michael buchanan, bbc news, essex. children — up from the current limit of two. census data has shown a steep decline in the birth rate. five years ago, china abandoned the one child policy that had been in place for decades, to limit population growth. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell explained more about the landmark shift in policy from the chinese government. we had a one—child policy, then a two—child policy, now a three—child policy and some are wondering why — i was out buying a coffee when the announcement came that you could see people looking down at the mobile violent ——phones as the news hit their screen. everybody cannot have three kids. the question is, do they want to have them? the chinese government is hoping to fix its demographic headaches by allowing people to have more kids. the idea is that in the future more young people coming into the workforce and paying more taxes will pay for the increasing number of people hitting retirement age. here's the challenge though, a little snap survey and in ca

michael buchanan, bbc news, east london.disadvantged parts of the uk. but presicely how levelling up will work is still a matter of debate. according to a new report by the confederation of british industry, business and government should put the deep divisions of brexit behind them and focus on building a fairer, greener economy. tonight, we report from hull, where full—time workers earn an average salary of nearly £25,500 a year. that's around a quarter below the average for the south east of england. but when it comes to the unemployment rate, in hull, it's double that of the south east. our business editor, simonjack, takes a look at the challenges of levelling up. can the industries of the future generate the jobs needed in the places needed to make the promise of levelling up a reality? the blades on these turbines are made here in hull. staff numbers at this factory have risen from zero to 750 in just five years. i think it's brought a great sense of pride. it's already a proud city, of course, but it reenergised that

michael buchanan, bbc news, essex.joanna cherry has resigned from its national executive committee. ms cherry says she's leaving over what she calls issues of "transparency and scrutiny" in the party. police scotland is assessing whether to launch a fraud investigation over allegations relating to £600,000 that had been "ring—fenced" for a second independence referendum. the authorities in china have announced that couples will be allowed to have up to three children, raising the limit from two. it follows census figures showing a steep decline in the birth rate. five years ago, the chinese communist party had to abandon its one child policy for the nation implimented in 1976, which aimed to limit population growth. with more, here's our china correspondentjohn sudworth. the announcement may have looked a little mundane but the news was momentous. chinese women can now have three children. for decades, china's one child policy was brutally enforced, with millions of involuntary sterilisations and abortions. it was not

michael buchanan, bbc news, east london. the time is 6:18 pm. our top story this evening...lane and detains a journalist on board. ryanair calls it "state—sponsored hijacking". coming up, we're reporting from hull on government efforts to level up — what does it mean and how will it work? coming up on sportsday on the bbc news channel... five—time 0lympic medallist max whitlock will lead great britain's men's gymnastics team at tokyo 2020 after being selected today for his third games. the government has made what it calls "levelling up" a key plank of its strategy for the uk. spreading the wealth and jobs of the richer parts of the uk to the poorer. but exactly how does the government plan to go about it? and how will its success orfailure be measured? according to a report out today by the confederation of british industry, business and government should put the bitter divisions of brexit behind them and focus on building a fairer, greener economy. our business editor simonjack has been to hull, where full time workers earn an average salary of nearly £25,500. that's aroun

michael buchanan, bbc news, east london.chools. last month, a coroner called for tougher limits following the death of nine—year—old ella adoo—kissi—debrah who became the first person in the country to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. more than 6,000 schools in the uk are in areas of poor air quality. elaine dunkley has been to a primary school in manchester, where pollution levels are up to five times higher than who limits. this is st ambrose primary in manchester. the children live, learn and play next to one of the busiest roads in europe. on the playground, high levels of pollution. we can't open the windows at st ambrose because you can't hear yourself teach. when the traffic is at its worst, you can actually smell and taste it. like millions of children in towns and cities across england, they are breathing in dangerous fumes. it affects me with my asthma and it makes me cough more. i do have to take my asthma inhaler a lot. in a landmark ruling in december, nine—year—old ella adoo—kissi—debrah had air p

