of its new aid package. joe biden says he's up for debating donald trump ahead of november's presidential election. scotland's first minister, humza yousaf insists he won't resign after a week of turmoil. how wildlife in antarctica is being exposed to damaging levels of ultraviolet light. and taylor swift matches a madonna chart record — we'll tell you why. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the ukrainian military says russia carried out another massive air attack overnight, using various missiles. the mayor of kharkiv — ukraine's second city — said one narrowly missed a hospital with a thousand people inside. attacks also took place

in the dnipro region in central ukraine and western areas of lviv and ivano—frankivsk. ukrainian officials say equipment has been damaged and at least one energy worker injured. russia has repeatedly targeted ukrainian energy infrastructure over recent months. it's attacks such as these which have prompted more us aid to ukraine. the united states has outlined what will be included in a $6 billion package of military assistance. it's part of a larger $60 billion commitment which was approved by congress a week ago following six months of delays. the package will focus on air defence and includes interceptor missiles, anti—drone systems and artillery ammunition. what's not included are the new patriot air defence batteries, which ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says are critical. the us defence secretary, lloyd austin, has been speaking about the importance of the aid. the outcome in ukraine will determine the

trajectory of our times. if vladimir putin prevails in ukraine, the security consequences will be grave and global. europe would face a security threat that it has not seen in our lifetimes. as president biden has noted, russia will not stop in ukraine. if the kremlin gets its way, if putin's war of imperial aggression succeeds, every tyrant on earth will take note. let's speak to ivan verstyuk, a journalist based in kyiv. thank you forjoining us. tell us about the latest attacks on the energy infrastructure? we're also hearing about drone attacks against russia? greetings from k iv. attacks against russia? greetings from kyiv. good _ attacks against russia? greetings from kyiv. good morning, - attacks against russia? greetings from kyiv. good morning, several things. russia are ramping up to

increase tax on energy infrastructure before new air defence systems —— increase attacks before they get installed so russia are using this period of time to use the rest of their plans to our energy systems so it is going to be harderfor ukrainian energy systems so it is going to be harder for ukrainian business and the population to survive this year. russians want to make ukrainians think more about signing a peace agreement because our energy infrastructure is so badly damaged and when ukrainian drones targeting russian oil refineries, this is also very important because those two oil refineries are directly involved in russian military logistics and troops in eastern ukraine with all kinds of fuel so this direct hit on a military target and what else is important is vladimir putin mostly doesn't pay any attention to russian economic crisis a western economic

sanctions, to him, this isn't a priority. the only economic indicator that he pays attention to is inflation in price growth... i’m is inflation in price growth... i'm sor to is inflation in price growth... i'm sorry to cut— is inflation in price growth... i'm sorry to cut you _ is inflation in price growth... i'm sorry to cut you off, i know our time will run out shortly. ijust wanted to ask about this us military aid package for ukraine. what was the recation in ukraine when the us announced it is not sending patriot air defence batteries to ukraine? overall, despite having problems with getting more patriot system to create, all weapons are going to be supplied with this recent us package, anti—tank weapons, all kinds of artillery. people generally now feel much more at ease because the general expectation is that russians will launch another big advance in may orjune, this is why they are concentrating their military personnel and firepower

mostly in eastern ukraine so that change, that munition supply, changes the amount of people who now feel substantially safe for expecting what is going to be happening next. and also, it is really important to resupply our troops in eastern ukraine where the intensity of fighting is the highest among all of the territories and the russian army in eastern ukraine, thatis russian army in eastern ukraine, that is the place where it is intending to do more... i that is the place where it is intending to do more... i wanted to ask about these _ intending to do more... i wanted to ask about these ukrainian - ask about these ukrainian territories you mention russia has been gaining ground, how much of a difference do you think these new weapons will make for ukraine's efforts to try and hold the front lines with gold i think this will be a milestone that will change the trajectory of war.— a milestone that will change the

trajectory of war. russians, they had a huge _ trajectory of war. russians, they had a huge advantage _ trajectory of war. russians, they had a huge advantage in - trajectory of war. russians, they i had a huge advantage in firepower trajectory of war. russians, they - had a huge advantage in firepower in eastern ukraine and now our troops, our army will be able to sit back —— shoot back as many missiles, munitions as needed. that is important to destroy russian tanks, it isn't enough to hit itjust one time, you have to hit it several times in order to get it to a degree web russians won't be able to repair it. that is why so much matters to have as many munitions as the army needs. generally, it is also very important to meet the requests of ukrainian troops because they keep writing requests for supplies and generals aren't able to meet those requests. ourarmy generals aren't able to meet those requests. our army and soldiers, they get demoralised. we requests. our army and soldiers, they get demoralised.— requests. our army and soldiers, they get demoralised. we have to leave it there _ they get demoralised. we have to leave it there but _ they get demoralised. we have to leave it there but thank _ they get demoralised. we have to leave it there but thank you - they get demoralised. we have to leave it there but thank you for i leave it there but thank you for joining us there from kyiv. america's top diplomat is warning china that washington will act if beijing doesn't stop providing russia with supplies, for its war in ukraine.

