this is the world today. the headlines: the prime minister resists calls to return a tory donor's money after comments about diane abbott. the us house of representatives backs a bill that would outlaw tiktok in the us unless it splits with its chinese owner, bytedance. foreign states will face a ban on owning british newspapers under a new law amid concern over a gulf—backed bid to take over the telegraph. the world's largest trees, believe it or not, are flourishing here in the uk and outnumber those found in their native range in california. and choral music — the beautiful sounds from the sea that could save our coral reefs. let's start with tiktok.

the us house of representatives has passed a bill that would require the tiktok owner bytedance to sell its stake in the social media platform or face a total ban in the country. during the debate, lawmakers repeatedly said that tiktok has links to the chinese communist party — something denied by both tiktok and bytedance. party — something denied by both let's hear some of the debate in congress. our intention is for tiktok to continue to operate, but not under the control of the chinese communist party. i want to emphasise — this bill does not ban tiktok. it simply would require the chinese communist party—affiliated bytedance to sell tiktok and divest their interests. live to washington and our correspondent nomia iqbal. nomia, given what has happened, how likely is it that tiktok will be banned in the us?i likely is it that tiktok will be banned in the us?— likely is it that tiktok will be banned in the us? i would be staggered — banned in the us? i would be staggered if _ banned in the us? i would be staggered if tiktok _ banned in the us? i would be staggered if tiktok was - banned in the us? i would be i staggered if tiktok was banned banned in the us? i would be - staggered if tiktok was banned for someone state, the state of montana, banned it, but it was blocked by a federaljudge. the next step now will be four to go through the senate, where senators appear to be

undivided on the whole issue, and is a —— the senate majority leader chuck schumer is uncommitted to holding a floor vote, schumer is uncommitted to holding a floorvote, but schumer is uncommitted to holding a floor vote, but the other thing to take into account is the reaction of tiktok users. just to give you a sense of that, i was outside the white house and i spoke to young people would come out and protested, and two of them said to me that banning tiktok would notjust be about losing a platform where they go to enjoy themselves, it is where the businesses are, where their livelihoods are, and it is more than just an app where you sing and dance and whatever are the preconception people have of it. they both also said to me that this would be an issue for them in the election. and it is interesting because although president biden said if it does pass in the senate he will make it law, he is alsojoint —— has also joined tiktok recently. donald trump, who spearheaded the whole movement to ban tiktok, has

flip flop and said, actually, we don't want to alienate young people so we are moving into the general election campaign, and i thick there is a sense that this could alienate young voters, but we'll see if it does get to the senate, but as i say, at the moment, it is not looking likely it will get that far. nomia, thank you very much indeed. the british government says it's planning to bring forward a change in the law to prevent the ownership of uk newspapers and magazines by a foreign state. the move follows concern about the potential takeover of the daily telegraph and spectator by a group backed by the united arab emirates. with more on this, our business editor simonjack is in the newsroom. why is this happening now? i think it is important _ why is this happening now? i think it is important to _ why is this happening now? i think it is important to understand - why is this happening now? i think it is important to understand that i it is important to understand that the telegraph and spectator magazines are enormously influential on the right—hand side of british politics, and what happened was a vehicle, setting my present bankroll

by the owner manchester city, paid off the previous owner's that's and was about to take control of these titles when the government intervened and said, hang on, we are not sure about this —— 75%. the vehicle said, we are not a foreign power, with our nick vigil investment, a passive investor, no intention of getting involved editorially, we will have a uk holding company, but the regulators are looking at it and they report came in earlier this week, so this move now seems to supersede that and set the benchmark very low. any kind of influence a foreign government, not individuals — lots of individuals have owned newspapers here and abroad before — but a foreign state, they are saying, is not right, and there's pretty broad political support for that. the deal in its current form is effectively dead. i5 in its current form is effectively dead. , ., in its current form is effectively dead. , ., ., ., dead. is it a good thing for a british company, _ dead. is it a good thing for a british company, in - dead. is it a good thing for a british company, in terms i british company, in terms of business, not to be owned by foreign