michael buchanan, bbc news, essex. the uk's economy is likey to expand by more than 7% in 2021.xpected growth of 5.1% according to new data from the organisation for economic cooperation and development. the 0ecd also said prospects for the world economy had brightened, with activity returning to pre—pandemic levels. but it cautioned that the recovery would remain uneven, and vulnerable to fresh setbacks as long as a large proportion of the world s population were not vaccinated. china has announced that couples will be allowed to have up to three children, up from the current limit of two. census data has shown a steep decline in the birth rate. five years ago, china abandoned the one child policy that had been in place for decades, to limit population growth. the announcement of the new policy was met with mixed reactions on the streets of beijing. translation: i think it's a good policy because the ageing - of the population is quite serious. i think the country should have published this policy earlier. couples like us have missed the time that we could have another child. w

michael buchanan, bbc news.e put down. rescuers say it was in poor health and was too young to survive on its own in the sea. the whale was first spotted yesterday lunchtime and then drew large crowds after it got stuck at richmond lock. tim muffett reports. a sad end to what has been an extraordinary day at teddington lock in south—west london. the minke whale that had become stranded in the river thames was euthanised this evening. animal welfare experts say it was the only way to avoid any more unnecessary suffering. the whale was first seen late yesterday afternoon. it had become stranded on a concrete ramp on richmond lock, around two miles along the river. and a seven hour rescue operation began. during the night, the whale was towed away so that vets could try and carry out a health check. but it swam free from its harness. today, crowds gathered in teddington, along with the rspca and the rnli, after it was spotted again. for a while, it captivated onlookers as it swam by the lock gates. but at around 2:

michael buchanan, bbc news.of wales made the announcement this morning that his government was reducing the alert level from three to two. he went on to explain exactly what that would mean for the people of wales. we will move to alert level two on monday next. before i say a bit more about what that means in detail and we will be considering at the next review, ijust want we will be considering at the next review, i just want to see a few words about the india variant of the virus that has been so much in the news over the last 2a hours. this pandemic continues to be full of unpleasant twists and turns. we are closely monitoring the india variant, which has caused 26 cases in wales, but more than 1500 across our border in england. this new rating appears to spread easily from person to person, just like the kind of variant, which is now widespread in the uk, but it may travel even faster. it's really important that we continue to do everything we can to keep levels of the virus as low as we can in wales as we

michael buchanan, bbc news, essex.s urged right—wing politicians not tojoin a proposed new unity government which threatens to end his 12 years in power. mr netanyahu described it as a danger to israel's security and future. but the new coalition has already won the backing of his former chief of staff, the ultra—nationalist politician naftali bennett. tom bateman has the story — there's some flash photography in his report. israel's had four elections in two years, but no clear winner. its politics is gripped by dysfunction. all the time benjamin netanyahu has clung on as prime minister. but now in the fight to form a new coalition, a once—loyal right—wing ally has broken ranks. last night, naftali bennett said he would join a unity government, without mr netanyahu, as he put the knife into his old boss. translation: instead of managing, dealing with problems, leading, - the standard operation is to direct the fire outwards, encourage hatred and polarisation among the people, to cover up forfailure. two thousand years

michael buchanan, bbc news, essex. run in south—western france has been captured after a 24—hour manhunt. the man, named by police as 29—year—old terry dupin, was cornered in woods in the dordogne region. he was injured in a shoot—out as police closed in. the manhunt began after police were called to the home of his former partner where he had been acting violently towards her new boyfriend. dupin is in a critical condition in hospital. france has tightened restrictions on travel from the uk to try to stop the spread of the variant of coronavirus first identified in india. new rules came into force at midnight, meaning british tourists will not be allowed in. france is currently listed as an amber destination by the uk government, which advises against travel there. meanwhile, the european commission says that all eu countries can gradually ease travel measures over the summer as the number of covid—19 vaccinations continues to rise. eu leaders revealed plans to harmonise travel measures across the bloc, including allo

michael buchanan, bbc news.stinians injerusalem following three nights of unrest. police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse stone—throwing crowds around the al—aqsa mosque. the palestinian red crescent said more than 180 people were hurt. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman is injerusalem. just bring us up to date on the latest situation, tom.- just bring us up to date on the latest situation, tom. there have been growing _ latest situation, tom. there have been growing concerns _ latest situation, tom. there have been growing concerns about - latest situation, tom. there have - been growing concerns about violence today. and so it had turned out even before nine o'clock this morning at the al—aqsa mosque compound, the holy site behind me, many dozens of heavily armed israeli police had entered the site and were firing volleys of stun grenades at palestinians who were throwing stones and objects back at them. many of the palestinians were forced out of the old city walls here, then came dow

