a very good morning to you. i'm marc ashdown. we begin in the us, the biggest day so far in the 2024 race for the white house is here — super tuesday, as it's known. voters from 15 states, and one territory, will choose candidates for president, the first voting will get under way in virginia injust a few hours' time. it promises to be a big day for polling, but — let's face it — presidentjoe biden and former president donald trump — there they are — are almost certain to face each other again in november's election. some states had tried to exclude mr trump from the ballot, but the supreme court on monday over—ruled that. live now to robin swanson, who's a political strategist and a former spokesperson for the democratic party in california. super tuesday is always a pivotal moment — an exciting day in the calendar, when the presidential election really comes alive —

also a pivotal moment for the republican contender nikki haley? it is. president biden will be the democratic nominee and donald trump is probably going to be the republican nominee. people are saying that this is nikki haley's last band. i don't think it is the end for her. for her it isn't about the maths and the electoral college, she is trying to make a statement. i think it is crazy that conservative republicans aren't taking her seriously. but i think there is more in the future for her. i don't know if it is third—party or the no labels party that has been backing her so far, but i think there is more to be heard from her. and i'm hoping for an upset, at least in one state, tomorrow. just for fun. upset, at least in one state, tomorrow. just forfun. in tomorrow. just for fun. in terms of _ tomorrow. just for fun. in terms of super tuesday, i have seen a few elections, as i'm sure you have, how would you rate this for drama? it is probably the least exciting one, isn't it? it

probably the least exciting one, isn't it?— one, isn't it? it isn't very exciting _ one, isn't it? it isn't very exciting because - one, isn't it? it isn't very exciting because donaldl one, isn't it? it isn't very - exciting because donald trump is running away from it —— with it, but he equates a circus around him. iwouldn't it, but he equates a circus around him. i wouldn't be surprised if you did something tomorrow to mix the news. you mentioned _ tomorrow to mix the news. you mentioned they _ tomorrow to mix the news. you mentioned they could be a particular upset in one of the states. do you or any analysts have a state to keep an eye on? i have my eye on virginia and maine, where they have open primary is. i think nikki haley, she could turn at different kinds of voters. there are different voters in our primary election than their rnr general election. a lot more people vote in a general election than do the prime areas, which is unfortunate because so much is decided in the primaries, and by the time to get to the general election, you have limited choices. so we'll have to see what turnout is like. , , we'll have to see what turnout is like. ,, ., ., ., is like. less drama on the democrat _ is like. less drama on the democrat side. _ is like. less drama on the democrat side. it - is like. less drama on the democrat side. it is - is like. less drama on the l democrat side. it is obvious is like. less drama on the - democrat side. it is obvious it will bejoe biden. is this an

interesting point, to gauge the mood of the nation, though? i think so. i think it is our post pandemic check on reality. i think president biden gets to run on the fact that he created 11 million newjobs and gets to run on the fact that he is going to protect a woman's right to choose and abortion access. this will be the contrast between him and donald trump, and the 91 felony counts against the former president. so i think there is going to be chaos in the upcoming election bought by donald trump and joe biden will be the city candidate he has been and is deputy president that he has been to date. robyn thomas thank ou has been to date. robyn thomas thank you for— has been to date. robyn thomas thank you for your _ has been to date. robyn thomas thank you for your time. - has been to date. robyn thomas thank you for your time. enjoy i thank you for your time. enjoy the show. robin swanson there, former political strategist — critical strategist and former spokesman for the california democratic party. thank you. ——

robyn, thank you for your time. israel has repeatedly said that the brutality against the victims of the hamas attacks on october 7 included sexual violence. now, a team of experts from the un has concluded there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that sexual violence occurred during the attacks, and there's convincing information that hostages taken by the group have been subjected to it. hamas has denied the allegations. pramila patten is the un special representative on sexual violence in conflict. just talk us through the situation here for us. apologies, let's hearfrom her. with regard to the hostages taken to gaza, we found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualised order, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against captives. and we also have

reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing to those still in captivity. i pause and must add that i am of the strong opinion that i am of the strong opinion that this finding does not in any way legitimise further violence but actually reinforces the need for an urgent ceasefire. meanwhile, the head of the main un agency in gaza has complained it faces a deliberate and concerted campaign to end its operations. philippe lazzarini told the un general assembly in new york that donors have been flooded with misinformation about unrwa. he says israel has also failed to provide further information about allegations made injanuary that 12 of its staff took part in the attacks on october 7. unrwa is facing a deliberate and conservative attempt to undermine its operations and ultimately end them. operations that are mandated by this

assembly. part of this campaign involves inundating donors with misinformation designed to foster distrust and tarnish the reputation of the agency. dismantling unwra is shortsighted. by doing so we will sacrifice an entire generation of children, sowing the seeds of hatred, resentment, and future conflict. the notion that the agency can be dismantled without violating a host of human rights and jeopardising international peace and security is naive at best. this is all happening as the white house says vice president kamala harris has expressed deep concern over the humanitarian situation in gaza, during talks with the israeli war cabinet member, benny gantz. this image has been released from the meeting. the vice president's office says she urged israel to let more aid into gaza, while calling on hamas

to accept the terms of a gantz will later meet with the us�*s top diplomat, secretary of state antony blinken — despite criticisms of the trip by some in the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's government. live now to dalia fahmy, director of international relations and associate professor of politics at long island university. thank you very much forjoining us. first, for people who are unaware who benny gantz is, can you talk us through his role in israel and why he is in the us? he is a member of the war cabinet in israel who joined just after the october seven attacks but is a centrist politician, seen as a political rival to benjamin netanyahu, the prime minister, and his popularity is soaring. the prime minister is not happy benny gantz is in washington on

this tour, and what is indicated through benny gantz�*s visit with kamala harris, and the subsequent meeting with the secretary of state, is that there is the internal politics within israel that has been played out on the international world stage. the polls within israel say that if benny gantz were to run against the prime minister today he indeed would be elected pm. sorry centrist politician entering the war cabinet after october seven, very popular, and as netanyahu's popularity neta nyahu's popularity decreases because netanyahu's popularity decreases because of the humanitarian situation, he is seen as the future of israel. what impact do you think it could have? as you say, not exactly endorsed by the israeli government, but could he have any say in their thinking, and the mood among the israeli population, as well, the public? ii population, as well, the -ublic? population, as well, the ublic? . ~ . public? if we take a wider setback. _ public? if we take a wider setback, the _ public? if we take a wider setback, the meeting - public? if we take a wider -

setback, the meeting between him and the vice president and the vice president's statement is also indicative of internal united states politics. before the vice president's statement, the vice president's statement, the african methodist church bishops said that the us should and aid to israel. 200 atlanta black leaders were calling for a ceasefire. the perception was the administration, the biden administration, had become increasingly silent on the humanitarian crisis, especially in the wake of the flower crisis of as the flower attack of two or three days ago. —— flour. the vice president making this statement in georgia, then meeting with benny gantz, it is a response notjust benny gantz, it is a response not just to the benny gantz, it is a response notjust to the black leaders, but to the fact that last week, in the united states, the uncommitted vote, led by the arab american voters, that there isn't the kind of carte blanche support of president

biden is indicative there is domestic politics here in the united states and within israel thatis united states and within israel that is playing out on the issue of gaza. with the rise of the humanitarian crisis has captured the imagination of the world, the vice president had to respond on behalf of the united states, and benny gantz�*s tour is also indicative of that. there is the international crisis as it is been seen as what is happening in gaza, but the internal politics of israel in the united states.- politics of israel in the united states. �* , ., united states. always good to net our united states. always good to get your perspective, - united states. always good to get your perspective, dalia . get your perspective, dalia fahmy. dalia fahmy, director of international relations and associate professor of politics at long island university. thank you very much forjoining us. thank you. the situation in gaza remains dire. the who says children

are dying of starvation in the north after visits over the weekend to two hospitals, the first since early october. fergal keane sent this update on the situation there from jersualem, and i should warn you that his report contains distressing images. a grief so calamitous it is deaf to the rumours of peace. this is the 150th day of war. and each day, the images of the grieving and of the dead are beamed to the world. this woman was sheltering with 45 family members when a rocket struck. seven were killed, including two children. a ceasefire might save the living. it won't bring back the dead. nawaf zre'y has lived and worked among the dead since the war began. he is a shrouder. he cleans and wraps the dead for burial — hundreds of them. "yes, but their families don't yet know they're dead." 30,000 deaths have created many widows and orphans.