state? it’s business, not to be owned by foreign state? �* , , state? it's quite interesting. i think what — state? it's quite interesting. i think what is... _ state? it's quite interesting. i think what is... the _ state? it's quite interesting. i think what is... the uae - state? it's quite interesting. i think what is... the uae and | state? it's quite interesting. i- think what is... the uae and other gulf states have become very, very good friends of the uk and big investors in wind farms, science parks. they're very, very important economic allies. but what the message seems to be is while we welcome all of that with open arms, keep your hands off our press, because they are saying that the role of the press is to hold governments to account, and having a foreign government own a newspaper which is meant to do that does not quite pass muster, and i think there is pretty broad political support for that position. qm. is pretty broad political support for that position.— is pretty broad political support for that position. 0k, simon jack, thank ou for that position. 0k, simon jack, thank you very — for that position. 0k, simon jack, thank you very much. _ lithuania has blamed moscow for attacking a close aide to the late russian opposition figure alexei navalny, calling it a pre—planned assault. this is leonid volkov, a long—time ally of mr navalny. he was assaulted while in his car in the lithuanian capital vilnius on tuesday night.

he was left with a broken arm and covered in blood. in a tweet, navalny�*s team said he'd been attacked outside his house. someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker began hitting him with a hammer. mr volkov has released a video message urging russians to continue the struggle against president putin. translation: thank you very much for your words of support. _ it's a bit tough, but never mind. we'll get over it. i was pleased to read what you had written to me. even more so because while i was reading, i knew i was still alive. they wanted to make me into a schnitzel with a meat hammer right outside my house, in the yard. the attacker hit me 15 times in my leg. surprisingly, the leg is still in one piece. it is difficult to walk, but apparently the leg is not broken. my arm has been broken instead. oh, well, i'll live. the most important thing is we will continue working and we will not surrender. i am not ready to make any comments except for this.

it was another obvious, typical, classic gangster hello from putin, from the gangster petersburg. vladimir vladimirovich, hello to you, too. what else can i say? continue working against putin. that's what needs to be done. let's go on. let's get more details from our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford. he's made a direct link between the brutal attack that he suffered last night with a meat hammer outside his house in vilnius with his political activism. he said it was a gangster greeting from vladimir putin, from bandit st petersburg, so he was not mincing his words at all, as you might expect from a very close aide to alexei navalny. that, though, has been backed up to a considerable extent by the lithuanian president, who has also said that he links what has happened to leonid volkov directly to moscow. he said it was a planned attack. he said it was in line with recent events in lithuania. but he also said, as well as stating that this attack would be investigated fully and he hoped

that those responsible would be found there would be punished, he also said that he had a message —— found and would be punished, he also said that he had a message for vladimir putin — and that message was that nobody in lithuania is afraid of mr putin. but i have to say that this attack will have worried alexei navalny�*s team. most of them, many of them had moved to lithuania in recent years for safety because it wasn't safe to operate in russia any more. so they wanted to carry on their political activism outside the country, and lithuania is where they've chosen and, of course, such an attack like this outside volkov�*s home, where he would have thought he was safe, will be extremely worrying and, of course, is just weeks after alexei navalny himself died in a russian prison. ina in a separate development vladimir putin says russia will deploy troops and stray systems near the border of finland and sweden which have now joined nato. an interview with russian state television, mr putin singled out neighbouring finland,

saying his alliance was at odds with its own interest. take a listen. translation:— its own interest. take a listen. translation: ~ , , , translation: why they needed this, i frankl don't translation: why they needed this, i frankly don't understand. _ translation: why they needed this, i frankly don't understand. there's - frankly don't understand. there's absolutely meaningless step from the point of view of ensuring their own national interests. but nevertheless it is up to them to decide. that's what they decided. we didn't have troops there, now they will be there. there were no systems of destruction there, now they will appear. so why? the finished by minister denied mr putin's claims, saying rush under his leadership posed an saying rush under his leadership hose ., ., saying rush under his leadership nrose ., ., u ., ., saying rush under his leadership hose ., ., .. ., ., ., posed an accidental threat to western countries. _ posed an accidental threat to western countries. -- - posed an accidental threat to | western countries. -- russia. posed an accidental threat to - western countries. -- russia. the western countries. —— russia. the membership of nato means the alliance's border with nato has more than doubled. let's hear now from finland's prime minister.— finland's prime minister. russia is evidently preparing _ finland's prime minister. russia is evidently preparing for— finland's prime minister. russia is evidently preparing for a _ finland's prime minister. russia is evidently preparing for a long - evidently preparing for a long conflict — evidently preparing for a long conflict with the west. it

