this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm annita mcveigh. our top stories... a visit by king charles iii to france has been postponed because of concerns about the violent demonstrations over president macron�*s pension reforms. spanish firefighters tackle the first big widlfire of the year — it's destroyed 7,000 acres of forest. from the slopes to the stand — gwyneth paltrow gives evidence in a trial where she's accused of causing a skiing accident — but insists she was the real victim. i was iwas skiing, i was skiing, and looking downhill as you do, and was skied directly

into by mr sanderson. hello and welcome to bbc news. security forces in france remain on high alert, after legislation to raise the state pension age caused massive protests. the dispute and outbreaks of violence forced the authorities to postpone a planned state visit by the british monarch, king charles. separate demonstrations are expected on an unrelated issue in western france, linked to concerns about water usage by large—scale agricultural producers. it's feared the disputes could converge at a time of growing tensions. 0ur correspondent simonjones reports. sirens wail. police patrolling the streets of paris last night, trying to prevent a repeat of scenes like these.

commotion. on thursday, what had been largely peaceful protests against the president and his pension reforms turned violent. that night, piles of uncollected rubbish in the capital were set alight. the french authorities say almost 1,000 fires were started. glass smashes. this was nantes. and similar scenes on the streets of strasbourg. commotion. and in bordeaux, the entrance to the town hall was set alight. this city, along with paris, was due to be visited by king charles and camilla, the queen consort. but as the clean—up operation continues, that visit has been postponed, president macron declaring it would "lack common sense" to host the royal couple as more protests are planned in the coming days. even those who were due to roll out the red carpet were planning strike action.

the president of france. the king and the president have met before, when charles was the prince of wales, but their next meeting is now on hold. protesters who oppose raising the pension age from 62 to 64 feel vindicated. when you have a republican monarch like macron and a real monarch like charles iii dining together at versailles, i mean, it's about publicity, and i think it's a victory for us to have the visit cancelled because we know why it has been cancelled, so, yes, i think it is a victory, and we are quite happy about it. visitors who are still coming to paris are being greeted by some unattractive new attractions but president macron�*s supporters insist reform is needed, and it is the bold thing to do. the best way to pave the way for a populist is to sweep the difficult issues under the rug. so, even when it's controversial, even when it's difficult, even when it's unpopular,

we have to continue to act, we have to continue to reform. chanting. the protests show no signs of abating. oil refineries have faced blockades, fuel shortages are worsening, some petrol station have introduced rationing. and in the west of the country, there is a huge police presence ahead of expected demonstrations this weekend over water with protesters accusing farmers, who are building massive new reservoirs, of grabbing resources at a time of shortage. the next national day of action has been called for tuesday. king charles won't be there to see it — his visit will be rearranged — but paris hasn't been completely denied a glimpse of the new monarch. the local waxworks have just unveiled a replica of him as its new attraction. simon jones, bbc news. bethany bell is in paris for us.

hello. what is the latest you are hearing about plans for more demonstrations? as you had in that report, there are demonstrations planned in the west of france on the separate issue, the question of water reservoirs. but the concern for the government is this willjoin up with the people who are angry about the pension reforms and that the protest will widen still further the sense of anger against president macron, very strongly marked it among many french people who feel he has acted beyond and above what he should have done. stay there, bethany. president macron has also been criticised after he removed a luxury watch during an interview about pension changes.

it is worth up to 80,000 euros. his team say the watch is worth 3000 euros. here's what happened. this is mr macron speaking during the interview, we've circled the watch. bang. you can hear it �*knock�* on the table, he has removed the watch. mr macron�*s team insisted the removal was entirely innocent. he removed it because it was bashing against the table. his critics are suggesting that he removed it because it was a very expensive, luxury watch during a conversation about raising the pension age. let's