anthony blinken said he made it clear to his chinese counterparts that they're �*helping fuel the biggest threat�* to european security since the cold war. he's been speaking to the bbc�*s laura bicker, in beijing. hello. i'm laura bicker. how are you? antony blinken�*s visit comes as us ties with china are at a turning point. how's your trip been? oh, it's been... i've covered a lot of ground. the dialogue and diplomacy for the cameras hides real discord and distrust. this is what chinese viewers are shown. a cinematic soundtrack accompanies president xi, urging the us to be partners, not rivals. yet, hours earlier, mr blinken was warned the two sides could slip towards conflict. ..and this could not be happening. but he came to beijing with a warning of his own. 70% of the machine tools that russia is getting from abroad coming from china, 90% of the microelectronics.

so for china, if it wants to have better relations not only with us but with countries in europe, it can't do that while at the same time helping to fuel the biggest threat to european security since the end of the cold war. we've taken action already against chinese entities that are engaged in this. and what i made clear today is that if china won't act, we will. you say you will act. i just want to be clear on what you're prepared to do. i'm not going to get into the details except to say, look at what we've done already. we've imposed sanctions, export controls, one kind or another. china views this as hypocrisy as the us continues to arm israel. beijing is using the war in gaza to discredit washington and paint itself as a peaceful power. it erodes the credibility of the united states, notjust here in china, but around the world, don't you think? of course, china will do whatever it

will do to distort our policies and to misinform its own people about what we're actually doing, what we're not doing, what we stand for, what we don't stand for. and i think china can play a constructive role here. it has relationships. it has influence with countries like iran that it can use effectively to, in the first instance, try to prevent the conflict from spreading. a record shop was mr blinken�*s final stop. perhaps taylor swift can help forge cross—cultural ties. this trip has not dealt with the two sides' differences. they've merely talked about them. and real risks remain in this fragile relationship, which mr blinken described as the most consequential in the world. laura bicker, bbc news, beijing. there've been developments in ceasefire negotiations between israel and hamas with both sides continuing to review proposals. egyptian mediators

have arrived in israel and local media are reporting there's been "notable progress" in finding common ground. in gaza itself, the hamas—run health agency says at least 50 people have been killed in israeli attacks over the past 2a hours. this was the scene in rafah on friday night. the bbc has learnt that british forces could be deployed on the ground in gaza to help deliver humanitarian assistance via a new sea route. they could be used to drive aid trucks along a floating causeway and onto the beach because the united states has decided not to put american boots on the ground. let's get more on all of this with our diplomatic correspondent james landale who's injerusalem. james, what more can you tell us about these plans for british troops to possibly enter gaza? weill. about these plans for british troops to possibly enter gaza?— to possibly enter gaza? well, this week, catherine, _ to possibly enter gaza? well, this week, catherine, the _ to possibly enter gaza? well, this week, catherine, the american i week, catherine, the american defence department gave a long

briefing to media in america about how this new maritime aid corridor would work but there was a big hole in the plans and that is because the united states has made it very clear they are not going to put us boots on the ground in gaza. they are not going to drive those aid trucks off the landing craft onto the floating pontoon or causeway when it is established and onto the beach into a secure zone on the beach in gaza. so, someone is going to have to do that. the americans said an unnamed third party would do it. they said it would be a significant partner of the united states, a nation, not some private military company. my understanding is that one option being considered by the british government is that british troops would drive those trucks. i should be very clear, no decision has been made, the issue hasn't yet reached the prime minister's desk. the mod is not commenting, nor is the israeli army. but, the british are being very closely involved in this operation�*s planning from the very

beginning, both in america headquarters in florida and also in cyprus. a british ship is going to be used as a dormitory for hundreds of american service men and women involved and even the british hydrographic office has been giving detailed information to planners about the nature of gaza's shoreline. so, it is a possibility, it is an option. the british forces could drive those trucks onto the beachin could drive those trucks onto the beach in gaza in harm's way but it is just an beach in gaza in harm's way but it isjust an option, no beach in gaza in harm's way but it is just an option, no decision beach in gaza in harm's way but it isjust an option, no decision has been taken. isjust an option, no decision has been taken-— isjust an option, no decision has been taken. �* g. , ., been taken. and james, looking at the situation _ been taken. and james, looking at the situation in _ been taken. and james, looking at the situation in gaza, _ been taken. and james, looking at the situation in gaza, we _ been taken. and james, looking at the situation in gaza, we are - the situation in gaza, we are hearing of notable progress in terms of mediation talks between israel and hamas, to be have any detail on how they are proceeding? i’m and hamas, to be have any detail on how they are proceeding? i'm always cautious about _ how they are proceeding? i'm always cautious about being _ how they are proceeding? i'm always cautious about being hopeful- how they are proceeding? i'm always cautious about being hopeful and - cautious about being hopeful and disappointed and progress and stalled in these kind of negotiations because they are just a long and difficult. what we do know is that talking is continuing. egyptian officials were here in jerusalem yesterday. we know that hamas overnight has said they have

received the latest israeli proposal. we know that there is a big conference taking place in saudi arabia this weekend and there is the possibility of some parties talking to each other on the sidelines of that conference. i think the idea is that conference. i think the idea is that there is going to be another attempt to see if a deal is possible for a ceasefire, for some hostages to be released, for some palestinian prisoners to be released before any military operation begins in rafah in the south of gaza against hamas fighters that israel says are holed up fighters that israel says are holed up there in tunnels. so, it is another attempt to try and make some progress. we will see if it does because thus far, it has been very, very difficult for both sides to try and bridge the divide.— very difficult for both sides to try and bridge the divide. james, thank ou. the and bridge the divide. james, thank you- the bbc's _ and bridge the divide. james, thank you. the bbc's james _ and bridge the divide. james, thank you. the bbc's james landale - and bridge the divide. james, thank you. the bbc's james landale in - you. the bbc�*s james landale in jerusalem for us. more than 70 tornadoes have struck the central united states, across nebraska and iowa, destroying homes and injuring at least three people.