represents a permanent and existential military threat to europe _ existential military threat to europe. if we as united europe failed — europe. if we as united europe failed to— europe. if we as united europe failed to respond sufficiently to this challenge, the coming years will he _ this challenge, the coming years will be filled with danger and the looming — will be filled with danger and the looming threat of attack. still to come on the world today: we find out why giant redwoods — the biggest trees on the planet — are thriving in the uk. and the former spice girl mel b tells us about how her life changed after she left an alleged abusive marriage and moved back in with her mum in leeds. around the world and across the uk, this is the world today on bbc news. bbc news — bringing you different stories from across the uk. - life on the road — sleeping under the stars, waking up to birdsong. for luke, though, being a van dweller is simply down to bristol's housing crisis. circumstances, cost of living — like, rent in bristol is insane. like, i pay £70 a month

to live in this. now, according to the city council, the numbers of people living in vans and caravans in the city has gone from 150 pre—pandemic to around 600 today. but unless the council considers an encampment to have a high impact on residents, they won't take enforcement action. last year, people living on the roadside in east bristol were moved on after the council obtained an injunction following a glut of complaints. with the cost—of—living crisis showing little sign of easing, it's unlikely bristol's van dwellers will be hitting the road any time soon. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. - she rose to internationalfame as one of the spice girls, but despite selling millions of records and making millions of pounds, the singer mel b later found herself struggling financially and living back with her mother in a bungalow in leeds.

she says she's now left an abusive relationship and is hoping to use her experience to help others. she spoke to charlotte gallagher. mel b made millions from the spice girls. but a few years ago, after leaving an abusive marriage, she was left with almost nothing and had to move in with her mum in leeds. her ex denies the allegations. it's embarrassing. it's shameful. i'm all about girl power. yet look at what i'm just leaving, which is a complete girl—powerless situation. i was doing a spice girls tour in 2019 here. then i lived with my mum because i wasn'tjust emotionally and physically abused, it was all the financial abuse too. i didn't realise that i didn't actually have enough, as much money as i thought i had. obviously, any situation is better than being with your abuser, but when you've left that kind of abusive situation, you have to... it's like starting all over again. has it helped, moving back to leeds?

definitely. i mean, my mum is one of seven, so i'm surrounded by friends, family, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, the whole nine yards. ijust put my head down and worked and lived frugally and hence i've been able to buy my own house. but this is like five, six, seven years on when i didn't really have much. so you were saying you're shopping at aldi? yeah, i still love shopping in aldi and lidl. i don't think i'm ever going to stop doing that. you're still so leeds! yeah, i'm still leeds. i'm still a leeds girl at the end of the day. a big part of mel's life now is campaigning on behalf of other domestic violence survivors as the patron of women's aid. ijust bring awareness and i talk about abuse and i talk about what i've been through. and i'm the voice of all the other survivors out there that don't have a voice, that can't be heard or can't get their point across, especially when it comes to things like trying to change the justice system and trying to enforce more laws that are more supportive towards people that are coming out

of an abusive situation. it's now 30 years since the spice girls first auditioned. and if you're sat with one of them, well, you have to ask this. do you think there's the will in the group to get back together as a five? i think there always has been. there always is, yeah. it's just a case of logistically getting it going. and you're still friends, you've still got your whatsapp group? and you still support each other. victoria beckham's doing your wedding dress? well, yeah, i might have a few wedding dresses! i haven't decided yet, but she's said yeah, she'd love to. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. endangered giant redwoods — the world's largest trees — are thriving in the uk. native to california, they were brought here research shows that the trees, which can reach heights of by the victorians and there are now 5,000 of them.

