this is bbc news. the headlines: the european union says a maritime aid corridorfrom cyprus to gaza could begin operating within hours. the first vessel is being loaded now. but with the situation becoming increasingly desperate, the us warns a temporary dock in gaza could take 60 days to build. armed men abduct another group of students from a school in northern nigeria. four women are among those taken. the army is still looking for more than 200 schoolchildren kidnapped on thursday. a state governer says at least 28 have managed to escape. in a major defeat for ireland's government, voters reject two referendum proposals on family and care. proponents wanted to amend the constitutional definition of a family to include people who were not married. it was also proposed that a constitutional reference to �*women in the home' should be removed.

prime minister leo varadkar says it was a �*comprehensive defeat�*. we return now to the situation in the middle east. the us military says its ships and aircraft have shot down more than a dozen drones in the red sea after coming under what it called a sustained attack by iranian—backed houthi forces in yemen. us central command said the drones represented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, and us and coalition warships. here�*s david waddell. the singapore registered propel fortune is the latest commercial ship to be targeted by the houthi movement. the bulk carrier departed india just under two weeks ago, with her automatic identification system signalling that she was not connected to israel — supposedly to deter this kind of attack from yemen. the uk maritime trade organisation said the captain reported no collateral damage to the ship and that she was bound for her next port. these attacks have been

ongoing since october, both in the red sea and in the gulf of aden, causing many commercial ships, both freighters and passenger liners, to divert around the cape of good hope. this attack took place about 50 nautical miles south of the port of aden. here�*s the houthi description of what happened. translation: yemen's naval forces . and the air force carried out two l specific military operations. the first targeted the american ship propel fortune in the gulf of aden, with a number of suitable naval missiles. while the second targeted a number of american destroyers at the red sea and the gulf of aden with 37 drones and the two operations successfully achieved their goals. so the second attack was focused on us warships which have gathered in the region in greater numbers since the red sea crisis began, led by the uss dwight d eisenhower. us central command said that us naval ships and aircraft shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles early

in the morning. they regard this large—scale attack is an ongoing imminent threat to merchant vessels, the us navy and coalition ships in the region. the felling of the sycamore gap tree on hadrian�*s wall led to an outpouring of emotion from around the world. it became famous for featuring in the 1991 film robin hood: prince of thieves, starring kevin costner. two people are on bail after the tree was chopped down last september, in what police say was a deliberate act of vandalism. but now, it could live on — horticulturalists from the national trust have successfully grown the first seedlings from the felled tree. harriet bradshaw reports. at a top secret location in devon, a site of biosecurity, where the national trust is protecting the legacy of the nation�*s most famous trees.

i�*ve been invited to witness history, hope for the future of the sycamore gap tree. a lot of people might think it�*sjust a sycamore, you know, a sycamore! but it�*s a really important sycamore. the sycamore gap tree in its prime. but it was cut down last september. everyone seems to have a story about how they connect to the tree. some people have been proposed to underneath it, other people just saw it as a way mark on theirjourney. and yet there are signs of life. in a race against time, the national trust managed to rescue seeds from the felled tree — and now they are growing. within this mini greenhouse, within this secret greenhouse is a tiny little seedling, and this was the first of the sycamore gap�*s seeds to pop up. and the team here say when they saw

this growing they knew there was hope. but raising seedlings isn�*t the only way the tree�*s legacy can be preserved. there is another method grafting in nine of the 20 grafts are now showing signs of life. it is nine of the 20 grafts are now showing signs of life.- showing signs of life. it is a relief. it's _ showing signs of life. it is a relief. it's a _ showing signs of life. it is a relief. it's a race _ showing signs of life. it is a relief. it's a race against. showing signs of life. it is a i relief. it's a race against time. relief. it�*s a race against time. once you get a tree down, it�*s dying straightaway. there was a lot of pressure on us to get it growing, luckily we did. the grafting of the sycamore gap materials would have looked something like this. this method means we have actually used the original material from that tree, so we�*ve got a genetic clone. so, basically the sycamore gap can live on from that tree? it is the same tree. when they grow up, the nation trust say it will be the community and the nation that decides where it�*s

