ._ 50. this data is particularly relevant right _ 50. this data is particularly relevant right now. - 50. this data is particularly relevant right now. that's i 50. this data is particularly i relevant right now. that's right. chancellor _ relevant right now. that's right. chancellor jeremy _ relevant right now. that's right. chancellorjeremy hunt - relevant right now. that's right. chancellorjeremy hunt has i relevant right now. that's right. | chancellorjeremy hunt has been calling on over 50s to return to the workplace to try to plug some of the staff shortages we are seeing across the economy. jeremy hunt became chancellor in october last year. in january he used a speech specifically to appeal to early retirees saying britain needs you, we need you to get back to work. in the budget last week he announced a series of measures designed to get

all people back to work. but charities have warned that although many over 50s do want to work, a lot of the time they seem to face discrimination and ageism from recruiters. the treasury said its recruitment processes are fair, open and based on merit. it also says it runs a blind recruitment process that essentially means assessors do not get shown the ages of applicants. the charity age uk says that can be helpful certainly in the early stages, for example when you are sifting through cvs and application letters, but it said that biases can creep in at a later stage so it says it is important to train recruiters to ensure they minimise biases when they are face—to—face with candidates in interviews. face-to-face with candidates in interviews-— the bbc says it won't continue filming the latest series of top gear, following an accident in december where its presenter freddie flintoff was hurt. there are reports this morning that

flintoff has decided to leave the programme — the bbc has not commented. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. and you're expecting me... yeah. ..to go down there? freddie flintoffjoined top gear in 2019. along with co—presenters paddy mcguinness and chris harris, he helped to reverse the fall in ratings that had followed the departure ofjeremy clarkson, richard hammond and james may four years earlier. the incident at top gear's test track at dunsfold park aerodrome in surrey last december, resulted in freddie flintoff being taken to hospital for treatment. just over three months later, bbc studios, which produces the bbc one show, says it's concluded its report into what happened. it says that it has sincerely apologised to flintoff, and that it'll continue to support him throughout his recovery. in a statement, it also says that, under the circumstances, it would be inappropriate to resume making the current series of top gear at this time,

and that it will make a judgment about how best to continue later this year. three, two, one, go! there was also an initial inquiry by the health and safety executive into the incident. it said that it wouldn't be investigating further. lizo mzimba, bbc news. the funeral of a woman who died in a crush during a concert at the 02 academy in london in december, will take place today. rebecca ikumelo was critically injured and died days later. an investigation is due to conclude next month into what happened. a council leader is set to resign after giving the go—ahead for more than 100 trees to be chopped down overnight in plymouth. richard bingley will face a vote of "no confidence" after he signed off the decision to make way for a town centre redevelopment plan. our south west england correspondent, jenny kumah, has this report.

"despicable vandalism." "environmental devastation." "a chainsaw massacre." just some of the words used by opponents to this felling of more than 100 trees in plymouth city centre. the contractors came late at night. then, at around 1am, campaigners were able to get an injunction to stop the chop. if you cut any more trees down it'll be a criminal offence. by then, only a few trees remained. do you have anything to say to the people of plymouth? plymouth city council said, given the size of the tree machinery, it had scheduled the works to be carried out at night, with as few people around as possible, for public safety reasons. in the cold light of day, the sight of the destruction left many feeling angry. it's just disgraceful that all the protests and all the people's feelings just meant nothing. they're supposed to be putting in new ones.

but why cut down the old ones? they could have left them there. the council will appeal the injunction at the high court in london. if they win, they'll be able to remove the felled trees. they haven't been able to do that yet because of the injunction. they'll also be able to fell the remaining 16 trees. this is what the council plans for the city centre to look like, as part of a £13 million regeneration project. many traders and residents agree a spruce up is long overdue. the council admit, though, that a consultation showed overwhelming objections to their plans, but they say they listened, and changed the final design to deliver more than 170 semi—mature trees. it was the leader of the council, richard bingley, who used his executive powers to order the felling of the trees. and he hasn't responded to our requests for an interview. and just a few days ago, his conservative group announced that he'll resign on monday, when he's due to face a no confidence vote. this has been an emotive

and divisive issue in plymouth. that's likely to continue to be the case, whatever the judgment is of the high court this afternoon. jenny kumah, bbc news, plymouth. a project helping students recover from addiction is being rolled out at the university of birmingham. the scheme, which is the first of its kind in the uk, sets students up in "recovery flats" which allows them to focus on their studies rather than drop out of university. our midlands correspondent phil mackie has more. hey, morning. welcome. welcome, fellas. hi. come in, come in. welcome to the recovery flat. this student flat is unique. three rooms here. my room is on the end. that's my space. yusuf is a mature student, eight years in recovery. opened since january, there's room for five other students, all of whom are recovering from some form of addiction. recovery flats, and the support projects which work alongside them, are commonplace in american colleges, where they've

helped tens of thousands of students complete their degrees. in a recovery flat like this, they don't have to be around people coming. you know, the temptation is out of the way when they're in their home where they're living. so, you know. and building those relationships with other people in recovery is also very important. you know, they may not even know it yet, but they know they want something. butjust being around those people helps them come out of their shell, if you like, because obviously addiction can be characterised by denial. so yeah, i'm in here mondays and fridays from nine to five. luke trainor suffered years of addiction. as a heroin user he lost everything. i reached that kind of gift of desperation where i went to people that i knew that could help. and i said, "i've got no ideas, i surrender." now clean, he's rebuilt his life partly through studying here at the university. he manages better than well, the project which helps students, and believes that must mean involving them in as normal a student life as possible.