research shows that the trees, which can reach heights of 90 metres, are significantly contributing to reducing carbon emissions. let's speak to simon toomer, kew gardens' curator of living collections. simon, so good to talk to you. is this a good thing? because these trees are really big. is there not a worry they will take over the biodiversity in the uk, or is that not going to happen? i biodiversity in the uk, or is that not going to happen?— biodiversity in the uk, or is that not going to happen? i don't think so. not going to happen? i don't think so- although _ not going to happen? i don't think so. although they _ not going to happen? i don't think so. although they are _ not going to happen? i don't think so. although they are very - not going to happen? i don't think so. although they are very big, i not going to happen? i don't think l so. although they are very big, they still only represent quite a small proportion of the trees we have in this country stub and they tend to be concentrated in our parklands, our urban areas, rather than our woodlands, although they have been used as a forestry tree as well, but i don't think they are in any danger of taking over, certainly not. so why are they doing so well here in the uk? native to california, you would not think they would thrive here, and yet they are? thea;r would not think they would thrive here, and yet they are? they come from the more _ here, and yet they are? they come from the more mention _ here, and yet they are? they come from the more mention his - here, and yet they are? they come from the more mention his parts, i from the more mention his parts, and the sierra nevada of california, rather than the coast and they do seem to enjoy our relatively mild climate and moist climate, they do

like a lot of rain, and they certainly seem to adapt well to our climate in the uk.— climate in the uk. what is it about them that is _ climate in the uk. what is it about them that is so _ climate in the uk. what is it about them that is so amazing _ climate in the uk. what is it about them that is so amazing other- climate in the uk. what is it about| them that is so amazing other than just their height? it them that is so amazing other than just their height?— just their height? it is their sheer size, as just their height? it is their sheer size. as well _ just their height? it is their sheer size, as well as _ just their height? it is their sheer size, as well as their _ just their height? it is their sheer size, as well as their height. - size, as well as their height. they're not quite as tall as the coast redwoods, but in terms of their overall mass, their real size, they are thought to be the biggest living plans that are occupied earth, and it is also the rate of growth. they can carry on growing and really fast rate for hundreds and really fast rate for hundreds and hundreds of years. some of the trees are estimated to be 2000 years old. to their absolute, absolutely colossal organisms. if i old. to their absolute, absolutely colossal organisms.— old. to their absolute, absolutely colossal organisms. if i wanted to no and colossal organisms. if i wanted to go and see _ colossal organisms. if i wanted to go and see one — colossal organisms. if i wanted to go and see one tomorrow, - colossal organisms. if i wanted to go and see one tomorrow, where | colossal organisms. if i wanted to - go and see one tomorrow, where would you suggest i go? go and see one tomorrow, where would you suggest i go?— you suggest i go? there's all sorts of laces. you suggest i go? there's all sorts of places- at _ you suggest i go? there's all sorts of places. at kew— you suggest i go? there's all sorts of places. at kew gardens, - you suggest i go? there's all sorts of places. at kew gardens, we - you suggest i go? there's all sorts. of places. at kew gardens, we have our second regarding at we cursed, and people can go and see them growing well there, but many parklands and particularly you mentioned the victorians were very keen on collecting them in the mid—19th century, and at that time,

when they were very novel, they were something that was really aspire to buy particular effluent landowners who wanted to plant them in their grand estates, so many of the victorian estates and parklands around the uk have giant redwoods. that's my weekend sewn up, thank you very much indeed! simon toomerfrom kew gardens. could an underwater chorus hold the key to saving our coral reefs? take a listen to this. kind of sounds like a sizzling sausage, doesn't it, right? these pops and crackles are the sound of healthy, thriving coral reefs. they are a mix of fish and other organisms. scientists have found that recording these sounds and replaying them in areas of decline encourages larvae to settle there, helping the reef to regenerate. earlier, we heard from nadege aoki, one of the scientists who discovered this. i asked her how these sounds inspire coral reefs

to rejuvenate themselves. the sound that you mentioned sounds like bacon is actually the noise made by shrimp on the reef that are snapping their claws. and in addition to that and the sounds made by all kinds of fish and other animals, it actually creates this really thriving soundscape for animals to listen to and respond to. how did you find out that that sound does what it does, that it inspires and helps regeneration? so along with other scientists around the world, we've been listening to these reefs for, in our lab, over a decade, in other places just as long, and we've observed that there are these differences between the sounds you have on reefs there are these differences between the sounds you have on healthy reefs and then the sounds you have on more impacted or degraded reefs. and that has led to other studies that have shown larval fish specifically and some other species respond to this sound, and that had made us really curious about,