planted. for now, seeds of hope protecting the legacy of the sycamore gap tree for generations. let�*s speak to jon stokes, director of trees, science & research at the tree council. what he doesn�*t know about trees isn�*t really worth knowing. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. i find this particularly fascinating, particularly the end bit, that you can stick one bit of tree on to another and it can grow. how difficult is that process? it is uuite a difficult is that process? it is quite a difficult _ difficult is that process? it 3 quite a difficult process. i difficult is that process? it 1 quite a difficult process. i don't quite a difficult process. i don�*t think my colleagues at the national trust or any of the other grafters would like to think theyjust stick them together. it is an excellent job they have done and it was really good this morning to wake up to hear some good news. it is a great old day in portsmouth where i am and it was really good news to hear that there is some seedlings growing from these trees. h0??? there is some seedlings growing from these trees. ., ., , , these trees. how often is this technique _ these trees. how often is this technique used _ these trees. how often is this technique used around - these trees. how often is this technique used around the i these trees. how often is this|

technique used around the uk these trees. how often is this - technique used around the uk and around the world? i technique used around the uk and around the world?— technique used around the uk and around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely — around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely in _ around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely in the _ around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely in the sense - around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely in the sense of- around the world? i haven't heard it used very widely in the sense of the j used very widely in the sense of the protection of special trees. this is one where we have actually, where it has been grafted from the source material. apple trees, however, apple trees are entirely grown from grafts. if you are grafting an apple, every apple you have ever eaten has come from a graft because thatis eaten has come from a graft because that is the way apples are done. it depends on the trees but for important national trees like this, it has to be one of the few i know of. , ., , ., ., ,., ., of. yes, i was reading about it on the bbc news — of. yes, i was reading about it on the bbc news website, _ of. yes, i was reading about it on the bbc news website, and - of. yes, i was reading about it on the bbc news website, and there of. yes, i was reading about it on i the bbc news website, and there is of. yes, i was reading about it on - the bbc news website, and there is a long article there about how it was done. they posted these samples to devon and then got them out and actually had to just see if it worked, fingers crossed, basically? it is the speed at which they did it which is the important part because the word can only last for a very short period and if it gets stuck in

the system or got lost in the post or something, then they wouldn�*t have had that as an opportunity. so speed is of the essence when you are looking to graft young trees like this. ., ._ looking to graft young trees like this. ., ., ,, , looking to graft young trees like this. ., , ,, ., this. you say apples, this is how we roduce this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples _ this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples but _ this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples but could _ this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples but could it - this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples but could it be - this. you say apples, this is how we produce apples but could it be used| produce apples but could it be used more widely to perhaps save some of the ancient species that we have in this country?— this country? well, there is certainly — this country? well, there is certainly a _ this country? well, there is certainly a possibility - this country? well, there is - certainly a possibility there. one of the things that matters is... the story of the tree is notjust the specific individual but progeny as well. for example, there is a tree in shropshire which is called the royal oak and that is on its fourth generation. the seedlings of that tree have grown up because they were worried about the parent. so throughout history, we have collected the seeds undone these sorts of activities to protect our important trees. yes, there is definitely a role for some of that in the future of all of our important trees in future. john stokes from —

important trees in future. john stokes from the _ important trees in future. john stokes from the tree - important trees in future. john stokes from the tree council, thank you forjoining us. a little bit of good news and if you do want to read a bit more about it, like i said, you can find a fascinating article on the bbc website or app today. police forces across england and wales are to each be given a fertility clinic in london has had its operating licence suspended because of "significant concerns" about the unit. the homerton fertility centre has been told it must not start new procedures, but can continue to see existing patients. the clinic said there had been three separate errors in the freezing of embryos. our correspondent ellie price sent us this update. the bbc understands this is affecting around 150 embryos, that involves around up to 45 patients, although, the trust here haven�*t put a number on it. but it centres around the issue of how these embryos were frozen and it would seem that there were errors in that process, which has led to some of the embryos either not surviving the thawing process or not being detectable after that took place. now, the homerton fertility clinic

