thank you very much, guy hedgecoe in madrid. guy will have . hedgecoe in madrid. sharp rise in cases. 53 people have died from the mosquito—borne disease in the current outbreak. produced injapan, the new vaccine will initially be given only to children aged 10 and 11. dengue can cause haemorrhagic fever, but most cases are mild. celebrations are taking place around the world to mark the start of the lunar new year. hundreds of people made their wishes for the year their wishes for the year of the dragon, by placing sticks of incense at a temple in hong kong. vietnam celebrated with a colourful firework display in the skies above hanoi. worshippers flocked to temples across taiwan to light incense and pray for prosperity in the new year. and the chinese community in peru celebrated the year of the dragon in style — with dragons leading the festivites through the streets of lima's chinatown. live now to hong kong — and astrologist letao wang. thank you forjoining us. we have people watching all over the world right now. what can you tell us about the year of the dra

from madrid, guy hedgecoe reports. sirens.on after a blaze broke out on one of the building's lower floors. it quickly spread, with eyewitnesses saying it engulfed the entire ill—storey building in a matter of minutes. firefighters made some dramatic rescues — in this case two people were brought down from a balcony. applause. 0thers waited on balconies for firefighters to arrive. translation: i told my daughter and mother-in-law to leave. - other people stayed inside. the residential block, which is situated in the campanar neighbourhood of valencia, contains around 140 flats. strong winds fanned the flames and the fire also spread to an adjoining building. more than 20 crews have been fighting the blaze, with some military personnel mobilised. a makeshift hospital was set up nearby to take on people who had been injured. several firefighters were among the first to be treated. with confusion surrounding the scene, local authorities set up a helpline for those worried about loved ones. the people of valencia are wondering how

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.e minister has criticised the commons speaker, sir lindsay hoyle, over the way he handled a vote on a ceasefire in gaza. rishi sunak stopped short of saying he should resign, but more than 60 mps have now called for sir lindsay to go — after he changed parliamentary convention in a way that ended up helping labour. 0ur chief political correspondent henry zeffman has more. 67 — that's the crucial number being watched closely here in parliament, because it's the number of mps almost all of them conservative and snp — who have signed a motion of no—confidence in sir lindsay hoyle. a speaker of the house of commons lives or dies by their reputation as a fair referee. 67 — that means more than i in 10 of the mps he's there to serve — think he isn't a fair referee. that's a very bad position for a commons speaker to find himself in. the speaker on thursday apologised again, saying he had made a mistake. but both snp and tory mps are calling for a confidence vote. you're live with bbc news. a

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain.navalny has finally been allowed to see his body almost a week after he died. the 47—year—old was being held in a remote penal colony in siberia. his death certificate says he died of natural causes. navalny�*s mother has accused the russian authorities of trying to blackmail her into a secret burial with no mourners. our security correspondent frank gardner reports. alexei navalny — president putin's fiercest critic, dead for nearly a week. only now has his mother has been given access to her son's body. she's been forced to sign a certificate saying he died of natural causes. translation: according to the law they should have given me - alexei's body immediately. but they didn't. instead they blackmailed me, they put conditions where, when and how alexei should be buried. this is illegal. they received orders either from the kremlin or from the central office of the investigative committee. navalny died in highly suspicious circumstances in this grim arctic penal colony known as pola

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain. some of the most intense israeli bombardment so far in gaza's southernmost city. another 97 people were killed over the past 2a hours according to the hamas—run gaza health ministry. israel says it will send negotiators to paris for talks on a potential deal to free hostages held by hamas. the meeting will also involve officials from egypt, qatar and the united states. the us middle east envoy brett mcgurk, who was here in israel today, is understood to have told mr netanyahu that hamas' position has softened. we do not know the extent or the details of that softening, but clearly the government heard enough today to think that it is worth sending the massad boss and other top security chiefs to paris for those talks. the un agency for palestinian refugees is warning it has reached breaking point in a letter to the un general assembly. unrwa's chief philippe lazzarini says the agency's ability to fulfil its mandate was seriously threatened by israel's repeated calls to dismantle the a