near rafah, they stay together, in a camp of the widows, within a larger camp. new structures are being built. the un estimates 3,000 women have been widowed by war. zahra al—ras, aged 26, has four children. one of them is disabled. another suffered severe burns. her husband, mahmoud, was killed when he went to find food for the family a month ago. zahra found him dying in hospital.

often these days there is nothing to eat. like the bereaved of all wars, this family clings to fragments of a world broken beyond repair. the children are zahra's life now, the living world she holds in her arms. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem.

the security situation continues to deteriorate in haiti. the country remains in a "state of emergency" which was introduced after armed gangs freed nearly 4000 prisoners from the capital's biggestjail. let's speak to freelance journalist harold isaac, who's in port—au—prince. firstly give us the latest on the situation on the ground. there have been reports that the international airport is being ta rgetted ? there have been reports of violence at the international airport near it and the past few hours, confrontations between legitimate forces and bandits allegedly trying to break into the perimeter of the international airport of port—au—prince. do we know at the gang is planning? port-au-prince. do we know at the gang is planning?— the gang is planning? well, it has been rumoured _ the gang is planning? well, it has been rumoured that - the gang is planning? well, it has been rumoured that the l

has been rumoured that the gangs were trying at all costs to get access to the highly symbolic target but it is unclear what they were trying to make as a statement besides showing perhaps the weakness of the haitian state. but there has been violence and confrontations in the vicinity of the facility.— of the facility. give us a sense of— of the facility. give us a sense of the _ of the facility. give us a sense of the kind - of the facility. give us a sense of the kind of - of the facility. give us a - sense of the kind of feeling on the streets they are. how say visiteven though the gangs are running a mock, as it were, are people in severe danger, or are they targeting these targets only? they targeting these targets onl ? . ., ~ they targeting these targets onl ? ., ., ~ , only? -- running amok. it is stilla only? -- running amok. it is still a state _ only? -- running amok. it is still a state of _ only? -- running amok. it is still a state of emergency i only? -- running amok. it is. still a state of emergency and people are trying to deal with that reality that they did for the most part expect this week for discussions, since thursday, when a wave of

violence from protests against the tour of prime minister ariel henri started.- the tour of prime minister ariel henri started. what do we know about _ ariel henri started. what do we know about his _ ariel henri started. what do we know about his trip? _ ariel henri started. what do we know about his trip? we - ariel henri started. what do we know about his trip? we don't l know about his trip? we don't know about his trip? we don't know much — know about his trip? we don't know much about _ know about his trip? we don't know much about his - know about his trip? we don't - know much about his whereabouts or where he currently is. there were rumours as to when he would be coming back to haiti. —— ariel henry. this needs to be confirmed and people are waiting to know where he may show as the situation evolves. 0k, show as the situation evolves. ok, harold, give very much. harold isaac, a freelance journalist in port—au—prince. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. in the uk, the government has suffered five defeats in the house of lords over its bill to revive its proposed rwanda deportation scheme. the legislation would deem rwanda a safe country to send asylum seekers to, in a bid to stop removals being derailed by appeals. the bill will continue

its passage through the lords on wednesday, when opposition peers could inflict further defeats. a woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 10—year—old girl was found dead at a property in rowley regis. west midlands police say officers attended an address in robin close in the town where the child was pronounced dead at the scene. a woman, believed to be known to the girl, has been arrested and taken into custody for questioning. george galloway has been sworn in as rochdale's new member of parliament. the controversial politician is representing the workers party of britain. his by—election campaign tapped into public anger over the war in gaza, and lobbied against israeli military action. the prime minister called his victory "beyond alarming". you're live with bbc news. now, china's national people's congress is under way in beijing. the country's premier has delivered a major address on the economy, where he's announced that import tarrifs on advanced technology will be cut to try and boost growth.