go back to bethany. i suppose what we are looking at here, fundamentally, is this tension between president macron and his critics who say that he is only a president for the wealthy. yes, i spoke to one man here in paris who said the wealthy are in power here and it's always going to be difficult for the people at the bottom and we are the ones who always pay the price. there is this sense certainly among some french people that mr macron is a president for the wealthy, and he doesn't care about the people who are struggling to make a living. and also this was one of the factors that may have played into this idea of postponing king charles' visit because the optics of that visit, king charles having dinner with king charles in versailles, the former royal palace, would not have looked good for

president macron. it has been interesting watching some of the protest recently where president macron has been portrayed as a kind of king —like figure, which of course goes very much against the grain in republican france. bethany, thank you very much. i will be talking to a journalist in marseille injust a be talking to a journalist in marseille in just a few minutes. meanwhile, in the uk, the institute for fiscal studies reports today that delaying the rise in the country's state pension age could cost £60 billion, or $73 billion. the state pension age here is 66 — that's set to be increased by two years in 201m. the government had planned to bring that move forward by up to eight years with an announcement expected in may, but they're now expected to wait until after the next general election. the ifs says a delay would present "significant long—term fiscal challenges". the hollywood actor, gwyneth paltrow, has told a court in the us that she did not cause a skiing accident in 2016,

in which the man suing her was injured. terry sanderson, wants more than $250,000 in damages, claiming the oscar winner is to blame for the long—lasting brain injury he suffered. 0ur north america correspondent david willis reports. day four of this trial saw the oscar—winning actress take to the witness box to give her account of the ski slope collision she stands accused of causing. i was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then, there was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise. so, my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening. ithought, "am i...? "is this a practicaljoke? "is someone, like, doing something perverted? "this is really, really strange." my mind was going very, very quickly. more used to the red carpet of hollywood premieres than the austere surroundings of a utah courtroom, gwyneth paltrow denies she was to blame for a collision

on the slopes of the upmarket ski resort park city that left a 76—year—old retired optometrist, terry sanderson, suffering from brain damage and broken ribs. his lawyers maintain she was skiing recklessly and, asked what effect the accident had had on mr sanderson, his daughter, shae, had this to say. my dad is very insecure. he doesn't show it, but he doesn't trust his brain any more. gwyneth paltrow told the court she felt sorry for mr sanderson but maintained that he hit her, rather than the other way around. mr sanderson�*s lawyers claimed she was distracted by her children and fled without checking if he was hurt. i think you have to keep in mind when you're the victim of a crash, right, your psychology is not necessarily thinking about the person who perpetrated it. so, the answer to my question is...? no. ..no, you did not inquire? i did not. terry sanderson is due to give evidence next week,

along with gwyneth paltrow�*s children, moses and apple. david willis, bbc news, washington. former formula i racing car driver nelson piquet has been ordered to pay $950 million for using racial and homphobic slurs against lewis hamilton in an interview from november 2021. a brazilian court fined the 70—year—old for comments made on a podcast which resurfaced on social media last year. the derogatory remarks about hamilton — the only black driver in formula one — led to piquet being excluded from the sport's paddock. the case was brought by a coalition of human rights groups in brazil, and the damages are to be paid to funds promoting racial equality and fighting discrimination against sexual minorites. the us president has spoken of north american unity — and improved economic ties — in a landmark address to the canadian parliament in ottawa. mr biden said the two countries'

prosperity was deeply connected to their shared security. he and the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, pledged to stand together against authoritarian regimes. president biden also addressed rumours about the chinese government supplying arms to russia. i don't take china lightly. i don't take russia lightly. but i think we vastly exaggerate. i would hear, i've been hearing now for the past three months about china is going to provide significant weapons to russia. they're going to talk about that. they haven't yet. doesn't mean they won't, but they haven't yet. and if anything's happened, the west has coalesced significantly more. but your question, josh, was about what i do as a parent of teenagers and my kids on social