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain.optionalfor undergraduate admissions during the pandemic. it was supposed to help level the playing field. but officials there now say — the policy could have inadvertently excluded students from lower—income families — who may not have access to the same resources for extracurricular activie. yale now says standardised testing will help improve access for applicants. live now tojohn friedman, a professor of economics at brown university — and co—author of a study on college admissions and standarised test scores. thank you so much for being here, professor. yale reversing course now, bringing back standardised tests like the sat. is that the right move, in your opinion? i sat. is that the right move, in your opinion?— sat. is that the right move, in your opinion?— your opinion? i do think so. and thanks _ your opinion? i do think so. and thanks so _ your opinion? i do think so. and thanks so much - your opinion? i do think so. and thanks so much for - your opinion? i do think so. i an

. —— guy hedgecoe.w under control, firefighters are appraising the state of the building and searching for those who are unaccounted for. with temperatures inside still extremely high, the task is not easy. the spanish government said that m people were still missing. some are thought to be foreign nationals, making it harder to trace them. a ukrainian woman who lives in the building was home with her nine—year—old son when the fire started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the smoke and it was getting more and more intense, so i called the concierge to tell him there is a fire in the building which he didn't know about yet, so i got into the apartment, into the apartment, i went and phoned and grabbed the kids and passports and we went out on the street. the residential block, situated in a neighbourhood of valencia, contains 138 flats. it has around a50 residents. translation: on behalf. of the spanish government and spanish society as a whole, we would like to express our solidarity, love and empat

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain.ndon has thrown out an appeal by shamima begum against being stripped of her british citizenship. shamima left the uk to join the group calling itself islamic state at the age of 15. she was found in a refugee camp a few years later. her lawyers had argued that the decision was unlawful, because she was a victim of trafficking. the ruling means she cannot return to the uk. here'sjudge sue carr outlining the decision. it could be argued that the decision in ms begum's case was harsh. it could also be argued that ms begum is the author of her own misfortune. but it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of view. our only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful. we have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed. the question now is will shamima begum appeal the ruling to a higher court? with the answer to that, here's our legal correspondent, dominic casciani. it's maybe given the strength of this decision today, baroness carr, lady chi

our correspondent guy hedgecoe has been following the case in madrid.pe, the court found him guilty of having raped the 23—year—old woman who brought this accusation against him in the toilet of the vip section of a barcelona nightclub. he has insisted that it was a consensual encounter. the court found that it was not. he also has to pay 150,000 euros in damages and after his release from prison, he will be under supervision for anotherfive years. he he will be under supervision for another five years. he was already served just over one year of his foray to half year sentence, because he has been in custody since january 2023 when these charges were first brought against him. his lawyer has said he is going to appeal this ruling, but the decision was welcomed representative of the victim, who said that she was happy about this because it confirmed that her version of events was correct. there's also many political response. the deputy prime minister has said this is a victory which she hopes will encourage the end of sexist attitudes in all walks of l

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, catalonia.ng less—than—ideal snow conditions. lots of the lower ski resorts in europe are closed and some resorts are only partly open. so is global warming ruining ski season? vincent lalanne is director of val thorens ski resort tourist office. val thorens is in france, it's the highest ski resort in europe at 2,300 metres and was recently voted the world's best ski resort. congratulations on that! thank you and welcome to the programme. to start off, how is the snow in val thorens? the snow isiust — the snow in val thorens? the snow is just perfect _ the snow in val thorens? tie: snow is just perfect and the weather is beautiful, we have a lot of clients. it is a generous media and they like to panic the public but honestly we do not have any snow problems. five metres of accumulated snowfall in the resort. another eight metres on the slopes. the quality of the snow is perfect.— the slopes. the quality of the snow is perfect. you are very, very lucky _ snow is perfect. you are very, very luck

