today, our correspondent sima kotecha talked to the chief executive in charge of the school.chool under pressure to scrap the controversial ‘no outsiders' programme. hundreds of parents, many of muslim faith, don't want their children to be taught about same—sex couples. now, for the first time, the woman in charge of the school has publicly spoken about her views. what parents tell their children at home, it's up to them. there are some fantastic families round here, whatever way they want to bring their children up is fine. but in school, they need to be educated to the law of the land and at home they can follow their religion and that's fine, the two sit together. so here we have ‘mama, mummy and me' and this is a lovely board book of cartoons... no outsiders has temporarily been suspended by the school. it involves teaching children about same—sex relationships through cartoon characters in story books. but some people believe homosexuality to be morally wrong. weekly protests here continue. the impact on the staff has been tremendous. people have said they're losing wei

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.bbc news, the travel show are in dubai, a place which has set ambitious targets for a more sustainable future. we meet the people working in the travel industry hoping to help make that happen. coming up this week on the travel show: i am in dubai to find out how they are trying hard to make holidays more sustainable here. so that goes back into the land, back into the system to help create food? correct, one big cycle. sustainability in a bag, i like it. plus, i meet the turtles who have become temporary residents at an iconic 7—star hotel. and then there is a serious drop in temperature as we travel to russia to meet the man who has just completed his own incredible journey across siberia. the siberian people who live there, they would say, "karolis, you will lose your face on the first day." we are kicking off this week here in dubai, a place thatjust over a0 years ago was a sleepy trading town, but now is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world — up there with lon

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.uire, whose body was found in the humber estuary on wednesday, is being treated as a "potential homicide." the 21 year old, originally from buckinghamshire, disappeared at the beginning of february after a night out with friends. police say a 24—year—old man arrested on suspicion of abduction remains under investigation. danny savage is in hull with the latest. libby squire was last seen on friday, february the first. late that night, she vanished. there has been a huge police investigation taking place ever since but it's a lwa ys taking place ever since but it's always been treated as a missing person enquiry but all that changed this week because libby's body was found floating in the humber s3 down its burn point. a postmortem examination took place yesterday and asa examination took place yesterday and as a result of that examination, police now believe that libby squire died asa police now believe that libby squire died as a result of a crime. this afternoon, they have released a

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.nded a robotic probe called insight on the red planet late last year, and after several months of checks and preparations, research is finally underway. our science editor, david shukman, reports. it's a mission to mars like no other. a fiery descent last november that unfolded exactly as planned in this nasa animation. it's a hazardous journey that others have made before. but this time the spacecraft touching down on the surface has a unique job. so for mission control, getting there was a huge relief. touchdown confirmed. cheering and applause. amid all the celebrations, they've been checking that everything is working so the science can begin. nasa is not the only team exploring mars. others are busy there as well. amazingly, there are six spacecraft in orbit around the red planet, taking pictures and gathering data. three from america, two from europe and one from india. but only nasa has successfully got robotic missions down onto the ground itself. and the latest to touch down i

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.nce in memory of the 50 people who died in shootings at two mosques in christchurch, one week ago. prime ministerjacinda ardern joined thousands of mourners near the al—noor mosque, one of the two targeted in the attack. clive myrie is in christchurch for us this evening. yes, it was an intense and emotional day of mourning and prayer for the 50 people who lost their lives in the attacks on those two mosques, with new zealanders of all faiths coming together to show solidarity with those people who died, and also to make it clear that they wanted to fight for a society where everybody can feel valued, feel equal and feel safe. the whole aim, of course, to prevent a similar atrocity happening again. this place has been defiled. the al noor mosque isn't fit for worship — the memory of violence still fresh. a crime scene, it's out of bounds on this, the holiest day of the week in islam. so the faithful must go elsewhere. allahu akbar... this call to prayer also sounded out exactly seven d