this tornado was filmed in the town of lincoln in nebraska. at least 11,000 homes are without power. media reports say the area is also grappling with gas leaks, downed trees and unstable structures. there's a severe weather warning in place for millions of people from nebraska to texas with violent storms forecast. joe biden says he is ready to take on donald trump in a presidential debate ahead of their likely november rematch. the biden campaign has for months been non—committal on the matter. however, that all changed on friday as the president confirmed his intention. meanwhile, mr trump has said he's ready to face mr biden "anytime, anywhere, any place. " will vernon sent this update from washington. this wasn't the first time president biden has been asked whether he'll take part in televised debates with donald trump. the biden campaign has been tight—lipped about this for some time now. so much so that earlier this month, 12 major us news organisations

penned an open letter urging both joe biden and donald trump to agree to participate in the debates, saying they have a rich tradition in american democracy. and mr trump too has been goading joe biden incessantly over whether he'll agree to the debates. so the president has been under pressure over this. now, the last time the two men faced off on tv was during the 2020 election campaign. there were two debates then and they were notable for their vitriol for the aggressive atmosphere between the two men. there was one notable moment whenjoe biden said to then president trump, "shut up, man." what are you hiding? but most analysts agreed that joe biden generally came off better than donald trump did in those. but now, finally, mr biden has agreed to take part. in response to that, former president trump said he was "ready,

anywhere, any time, any place," an old expression, he said, "used by fighters." and mr trump proposed that the first debate could even take place as soon as next week. so, thank you very much... now, that is almost certainly not going to happen. and the official date for the first televised presidential debate is this september, just under two months before that crucial election day. let's get some of the day's other news now. a british man has been seriously injured in a shark attack on the caribbean island of tobago. the attack happened close to the shore in courland bay. the 64—year—old man is in intensive care after his left hand and left thigh were severed by a bull shark. seven beaches have been closed to allow the coastguard to investigate. a number of countries in east africa are experiencing severe flooding and landslides. at least 150 people were killed in tanzania and 70 were killed in kenya. nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in burundi. the region has seen heavier rainfall

than usual in recent weeks, exacerbated by the el nino weather pattern. south africa is marking the 30th anniversary of the country's first democratic elections and the end of apartheid. president cyril ramaphosa, will lead celebrations of freedom day — when nelson mandela and the african national congress party were first elected, putting an end to white minority rule. king charles is to return to public duties for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer. a buckingham palace spokesperson said doctors had been pleased with his progress so far. he will continue to be treated for an unspecified form of the disease. charlotte gallagher reports. the king and queen together, in the gardens of buckingham palace, a positive sign about the king's health. the photo was taken earlier this month but has just been released.

the palace say the king is making encouraging progress and will shortly return to public facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. "as the first anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world, throughout the joys and challenges of the past year". the king's last public event was in windsor on easter sunday and he surprised the crowds by stopping to chat, thanking them for their good wishes. keep going strong, never give in. thank you. his next visit will be more symbolic, a trip to a cancer treatment centre. and injune, he will meet the emperor and empress of japan who will be in london for a state visit. but the king's recovery process is still ongoing. i guess he will be taking very strong advice from his medical

team not to overdo it. there is a psychological component to cancer recovery, and it's great he feels able to go out there and do more, but he will need to be very careful that he doesn't stretch himself too much. this has been a really tough year for the royalfamily, with both the king of the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer, and, like any family, that has come as a huge blow. they've also had to deal with intense media speculation, so the announcement that the king feels well enough to return to some public duties will be welcome news. the prime minister, your majesty. the king has been working throughout his treatment, including meeting with the prime minister. decisions about some upcoming events will be made by the king and his advisers nearer the time. he is still undergoing treatment. they can't guarantee that he will undertake some of the key engagements over the summer, although they are very hopeful he will be able to, so you've got things like royal

ascot, trooping the colour, chelsea flower show, perhaps. i think they are hoping he will be able to go to those sorts of events but it is all still to be confirmed yet. the king and catherine are two of the most senior and popular members of the royal family. their absence has been felt by many. i wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally... there is no news about when the princess of wales will return to public duties. she announced her cancer diagnosis in march and has asked for time, space and privacy for herself and herfamily. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. scotland's first minister humza yousaf is insisting he will not resign following a week of turmoil in scottish politics. for those who aren't keeping up here's what's been happening. the crisis began when humza yousaf —

