better support for domestic abuse victims — under plans to put specialist advisers in 999 control rooms. countering china's growing influence, we're defence capabilities. have the details. and happy birthday, roana. we meet the uk's oldest horse — as she celebrates her 46th birthday. in saudi tomorrow.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. returned from gaza was not that of the israeli hostage shiri bibas. of the ceasefire deal.

hisham al—sayed and avera mengisto. israelis are still coming to terms with confirmation that ariel and kfiri bibas are dead. were abducted together on october the 7th have haunted israel ever since. and that the body supposedly of their mother was not her at all, neta nyahu was swift. translation: we will act with determination _ translation: we will act with determination to _ translation: we will act with determination to bring - translation: we will act with i determination to bring - home ensure hamas pays the full price and ensure hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of agreement. aareement. . ., ,

the agreement. hamas has said there ma been the agreement. hamas has said there may - been i error— the agreement. hamas has said there may - been i error and _ the agreement. hamas has said there may - been i error and that - may have been an error and that human mixed due to human remains were mixed due to israeli air strikes that that is to receive short shrift in likely to receive short shrift in hostage square in tel aviv. it are dead and we really hope that they'wofi�*t'be dead and they“ - _ that they'wofi�*t'be dead and they“ - m— that they'wafi�*t'ba dead and they come back, and that they'wah�*t'ha dead and they come back, and now that they'wah�*t'he deaf;l and they come back, and now it that they'wofi�*t'he dead and they come back, and now it is will come back, and now it is like they— will come back, and now it is like they make joke us. this what they make a joke of us. this is what i feel_ they make a joke of us. this is what i feel- the _ they make a joke of us. this is what i feel the children... their i feel because the children... their mother, _ i feel because the children... their mother, theyjust sent a body and it :_e=: is so painful. israelis had been hoinu is so painful. israelis had been heping at _ is so painful. israelis had been hoping at least _ is so painful. israelis had been hoping at least to _ is so painful. israelis had been hoping at least to lay - is so painful. israelis had been hoping at least to lay i rest . is so painful. israelis had been i hoping at least to lay i rest the hattie;- e? 2.25? tee lee- tee 145); the——— .. —— — . . a hen" et “ea" t“ 'e t“ ”eat the ,,, ~ ~ 7 ' ' a even is �*in in of everything has in the past 2a hours and happened in the past 2a hours and rising here amongst the rising anger here amongst israelis, it looks as if a lsraellsr it leeks as ifeaceasefi re will hold lsraellsrit leeks as ifeaceasefire will hold least for now. i deal will hold at least for now. i think that the explanation that hamas has far given will not be hamas has so far given will not be heeded by anyone here but hamas has the names of the six living

who t who are to be 7 hestaaes lethe are dale ta be releases} ... ., saturday hastaaes elite are due ta be released ... ~ saturday and that is next that ' ' ' t , the? beet]; ' ' ' t , the? beet]; a; ' ' ' t 1 the? reel]; a; be ' ' t the? reel]; £1; be . and t 1 thatneedsto be ' and it step that needs to be taken and it like that will go ahead as does look like that will go ahead as it has been we have not anything from the israeli heard anything from the israeli government yet about what action it might take over what has been and hamas has also said happening and hamas has also said that it happening and hamas has also said thatitis happening and hamas has also said that it is more than 600 that it is expecting more than 600 prisoners to be released on as well. saturday, as well. thank you. the us secretary of state — marco rubio — says donald trump will only meet vladimir putin if the two sides make progress on ending the war in ukraine. russia's air assaults on ukraine have ramped up. last night in the donetsk region, seven people were reported

as negotiations elsewhere make the headlines. there were confused scenes yesterday in kyiv, as a joint press conference with president zelensky and the us special envoy, keith kellogg, was cancelled at the last minute. and whilst president trump didn't mention ukraine in his speech criticised president zelensky for refusing to sell president trump is obviously very frustrated right now with president zelensky.

the change of tone from the us comes ahead of the prime minister's to ukraine if a peace deal could be reached. could have here at home. for britain's security and defence with our closest ally, and removing itself from the defence of europe, so we've got to make the defence of our country a top priority. european leaders continue to offer support to ukraine, and whilst the us says everything is on the negotiating table with russia, the ukrainians still do not have a seat at it. alison freeman, bbc news.

it strikes me all of this has political minds about how it strikes me all of this has politi( are linds about how it strikes me all of this has politi( are prepared it how it strikes me all of this has politi( are prepared to 10w well countries are prepared to defend themselves?— well countries are prepared to defend themselves? starmer's trip to washington keir starmer's trip to washington next week has the to be next week has the potential to be one of the most pivotal moments for his premiership. notjust for his premiership. not just for what it his premiership. notjust for what it means for security but it means for european security but when you think about the wider relationship with the us and trading relationship with the us and that has implications for that has'implicatians far ear here, how the z: 2; has to spend. j has to spend. one has to spend. one of the —= of government that is 7 scrutiny 7 t scrutiny this t t scrutiny this week is most under scrutiny this week is defence spending. remember labour's to set out a path promised to set out a path to spend 2.5% of our gdp on defence. that in wm’ibieszif’ m t te ii’ii’f’hsfllé” : 7 ' te ii’ii’fhdifilsi : 7 ' e five billion and £6 billion between five billion and £6 billion extra a year so there are questions of how to pay it. we from = -:= = -= davey in that report, the liberal ” leaded” 7 ' ” l'eéa’errfh’e’i; 7 ' ” leader,hieiis’sugigeisting ' democrat leader, he is suggesting a tax rise tech giants. that