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.bbc news talking movies reports from austin in texas and looks back at some of the highlights of this year's south by southwest film festival. hello from austin in texas. today we look back at the nine day long south by southwest film festival which took place earlier this month. i have been coming to south by southwest film festival for several yea rs southwest film festival for several years and i have always been struck by how eclectic it is. different genres and independent features amid lots of hype and promotion. it also includes a music and interactive media festival. going into the south by southwest film festival highlight was the opening night picture and a film i most wanted to see, the world premiere of us byjordan hill, whose get out became a huge international phenomena. the stars turned out. including the creative force, jordan pl. getting us as of the opening—night film was a major coup. it tells the story of the wilson family who take a seaside holiday only to find fau

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.b is claiming the deal to buy emiliano sala from nantes for £15 million wasn't legally binding. the bluebirds are refusing to make interim payments for the striker, who died in a plane crash in january. cardiff will tell fifa that conditions for completion of the deal were not fulfilled and sala wasn't registered as a premier league player. nantes claim the required paperwork was completed. the biggest fraud trial in british history has got under way at the high court. the american firm hewlett packard is suing the former boss of the software company autonomy for more than five billion dollars. mike lynch is accused of misrepresenting the finances of autonomy before hp bought it in 2011. he denies the charge. the prince of wales and the duchess of cornwall are in cuba — on the first ever official trip by royals to the communist country. they've been taking a tour of the capital havana, in what's being seen as an effort by britain to develop closer links. our royal correspondent nichola

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.ic weapons and assault rifles will be banned in the country, following the christchurch terror attacks. 50 people were killed at two mosques, allegedly by a lone gunman. it's now been a week, in new zealand, since the attacks. clive myrie is in christchurch. clive? yes, the prime minister said that she would want to see swift action on gun controls and she seems to be delivering. all the weapons used in the attack on those mosques, including on the al noor mosque, they will be banned in three weeks. military style assault weapons ban, semiautomatic assault weapons ban, there will be an amnesty for people to hand them in and the government has set aside millions of dollars for a buy—back scheme. hunters and farmers and pest control experts, they will be exempt. actually come opposition to this move has been muted really over the last few days because of the severe nature of the attacks that took place here. meanwhile, on this day exactly a week since those attacks, there will bea week s

sima kotecha has more.ened in a matter of seconds while the boy was looking at toy footballs. today, his father was found guilty of plotting the attack and then enlisting others to carry it out. these five men were also found guilty of being involved in the plan and were jailed for between 12 and 14 years. it was july last year. the boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, was shopping at the store behind me with his mother and siblings when he was attacked. during the trial, the jury was told he screamed repeatedly, "i hurt, i hurt!" he suffered serious burns to his face and arm. the father also can't be named over concerns it would give the child's identity away. the 40—year—old, originally from afghanistan, planned to hurt his son after his wife left him and took the children with her. during the trial, the prosecution said he hoped the injuries would discredit her as a parent, so that he could have custody. when sentencing, the judge, robertjuckes qc, told the court, "even battle—hardened crown court

sima kotecha has the story. of a total of more than 700. it's being called a protest. some parents, most of whom are of muslim faith, are unhappy about the school teaching their children about same—sex relationships. telling children as young as four that it's ok to be gay, if you are a muslim, if you are a christian, itjust doesn't go with our beliefs, our rights. but there are same—sex couples in society, like there are people of different faiths and cultures, so why not allow your child to see what reflects society? i just don't think there is a need. it is not age appropriate. through its no outsiders programme, involving storybooks, children are introduced to characters in same—sex couples. the school wouldn't talk to us today, but in a letter seen by the bbc that has been sent to parents, it says at no point during any teaching would the school ever encourage children to become lgbt, and at no point promote this as a specific way of life. it goes on to say no outsiders is all about saying that everybody is

sima kotecha, has more.ashed with acid in a home bargain store in worcester. it happened in a matter of seconds while the boy was looking at toy footballs. today, his father was found guilty of plotting the attack and then enlisting others to carry it out. these five men were also found guilty of being involved in the plan and were jailed for between 12 and 14 years. it was july last year. the boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, was shopping at the store behind me with his mother and siblings when he was attacked. during the trial, the jury was told he screamed repeatedly, "i hurt, i hurt!" he suffered serious burns to his face and arm. the father also can't be named over concerns it would give the child's identity away. the 40—year—old, originally from afghanistan, planned to hurt his son after his wife left him and took the children with her. during the trial, the prosecution said he hoped the injuries would discredit her as a parent, so that he could have custody. when sentencing, the judge, robert