who leads the scottish national party — ended its governing coalition with the scottish greens. both parties are pro scottish independence. there'd been trouble in the coalition about the decision to scrap climate targets and gender policy issues theoretically humza yousaf could lead a minority government but he faces a confidence vote — and all the main scottish parties have said they will vote against him. there's the possibility a former snp member ash regan who has defected to another nationalist party could save mr yousaf. but that's highly uncertain. the big picture in all of this is that the position of the scottish national party is weakening with uk elections due. and that also has implications for the likelihood of scottish independence. let's speak to our reporter catrina renton who's in glasgow for us. what options is the first minister have in saving his options and

government?— have in saving his options and government? �*, , government? let's take a step back and look at — government? let's take a step back and look at the _ government? let's take a step back and look at the context _ government? let's take a step back and look at the context of _ government? let's take a step back and look at the context of what - and look at the context of what happened this week and how the first minister has found himself in this position. this time last week, we were talking about the scottish green party voting on whether or not they should remain in partnership with the snp. some in the party, as you were saying, were unhappy with the power—sharing arrangement after the power—sharing arrangement after the snp dropped a climate change target. in a twist, humza yousaf gold in the green ministers on thursday and he told them the relationship was over so that is how he finds himself in this position fighting for his political life. he said he is confident he will win the confidence vote and that he will not resign but he does face these two votes of confidence next week, one in himself and one in his government. as you are explaining in your introduction, the arithmetic in the scottish parliament is very tight. there are 63 snp msps, there are 65 opposition msps and there is

the presiding officer who retains a neutral position. he has written to all of the party leaders asking them for talks on where they can find common ground. i think it is safe to say we can rule out any deals with the prounion parties, labour, conservatives and liberal democrats. but somewhat ironically, humza yousaf is now having to reach back out to the greens who he dumped on thursday but they are sore and they say they can't trust him after what happened. humza yousaf said yesterday he didn't mean to upset or anger the scottish greens and that there are a lot of issues that both there are a lot of issues that both the snp and greens share. so that is one where he could remain in government if some of the seven scottish green msps were to change their tack and support him but that seems highly unlikely given the upset that has caused. his only other potential lifeline is the alba party msp ash regan. she stood against humza yousaf for the leadership of the snp after the first minister nicola sturgeon stood

down. she left the snp and joined the alba party, which is alex salmond, the former first minister of scotland, the party he leads now full stop she set out a number of conditions that she would support mr humza yousaf on. if he loses the personal vote, humza yousaf on. if he loses the personalvote, he humza yousaf on. if he loses the personal vote, he is not legally bound to resign but you could imagine there is political pressure on him. we have heard from one snp msp this morning that he believes that humza yousaf would have to stand down if he loses that vote. we are watching him at the moment trying to reclaim the narrative, sort of putting his party on an election footing and looking at some of the issues that he would like to take to the doorstep so that is where we are right at the moment. he is running a campaign now to fight for his life. . ~' , ., , is running a campaign now to fight for his life. ., ~ i. , . for his life. thank you, very much. the bbc's — for his life. thank you, very much. the bbc's catriona _ for his life. thank you, very much. the bbc's catriona renton - for his life. thank you, very much. the bbc's catriona renton in - for his life. thank you, very much. i the bbc's catriona renton in glasgow the bbc�*s catriona renton in glasgow for us.

don't be fooled by the weather, it is spring, which for many, usually means it's time for a clean and spruce up, including for one of london's most famous landmarks, tower bridge. a team of specialist window cleaners, with a good head for heights, have been abseiling from the tower�*s high—level walkways. our reporter vince rogers has more. dangling from ropes off the famous london landmark are a team of abseilers reaching the parts that others can't reach. what i'm doing now is i'm protecting the ropes as we go underneath, as humans don't do too well when they fall from heights. so what we've done is we've put platforms underneath. what the team will do is they will abseil over the platform as works positioning, clip into the steel beams underneath, and that way they can safely traverse and carry out

the cleaning of the glazing. it's all right, that. the walkways have glass floors for spectacular views of the bridge below, but now they've become a bit grimy and they've been clean for the first time. years of grime coming out of there, vince. look at that! beautiful. look at that. what we're doing is we're cleaning with a nylon brush. we're using purified water, which doesn't leave any imperfections. so when you use it on the glass it's like this, it dries spot free, which means we haven't got to squeegee it off and get rid of any excess water, just a good rinse like that does thejob. the bridge had to be closed through the night for the work to take place was but, of course, river traffic was flowing as normal. have you ever done anything like this before? we have done it on smaller bridges, but nothing quite of this stature nor of this prestige as well. so it's a huge honour, a huge privilege as well. the cost of this extreme window cleaning won't be picked by the taxpayer, it will be picked up by an ancient charity called

the city bridge foundation. is there a lot of grime up there? there's not a lot, because it's on the underside the bridge, the dirt doesn't get there, the rain doesn't get there particularly much, but it is now needed, particularly as you can see on the shelves and the steel work you can see the dirt on the tracks accumulating there. yeah, you can see years ofjust coming out there, it rinses off. lovely as well. though it's essentially only a matter of cleaning windows, this is a job that luke and his team will rememberfor a long time to come. that is definitely not a job for everyone. you are watching bbc news.

