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tv   BBC News  BBC News  March 30, 2024 9:00pm-10:01pm GMT

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needed aid to the people of gaza. a warning that a year of civil war in sudan has left millions of people facing imminent famine. political leaders promise stability in northern ireland won't be affected by the arrest and resignation of the dup leader. and the pop—star lizzo says she's quitting because she's fed up with being targeted for her looks and character online. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon, unifil, says three of its observers and a translator were injured in an explosion near the israeli border. it said the peacekeepers were on a foot patrol when the blast happened and they've been taken to hospital.
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the un said it was investigating the cause of the explosion, and warned the targeting of observers was unacceptable. israel has denied any involvement. andrea tenenti, a spokesperson for the united nations interim force in lebanon, explained more about the investigation. three ogl observers, military observers, unarmed, were in the area together with their language assistants and they were injured. luckily they are stable at the moment, so we have launched an investigation to look into this incident and into the explosions. i know there are a lot of speculations at the moment, but in relation to what we do as an organisation, we need to verify the information through our own investigations. so i hope we will be able to find out more shortly. we have been in touch with everyone, with both sides, and we have been in touch even when we are doing patrolling. we informed the parties that we are going to different locations.
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and unifil, we are very visible, we have white vehicles with the un written on it, big blue flags. so very difficult to think that we are somebody else. so we have been informing the parties, we are working with them and we are coordinating also during this investigation. in recent days we have seen more lethal targeting, and this of course is worrying. and this can create a scope for miscalculation, escalation can create miscalculation that could not be controlled and open for a wider conflict. and no—one wants it, because a wider conflict would not only be between lebanon and israel, it would be a regional conflict. that is why it is important for the parties to understand that, cease the fire, and to think about the political and diplomatic solution. andrea tenenti, spokesperson for the united nations interim force in lebanon.
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a convoy carrying hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian supplies to the gaza strip has set sailfrom cyprus. the vessels are towing a platform loaded with 400 tonnes of supplies. aid agencies have warned that people in gaza are on the brink of famine. meanwhile international aid drops by air are continuing in a bid to relieve the plight of people in gaza. our middle east correspondent, lucy williamson, was onboard a us military flight dropping crates of aid — and sent this report. aid drops into gaza are expensive, inefficient, and increasingly controversial. these ready prepared meals from the us army are being flown more than 1,000 miles from a us airbase in qatar. there's plenty of food just a short drive from gaza's borders, but this american aid is being flown right across the middle east. 80 crates of food on board two c—i7 transport planes, dropped into a population the un says is on the brink of famine. it's not perfect.
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we know that there's upwards of two million people who need food on the ground, who are hungry, innocent civilians who didn't ask for this conflict, and we are dropping meals in the tens of thousands, but at least it's something. so does it feel like a drop in the bucket? maybe a little bit, but if you're a family on the ground who got some of this aid, it can be a life—saver. 12 people were reported to have drowned this week trying to retrieve packages from the sea. six others crushed in a stampede. what are you doing to try and mitigate those risks? literally everything we can. so i know you spoke with the colonel earlier. we use a chute that falls at a slower rate to give the gazans more time to see the parachutes and make sure that they are out of the way. we also have assets overhead that clear the drop zone, so we will not drop if there's any sort of groupings of people there. after three hours in the air, the ramp opens on gaza's devastated coastline. theyjust opened the hatch ready to release the aid down into gaza. there's no organised
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distribution system down there. there it goes. a drop of aid in an ocean of hunger. getting aid in this way is a last resort, but a growing number of countries are doing it. how much do these eye—catching flights relieve pressure on gaza's civilians, and how much the pressure on governments elsewhere? lucy williamson, bbc news, qatar. the israeli military say they're investigating the killing of a palestinian boy during a raid by israeli soldiers in the occupied west bank. the 13—year—old was shot in the town of qabatiya nearjenin. the israeli military said several palestinian gunmen had shot at its troops, who returned fire. northern ireland's deputy first minister, emma little—pengelly, has said she's determined to provide stability at stormont
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after the resignation of her party leader yesterday. sirjeffrey donaldson stood down from his position from the democratic unionists after being accused of rape and historical sexual offences. he says he'll strenuously contest the charges. for the latest developments, i spoke to our ireland reporter, jennifer 0'leary, who is in belfast. there's a number of developments today concerning, as you rightly described, a significant story in northern ireland. let me bring you first of all a statement from the police service of northern ireland, issued earlier today, where they warned social media users against speculation about the story, adding that victims of such crimes are entitled to complete anonymity by law unless they choose to waive that themselves. the police added in their statement that those who breach that anonymity online or in media