tax rise on tech giants. that is a tax rise on tech giants. that is a tax that has particularly irritated donald trump in the past. he sees as a tax targeting are essentially as a tax targeting us companies, so the government is likely to be wary about annoying donald trump. so what other — -—7 there for ministers? we are not are there far ministers? weare eat he are there far ministers? we are net he extending the freeze are there fer ministers? we are net he extending the freeze on sure he is extending the freeze on tax so as people's pay tax thresholds, so as people's pay increases with inflation, more people end up paying the rate people end up paying the higher rate of income tax. reeves the of income tax. rachel reeves the chancellor previously said that would but would hurt working people but changing her mind on that is one option. another is the one option. another option is the one many people i speak to here west many people i speak to here in west minister are most worried about and thatis minister are most worried about and that is spending cuts. departments have been asked to prepare for cuts of 2-11%, have been asked to prepare for cuts of 2—11%, so that mean of between 2—11%, so that could mean less money for prisons, the courts, local and so on. no local councils and so on. no easy decisions and choices the decisiens andthe theites the does make decisiens andthe theiees the does make will have an government does make will have an not just government does make will have an notjust on ukraine but on us

impact notjust on ukraine but on us all , ., ., ., , ., ~ all here. yes; fer nee'gieiarrygtbante ' '*' " ' ’ har farle . and for more on this there's a special podcast — and the implications for the rest of the world. domestic abuse specialists are to be embedded in the 999 better support for victims. the pilot scheme is part of raneem's law, named after a woman who was murdered — along with her mother — raneem oudeh's last moments were captured on cctv. and threatening her. the pictures show tarin approaching raneem and a confrontation. then her mother, khaola, tries to intervene. raneem had made a series of calls to the police, but no—one came.

hi. ijust called the police about half an hour, more than half an hour ago. and actually, i'm in danger. raneem was on the phone to the police when both she and her that's what raneem experienced. she was in a place of the police had no idea what domestic abuse is. there was no law, there's no framework around it. the call handlers had no idea how to deal with cases and really left to the victim to safeguard themself. after tarin was arrested, west midlands police apologised for what it called "multiple failures". they said "more should have been done to protect raneem from a campaign of domestic violence". the government is now implementing raneem's law.

rooms to begin with. victims are referred to specialist support services. not the 13th time they call, as was what happened to raneem before she died, and make sure that their first campaigners say raneem's law is a good start, but much more needs to be done. constables, in all forces. raneem's law and other changes like this are important, but they're just one step —

we need to see whole system change. raneem and khaola's family have campaigned for this change for six years. the government says today's announcement will be a key part of their legacy. received in tax last month, leaving a surplus of £15.4 billion. that's according to the office for national statistics. however, it was still much smaller than expected, our business correspondent theo leggett can explain. theo, what do these numbers really tell us? well, it means the rachel reeves increasingly losing room reeves is increasingly lasing ream " manoeuvre if reeves is increasingly lasing rcxcrm' " manoeuvre if she wants to stay fer manoeuvre if she wants'tcr stay her own fer maneeuvre if she wants'te' stay her own self—imposed rules on within her own self—imposed rules on tax and spending. so the government generally does run a surplus in january because a lot �*taxing january because a lot of taxing income comes in. £151; billion sent

leigh sounds a lot of and in leigh sounds a lot of money and in a is back in october after the after is back. in qeteber after the after budget, js back. in qeteber after the after budget, the office for budget t reported t t 7 reportedthe t t 7 reported thejantjary responsibility reported the january would actually be £20.5 figure'weuld actually be £20.5 so already you can see that billion. so already you can see that the government's finances are £5 billion worse off effectively £5 billion worse off than expected and if you thah espeeteei and then ifyeel lee'e government borrowing for the year at government borrowing for the year to date, the taxi had to date which began in april, that is £118 billion. that is about £13 billion billiene that is abeut ale billien ”" ’ ' " ’ " ” than was billiene that is abeut ale lelien ”" ’ ' " ’ " ” than was expected more borrowing than was expected backin more borrowing than was expected back in and all of back in october. and all of this matters the chancellor matters because the chancellor has very little room for manoeuvre, little flexibility she relatively little flexibility if she is to stay inside her fiscal rules. briefly what they are is that by the end of this parliament, day—to—day spending should be met entirely by tax income and that national debt as tax, income and that nationaldebt as share of national income should be a share of national income should be falling by the end of the parliament. she had about £10 billion worth of room for manoeuvre in october, that has pretty much

been wiped out, economists so in october, that has pretty much b means ed out, economists so in october, that has pretty much b means ed ou�* is economists so in october, that has pretty much b means ed ou�* is to nomists so in october, that has pretty much b means ed ou�* is to nom on so in october, that has pretty much b means ed ou�* is to nom on track, to it means if s