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.last year, the highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious health complications. many of them were children. meanwhile the number of parents giving their children the mmr vaccine continues to fall. england's most senior doctor is linking a lot of it to misinformation circulated on social media. professor dame sally davies says the nhs must take a more modern approach to fighting fake information. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns has the story. the 20th century was called the golden age of immunisation. but then, as now, parents were exposed to anti—vaxxing messages. there was such a lot of talk in the papers about the danger of it, you know? i want other people to see how it goes before i give my child to be a guinea pig. what has changed, though, is where parents see this kind of material. recently, the royal society for public health warned that social media is helping to spread misleading and dangerous information about vaccines further and faster than

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.rd of honour, at the start of a day of funerals for the three teenagers who died in a crush before a saint patrick's day disco in county tyrone. morgan barnard and lauren bullock — who were both 17 — and 16—year—old connor currie, were among hundreds of young people waiting to get into the event, at a hotel in cookstown. rain, rising rivers, and broken bridges are hampering aid and rescue efforts for those affected by cyclone idai in southern africa. the death toll officially across the region is 440, although the true number is thought to be far higher. hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced across mozambique, zimbabwe and malawi. the uk has donated £22 million to the aid effort, 8 million of that is from the public. our reporter pumza fihlani has travelled beyond the coastal city of beira in mozambique tojust outside the village of dondo — where the true scale of this disaster is becoming clear to see. this would have been the fastest way to get aid to those trapped in t

sima kotecha has more.ching children about same—sex couples. now another four schools in the city have followed suit. this comes after weeks of protests by parents over a programme called no outsiders, in which children are taught about homosexual relationships in storybooks. but many parents, mostly of muslim faith, have objected to it, and want it scrapped. we have traditional family values, but morally we do not accept homosexuality as a valid sexual relationship to have. and it's not about being homophobic. because some people might think that's what you are. you see, that's like saying that if you don't believe in islam, you're islamophobic. you see, we don't believe in homosexuality, but that does not make us homophobic. we respect individuals as human beings. now in a letter seen by the bbc, a trust which runs several heavily muslim populated schools in birmingham says it will stop lgbt teaching until at leastjune. it says: well, this is the school at the centre of this row. parkfield has temporarily

losing them would be a symbolic blow says journalist is most simas both cities have been under a.k.p. control throughout and once time in power water for its own kind of a stumble if that opposition wins istanbul ankara we may begin to discuss the possibility of snap elections here in turkey. istanbul is strongly associated with the first he was elected as municipal mayor here then he became mayor of istanbul. after that prime minister and then president. it is a k.p.s. defeated in istanbul and it will be a political earthquake for everyone. on them when i get. back to the tea house where the young rajah type ad one is trying to win some votes he also he has many complains about the economy is just the young people don't have jobs it's become very hard for shop owners nothing is good here anymore nothing yet the young out one says he wants to tackle these problems at least in his neighborhood but he can't be sure of victory as he's facing two challenges much is at stake in the local elections from both the edge of town. now some of the other stories making news around the state around