the annual gathering is the biggest event on china's political calendar. security at the great hall of the people in beijing is tight. from there, our china correspondent stephen mcdonell has more. here we have it, the government work report, as it is called, which gives you an idea of the marathon nature of the speech. there is a lot in here. a big emphasis on the economy in the congress this year and apparently the government is telling its people that a consumption lead recovery is going to be key. will they boost consumption? apparently by improving employment and improving people's wages. also, there needs to be more investment in research and development for science. this is especially crucial for the trailer because it is finding

as relations sour with various western countries, it is finding it difficult to get high—tech stuff from other countries, so it needs to do all this stuff domestically. but when you look at this report, you know, at times it can be big on rhetoric, and a bit thin on detail. i will give you some examples. just to dip into it. i will read a bit. "in order to fulfil development goals and tasks for this year we must act on xi jinping's economic thinking and devote full energy to promoting high—quality development. " what does that really mean? there is all sorts ofjargon along those lines. here is another taste. " over 11.7 million students are due to graduate from college or university this year, and we must do more to promote employment for young people." employment for young people. " the employment for young people." the words do more i doing a lot of heavy lifting there. what

does that mean? what exactly is the government going to do to improve the employment situation for young people? that said, at least talking about these things and acknowledging the difficulties will, you know, be a good thing for people in china to hear. i'm just not so sure, though, that they are any closer to understanding how the government intends to fix that major problems the economy has as a result of this speech. " stephen mcdonell there in china. here in the uk, the countdown is on until the chancellor jeremy hunt announces his budget on wednesday. but has he delivered what he promised back in 2023? bbc verify has been looking back at last year's budget pledges. here's nick eardley. let's start with a theme back in 2023, a budget for growth. growth has been flat. as we can show you on the screen here. in

the first two quarters of the year, it was pretty flat, and in the final two quarters, growth was negative, so we went into recession. this hasn't been achieved so far. the other big economic priority was to cut inflation. that did happen. you can see on the screen here it fell over time, it more than halved, so a take on that one. but a mixed picture overall on the economic pledges. there was another big problems in the budget to expand childcare in england. you can see on the screen here the pledges the government made. ministers say that this is on track, particularly the part due to happen next month. some in the sector aren't as confident, with warnings recruitment, and fears some nurseries may go bust. we feel this is what is still in the balance. another and last year was reducing economic activity, the number of people out of work. if we shoo this graph, the number of

people in this category has gone up slightly this year. the treasury isn't counting students, so if you take out that bit in grey, there is a small fall, but only a small one. it is likely to take time so we think it is still in the balance. next up, prepayment energy metres. the government promised to make sure the people of these won't paying a higher standing charges. this has happened. ministers initially subsidised it, then ofjim confirmed new rules on this. finally, one that matters to our lot of people, the crates of a point. there were tax measures designed to keep the price of points down. —— ofgem. that is got up 7.5%. it isn't as much as it could have been or is much as prices have gone up in the shops, but it is one where the picture is mixed. these measures could take time

to work. from these priorities as you can see on the screen, it is a mixed bag with more to do. after wednesday, there will be more priorities for ministers to concentrate on, too. nick eardley, there. a satellite has blasted into orbit to measure the levels of methane gas in the atmosphere. methane is believed to be a major contributor to global warming, because it traps in heat. the new project will flag where there are high levels of the greenhouse gas. our climate editor, justin rowlatt, has more. three, two, one... ignition. and left off. a, three, two, one... ignition. and left off.— and left off. a falcon nine rocket blast _ and left off. a falcon nine rocket blast off _ and left off. a falcon nine rocket blast off overnight. i and left off. a falcon nine i rocket blast off overnight. in its payload, is sadly designed to stiffer the tell—tale fingerprint of methane in the light reflected back from earth. it will orbit 15 times a day, tracking methane emissions leaking from oil and gas facilities around the globe. the sector is an important source of this powerful planet

warming gas. we source of this powerful planet warming gas-— source of this powerful planet warmin: as. ~ ~' ., . , warming gas. we know that these admissions _ warming gas. we know that these admissions are _ warming gas. we know that these admissions are flexible, - warming gas. we know that these admissions are flexible, so - admissions are flexible, so with current technologies, all the emissions — all the methane emissions from the oil and gas operations can be fixed at almost zero cost. so if you don't know where the emissions are happening, you can't fix them, so you need to know where they are so you can fix them. the data will be publicly available and helped oil and gas companies identified links from their operations and, at the same time, regulators and the same time, regulators and the general public will be able to check to make sure those leaks are fixed. the environmental defence fund, the us —based charity by the sad hopes the data it provides will help cut methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure by almost half by the end of the decade. t almost half by the end of the decade. , , z: :: almost half by the end of the decade. , ,,~, :: , .., , almost half by the end of the decade. , ,,'~,:: , , ., decade. t plus 30 seconds into fli . ht. decade. t plus 30 seconds into flight- justin — decade. t plus 30 seconds into flight. justin rowlatt, - decade. t plus 30 seconds into flight. justin rowlatt, 33c- flight. justin rowlatt, bbc news. some _ flight. justin rowlatt, bbc news. some great - flight. justin rowlatt, bbc news. some great shots l flight. justin rowlatt, bbc| news. some great shots of flight. justin rowlatt, bbc- news. some great shots of the california coast. _