michael buchanan, bbc news.lice officer who worked with an organised crime gang to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds�* worth of drugs money has been jailed for eight years. kashif mahmood was dismissed from the force last november, after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office, and conspiracy to acquire criminal property. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. pc kashif mahmood, commended for his service in uniform. convicted for his part in an international drugs gang. their scam — buy drugs off criminal associates and then steal the money they paid back, which is where pc mahmood came in. he would book out police cars and intercept the drugs careers pretending to search them but taking the cash. it is thought the gang amassed more than £1 million, but for the met�*s commissioner, the biggest crime was the betrayal of the uniform. taste biggest crime was the betrayal of the uniform-— biggest crime was the betrayal of the uniform. ~ ., ., , the uniform. we have a very powerful anti-corrup

michael buchanan, bbc news. have failed for a second time. it's believed to be a baby minke and was first spotted yesterday. overnight, rescuers managed to tow the whale part way toward safety on an inflatable cushion, but it escaped and was later seen heading even further upstream. tim muffett is at teddington lock in west london, this is looking terribly sad for this baby whale. fiona, this whale has certainly attracted the crowds to teddington lock, as you can see. its current location is in the shallow water just by the lifeboat crews you can see behind me. its current condition it has to be said is not good. animal welfare experts are warning that even that as the tide lowers, it might have to be humanely put down to avoid any unnecessary suffering. but for the onlookers who have come here today, it has certainly been a day to remember. in teddington lock this afternoon, a site know when he had seen before. eight minke whale, normally found in the north atlantic and pacific oceans, swimming by the locked ga

michael buchanan, bbc news.d that from january, existing customers must be offered a price that is no higher than that paid by customers who are new to the insurer. but the new rules could see the cheapest deals disappear. kevin peachey has more. whether it's insurance for your house or for your car, loyalty doesn't pay, as mike discovered. it was only when he retired that he realised how bad a deal he was getting. the crunch came when i got the renewal notice for the car in february of this year and it had gone up 20%. and one of our daughters said, dad, you've really got to get on the internet and find yourself a better quote than that. so i did. mike had been a victim of the loyalty penalty — getting charged more for staying with the same insurer, even though his chances of making a claim were the same. the fca estimates 6 million people have been paying £200 more than they need each year, and those aged over 65, or without access to technology, were most likely to suffer, as many found it hard to shop around

michael buchanan, bbc news.expanding their operations from cities into smaller towns. the bbc�*s panorama programme has been filming with kent police for the last year, with so—called county lines drug running reaching a peak during the pandemic. panorama filmed the force's dedicated �*county lines and gangs team' as it investigated the drugs networks. rahil sheikh reports. police! don't move, don't move, don't move! kent officers are increasingly carrying out raids like these. 0n the floor, on the floor! get hold of your dog! get hold of your dog. targeting dealers believed to be part of county lines, transporting drugs worth millions from london to the county. great big rambo knife there. we've got multiple weapons, drugs, all sorts. a county line is a drug dealing network, often with a city—based dealer distributing illegal drugs to smaller towns. the gangs sell their drugs through phone dealing lines. we're trying to get to the snakes here, we're trying to find out who is bringing these drugs in. they're the

michael buchanan, bbc news, east london.ventry, birmingham and colchester in a week of action. three former professionals from rugby union, rugby league and football whose lives changed dramatically when they were diagnosed with motor neurone disease have met up for the first time since the start of the pandemic. rob burrow, stephen darby and doddie weir have been supporting each other coping with the many challenges of mnd — and they've been talking to sally nugent. live life, keep smiling and wake up every day fighting mnd. you can always find love and happiness and laughter even through the most difficult of situations. i only have to look— at what i have to live through. i need to be a husband, _ a daddy and that reassures me of why i have too many reasons to live. it's amazing to see you all again. thank you very much indeed for coming to talk to us today. lovely to catch up with the boys. thank you so much for putting us together last year. stephen, what about you? what is it like to see the lads again? it's great to s