its close ally the united states that is concerned about this agreement that's been signed all right sima gupta there reporting for us from rome on visit in italy thank you so much. and now to some of the other global business stories making the news. emerging markets stocks hit to their highest in almost seven months on news of the u.s. federal reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady investors which by the fed's plans to steer clear of rate hikes until twenty twenty one a complete policy reversal. the world's most successful jeans brand levi strauss has been valued at around six point six billion dollars for its upcoming i.p.o. the biggest in the u.s. so far this year levi's will use the funds to invest in the brand made iconic bust such as james dean and bruce springsteen. and after three years of planning and building it's time to raise the and curve the new cruise ship spectrum off the seas has left the shipyard in patton book germany nearly thirty five meters long the luxury liner has eighteen decks and space for over four thousand passengers. poland has turned into one of t

sima kotecha has more.ity have followed suit. this comes after weeks of protests by parents over a programme called no 0utsiders, in which children are taught about homosexual relationships in storybooks. but many parents, mostly of muslim faith, have objected to it, and want it scrapped. we have traditional family values, but morally we do not accept homosexuality as a valid sexual relationship to have. and it's not about being homophobic. because some people might think that's what you are. you see, that's like saying that if you don't believe in islam, you're islamophobic. you see, we don't believe in homosexuality, but that does not make us homophobic. we respect individuals as human beings. now in a letter seen by the bbc, a trust which runs several heavily muslim populated schools in birmingham says it will stop lgbt teaching until at leastjune. it says the board of directors and the head teachers of leigh trust have made the decision to suspend the no 0utsiders programme until we are able to have mea

losing them would be a symbolic blow says journalist is most simas both cities have been under a.k.p. control throughout and once time in power water for its own kind of a storm will it is that opposition wins istanbul ankara we may begin to discuss the possibility of snap elections here in turkey. istanbul is strongly associated with the. first he was elected as municipal man here then he became mayor of istanbul. after that prime minister and then president. if is a k.p.s. defeated in istanbul it would be a political earthquake. in minnesota and on them when i get. back to the tea house and go joke with a young. trying to win some votes he also he has many complains about the economy the younger people don't have jobs it's become very hard for so nothing is good here anymore nothing. the young owen says he wants to tackle these problems at least in his neighborhood but he can't be sure of victory as he's facing two challenges much is at stake in the local elections both tragic tight. for everyone in his party control most of the media and the purged enemies of the state from the pol

losing them would be a symbolic blows says journalist is most simas both cities have been under a.k.p. control throughout and once time in power water for its own good of a stumble if that opposition wins istanbul ankara we may begin to discuss the possibility of snap elections here in turkey. istanbul is strongly associated with . the first he was elected as municipal mayor here then he became mayor of istanbul . after that prime minister and then president on. the move if is a k.p.s. defeated in istanbul it would be a political earthquake for everyone it's a long time when i get. back to the teahouse and go where the young one is trying to win some boats he also he has many complains about the economy but it's just the younger people don't have jobs it's become very hard pursue our borders nothing is good here anymore nothing you can give the young at all and says he wants to tackle these problems at least in his neighborhood but he can't be sure of victory as he's facing two challenges much is at stake in the local elections both magic type of once. you harm reporting there from tu

losing them would be a symbolic blow says journalist is most simas both cities have been under a k.p. control throughout and wants time in power water for its own kind of a stumble if that opposition wins istanbul ankara we may begin to discuss the possibility of snap elections here in turkey istanbul is strongly associated with. first he was elected as municipal mayor here then he became mayor of istanbul. after that prime minister and then president. stumble if is a k.p. is defeated in istanbul it would be a political earthquake for everyone. don lemon i getting. back to the teahouse and go juke where the young one is trying to win some votes he also he has many complains about the economy being just the younger people don't have jobs it's become very hard for shop owners nothing is good here anymore nothing the region here the young no one says he wants to tackle these problems at least in his neighborhood but he can't be sure victory as he's facing two challenges much is at stake in the local elections for both tragic tight alfonse. well to bill ruse now a discovery that has shock