let's speak to our correspondent guy hedgecoe, who's monitoring events from madrid.ave the authority said about this? we watmore have the authority said about this?— about this? we heard 'ust a few moments ago h about this? we heard 'ust a few moments ago the _ about this? we heard just a few moments ago the spanish - about this? we heard just a few- moments ago the spanish government representative in the region of valencia saying that m people were unaccounted for but that is a slightly different figure to what we heard from the mayor of valencia who said that there were between 9—15 people missing now. that disparity and slight confusion over the number missing might be down to the fact that a number of those missing may be foreign and may not have family in valencia or spain who can be contacted. four people confirmed dead, another 15 injured. several of those are still injured. several of those are still in hospital, and several of those are firefighters. we do not have a theory yet as to how this fire started but eyewitnesses have spoken about the winning of a

guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain.nt mark lowen is in valencia at the scene of the fire — he sent us this update. well, the charred shells of these buildings are all that remains after this devastating fire that engulfed them so quickly yesterday evening. we understand on the fourth floor was where the we understand on the fourth floor was where the fire we understand on the fourth floor was where the fire began we understand on the fourth floor was where the fire began and we understand on the fourth floor was where the fire began and it spread very quickly and engulf the adjacent building. it was fanned by high winds, but also the cladding on the external of the building, the outside of the building was thought to be highly combustible and largely responsible for the fire spreading. the whole area has been closed off by police and firefighters and forensic teams preparing to go in and see what clues they can find. the hundreds of residents from both buildings have been displaced into another part of the city. there a

guy hedgecoe reports from catalonia on how this is affecting businesses there.fth of its capacity. it supplies water to barcelona and surrounding towns. with the average water level in this area's reservoir is falling below 16%, a state of emergency has been triggered in catalonia.— has been triggered in catalonia. ., ., catalonia. for the government of catalonia — catalonia. for the government of catalonia according - catalonia. for the government of catalonia according to - of catalonia according to records, we can see the worst drought for 100 years or more. the situation affects mainly more than 50% of the catalan territory stop mostly the coastal area, which is also the most populated area with 6 million people. the most populated area with 6 million people.— most populated area with 6 million people. the state of emergency _ million people. the state of emergency means - million people. the state of emergency means that - million people. the state of. emergency means that water million people. the state of - emergency means that water use is being tightly

club sides, including barcelona, paris saint germain and juventus. 0ur correspondent in madrid guy hedgecoethere was no consent involved in this encounter between dani alves and this young woman, who was 23 when she met dani alves in a nightclub in barcelona at the end of 2022, and that he had indeed raped her in the toilet in the vip section of the nightclub. now, dani alves had insisted that this was a consensual encounter. he'd also said that he had been drunk when he met this woman. but he has been given a sentence of four and a half years. also, those damages he has to pay. and when he's released from prison, he will also be under supervision for anotherfive years. now, we should point out he has already served more than a year of his sentence already because he's been in custody ever since january 2023. an intriguing story next, and american prosecutors have scientists have worked out how some of the largest whales in the ocean produce their haunting and complex songs. humpbacks and other whales have evolved a specialised voice box that enables them to sing underwater. let's take a li

the bbcs guy hedgecoe is in madrid and gave us the latest.nd that this was a nonconsensual encounter between dani alves and the 23—year—old woman who he had sex with in this nightclub in barcelona in december 2022. he had alleged that throughout the trial is was a consensual encounter and it also said he was drunk when he met this young woman. the accusation against him could have led to a jail term of “p him could have led to a jail term of up to 12 years, in the end what we saw was 4.5 years but after that, once he is released from prison, he will be under vigilance by the police for another five years. he has served around a year of that 4.5 yearjail term. has served around a year of that 4.5 yearjail term-— yearjail term. what will people make of the — yearjail term. what will people make of the sentence? - yearjail term. what will people make of the sentence? it's - yearjail term. what will people | make of the sentence? it's very earl to make of the sentence? it's very early to know — make of the sentence? it's very early to know the _