michael buchanan, bbc news.n 181 trains were taken out of operation for checks because cracks were discovered on some of them. trains from london to south wales are just some of the services affected, as rhys williams reports. the hybrid diesel electric tree and started travelling around the main line back in 2017. there are brand—new, faster and carry more passengers. atjust four years into a planned 27 year life span, the fleet is granted to a halt with many cancelled for the foreseeable future. i cancelled for the foreseeable future. ., ., ,._ cancelled for the foreseeable future. ., ., _ future. i live in london say goodbye to work this — future. i live in london say goodbye to work this week. _ future. i live in london say goodbye to work this week. i _ future. i live in london say goodbye to work this week. i did _ future. i live in london say goodbye to work this week. i did not - future. i live in london say goodbye to work this week. i did not know i to work this week. i did not know there was a disrupt

here's our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan.the man is wanted on suspicion of benefit fraud, said to be a member of an organised crime group. officers taken into his home to explain what's happening while benefit officials searched the property. nine addresses were targeted this morning in a coordinated effort to arrest those suspected of defrauding more than £1 million from the benefit system. watching it all unfold a government minister determined to reduce fraud on the welfare system. i minister determined to reduce fraud on the welfare system.— on the welfare system. i want to send a clear _ on the welfare system. i want to send a clear message _ on the welfare system. i want to send a clear message to - on the welfare system. i want to send a clear message to serious| send a clear message to serious organised crime groups, like today, that they can expect an early wake—up call from the police, we take it seriously, we will look to identify, investigate and recover funds whenever possible. tiara identify, investigate and rec

michael buchanan, bbc news, east london.tent rain, and rather cool conditions across the north of scotland, temperatures today in single figures, for some. the best of the sunshine into the evening remaining across parts of northern ireland, far south of scotland, northern england. fewer showers here, bulk of the showers further south. the odd rumble of thunder this evening. they will fade across some southern areas tonight, but cloud and further outbreaks of rain will be present through parts of scotland, northern england, north wales and later, the north midlands. with some clearer conditions across the south and ireland, this is where we will see some of the coolest conditions tomorrow morning. but also brighter weather, fewer showers around. most of the showers will be across scotland and northern england and later on into the north midlands and lincolnshire. in the afternoon, they could be heavy. cool when the showers come through, a bit more of a north to north—westerly breeze, nice enough where the sun is out. but we

michael buchanan reports. give him oxygen, they still didn't believe that he was in shock. he had been in shock for hours. the hospital, the chelsea and westminster, carried out an investigation. they found the root causes of the death were a failure to identify the signs of shock and a failure to act on abnormal test results. when they had actually completed the investigation, they sat us down and took us line by line. it was, in a way, healing, although the content was incredibly disturbing, and it helped a little bit with the grieving process. the death went to the inquest at westminster coroner's court. unbeknown to the family, however, the coroner disagreed with the investigation's finding. her questions prompted the hospital to change their conclusions. in a second report, they now wrote that hayden had died of a virus which is known to have a high mortality. the coroner, shirley radcliffe, concluded hayden had died of natural causes. what the coroner did was kill hayden a second time. what the clinician

michael buchanan, bbc news.is is awful, this is the end of everything for him." rosie says her difficultly labour was made worse after she was told to wear a facemask while in advanced labour. she has a phobia of being sick, and says the smell of the mask made her nauseous and panic. i felt like i was dying. i thought, this is so, so painful, and i got this mask over my face, feeling really claustrophobic, and the mask is making me feel really nauseous and really sick, and that's making me panic as well. i was frightened then, in amongst everything else that was happening, that i was actually then going to be sick inside a mask. at any point, did you feel like you had a choice about wearing this mask? it didn't cross my mind that i was allowed to take it off. the guidance for nhs trusts was published jointly lastjuly by both the royal college of midwives and obstetricians and gynaecologists. it said women should not be asked to wear a face covering while in labour, whether it's a natural or cesarean birth, becau

here's our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan.. there were systemic issues which - work and pensions. there were systemic issues which had - work and pensions. there were systemic issues which had not l work and pensions. there were - systemic issues which had not been addressed for a long time. as it was not first to die, she was one of many. and clearly lessons have not been learned. per many. and clearly lessons have not been learned.— been learned. per death is one of scores that _ been learned. per death is one of scores that families _ been learned. per death is one of scores that families have - been learned. per death is one of scores that families have blamed | been learned. per death is one of i scores that families have blamed on the stresses of the benefit system including ten, david and jodie. research by the bbc found that at least 150 reviews of death or serious harm to claimants has been carried out. the government told us they take each tragic case seriously and review them in case there are lessons to learn. ben