we didn't want students in recovery to be kind of hidden away in some little obscure part of the campus. the whole idea of better than well is that the students in recovery can experience the whole package without being hindered by their addictions. to get yourself out of the hole is harder than to kind - of stay out of the hole. they say it's easier tojust carry on. i every friday evening, they get together to discuss their recoveries. it gives them a chance to get together, but also to share their experiences. there's still a stigma to overcome, whether it's drugs, alcohol or a behavioural addiction like gambling. so everyone here asked for anonymity. nonetheless, the project has had lots of engagement and some real success. people are still very reticent about talking about their problems with addiction. they still... there's a fear that if they mention it, they might get into trouble. they might get thrown

out of the university, they might get prosecuted. when you see the outcomes that you get, you see the students that you've managed to keep within their degree, you've helped them notjust drop out, but to thrive and to finish their degree and get their qualification, it's very likely you've changed the trajectory of the whole course of their life. the university's uk task force is due to report soon on drug addiction on british campuses. it's been closely looking at successes the model here has already had. phil mackie, bbc news. gene—edited food can now be developed and sold in england after a change in the law. supporters of the technology say it will speed up the development of crops that will adapt better to climate change. critics argue that the move could bring "disaster" to food production and the environment. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. this research centre in the cambridgeshire countryside has been developing crops for farmers for more than 100 years. they crossbreed different varieties

to produce new ones that grow better and are more resistant to diseases. it can take 10—15 years of development. but from now they'll be able to use a new genetic technology in england called gene editing that can halve that time. the other thing we need to now do is adapt to climate change. mario caccamo, who is the head of the lab, shows me what can be done with gene editing. one of the characteristics we are looking into in wheat, is that the roots touch. typically, wheat will have a very shallow structure, that we see here. but when we look at some other varieties that can go deeper, and they will be better prepared for climate change because they will do better in conditions of drought. professor caccamo believes that traditional breeding methods won't be able to produce all the food we need for a growing population in a warming world. the projections are showing that

if we don't bring an assimilation, into how we can improve crops, we will be struggling to feed the world. the uk is among the world leaders in plant genetics, but that expertise hasn't really been able to take off because of the effective ban on the commercial development of the technology. the hope is the change in law will attract greater investment, leading to new companies, newjobs and new foods. but gene—edited foods won't be allowed in scotland, wales and northern ireland because the devolved governments won't be changing their rules. and there's also opposition from campaign groups in england. the entire process of this bill has been one of the government consulting a narrow range of vested—interest scientists, usually in the biotech industry, who are reassuring the government that this change in the law will have no consequences. history has shown that when we remove regulatory control, particularly around food and the environment, there is a looming disaster on the horizon. the next step is to allow

gene—edited animals on english farms, like these disease—resistant pigs, but that will require another vote by mps in westminster once the government is satisfied that animals won't suffer. pallab ghosh, bbc news, cambridge. coronation street will raise awareness about living with motor neurone disease in its latest storyline. the soap will follow character paul foreman's diagnosis, and the challenges he and those around him face. mnd charities have welcomed the story. if you didn't manage to bag tickets for the eurovision song contest this year, it's just been announced that you'll be able to watch it live at the cinema. more than 500 cinemas are taking part and tickets will be available from 10am on monday. the final takes place on saturday may the 13th, in liverpool.

now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. it's been an unsettled week, really, all in all. we've had rain followed by sunshine and showers. today certainly is going to be one of sunshine and showers with our area of low pressure sitting on top of the uk. but once again, like it's been all week, it's going to be mild through the afternoon. temperatures in the low to mid—teens for most of us. our area of low pressure is slowly pushing across the country. in its centre, winds will be light, so lighter winds across scotland today but blustery across many central and southern areas. through the afternoon, gusts will be reaching 40 or 50 mph in exposure across southern and western coasts. that will rattle these heavy, maybe thundery, showers through quite quickly, whereas the showers will be slower moving across scotland, with the lighter winds there. but a mild day to come for all, ten to maybe 14 degrees in the south—east. still quite chilly, though, for the northern isles. now, this area of low pressure continues to push across the country towards the north sea overnight. again, it's going to be blustery across southern areas with showers or longer spells of rain,

lighter winds further north. nowhere particularly cold. lows of 5—8 or even 9 degrees. now, into the weekend, we continue with the theme of sunshine and showers and fairly mild on saturday. but by sunday things will be turning colder for all areas. an increasing chance of wintry showers across the north of the country. this area of low pressure will skirt towards the south of the uk as we move through saturday night and into sunday, eventually clearing away on sunday, and as it does that's where it'll open the floodgates to this arctic northerly that will spread southwards across the uk from sunday and it'll stay cold into the start of next week as well. so this is the picture for saturday. again, it's sunshine and showers. i don't think quite as many showers as what we are expecting today. still quite breezy across eastern areas but the winds will turn lighter. signs of the colder air starting to make inroads across the far north of the uk. however again it's going to be a mild one for england, wales and northern ireland. we see that overnight rain slowly clearing away from southern

areas on sunday morning. eventually it will do, but then the colder air spreads southwards and an increasing chance of sunny spells and wintry showers across scotland. you can see those temperatures dipping in the north, just about making double figures across southern england. but sunday night will be cold taking us into the start of monday. don't forget this weekend the clocks go forward by one hour.

this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm annita mcveigh. our top stories: protests continue outside downing street in london, ahead of a meeting between israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and uk prime minister rishi sunak. the indian parliament disqualifies prominent opposition party leader rahul gandhi, after a court sentenced him to two years in prison over defamation. the bbc agrees to suspend a proposal to close the bbc singers choir, while it explores alternative funding models. china has said it has never asked any company to provide data or intelligence located in foreign countries.

on thursday, tiktok�*s chief executive faced strong questioning