here has said it�*s called in external clinical experts to investigate. so far, they haven�*t been able to pinpoint exactly what happened but obviously that investigation is ongoing. the clinic has apologised to any patients affected and said it has already changed some of its working practices, so the likes of increased security. it also says it�*s asked a number of its members of staff to work in pairs so they can essentially crosscheck what everybody, what each other are doing. there has also been, we�*ve had the apology, but this clinic has been referred to the fertility watchdog in the past. a couple of years ago, there were whistle—blowing allegations surrounding compliance, leadership and patient welfare. now, it kept its fertility licence then, but that licence has now been suspended which means the clinic here can�*t take on any new patients, although those receiving fertility treatment currently, ie, if they�*re taking

on the services so far, will be able to continue to do so. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you a line of breaking news we have from the middle east. this is coming to us from us central command. they have just said they had conducted another humanitarian assistance airdrop in northern gaza today. they say it happened at 2.18 gaza time, so they are two hours ahead of us, so a few hours ago, to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict. you can see the message they have posted on social media. it includes some social media pictures, the aid going off the back of an aircraft. us army soldiers specialised in humanitarian assistance were involved. the us says they dropped over 41,000 meal equivalents and 23,000 bottles of water into northern gaza, allowing

for civilian access to the critical aid. they say that the humanitarian airdrops contribute to the us�*s and partner nation governments efforts to alleviate human suffering. they go on to say us central command that these airdrops are part of a sustained effort and we continue to plan for aerial delivery. so we are waiting for this vessel that we are expecting to leave from cyprus to take supplies by sea but us central command saying that they have dropped some relief by air. the pictures you can see at the moment are live in larnaca. that is the better we are expecting to leave, may be in the next few hours. it is certainly being loaded and final preparations are under way. two charities are coordinating getting 200 tonnes of food and medical aid into the territory via this maritime

coward or that would see israel loose in a long—term blockade. —— this maritime corridor. the ship is expected to depart from cyprus this weekend. it is a pilot operation that some nations can hope can be ramped up. the united nations says a land rather than sea routes are essential to deliver the quantities of aid needed to stave off famine in gaza. so we had that ship in cyprus being loaded with supplies. in the meantime, in the last few minutes, us central command saying it has carried out another aid drop from the air into northern gaza, with around the equivalent of 41,000 meals and 23,000 bottles of water. next... the health ombudsman for england has warned that an overstretched and understaffed nhs is putting cancer patients at risk. he says exhausted workers are under "unsustainable pressure", and the government should invest

in the workforce. ministers say their nhs long term workforce plan will boost the number of staff. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. a recent analysis by the bbc suggested cancer waiting times in england last year were the worst on record. now, there are new figures from the health ombudsman who investigates unresolved complaints about nhs england government departments and other public organisations. they highlight problems in cancer treatment, misdiagnosis, poor communication referrals and end—of—life care. the ombudsman, rob behrens, says while everyone deserves safe and effective care, patient safety would always be at risk in environments that are understaffed and where staff are exhausted and working under unsustainable pressure. i continually come across failures in service despite the excellence of so many dedicated clinicians and staff in the nhs. that is the reality we have

to live with and confront. being shocked is not enough, what we have to do is to create a learning culture in the nhs. he has called for what he described as concerted and sustained action from government to make sure that nhs leaders can prioritise safety, and a key part of that, he said, would mean a long—term investment in the workforce. a spokesperson for the department of health and social care said a record number of cancer patients had been seen and treated over the past two years and the nhs long—term workforce plan would boost healthcare workers diagnosing and treating cancer. dominic hughes, bbc news. police forces across england and wales are to each be given £1 million to try to tackle rising cases of anti—social behaviour. the fund will be used to provide extra officer patrols. it follows the success of a pilot project which has helped reduce the number of incidents by as much as 40%. our reporter eleanor lawrie has more.

on patrol in blackpool with the antisocial behaviour squad. this neighbourhood was notorious for things like shoplifting and criminal damage but this trial has helped to cut antisocial behaviour by more than 40%. it could be a small report, noise complaints, someone making noise in the area. we have spots we will stop by. check in with the communities. the team helped to recover a mobility scooter after it was stolen. but she and her neighbour annie say they still do not feel safe. two weeks later, i got it back. the police done marvellous. these community patrols which target antisocial behaviour hotspots will now be rolled out across all 43 forces in england and wales. we will walk around, foot patrol, it brings faith in that community, which is what is happening here. we have a lot of people happy to come and speak to us.