the bbc�*s guy hedgecoe is in madrid and gave us the latest.found that this was a non—consensual encounter between dani alves and a 23—year—old woman who he had sex with in this nightclub in barcelona in december 2022. he had alleged throughout the trial that it was a consensual encounter. he had also said that he was drunk when he met this young woman. the the accusation against him could have led to a jail term of up to 12 years in the end. what we've seen is a four and a half yearjail term. but after that, once he's released from prison, he will be under vigilance, as they put it, by the police for another five years. he has, of course, already served around a year of that four and a half yearjail term. what will people make of that sentence? well, it's very early to know the response right now, but i'm guessing it might divide opinion. the issue of sexual consent is a very hot one in spain. it's become even a political issue as well. there is a relatively new sexual consent law which is in place, which puts much more emphasis on someone who

our correspondent guy hedgecoe has the latest from valencia.ents of the fire who survived have been staying in a hotel here in the city, and they've been told by the local authorities that they will be housed temporarily in unused apartments nearby. and they have also been receiving donations of food and clothing and other essentials from local people. now, the city of valencia is currently observing three days of mourning. a top—tier football game scheduled between valencia and granada for this weekend has been postponed because of the fire and an investigation has been opened by a local court into the fire itself. we don't have any indication from the authorities yet as to what may have been the cause or the causes of the blaze. but we do expect the investigation to look very closely at why the fire spread so incredibly fast when it began on thursday. we do know that there were high winds that day and that is expected to have been a key factor in the spread of the fire. but there has also been a lot of discussion about the cladding of the bui

let's speak to our correspondent, guy hedgecoe, in madrid.tivity behind you, what are we expecting today? behind you, what are we expecting toda ? , . , ., behind you, what are we expecting toda ? , ., , ., ., today? these farmers who are here in central madrid _ today? these farmers who are here in central madrid right _ today? these farmers who are here in central madrid right now, _ today? these farmers who are here in central madrid right now, most - today? these farmers who are here in central madrid right now, most of - central madrid right now, most of them arrived by bus this morning. but there are several hundred tractors which have been outside the city overnight and i are driving into central madrid as we speak. although there are some reports that the police are stopping at least of the police are stopping at least of the tractors, so we don't know how many are going to arrive in the centre. but the aim of these protesters, they say, is to bring madrid to a standstill. so central madrid to a standstill. so central madrid where i a

guy hedgecoe reports from madrid. blaze now under control, firefighters are appraising the state of the building and searching for those who are unaccounted for. with temperatures inside still extremely high, the task is not easy. the spanish government say 14 people were still missing. some are thought to be foreign nationals, make it harder to trace them. a ukrainian person who lives in the building was home with her nine—year—old son when the fire started. i nine-year-old son when the fire started. . , nine-year-old son when the fire started. ., , ., .,. nine-year-old son when the fire started. ., , ., .. ., started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the _ started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the smoke _ started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the smoke and _ started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the smoke and it - started. i was on the terrace and i noticed the smoke and it was - started. i was on the terrace and i i noticed the smoke and it was getting more and more intense, so i called the conc

let's go to our corresponent guy hedgecoe. very dramatic pictures.t do we know first of all but any people who may be trapped or injured to? we may be trapped or in'ured to? we have may be trapped or injured to? - have been told that at least seven people have been injured and have been taken to hospital. some of those are firefighters, we are told. at least one child, a nine—year—old child, was among the injured taken to hospital and those injuries were caused by burns and inhalation of smoke. that's what we have been told so far. obviously the fear is that the number of those injured or possibly killed could be much higher than that. the local police have set “p than that. the local police have set up a helpline for local people in case they are worried about loved ones or friends who might live case they are worried about loved ones orfriends who might live in the building, and a makeshift hospital has been set up just next to the building as well, so we have those seven people confirmed to have gone to hospital but the fear is the true number cou

the bbc�*s guy hedgecoe is in madrid and explained some of the political context behind today's rulingal consent is a very hot — the issue of sexual consent is a very hot one in spain. it has become even _ very hot one in spain. it has become even a _ very hot one in spain. it has become even a political issue as well. there — even a political issue as well. there is— even a political issue as well. there is a _ even a political issue as well. there is a relatively new sexual consent — there is a relatively new sexual consent law which is in place. which puts much— consent law which is in place. which puts much more emphasis on someone who is— puts much more emphasis on someone who is accused of sexual assault or rape to— who is accused of sexual assault or rape to prove that they gained consent — rape to prove that they gained consent from a potential victim. and a lot of— consent from a potential victim. and a lot of people feel very strongly about— a lot of people feel very strongly about this. as a strong push behind that law— about this. as a strong push behind that law come behin