before we go, you might remember this scene from the bbc�*s 1995 adaptation of pride and prejudice. millions of viewers around the world swooned over colin firth as mr darcy, striding out of a lake wearing a wet shirt. well, now the shirt is going for sale and could fetch as much as £10,000. stay with us here in bbc news. hello. there may be a hiccup along the way, but by and large, for the rest of this week, it's looking better than it has done in recent weeks, with the tendency for most of us to be a good deal drier. things will become windier again as we go through the week — and that's because we're stuck in a bit of a tussle between high pressure building across scandinavia — high generally means dry weather — and low pressure out in the atlantic. and, whilst they try to get closer, high pressure will be the dominant feature. tuesday, however, will be a bit of a transition day of sorts. now, we start with a bit of frost across central, western england and wales,

certainly frost free towards the east — and that's because we've got a weather frontier which has become stranded as we go into the start of the day. cloud, outbreaks of rain, quite misty around hills and coasts, too. it'll sit there all day long around some coastal districts. it may brighten up a touch inland, chance of a few heavier showers and a rumble of thunder towards the far southeast, and some showers in the morning in northern ireland will work through into western scotland. elsewhere, most of you will be dry — the odd shower can't be ruled out, but it'll be quite pleasant in the sunny spells that develop. now, as we go through into tuesday night, that weather front is still there in some form. so plenty of clouds, still the chance of some light rain or drizzle, and a bit of a breeze blowing across the north and east of scotland, as we'll see through tuesday itself. but into wednesday morning, it's a case of the frost will be quite extensive again in western parts of england and wales, as well as western scotland, and maybe a bit in northern ireland. it's here we start wednesday with the sunshine. a few showers maybe towards the far west of cornwall later on. always more cloud in northeastern england, eastern scotland, with the tendency for some drizzle on the hills. a brighter day and drier day for some other parts of eastern england, and temperatures

creeping a little bit above where we should be for this stage in the year. now, as we go into wednesday night and thursday, high pressure builds a bit more and low pressure gets closer. we squeeze the isobars together more, so there'll be more of a breeze by the time we hit thursday. that will bring a bit more cloud across northern and eastern areas — the greater chance of 1—2 showers drifting in, as well. many, though, to the south and west will stay dry — and, because that wind coming in from the south easterly direction, it's these areas most favoured for the best of the sunshine. feeling a little bit cooler, especially in the cloudier spots, compared with wednesday. into friday and the weekend — a lot of dry weather to begin with, but there's a greater chance of a bit of rain developing here and there as we go into saturday and sunday. take care.

live from london. this is bbc news. boosting the economy: china sets an ambitious target of 5% growth — to try to kick start its ailing finances. elon musk sued: fired twitter execs seek legal action over unpaid severance. also on the programme: it's super tuesday in the us. we look at how the economy is likely to influence voters. and europe vs big tech — as apple gets handed a huge fine — what's the outlook for tech regulation in the eu?

very good morning to you. let's start in china where the chinese premier, li qiang, has said import tariffs on advanced technology and equipment will be cut in an attempt to boost the economy. mr li told thousands of delegates at the annual gathering of the national people's congress that china had set an economic growth target of 5% for this year. but analysts say the target will be difficult to reach. china is facing a property crisis, falling prices, high youth unemployment and a stock market rout. translation: is expected tar: ets translation: is expected targets are _ translation: is expected targets are proposed - translation: is expected targets are proposed to i translation: is expected | targets are proposed to take into account domestic and international tuitions as well as of the various factors. achieving the targets this year will not be an easy task. it

requires focused policies, redoubling efforts