sima kotecha reports. it was an evening in november 197a.s in two pubs in birmingham. 21 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. six men were falsely imprisoned for the crime. after spending almost two decades in jail they were acquitted, and that's when some of the families of those killed began calling for fresh inquests. four weeks in and today a former volunteer of the ira told the court who he thought was responsible. he said he'd been given permission to do so by the head of the ira in dublin. the man known as witness 0 gave four names. he said seamus mcloughlin was the officer commanding the ira in birmingham at the time, and was in charge of selecting targets. mick murray, he said, was one of the bombers. another member of the bombing team, he said, was michael hayes. and then when asked about a james gavin, witness 0 said, "well, he was involved." all are dead apart from michael hayes, seen here two years ago. in court, my brother and my sisterand i, we were all sobbing, hearing what witness 0 had to say about one of the

sima kotecha has the story.t of a total of more than 700. it is being called a protest. some parents, most of whom are of muslim faith, are unhappy about the school teaching their children about same—sex relationships. telling children as young as four that it's ok to be gay, if you're a muslim, if you're a christian, where does he — you know, itjust doesn't go with our beliefs, our rights. but there are same—sex couples in society, like there are people of different faiths and cultures, so why not allow your child to see what reflect society? i just don't think there's a need. it's not age—appropriate. through its no outsiders programme, involving storybooks, children are introduced to characters in same—sex couples. the school wouldn't talk to us today, but in a letter seen by the bbc, that has been sent to parents, it says at no point during any teaching with the school ever encourage children to become lgbt, and at no point promote this as a specific way of life. it goes on to say no outsiders is all about s

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham. time for a look at the weather, here's louise lear. thanks, reeta. this time last week, it was all about sunshine, february warms, even record—breaking temperatures, those lucky few in the la ke temperatures, those lucky few in the lake district, i bet you couldn't believe your luck. i just lake district, i bet you couldn't believe your luck. ijust move forward to seven days, and we had a seven centimetres of snow to greet people first thing in cumbria this morning. storm freya may have departed off to scandinavia, but behind a trail of scattered showers will be the feature for the rest of the afternoon. some of those showers windy across scotland and higher ground of northern ireland, most of the showers out to the west, pushing further inland, so if you have managed to dodge them across eastern england, there could be one or two waiting in the winds to catch you out this afternoon. scotland, sunny spells, scattered showers, 8—10 degrees, wintry showers in parts of northern ireland, and showers across northern england, some with the o

sima kotecha reports. it was an evening in november 197a.ubs in birmingham. 21 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. six men were falsely imprisoned for the crime. after spending almost two decades in jail they were acquitted, and that's when some of the families of those killed began calling for fresh inquests. four weeks in and today a former volunteer of the ira told the court who he thought was responsible. he said he'd been given permission to do so by the head of the ira in dublin. the man known as witness 0 gave four names. he said seamus mcloughlin was the officer commanding the ira in birmingham at the time, and was in charge of selecting targets. mick murray, he said, was one of the bombers. another member of the bombing team, he said, was michael hayes. and then when asked about a james gavin, witness 0 said, "well, he was involved." all are dead apart from michael hayes, seen here two years ago. in court, my brother and my sisterand i, we were all sobbing, hearing what witness 0 had to say about one of the bombers wh

sima kotecha reports.ned in tunisia in 2015. the sculpture is titled infinite wave. it's made up of 31 individual streams, each representing a british national who died in the attacks. the families of those killed were involved in its design. suzanne richards lost her son, father and brother in the attack in sousse. it's beautiful, it's a permanent fixture that's going to be here even when we've gone. and it makes everyone come to canon hill park and look and read and understand what happened that day and how horrific it was, and it'sjust a lovely dedication for them. owen, her other son, survived the shooting. it's not something which i'm going to forget about tomorrow, it's something which is going to be with me for the rest of my life, it's going to be with everyone. but more importantly, it's the three people who should be in my life every day aren't here right now, and that's obviously what makes a bigger effect on your life. the duke of sussex came here today to unveil the memorial and to take part i