let's speak to our correspondent in madird, guy hedgecoe. just talk us through what has happened?ourt in barcelona — happened? well the court in barcelona found _ happened? well the court in barcelona found that - happened? well the court in barcelona found that there l happened? well the court in i barcelona found that there was happened? well the court in - barcelona found that there was no consent involved in this encounter between danny alvarez and this young woman who was 23. she met him in a nightclub at the end of 2022 and that he had indeed raped her in the toilet of the vip section of the nightclub. dani insisted that this was an consensual in character and he insisted that he had been drunk but he has been given a sentence of 4.5 years. so those damages that he has to pay. when he is released from prison he will be under supervision for another five prison he will be under supervision for anotherfive years. prison he will be under supervision for another five years. we should point out that he has already served more than a year of a sentence already because he has been

live now to our madrid correspondent guy hedgecoe who's in aranda de duero which is north of the spanishr your time, you are north of the spanish capital, what is it that the farmers are particular upset about right now? well, many of their grievances are very similar to those of the french, dutch belgian and otherfarmers very similar to those of the french, dutch belgian and other farmers that we have been seeing out on the streets recently, in that they are angry with the european union, at what they see as overly strict regulations when it comes to, for example, the environment or sanitary regulations, they say that those kinds of strict controls are asphyxiating them, there is so much bureaucracy, it increases their costs, and that makes it very difficult for them to make a profit and to survive. they also say that the costs of things like fertiliser and fuel are adding to that burden. and so they want a reaction from the european union, they want more flex from the european union in terms of its regulations in those areas but its regulations in those areas but it also wants the span

guy hedgecoe reports from madrid.arger block care, 14 straight blocks shortly after 5:30 p: m., straight blocks shortly after 5:30 p:m., we understand on the fourth floor was in the fire began and it spread very quickly and engulfed the adjacent building and was found by high winds and also the cladding on the external of the building and the outside of the building were thought to be highly combustible and largely responsible for the fire spreading and closed off and fire fighters are preparing to see what hundreds of residents from the building of displaced into the other part of the city and there are already reports that the type of cladding use of these buildings they come from about 15 years ago but the cladding was being phased out and stop being used after 2019 but we understand from some reports that buildings are not being systematically checked the cladding removed give no thought to be very combustible and where the brand felt g re nfell tower grenfell tower fire occurred and people had the cladding remove

let's go live to guy hedgecoe, in valencia.ng people. christian, the very latest _ for missing people. christian, the very latest is _ for missing people. christian, the very latest is that _ for missing people. christian, the very latest is that the _ for missing people. christian, the very latest is that the death - for missing people. christian, the very latest is that the death toll l very latest is that the death toll has actually been revised down. you mentioned that figure of ten dad from the fire, you can see the shell of the burned out building behind me —— ten dad. but please this evening revised down that figure, saying they are now nine people who died in they are now nine people who died in the fire —— ten dad. however that means there is no one person who remains unaccounted for, because previously believed everyone who had beenin previously believed everyone who had been in the building at the time of the fire was now accounted for between those killed and the survivor stash now one person. but with that new figu

protests by farmers are planned today across spain — we can cross live now to our correspondent guy hedgecoehe feeling is among the farmers there.— what the feeling is among the farmers there. well, there are hundreds _ farmers there. well, there are hundreds of — farmers there. well, there are hundreds of farmers _ farmers there. well, there are hundreds of farmers who i farmers there. well, there are hundreds of farmers who are l hundreds of farmers who are converging on madrid today, many of them driving tractors into the centre of the city. at the moment they are still on the outskirts of madrid but later in the morning they will be driving into the centre of madrid, they will stop off first of all in, at the amateur ministry of course, the agriculture minister is in brussels, meeting with other ministers today and then they will move on to the spanish offices of the european commission, because many of agree vanses of these farmers are aimed at the european union. and this of course is the second such protest in madrid, that we have seen in the space of a week, by farmers, but there hav