media and on that... on that, i am obviously concerned with the privacy and their security, which is why i'm glad that on their phones that happened to be issued by the government, they no longer access tiktok. that was a big frustration for them. really, that applies to us too, dad? yes, ijust did that. let's look at some of the day's other news. authorities in rwanda have released dissident paull rusesabinga from prison after his 25—year sentence for terrorism offences was commuted. the us citizen was sentenced in 2021 over his ties to a group opposed to president paul kagame. he is also widely known for his heroic acts during the 1994 genocide. sharp declines in banking shares in europe have renewed

concerns that the panic triggered by the collapse of two us banks and rushed takeover of swiss giant credit suisse may not be easily contained. shares in germany's deutsche bank fell by 14% at one point on friday, with other lenders also seeing big losses. two people have died and another ten have been taken to hospital after border police in the united states stopped a train in texas. the stop came after an anonymous tip off. temperatures near where the train was intercepted have risen to almost 30 degrees. all of the victims are believed to be migrants firefighters in eastern spain have been battling the country's first major wildfire of the year, which has destroyed more than 7,000 acres of forest in the valencia region. authorities say more than a thousand people have been forced from their homes, as emer mccarthy reports. valencia's rolling hills burning in march. more than 500 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze as emergency services evacuated residents from eight communities. translation: frustrated. i'm frustrated because of everything that has burned. but i was fearing this

because of how badly things have been done, so this a normal thing to happen. spain is in drought after three years of below—average rainfall. the tinder—dry conditions raising fears of a repeat of last year's devastating fire season. as the ferocious flames burned into the night, translation: we are facing the first bi fire this translation: we are facing the first big fire this year— translation: we are facing the first big fire this year unfortunately, - big fire this year unfortunately, and furthermore it is taking place out of season. i would like to express the full support of the government to the public servants who are fighting the fire, to all the citizens who have been affected by the devastation at the flames, especially those who have had to evacuate and had to leave their homes as a result. the only thing i can ask for its maximum improvements, maximum caution. as the ferocious flames burned into the night, and with summerjust around the corner, maximum caution may be needed for months to come.

emer mccarthy, bbc news. this is bbc news — our top story this hour. anger grows in france over president macron�*s pension reforms with plans for more protests. a state visit by king charles has been postponed. let's get more now on the situation there. i'm nowjoined by the french—americanjournalist cole stangler, who covers labour and politics issues in france. thank you forjoining us. i was reading an article that you have written recently entitled france is furious and you interviewed a worker at the port of marseille who told you that the governmentjust does not listen to us. is that fundamentally what is at the call of all these demonstrations, do you believe? yeah, i think. believe? yeah, ithink. i believe? yeah, i think. i think what we are seeing now are two main issues boiling over. one is the specific

issue of the pensions, as you have been saying, macron�*s plan to raise the pension age, from 62 to 64, that is accounting for a big source of anger there. the movement has taken another turn just anger there. the movement has taken another turnjust in the anger there. the movement has taken another turn just in the last week orso another turn just in the last week or so and that is because of the method the government has adopted in order to approve this reform, using this constitutional provision, it allows it to improve the mac —— approve the legislation. you have the pension issue itself, and on top of that you have the government approving this law that is very unpopular that using a method that people find inappropriate. these two issues are contributing to the anger we are seeing. we have another major protest next week, a wave of strikes the unions have called for. in the middle of this you have the

headlines around president macron removing his watch during an interview on the his people say it is not an expensive watch, it is not 80,000 euros watch that his critics claim it is. some might say this is a complete side bar, not relevant to the important issues that you have been talking about. image is important, isn't it?— important, isn't it? image is definitely — important, isn't it? image is definitely important - important, isn't it? image is definitely important and - important, isn't it? image is definitely important and i i important, isn't it? image is. definitely important and i think important, isn't it? image is- definitely important and i think the president recognises through the optics... to take a step back to the protesters, the pension issue is only one issue but i think a lot of the anger two is connected to macron�*s agenda and the policy has adopted since being elected in 2017, where we have had the expression a lot amongst protesters, the president of the rich, and the first budget he repealed france's wealth tax, a made it easier to lay off