sima kotecha reports. it was an evening in november 197a.ham. 21 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. six men were falsely imprisoned for the crime. after spending almost two decades in jail they were acquitted, and that's when some of the families of those killed began calling for fresh inquests. four weeks in and today a former volunteer of the ira told the court who he thought was responsible. he said he'd been given permission to do so by the head of the ira in dublin. the man known as witness 0 gave four names. he said seamus mcloughlin was the officer commanding the ira in birmingham at the time, and was in charge of selecting targets. mick murray, he said, was one of the bombers. another member of the bombing team, he said, was michael hayes. and then when asked about a james gavin, witness 0 said, "well, he was involved." all are dead apart from michael hayes, seen here two years ago. in court, my brother and my sisterand i, we were all sobbing, hearing what witness 0 had to say about one of the bombers who, quote, said

. >> it's my pleasure to award a full scholarship to george washington university to sima h. beac >> reporter: she's overcome with tears and says g.w. has always been her goal. when i asked what it meant to see how happy it made her family, she gave all the praise to her mother who raised her alone. >> i know that my mom she was there for me, and her being a single parent and a sgle mom that i am becoming more like her, an independentwoman. >> it means the wor to me to hear her say that, to hear those words come out of her mouth. >> reporter: as for mom she's still beamin >> makes me feel good. makes me feel like i did something right. like i can trust and believe she'll go out and do the right thing. >> reporter: she said she'll pursue a doublen major i interior design and business management and minor in architecture. a huge goal for a capable young woman. this is just one ofen holarship surprises that george washington university e will do in district today. for a full list look on nbcwashington.c nbcwhington.com. >>>gw's president said this is his favorite day every year.

let's get right now to sima where lyft will begin trading. a big day. >> it certainly is for the nasdaq good morning this ipo was already oversubscribed reflecting strong appetite for what is the biggest tech ipo to hit the u.s. market since snap went public on the new york stock exchange in 2017. lyft is still unprofitable, burning over $900 million last year with no signs of going profitable in the near future. morning star thinks it could be 2022, so in about four years now, over the says last couple of years lyft reportly received interest friday anumber of firms including gm, alphabet, amazon, apple, and china's dd. lyft decided to go to the public market to raise proceeds it's expected to raise over $2 billion today in its ipo the company says it will use towards growing its business successful lyft will not be determined by just today's debut on the nasdaq. it will be in the coming months where lyft will have to prove to investors that while its loss-making, it's expanding its user base, and working towards becoming profitable. brian,

sima, thank you for that update on japan upnext, new fall-out from the massive college emissions scandal. the latest details coming up ahead. plus, hitting the streets. tesla unveiling its new suv, but it will cost you the hefty price tag when worldwide exchange returns after this my mom washes the dishes... ...before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. wow, that's clean! cascade platinum. >>> streaming and also the airpods. they're trying to say come back. >> and the recent example before this was that big banner ad at ces in las vegas talking maybe, again, throwing some shade at other tech rivals about how they guard your data and everything else apple has taken a very firm line on this. >> yes >> they want to be the company that is sin anonymous with not sharing your data at all with anybody. >> absolutely. tim cook going out of his way to make that point. >> absolutely. >>> now to the fall-out over the continuing college admissions scandal which wealthy parents

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham.rror detectives have charged a 50—year—old man with attempted murder after a man was stabbed in a supermarket car park in surrey at the weekend. vincent fuller has been charged with possession of a bladed article, having an offensive weapon, affray and racially aggravated fear. he will appear in front of magistrates tomorrow. a 19—year—old man was injured at the tesco store. police in the west midlands say two men have been arrested after five mosques had their windows smashed in birmingham yesterday. security has been stepped up at mosques across birmingham after five were vandalised in the early hours of thursday. police investigations are continuing and emotive remains unknown. thejury continuing and emotive remains unknown. the jury at the trial of the match commander at hillsborough have been told they will be sent out on monday to consider their verdicts. they will have to consider if david duckenfield is guilty or not of causing the deaths by gross negligence of 95 fans at the f