they say the intervention is working with incidents in this part of blackpoole down by one third year—on—year. one of the challenges of antisocial behaviour is that some of it is not classed as criminal, and some victims feel they are not getting enough support. in west lancashire, ian spent months making detailed records of his neighbour�*s verbal abuse to pass on to police and the council. i hear "shut up, shut up." i have been told i am rotten. i am being told i should be burnt alive. ian�*s elderly neighbour is convinced he is running loud washing machines from inside his house and she shouts and bangs on the wall all hours of the day and night to complain. the police investigate and visit and decide it is not a criminal act so they walk away and say it is for the council to respond and the council say this is a police matter. it is not malicious on her part, it is just her age and her health. 80% of victims of antisocial behaviour were told the incidents cannot be classed as crimes.

that�*s according to the charity victim support, they want this group to be recognised under the new victims and prisoners bill so they have certain rights. while ian feels he has fallen through the cracks, the government is hoping the roll—out of more schemes like this one in blackpool will go some way to making people in other communities feel safer. highfive? eleanor lawrie, bbc news. police officers, firefighters and other public servants who die in the line of duty are now eligible for a new honour. the elizabeth emblem is the civilian equivalent of the elizabeth cross, which recognises members of the uk armed forces who die in action or as a result of a terrorist attack. the honour is the result of years of campaigning by bryn hughes and paul bone, whose daughters, both police officers, were murdered in 2012. our reporter abi smitton has more. why was its local mp jo cox shot and stabbed?

doing what they dread, - investigating the death of one of their own. more than 100 nhs and care staff have now died with the coronavirus. they dedicated themselves to public service and all lost their lives doing their duty. now, their families will be able to celebrate them with a posthumous award. the elizabeth emblem comes after years of campaigning from bryn hughes. i am absolutely overwhelmed, fantastic, elated. humbled. all those rolled into one. hard to sum it up and describe it in one word. it is a massive achievement for everybody involved. his daughter, pc nicola hughes, was murdered in 2012 while attending a burglary. two years ago, he set out his vision of an award for the families of emergency services workers killed in the line of duty. that is important for me, really important that they are honoured and remembered. now his dream has become a reality. notjust for blue light services

but all public sector workers. once you see their reactions, i think that will bring it home. like you said, the magnitude of it. that is a sense of achievement as well. the elizabeth emblem will be open to families of public—sector workers across the uk, local council and in british overseas territories. it will apply to anyone who lost their life since 1948. each elizabeth emblem will be inscribed with the poignant phrase "for a life given in service". it has been backed by the king and pays tribute to the late queen. this emblem will bear the name of her late majesty queen elizabeth. we think of the decades of public service she gave our nation. it is only fitting that our tribute to public servants who have lost their lives in the line of duty should bear her name. paul bone, whose daughter fiona died alongside nicola, will be one of the first to apply.

the circumstances of wearing it will remind me of her loss. i think on the next remembrance sunday, i will be wearing it. families can apply online through the government website from today. abi smitton, bbc news. the duchess of sussex has criticised the "seemingly endless toxicity" of social media, revealing she was targeted with "bullying and abuse" while pregnant with her and prince harry�*s two children. meghan was the keynote speaker on a panel marking international women�*s day at the south by south west festival in texas. she said she now keeps her distance from such comments for her wellbeing, saying people in certain parts of the media and online spaces have "forgotten our humanity". the bulk of the bullying i was receiving was online

when i was pregnant with archie and lily and to really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful, it is not catty, it is cruel. now, one couple in the uk made the decision that there would be no church bells at their wedding, but rather the blaring two—tone horn of an intercity train to wales. yes... leah anderson and vince smith — now mr and mrs smith — met and had their first kiss on a train. so, what better place to get married? our correspondent frances read met them as they finally boarded the love train. right on time at paddington station, this is the non—stop service to matrimony via cardiff. leah is getting married on board and most of herfamily worked on the railways — her dad and her grandfather. but it is also where love blossomed for her and her husband—to—be.