workers, recent reforms to the unemployment and ensuring system that make it harder on people receiving benefits. when you look at these policies together and you look at the economic context that we end as well, very difficult, inflation rising, cost of living, people are saying why are you asking us to work two years more, perhaps you could some of your wealthy supporters to chip in theirfairshare. some of your wealthy supporters to chip in theirfair share. this issue is hinting at these other inequalities and frustrations associated with macron�*s presidency. is there much understanding for what president macron is trying to do, specifically on the issue of raising the pension age? he says it is an economic necessity, there france's population is ageing, there needs to be the resources to pay pensions to people for a longer period of time. is there much understanding of that issue? is the anger more about

raising the age or is it more about the way he's gone about handling this? i the way he's gone about handling this? ~ , ., ., ., , ., this? i think it is a good question. it is this? i think it is a good question. it is really — this? i think it is a good question. it is really both _ this? i think it is a good question. it is really both of— this? i think it is a good question. it is really both of those _ this? i think it is a good question. it is really both of those issues. i it is really both of those issues. the pension issue, it is connected to lots of other issues. i think it's... there's been a lot of debate about how necessary this reform is to, a lot of criticism on both sides. i think macron has a small base of support that feels this is necessary, three out of ten people. it is a minority, we will have to see how this goes. i think there are couple of ways of which protesters still hope the reform can ultimately be scrapped. hopefully the constitutional council will intervene all the president will back down on the protest. we'll see how it plays out next week to see if

the pressure will push the government to budge. we are out of time, but thank you very much for your thoughts on the story today. the indian opposition leader rahul gandhi has said his disqualification by parliament on friday is politically motivated. he says it's an attempt to distract from accusations he made against prime minister narendra modi over his relationship with the billionaire businessman, gautam adani. mr ghandi also faces two years in prison after a court found him guilty on thursday of criminal defamation — that's after a comment he made at a rally where he disparaged mr modi's surname. mr ghandi is a leading figure in the congress party — here he is speaking at a news conference on friday. i'm here defending the democratic voice of the indian people. i will continue to do that. i am not scared of these threats, of these disqualifications, of these allegations, of these prison sentences. i don't care. i'm not scared of them. these people don't understand me yet. i am not scared of them. they are used to everybody

being scared of them. i am not scared of them. and i will continue to ask the question — what is the prime minister's relationship with mr adani? it is an old relationship. it is a relationship that began when he was chief minister of gujarat. mr adani constructed the idea of research in gujarat. gujarat organised all that. this is a partnership. it's a close partnership. i'm going to keep asking that question. �*0peration chiffon�* was the codename given to a top—secret british intelligence operation that eventually paved the way for the good friday agreement — bringing an end to more than three decades of violence in northern ireland. at the centre of it all was an undercover agent known as �*robert�*. journalist peter taylor has spent more than 20 years tracking him down, and in a new documentary, he explains what really happened. by the early 1990, more than 3,000 people had been killed on all sides in what was known as the troubles.

the continuing violence was fed by one question — should northern ireland remain in the united kingdom or become part of a united ireland? when peace finally came with the good friday agreement, i was convinced that an m15 secret agent had played a vital role in helping to make it happen. he ran a top—secret back channel between the british government and the leadership of the ira. ifinally tracked him down, but following m15's rules, he lied to me and said he wasn't the man i was looking for. then, astonishingly, in 2021, i received a letter. "dear mr taylor. "you will no doubt be surprised to hearfrom me after so many years. "for a variety of reasons, i could now give you some background, which might fill in some gaps." robert was due to meet senior republicans, but the government cancelled the meeting after ira bombs in warrington killed two children.