have spread across a number of countries including france, italy and belgium. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoes a small town a couple of miles north of madrid today. these scenes were repeated in many other rural areas of the country. spain's farmers have similar grievances to their counterparts in france, belgium, italy and other countries who have been protesting recently. they say the sanitary and environmental regulations imposed by the eu are too strict, drowning them in red tape and pushing up the cost. translation: the in red tape and pushing up the cost. translation:— translation: the cost when it comes to roducin: translation: the cost when it comes to producing wheat _ translation: the cost when it comes to producing wheat and _ translation: the cost when it comes to producing wheat and barley - translation: the cost when it comes to producing wheat and barley are - to producing wheat and barley are very high. you have got to pay for fertiliser, pesticides and fuel. it is killing us, we have to pay high prices and get it we sell at a low prices. we have to undergo a lot of controls,

let's speak to our correspondent guy hedgecoe, who's in valencia.. the city of valencia _ it? yes, it has. the city of valencia is _ it? yes, it has. the city of valencia is observing - it? yes, it has. the city of valencia is observing a . it? yes, it has. the city of- valencia is observing a three-day valencia is observing a three—day period of mourning. an investigation has been opened by a local court into the fire itself. we don't yet have any indication from the authorities as to what may have been the cause or causes of the fire, but certainly an investigation is expected to look very closely at why the fire spread so incredibly quickly on thursday afternoon after it started. you mentioned the high winds, which continue today. they are seen as almost certain to be a factor on thursday. there's also the issue of the cladding. there's been a lot of discussion about the material used in the cladding, and a certain amount of confusion about what that material was. that investigation will look very closely at that. ., . _, . , at that. how much co

our news corresponent in madrid, guy hedgecoe, told us more about the farmers' concerns.ere in central madrid right now, most arrived by bus this morning. they plan to make their way towards the ministry and demand concessions from the minister there. they said the measures he has presented recently do not satisfy them. their complaints focus mainly on eu regulations for farmers. they say eu regular agents are too tight, particular regard to environment and controls. they say that creates red tape for them and purchase of their costs and they say at the same time, outside the european union, they often give the example of morocco, they say moroccan farmers do not have to observe such tight controls and therefore able to undercut spanish and other european farmers. so they want to see changes there. more pics ability from the eu budget tighter controls on countries from outside the eu. they're also concerned about other issues to spain for example a very serious drought that is affecting the south of the country and the north—east of the country and they want more support

our reporter guy hedgecoe joins us from the spanish capital.r today we are expecting farmers to drive or try to drive from different parts of spain, surrounding madrid, coming into the capital, with their track is, in theory. —— tractors, in theory. and they want to go to the headquarters of the socialist party of prime minister pedro sanchez. we don't know if that is going to happen or how far they are going to get, because the interior ministry has said that this is not a legal protest. they haven't requested permission for it, so there is quite a big police presence out, which is possibly going to try and stop the tractors from arriving. their grievances are very similar to those of their counterparts across the european union. they are angry about strict controls on their product, which they say increase bureaucracy and push up their costs, and they say that countries outside the european union, for example, morocco, turkey, don't face those kinds of controls and therefore are able to undercut spanish farmers and farmers from across the eur

our reporter, guy hedgecoe, is there this morning. good morning, guy. incredibly fast on thursday afternoon. there were high winds on thursday, that is believed to be a key factor in this. also there is a lot of talk about the cladding, the material used on the exterior of the building, and there is a certain amount of confusion about exactly what the material wasn�*t whether it posed a fire risk. so that will be looked very closely in the investigation. in the meantime, the death toll has been revised down from ten to nine, but that means there is still one person who is unaccounted for and we believe that the emergency services are going to look for that person today. meanwhile, the survivors of the fire, the residents of this building who survived, have been staying in a nearby hotel. they are expected to be rehoused in unused flats by the local authorities. they are receiving donations of klute —— food and clothing and other essentials from local people. the former us president donald trump has said he supports ivf treatment being legal in the wake