hello, it's a weekend of mixed fortunes weather—wise because things are still very unsettled. some rain around at times and it is going to feel chilly for the time of year as well. if you are after a bit of warmer weather, you might well see it into next week but the weather still remaining pretty unsettled. low pressure never very far away. we haveit low pressure never very far away. we have it to the south at the moment towards the bay of biscay, that low pressure approaching us from the south. we have an area of cloud and patchy rain through central parts of england and wales for the rest of the day. but rain tending to peter out as it pushes northwards. some sunny spells and a few scattered heavy showers around the south coast but then the next area of rain works into the south later on in the afternoon. the northern england, scotland and northern ireland, much of the day will see some sunshine, largely dry picture but there will be some scattered showers, most frequent across the north—west of scotland. it is going to feel cool, particularly under the cloud. this evening and tonight, that area of rain pushes its way northwards across the bulk of england, north

wales as well. it could be really quite heavy. under the cloud and rain in the south and east, it is going to be relatively mild but across scotland and northern ireland, cold night, underthose clearskies, ireland, cold night, underthose clear skies, a touch of frost. not as cold as last night. low pressure with us tomorrow. pushing its way gradually northwards and eastwards so that rain through the morning sits across parts of north—east england into east wales, central southern england. some heavy showers, perhaps thunderstorms for the likes of east anglia. that ring bridging the east of scotland, winding close to the east coast and it is going to feel chilly. eight to 10 degrees. over the rest of northern wild scotland, northern ireland wales and south england. this stage in the week it is moving on from the west so shall refrain from northern ireland, western parts of england and wales —— showery rain. dry and a little bit warmer. 16 degrees or so, only 12 for the likes of belfast. low pressure still looks like it will sit out towards

the west of us so some rain arrives at times but a change in wind direction with the wind is rotating around that low pressure, they are going to be coming in from a south—easterly direction bringing a slightly warmer air mass. those temperatures will be on the rise, we could see 20 degrees in the south by the middle of the week but it is going to stay unsettled, there will be some sunshine and some rain around at times through next week. bye—bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the pentagon says it will "rush" patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to ukraine as part of its new $6 billion military aid package. joe biden says he's ready to debate donald trump after months of being noncommittal about taking part in the pre—election tradition with his republican rival. trump's already said he's ready to debate biden "any time, anywhere, any place." wildlife in antarctica is being exposed to potentially damaging levels of ultraviolet light, thanks to a hole in the ozone layer and australian wildfires. scientists say both animals and plants are at risk from the rays. and taylor swift matches madonna's record of having 12 number one albums in the uk, the most by a female artist. the tortured poets department had the american singer's best—ever first week sales in the uk.

hamas says it is right now reviewing the latest counterproposal from israel regarding a potential ceasefire in gaza, in exchange for the return of israeli hostages. the prospect of a deal is key to the timing of the ground offensive israel has vowed to undertake in rafah — an operation it says is critical to dismantling hamas. i am joined now by the former head of the palestinian desk at israel's ministry for strategic affairs, kobi michael. thank you forjoining us. i want to start by asking you about these mediation efforts. we are here and there has been notable progress in there has been notable progress in the talks. what is your assessment of how they are progressing and what can we expect from them was yellow good morning. can we expect from them was yellow good morning-— good morning. good morning. i'm a bit sceptical — good morning. good morning. i'm a bit sceptical about _ good morning. good morning. i'm a bit sceptical about any _ good morning. good morning. i'm a bit sceptical about any progress. it |

bit sceptical about any progress. it looks like hamas in the gaza strip still believe that the time works in favour of them, and not only the time but the us and the entire international community by pressuring israel and criticising israel, i assume there is no real incentive for them to make some further concessions as a result of the negotiation. i hope i'm wrong in my assessment. but i believe that their main goal is to survive and to remain the sovereign power in the gaza strip in the days after the war. this would be the ultimate victory for them. and therefore, they intend to keep hostages as a sort of insurance policy, and even if there will be a sort of appeal, they will not release all of the hostages. they will not release all of the hostaues. ~ . , they will not release all of the hostages-_ they will not release all of the hostaues.~ ., , ,, they will not release all of the hosta.es_. ., , ,, ., hostages. what is your assessment of the role that — hostages. what is your assessment of the role that the _ hostages. what is your assessment of the role that the possible _ hostages. what is your assessment of the role that the possible invasion i the role that the possible invasion of rafah has had on these talks? has

it cast a shadow over the talks and should offensive happen, how will it impact any mediation? i should offensive happen, how will it impact any mediation?— impact any mediation? i think that the offensive _ impact any mediation? i think that the offensive by _ impact any mediation? i think that the offensive by itself— impact any mediation? i think that the offensive by itself is _ impact any mediation? i think that the offensive by itself is not i the offensive by itself is not enoughin the offensive by itself is not enough in order to create the impact with the required impact on hamas leadership in gaza,. in order to create such an impact and in order to increase the probability for a more successful negotiation, we have two add to the military offensive two add to the military offensive two additional pressures. the first one is the pressure of qatar, and this is a pressure that only the us can create, because qatar is the most significant leverage over hamas. the second pressure is to create an alternative, a replacement for hamas on the ground immediately, at least in the northern part of the gaza strip, in the way that we