"what are these invertebrates that are so critical to the reef, the actual corals, those animals, how the sound is impacting them?" why are coral reefs so important for our biosystem? so, reefs provide habitat for close to a quarter of all marine species, so they are these really critical hubs of biodiversity. and they also are billion—dollar industries for humans as far as the tourism and fisheries that they provide to us, and they also protect our coastal communities by way of their 3d structure which absorbs energy from storm surges. absolutely amazing. it's been quite an exciting day for pope francis. as christians across the globe observe lent, the period leading up to easter, his holiness has been travelling around the vatican in the popemobile. here he is waving to the public until disaster! where has that gone. his hat flies off into the distance.

if you're interested to know, the pope's skullcap is actually called a "zucchetto". but don't worry, everyone — all�*s well. a kind member of the public was able to retrieve the cap and hand it back to its rightful owner. the singer lenny kravitz has unveiled his star on hollywood's walk of fame. the star who was a four—time grammy award winner was joined in the ceremony by his daughter, the actor lily kravitz, andy actor denzel washington. he has been nominated also for 2024 rock and roll hall of fame — a good year for him, have a listen. i and roll hall of fame - a good year for him, have a listen.— for him, have a listen. i used to walk these very _ for him, have a listen. i used to walk these very streets - for him, have a listen. i used toj walk these very streets because for him, have a listen. i used to - walk these very streets because the action in the grid i was missing in new york was right here in hollywood. as a teenager i spent a lot of time walking up and down hollywood boulevard, saying the names of all my idols. i never jumped about having a star. i was usuallyjust jumped about having a star. i was usually just looking for jumped about having a star. i was usuallyjust looking for a place to crash. —— never dreamt about. the headteacher of a school in southampton has apologised to parents over the state of the school meals

their children are being served. in a letter, jason ashley wrote, "how difficult is it to bake a potato?", as he admitted that the meals served in the school canteen were "completely unacceptable". zoe conway reports. the daily diet at redbridge community school — the headteacher so disgusted, he shared this image on social media. if it looks unappetising, pupils say it tastes worse. i taste more fork and cardboard than the actual food, so, like, i feel like if ijust put some, like, salt and pepper on this fork, i would enjoy it more. it's got about the texture of rubber. it's cold. i won't even say it's warm. and, yeah, the potato, like... what did you get, two potatoes? rock—solid on that side. some kids, they don't get... they might not have enough money to get, like, a proper meal when they go home. so they're relying on this meal to keep them going throughout the day. in a letter to parents, headteacherjason ashley said he wouldn't allow his own children to eat it. the school says it's had numerous meetings with the caterers

to try to improve the menu. it's sad, actually, people have to witness, too, and it's something that morally, that we're now obliged to draw attention to. i mean, when you've got students coming up to us at break times and saying that the fork with some seasoning would be more edible than what they're eating, that's a kind of a sad state of affairs. the caterer, chartwells, has apologised, saying it's committed to working with the school and implementing an action plan. i'm going home hungry. zoe conway, bbc news. the welsh rugby star george north has announced he'll retire from international rugby union after the final six nations match this weekend. the 31—year—old says retiring is not a decision he has made easily. here's patrick gearey.