perfect, thank you. the first time we saw each other was on a great western railway train, and then we ended up spending hours and hours together that day and we got the last train back. which is when we had our first kiss as well. that was quite romantic. no delays for this train. and platform one, the perfect entrance for this bride. within moments, they�*re all aboard. it is the exchange of rings in first—class and then somewhere heading out of london, married. cheering. finally into cardiff to let the family off. it has been a big day. it has been so overwhelming. i am lost for words, really. we need to let it sink in. when it is finished, it will sink in finally. it has been nothing but amazing. the bride and groom continue

on to swansea to start their happily—ever—after. frances read, bbc news. love that. it�*s day three of the international dog show crufts. thousands of dogs are competing to become the best in show. on the agenda today is more heelwork, a jumping competition and a golden retriever display. rachel mcadam has more. # one, two, three...# we�*re now halfway through the world�*s biggest dog show. we�*re all set. more than 18,000 competitors flocked to birmingham on thursday for crufts — the four—day long show that attracts owners from across the globe. on sunday, one dog will be crowned best in show. but before that, the dogs will take part in a variety of challenges and presentations in a bid to take home the trophy. crufts was first organised by dog lover charles cruft in 1891,

making the event older than the modern olympics. it originally started as just a show for terriers, but today, dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds take part — from schnauzers to dalmatians, retrievers to poodles. over the first couple of days, the dogs have been taking part injumping and agility tasks, as well as freestyle heel work and obedience challenges. some very well—behaved pups were from the west midlands police. they made an appearance on friday. there are more than 200 breeds taking part of this year, some more high maintenance than others, but they�*ll be putting their best paw forward until the winner is crowned on sunday. rachel mcadam, bbc news. now it�*s time for a look at the weather. here is ben rich.

good afternoon. it is not the most inspiring weekend of weather overall. there are some brighter spots. this was how it looked earlier on for a weather watcher in kent. but for many more places it is pretty cloudy. we�*ve got some rain around. it�*s all driven by a big area of low pressure to the south of us. this swirl of cloud on the satellite picture. we�*re on the northern flank of the low and that means we�*ve got quite a strong easterly wind blowing across the uk today. where you�*re exposed to that wind, particularly for some of these north sea coasts where it stays cloudy, but it is going to feel decidedly cool. there�*ll be some bits and pieces of rain in the mix, perhaps most especially across the south west of england by the end of the afternoon. limited, bright or sunny spells, generally quite a lot of cloud. and as we head through this evening and tonight, the winds will ease a little bit across the south, but it will stay blustery across the northern half of the uk, will see extensive cloud. we�*ll see some outbreaks of slightly heavier rain pushing northwards across england and wales and generally speaking, temperatures holding between five and nine degrees. now tomorrow, low pressure

will still be with us but this low tending to weaken, tending to fill. so the winds easing across southern parts. it does stay blustery across northern parts. again, there�*s going to be a lot of cloud. in fact, if anything, more cloud for many areas than we�*ve had today and more rain as well across many parts of england, wales, some rain into northern ireland and scotland, maybe holding onto some brightness in northwest scotland. perhaps something brighter into the south west of england and some sunshine for the channel islands. the strongest winds for sunday across northern areas and again exposed to that wind, aberdeen, for example, just 6 degrees celsius. further south and west, london, plymouth, cardiff, 11 or 12 degrees. now into monday, that easterly wind continues to ease, but we�*ll keep a lot of cloud. there�*ll be some bits and pieces of rain here and there. quite a lot of dry weather, too. temperatures again between six and 11 degrees. but there is a change on the way later in the week because we�*ll start to see areas of low pressure pushing in from the atlantic and that will change the wind direction.

we will lose the easterly wind and pick up more of a south or south—westerly wind and that will bring a milder feel to proceedings. so temperatures, if anything, climbing as we head through the middle and the end of the week. but don�*t expect blue skies and sunshine all the time. they�*ll still be some cloud and rain at times.

live from london. this is bbc news. the european union says a maritime aid corridor from cyprus to gaza could begin operating within hours. the first vessel is being loaded now. armed men abduct another group of students from a school in northern nigeria. the army is already looking for more than 200 children kidnapped on thursday. in a major defeat for ireland�*s government, voters reject two referendum proposals concerning families and women. and new life is springing from the sycamore gap tree. seedlings from the famously felled tree are starting to grow. hello, i�*m nicky schiller.