signal to the leadership of hamas and to the people of gaza that still support hamas that hamas is not an option any more. only by creating these vectors or pressures simultaneously, i think there is a higher probability for a breakthrough in the negotiation. find breakthrough in the negotiation. and in the meantime, israel says it continues to prepare for a full—scale offensive or rafah. what options do you think the israeli military have, considering the more than1 million people who military have, considering the more than 1 million people who are sheltering in rafah right now because of the ongoing conflict? israel, the idea has several options, the plans are already ready and approved by the war cabinet. we have to remember that although there are something like 1.3 million people in the rafah area, the idf does not intend to protect all the

area, and i assume that the area will be divided into smaller areas, like khan younis, and people will be evacuated from these smaller areas whenever the idf were intending to enter. and i assume that there are some other tactics that will be used, first of all in order to suppress a mass because —— to suppress a mass because —— to suppress hamas. and secondly to ensure minimal casualty on gaza civilians. . ~ ensure minimal casualty on gaza civilians. ., ~ , ., , . ensure minimal casualty on gaza civilians. ., ~ , . ., civilians. thank you very much for “oininu us civilians. thank you very much for joining us on _ civilians. thank you very much for joining us on bbc— civilians. thank you very much for joining us on bbc news. - meanwhile, hamas has insisted that it won't release any more israeli hostages without an end to the war in gaza, after the group released a video of one israeli—american captive, hersh goldberg—polin. his parents have urged both sides to "seize the moment and get a deal done".

our middle east correspondent lucy williamson has been speaking to one former hostage, moran stella yanai, about the conditions she was held in, and fears for those who remain. just after dawn on the 7th of october, moran stella yanai heard the first sounds of hamas gunmen approaching the nova festival site. as the gunmen stormed the site, she ran into nearby fields. twice she says she was caught by groups of hamas followers and talked her way out by pretending to be arab. the third time, she wasn't so lucky. i heard "cuckoo" and we raised our head up and the terrorists were standing on top of the mountain, smiling, happy.

"we found them." she was put in a car with nine gunmen and driven into gaza. it's like a bull being entered to an arena. everybody�*s happy. the civilians, the children, the women, the men. and then the car door opened. and then i felt somebody trying to pull my leg. and then i felt a pipe in my knee. all we can think of at that point is please let it end fast, like one hit to the head and i will not feel anything. moran was held captive for 5h days, moved between seven different locations, quickly learning strategies to survive. what happened in the first house stay there. doesn't come with you to the second house. it will not come with you to the third house. "you need really

to protect your story and come to the new house with my friends." "what are you talking about?" i'm fine, the terrorists, the hamas, everybody. why? because... ..if something will happen to a girl, in the arab culture, they will probably kill the terrorist and the girl, too. you mean something sexual? yeah. what happened in this house left in this house. so it's not only sexual, it's also violent. what did happen? for me, it was more violence. it's like when you move from house to house, you need to be examined to see if you're not hiding something on you. it's a really necessary test, as they explained it to you.

i always try to explain to people that "rape" is a really big word. it's not only the act. even when a guy stands in the front of your door, and you sit down and he's staring at you for ten minutes straight. that's power. five, six times a day, every day for 5h days. trust me. that's rape. moran was released in a ceasefire deal last november in exchange for palestinian prisoners held in israeli jails. her hamas captors filming the handover. i heard that people were saying, "but they were happy, looking happy when they came out," you know. nobody heard the whisper under the nose that i'm saying to the boy next to me, it's like, "hold on five more minutes.

do not start to cry now. stay smiling. ok? do not cry now." like, the minute we cross the border to egypt, we waited for that minute that we can scream and cry, because we couldn't do it. we couldn't do it. we were hiding on the first day. we couldn't do it when they were dragging us into gaza. and we couldn't do it when we sat down in the houses. obviously, that's the first thing i promise to myself, that the minute will step in my country, i will scream the loudest i can. because nobody will take my voice any more. a hole in the ozone layer over antarctica, that's fuelled by smoke from wildfire events in australia, is exposing wildlife to protentially damaging levels of uv light. scientists from the university

of wollongong say animals and plants are having to put more energy into avoiding the rays. here's our science correspondent victoria gill. the ozone layer that protects us from the sun's most harmful rays is healing gradually. but in antarctica, in cold high atmospheric clouds, a hole in that layer still appears every year. that ozone thinning or loss used to peak in september or october, when animals and plants are tucked under winter snow and marine animals are protected by sea ice. but it's now lingering until december, well into the antarctic summer, when wildlife is much more vulnerable. researchers say that's been driven in part by smoke from the australian wildfires in 2019 and 2020, which were fuelled by climate change. the research has found evidence that antarctic plants might have to put more energy into producing their own protective sunscreen compounds. and krill, the marine crustaceans that are the foundation of

the food chain in antarctica, move deeper into the ocean to avoid ultraviolet rays. while penguins and seals are covered by protective feathers and fur, scientists say exposure to harmful rays could damage their eyesight. the researchers say we can no longer take the recovery of the ozone layer for granted. it's more evidence, they point out, that carbon emissions have to be reduced quickly so that more bushfires don't put extra pressure on a vital shield in our atmosphere. victoria gill, bbc news. let's speak to one of the authors of this paper, distinguished professor sharon robinson from the university of wollongong. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. ijust want thank you forjoining us on bbc news. i just want to start by asking you what sparked her interest in this study, why did you think this was happening and why did you go on to then look into the impact of the damage to the ozone layer? 50 as