and north coming in, north still going! - oh, and george north all the way! what a try for george north! for the best part of a decade and a half, whenever welsh rugby needed direction, they could always find north. 47 tries, 121 caps — george north's wales career has hurtled along like a freight train. now he's decided this weekend will be the final stop. i don't think anyone can ever doubt what i've offered up, and... sorry. it's dusty in here, isn't it? for me, it's been the dream, and in my heart, i know it's the right time for me to step away. it's passed in a blur. the two tries on his debut against south africa, the first british and irish lions tour where he carried all before him, the two grand slams with wales, the appearances in four world cups. there have also been

injuries and concussions, as well as the sheer weight of being a welsh great. well, you don't greet many players of his size and pace in wales, so when he came along, he was like a breath of fresh air. and to stay that long and being that physical player that he is, you know, just shows what a true professional he has been. george north is not retiring completely. he will play club rugby in france next season, and wales fans will get to see him one last time against italy on saturday. as ever, don't blink or you'll miss him. patrick gearey, bbc news. and amazing career. now meet terry "turbo" burrows. he first broke the world record in window cleaning speed in 1995 here's how the action unfolded in manchester today. i've held the world record now for some 29 years. i've taken ten guinness world records. i think it's, like, an unsung sport, really. i would like you to welcome terry's daughter aliscia, who's going to have a go

at the women's world record. you ready, aliscia ? yeah. three, two, one, go! my daughter, when she picks up the squeegee, she's like a natural. it's like i'm almost watching myself. they say, "oh, it's in your genes," and it really is. aliscia hasjust beaten the women's world... applause i feel quite chuffed - i've done it, to be fair. we really have made history today. you know, father and daughter holding similar records, that's never going to get repeated ever. never. there you go. that's the movement, isn't it? very easy. looks more like a dance. this is the world today. goodbye. hello, thanks forjoining me. it's been quite a cloudy day

across most of the uk today, some rain too, but it's been mild. and if anything, the temperatures are expected to rise a little further as we head into thursday — quite breezy too, particularly in scotland. we've had some gales here. anyway, here's the satellite picture, and you can see the rain—bearing clouds streaming across the uk. that cloud produced the heavier rain around snowdonia, the north—west of england. and through the course of the evening, the weather front will be moving northwards. so where we had the clearer skies in the north, well, it's going to turn cloudy through the night. the outbreaks of rain will reach northern ireland, parts of southern scotland, too. but to the north, it will stay clear and chilly. so northern scotland, only around five degrees underneath the clear skies. further south, it's closer to about 8—10 celsius, and of course, we've got that rain, too. so let's have a look at the forecast for thursday — mild south—westerlies, that rain continues to make its journey northward, so quite a soggy picture here in scotland. 0ut towards the west, we've got showers, and given some lengthy spells of sunshine, which are just about possible

across eastern england, east anglia and the south—east, well, temperatures here could reach 16 or even 17 degrees celsius. and then through tomorrow evening, it's a case of hit—and—miss showers across england and wales, but more wet and more, i think, substantial rain there for northern ireland and also scotland. that takes us into friday. as this low pressure pulls away towards the east, on its western flank here, we have winds coming in from the norwegian sea. so it's slightly colder air. if you look at the arrows, blowing in from the north, so that cooler air sliding across the uk, the temperatures will take a bit of a dip. single figures, i think, typically for scotland, for the north of england, but still relatively mild in east anglia — i4. and i think there'll be some showers around too, but also some decent spells of sunshine. and then friday night into saturday, it's going to be pretty cold. a frost will develop, and i suspect in some spots out of town, temperatures could be as low as —4 celsius early on saturday morning. that's not going to last very long. that sun is strong now this time of the year.

here's the outlook, then, from thursday onwards — it's a bit of a mixed bag. rain at times, a bit of sunshine, but actually staying relatively mild for most of us. bye— bye.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.

the prime minister said that this man's alleged comments were racist and wrong. and you say if the same man wanted to give another £10 million today for the conservative party you would take the money? that's right. i understand the situation, yes. what racist woman hating threat of violence would he have to make before the prime minister plucked up the courage to hand back the £10 million that he is taken from him? the gentleman apologised genuinely for his comment. and that remorse should be accepted. she describes frank hester his remarks as a textbook definition of racism and sexism. pressure grows on rishi sunak to hand back the money given by the tory party donor embroiled in a racism row. the mp who was targeted — diane abbott — stood up 30 times in the commons this

afternoon, and 30 times was ignored by the speaker.