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.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.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, 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.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.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, 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 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, 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

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

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

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

sima kotecha reports.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, is up to them, there are some fantastic families around here, whatever way they want to bring up their children 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 is fine, they sit together. here we have this bold book of cartoons... no outsiders has been temporarily suspended, it involves teaching children about same—sex relations through cartoon characters, in story books, some believe homosexuality to believe morally wrong. —— to be morally wrong. weekly protests continue, some parents questioning the chief executive's motives and calling for her resignation. there are some pa rents her resignation. there are some parents who are convinced that you are islamophobic. what would you say to those parents? not at all, why would i come here and work in this school, i chos

sima kotecha reports. it's been going on for ten weeks now.y 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 is up to them. there are some fantastic families round here and 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 mumma, mammy and me, and this is a lovely book of cartoons... no outsiders has temporarily been suspended. it involves teaching children about same—sex relationships through cartoon characters in storybooks. but some people believe homosexuality to be morally wrong. weekly protests here continue. with some parents questioning the chief executive's motives and calling for her resignation. there are some parents who are convinced that you are islamophobic. what would you say to those parents? no

it follows calls from parents to scrap lessons about sex same couples as sima kotecha reports.elt more vulnerable. for this woman it has been a difficult time. as a gay woman, it's been very distressing. i have been privileged and fortunate to grow up in the family i grew up in. i haven't suffered like some people have and it'sjust in. i haven't suffered like some people have and it's just really upsetting to know that there are pa rents upsetting to know that there are parents out there, without even knowing what they kids are going to turn into or who get ——to their kids are going to grow into, are already dictating how their children should live their lives. some muslims believe children as young as four should not be taught about same—sex relationships and have been protesting. they argue their religious views should be taken into account. west midlands police told the meeting it wished had ——it had done more to reassure the community from the outset. we are not the right people to sort this out. we are there to keep the peace and keep people safe but we knew very early on

sima kotecha reports.died in the bardo museum attack and the sousse terror attack. both happened 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. 0wen, 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

sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham. our lead story...and calls for more protests against president maduro. the british foreign secretary has warned that the process that's trying to resolve the war in yemen could be dead within weeks. he made this assessment after visiting. this is the last chance for peace. most everyone is preoccupied with all the different issues going on around the rest of the world, it is vital we do not forget that there is a disaster about to unfold on our doorstep if we do not follow the path for peace that was agreed in stockholm. the conflict dates back to 2015, when houthi rebels captured the capital, sana'a. they are backed by iran. a year later, a saudi—led coalition intervened in support of the government. at least 6,800 civilians have been killed, and yemen is experiencing the world's worst humanitarian crisis. our correspondent paul adams, producer maria byrne, and cameraman moose campbell have travelled with the saudi military to the front line in northern yemen. a dusty ride to one of yemen's many front

sima kotecha reports. 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 in what's being called a dedication ceremony. the attacks took place almost four years ago. the sculpture has the names of the victims inscribed into each stream. it's hoped its presence in the bustling park will keep their memories alive for years to come. sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham. that's it from your afternoon live team for today, next the bbc news at five with clive myrie. time for a look at the weather... here's louise lear.