damage to the ozone layer? so as art of damage to the ozone layer? so as part of our — damage to the ozone layer? so as part of our work _ damage to the ozone layer? so as part of our work and _ damage to the ozone layer? so as part of our work and the _ damage to the ozone layer? sr —.3 part of our work and the united nations environment programme, we have to look at how the uv and ozone depletion are changing across the globe, the paper came out in the last few years which showed that the uv index, the number we get on our phones which tells us whether we need to wear sunscreen, had gone up in antarctica from six, which is moderate, to 1a, which is extreme. so 1a is what we have in summer in sydney. so that huge difference which had occurred because of ozone depletion made us think also, what's that mean for the animals and plants that mean for the animals and plants that live in antarctica? in the last four years, even though ozone, the ozone layer is recovering, we've seen that the hole in the ozone layer has started in september and extended through to december, and that was particularly concerning for me because as a biologist i know thatis me because as a biologist i know that is when most of the biology turns up in antarctica, to breed,

pups turns up in antarctica, to breed, pups are born, chicks are hatching and all the plants and animals come out from under the snow so everything is happening. so uv at that time of year could be really off concern for others animals and plants. off concern for others animals and lants. �* , . ~ , off concern for others animals and lants. �* , ., ~' , ., plants. and 'ust talk us through what has plants. and just talk us through what has caused _ plants. and just talk us through what has caused this _ plants. and just talk us through what has caused this and i plants. and just talk us through what has caused this and why i plants. and just talk us through l what has caused this and why you think it is specifically the wildfires we've seen in australia. so, any chemicals that we inject into the stratosphere, many chemicals could destroy ozone. the 2019-20 bush chemicals could destroy ozone. the 2019—20 bush fires were particularly intense, so we know that bushfire smoke cut up into the stratosphere as a result of that, and that then gets distributed across the globe and it ended up affecting the ozone hole for the following year, so that next summer, the ozone hole was particularly large and extended into december for that year. then we had two large volcanic eruptions, and again, volcanoes can spew sulphates

into the stratosphere, or in the case of the big volcano, that produce a lot of water vapour which again got into the stratosphere, because it was such a big explosion, it caused more ozone depletion. so even with the montreal protocol, reducing the cfcs and most of those chemicals that we have been used —— we have been producing, taken out of the equation, there is still threat to the ozone layer because of new chemicals being injected into the stratosphere. chemicals being in'ected into the stratosphere.— chemicals being in'ected into the stratoshere. . ~ , . stratosphere. thank you very much, rofessor. in the us — pro—palestinian protests are continuing at major universities as several have called police in leading to hundreds of arrests. at columbia university in new york, the epicentre of the demonstrations, a student leader has been barred from the campus over comments he previously made. at the same time, columbia's senate, which makes decisions on behalf of students and teachers, has voted to investigate how

the university's leadership handled the protests. nomia iqbal reports from new york. another day and another encampment has cropped up in the us in this part of new york students camped outside the city college. we should make sure that cuny administration knows that we will not back down. sarah is palestinian—american. students here and faculty here are not scared of anything. they're willing to risk their careers. risk their schools, their personal lives. they know that there is a risk of arrest. they know there is a risk of suspension. but they're willing to stand here and risk it all for palestine and for divestment. sergei once studied here. i came here out of curiosity. he describes himself as very pro—israel. i do find it unfair that certain groups are allowed to occupy public space, block people's access to those spaces. i do find it offensive when my people are accused of genocide,

when we defend ourselves. but at the same time, i do recognise freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. this protest is peaceful, though. as the crowds grow, so does the police presence. tensions between officers and students have led to an escalation across many parts of america. from georgia to texas, to ohio and california. there have been hundreds of arrests with students accused of trespassing. the protests were started here by columbia university students more than a week ago. tensions have been fraught between those who are pro—palestinian and those who are pro—israeli — both accusing each other of hate speech. one student has since apologised for prior remarks saying zionists don't deserve to live. one student has now been barred from the protest site. it's much calmer here today at columbia university,

but the students in the encampment behind me aren't budging on their demands. they and other students who are protesting across the country are calling on their universities to essentially cut economic and academic ties with israeli institutions. all of our demands have to be achieved in orderfor us to leave the encampment. we're asking for financial transparency. we're asking for cops off campus. we're asking for amnesty for all students that have faced disciplinary charges or have been suspended or arrested. tully is one of those students. i think it was veryjarring to be placed in zip ties and held for that long. but i will also say as kind of frustrating and angry and scary as it was, i was also very proud to be standing in solidarity with my peers. american campuses have long been political battlegrounds. the october 7th attacks in israel are the latest flashpoint, with many universities struggling to rein in the turmoil. nomia iqbal, bbc news, new york.