robert disobeyed orders, sensing that despite its campaign, the ira was looking for peace. at the meeting, he gave them an extraordinary prediction. "the final solution is union. "it's going to happen anyway. "this island will be as one." is that what you said? i must have done. that's what's in the... if they wrote it down, then i... yeah, it seems quite likely. but you had no authority to say that... no. and what you said flew directly in the face of what british government policy was. yes. those words were absolutely crucial because it appeared that behind the scenes, the british government was secretly working towards a united ireland, the ira's goal, but to unionists, treachery. but in the autumn of 1993 with no sign of the violence ending, robert's secret mission was exposed.

he resigned from m15. the operation looked like a failure. but that's not the end of the story. the ira still had a desire to carry on discussing a way forward, remembering robert's words, "the final solution is union, this island will be as one." i believe that robert's words helped pave the way for the ceasefire and, ultimately, the good friday agreement of 1998. it also meant that an uncountable number of lives were saved. looking back, it's a degree of pride that i've played a small part in history, done some good in the world. peter taylor, bbc news. uk audiences can see peter's full story on bbc two at 7pm tonight, at 9.50 in northern ireland —

and it's also on the iplayer. and for international audiences there's full coverage on the bbc news website. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @annitabbc. hello. another fairly changeable day ahead, but certainly our soggy march weather is continuing towards the end of the month. so we're going to see a mix of some sunshine, but also more of those showers. they won't be quite as heavy or as frequent as they were yesterday. and the blustery winds that we've seen of late, especially in the south, are going to be gradually easing through the day. low pressure is going to just drift its way out towards the north sea, towards the east and a smaller ridge of high pressure for a time. it was going to be building in from the southwest. so if you're stuck underneath that

weather front today across parts of southern scotland, northern england, for a time for northern ireland as well, it's going to be quite grey with outbreaks of rain. into the afternoon, there is some sunshine across the bulk of england and wales, still a scattering of showers. you could be seeing one or two heavy ones. perhaps the odd isolated rumble of thunder towards east anglia, lincolnshire could be a bit of hail, but generally they are not going to be as frequent or as heavy as we have seen. brightening up too for northern ireland, north wales. here we could see some sunshine, just one or two showers through the afternoon, but still staying damp and cloudy for much of northern england, central and southern scotland. a little bit of wintriness over the highest ground as that cold air cuts its way in from the north. now, overnight tonight, the next area of fairly heavy rain sweeps its way eastwards across the southern half of england and wales too. so a really soggy start to sunday morning in the south, but mild, five to seven degrees, colder conditions further north, particularly for the far north of england and scotland, where we're likely to see a bit of frost to start your sunday. so that colder air moving in from the north on sunday. further south as low pressure drifts to the towards the east we'll still see that mild airjust

holding on for parts of southern england, perhaps south wales, but colder conditions working in for many of us through the day. some wintry showers, some snowfall for parts of northern and eastern scotland. perhaps the odd snow flurry across the pennines, but the south cloud and rain through sunday morning gradually easing away towards the south and the east through into sunday afternoon, hopefully drying up for the cambridge—0xford boat race in the afternoon. temperatures in single figures for many of us. i think on sunday, a cooler feeling day, but we'll just about hold on to double figures in the far southwest. and don't forget, saturday night into the early hours of sunday, the clocks are going to spring forward by one hour. so it's the arrival of british summertime from sunday onwards. the weather not looking particularly summery over the next few days, but monday brings us a bit of a drier, quieter interlude. turns unsettled from tuesday onwards, but things are warming up during the middle of the week. bye for now.

more this is bbc news. the headlines: security forces in france remain on standby for more protests about president macron�*s retirement reforms. the government wants to push the retirement age up by two years to 64. gwyneth paltrow, has repeatedly insisted that she was the victim in a skiing accident that's the subject of a lawsuit in the us state of utah. giving evidence, the oscar—winning actress said she'd been hit from behind by terry sanderson , who claims he was the victim. spanish firefighters are tackling the first major widlfire of the year. the blaze in the eastern valencia region has destroyed 7000 acres of forest. more than one thousand residents have been forced to evacuate. fragments of sculptures from the parthenon that had been held in the vatican for more than two centuries have been returned to greece.