we have some live pictures that we are getting from pretoria in south africa. this is the celebration of freedom day in the country. today marks 30 years since the country's first democratic elections in the end of apartheid. the gentleman you could see there on the screen was the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, leader of the african national congress party or anc, which took power 30 years ago in south africa. and of course, this year the country will be seeing another round of elections in may. these are live pictures, celebrations of freedom day in south africa. here in the uk, the government's being urged to take urgent action to stop unpaid carers unwittingly racking up thousands of pounds worth of debt. tens of thousands of carers owe money because of benefit overpayments. our reporter dan whitworth has the details. good girl, thank you. unpaid carers who look after a loved

one do an incrediblejob — often 2a hours a day, seven days a week, with very few breaks — their lives dedicated to caring for someone else. of the nearly six million carers across the uk, just under a million receive carer�*s allowance — that's worth about £80 a week. 175,000 of them also have a job, but there's an earnings limit of £151 take—home pay a week. go above that limit — even byjust a few pence — and you lose the entire allowance. that's what happened to karina, who cares for her daughter, amber, who has complex needs and requires around—the—clock care. karina unknowingly earned slightly above the limit at her part—time supermarketjob, due to overtime, but wasn't told by the department for work and pensions for three and a half years, so is now in the middle of slowly paying back £11,000. the system has to be a lot simpler.

the forms need to be easier to fill in so you don't make these mistakes. you have to be... they need to stop the cliff edge so that if you earn over 50p too much, then maybe they take that away, not take all of it. because they're pushing people into poverty. labour mp stephen timms, who chairs parliament's work and pensions committee, is urging the government to act quicker to warn those who have exceeded the earnings limit. the problem is most of those notifications seem to be completely ignored, so people carrying on — carry on receiving the benefit, even though they aren't entitled to it, and even though the department has been notified about that. we end up with these enormous accidental overpayments, which should never have been allowed. the dwp says overpayments account for 2.1% of its £3.3 billion annual spend on carer�*s allowance.

that works out at around £2,000 worth of debt for each of the 311,000 carers with overpayments in the last year. what we would like to see is a fundamental review of ca rer�*s allowance and all benefits around it, because it is a very complicated system, and if you take one little bit of it, it will impact on all the others, so it needs a fundamental review. in the short term, we need the overpayments to be written off by this government in order to stop penalising the very lowest—paid unpaid carers, who are looking after our most vulnerable in society. in a statement, the dwp said... with growing political and public pressure on this issue, campaigners will be hoping it stays that way in the weeks

and months to come. dan whitworth, bbc news. taylor swift has matched madonna's record of having 12 number one albums in the uk — the most by a female artist. the tortured poets department had the american singer's best—ever first week sales in the uk — and the highest first week sales for any artist since 2017. her next target in the history books is elvis presley, who has 13 number one albums. the beatles have the most, with 16. stay with us here on bbc news.

hello. it's a weekend of mixed fortunes weather—wise because things are still very unsettled. rain around at times and it is going to feel chilly for the time of year. if you're after some warmer weather, you're after some warmer weather, you might well see it into next week but the weather still remaining pretty unsettled. low pressure never far away. we have it to the south at the moment, that have low pressure approaching us from the south. an area of cloud and patchy rain through central parts of england and wales for the rest of the day. the rain tending to peter out as it pushes northwards. some sunny spells and scattered heavy showers around south coasts but the next area of rain works into the south later in the afternoon. northern england, scotland and northern ireland, much of the day will see some sunshine and largely dry but some scattered showers, most frequent across the north—west of scotland. feeling cool under the cloud. and tonight the area of rain pushes northwards across the bulk of england and much of wales. could be quite heavy.

under the cloud and rain in the south and east, relatively mild. across scotland and northern ireland, a cold night under the clear skies and there could be a touch of frost. not as cold as last night. low pressure still with us tomorrow. it is pushing gradually northwards and eastwards stops of the rain through the morning sits across parts of north—east england into east wales, central and southern england. some heavy showers and perhaps thunderstorms for east anglia. the rain pushing into east scotland. wendy close to the east coast and it will feel chilly, 8 to 10 celsius. further west, coast and it will feel chilly, 8 to 10 celsius. furtherwest, heights coast and it will feel chilly, 8 to 10 celsius. further west, heights of “p 10 celsius. further west, heights of up to around 13 in the areas of sunshine. more rain on monday but in different areas. at this stage it is moving in from the wests so showery for northern ireland, scotland and western england and wales. central and eastern england seeing an improved day by monday, looking drier and warmer, 16 degrees or so, only around 12 for the likes of belfast. monday night into tuesday,

low pressure looks like it will sit out towards the west. some rain around at times but a change in wind direction with the wind rotating around the low pressure, coming in from the south—east, bringing us slightly warmer air. the temperatures will be on the rise, we can see 20 celsius in the south by the middle of the week. at has come to stay unsettled. some sunshine and some rain around at times through next week.

live from london.

this is bbc news. the pentagon says it will "rush" patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to ukraine as part of its new $6 billion military aid package. humza yousaf won't resign after a week of political turmoil. joe biden says he's up for debating donald trump ahead of november's presidential election. how wildlife in antarctica is being exposed to damaging levels of ultraviolet light. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the ukrainian military says russia carried out another massive air attack overnight, using various missiles. the mayor of kharkiv — ukraine's second city — said one narrowly missed a hospital with 1,000 people inside.

attacks also took place in the dnipro region in central