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will face investigation. it is unusual here for the police to issue such a warning, and it is an indication of a political story. there are also legal implications that have to be respected. but there were also political developments in this story today. the deputy first minister emma little—pengelly, she herself is a dup representative. now, the dup is the democratic unionist party. they are northern ireland's largest unionist party. the detail is in the name. they are concentrating their focus on maintaining northern ireland's place in the union of the united kingdom. now, they are northern ireland's biggest unionist party. in the last assembly election
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they received approximately under one quarter of the total electoral votes so a significant force in northern irish politics. and sirjeffrey donaldson, who resigned yesterday, was seen, if you like, as the de facto leader of unionism here in northern ireland. so, emma little—pengelly today as deputy first minister issued a statement on social media. what was very interesting was she had focused in part of her statement saying she is determined to ensure political stability in the days ahead. now, political stability is an important expression, and certainly the tone of that statement today certainly chimes with what the first minister michelle 0'neill was saying yesterday, in terms of the theme of the need for political stability here because as many would see it, nobody is keen to see
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a political crisis anytime soon back in stormont. that was the bbc�*s jennifer 0'leary reporting there. now, let's look at the situation in sudan. global food experts have warned that a year of civil war in sudan and a failure to deliver aid have left millions of people facing imminent famine. a un—backed food authority, the ipc, says there must be a ceasefire and immediate action, to avoid widespread death. children underfive are most at risk. mohamed gamal is a spokesperson for the world food programme in sudan. he explained the scale of the emergency. it is unimaginable. we have nearly 18 million people who are severely food insecure. 5 million of these are in an emergency situation. sadly, around 90% of those are in areas that are inaccessible
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to humanitarian actors. that is the major problem we are facing. not only that, but sudan is currently witnessing the largest displacement crisis in the world. and the problem is that most of the people who flee the conflict areas are going to countries that are already suffering. these are south sudan and chad, for example. i spoke to africa security correspondent ian wafula for more on the crisis. the united nations actually said the situation is like nothing they've seen before. they say this is the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history. i've come across a report that say children are actually dying of hunger, old people and sick people cannot access medication, and that's just the tip of the iceberg, so to say. when you look at the numbers,
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last year when the un was calling for all international parties to kind of contribute money towards humanitarian situation, they said 25 million people are in need of aid. and when you look at the scale of how many people have been affected since the war began nearly a year ago, we are talking more than 30,000 people who have died and nearly 8 million others who have been displaced. as the war continues the situation continues to be worse. 90 million children are out of school, and the un and other agencies are concerned the effects of this war can be felt for years to come. one of the world's biggest humanitarian crisis. what is making it even more difficult is that both sides are being accused of blocking access to humanitarian organisations. this is right. in fact, some humanitarian organisations are describing this
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as both sides using food as a weapon of war. they say — the rsf, the paramilitary group, the rapid support forces, as well as the army — said one of the main reasons they are stopping aid from flowing into areas controlled by their rivals is because of suspicion these routes or these convoys are being used to transport weapons contributing to the success of their rivals. another reason, we are also seeing for instance port sudan controlled by the army. humanitarian organisations have been lamenting that there have been bureaucratic processes. for instance, a convoy that needs to be cleared from port sudan, which is under the control of the army, needs about five stamps for each to be approved and this could take up to weeks for that. so as you can see, humanitarian aid, which is much needed all over the country, is not reaching the people that need it the most.
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and they are the people suffering, and i've given you the numbers and the scale of what that looks like. that was ian wafula, the bbc�*s africa security correspondent. now it's time for a look at today's sport. hello from the bbc sport centre. bayern munich manager thomas tuchel has conceded the bundesliga title race is over, saying, "congratulations to bayer leverkusen" with the gap between the two now at 13 points with just seven games remaining. leaders leverkusen were behind against hoffenheim before scoring two late goals to win 2—1 on saturday and take their unbeaten run this season to 39. that victory was followed by bayern's defeat in der klassiker to borussia dortmund in munich. karim adeyemi and julian ryerson got the goals in a 2—0 win, their first in the fixture in 12 attempts, with tuchel claiming it's self—evident and clear that leverkusen will go on to win their first ever german title. there have been a few stirring comebacks in the day's english premier league games. none more so than at stjames�* park, where newcastle came from 3—1 down to win 4—3 against west ham.
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harvey barnes was their matchwinner, coming off the bench midway through the second half to score in the 83rd and 90th minutes. alexander isak also scored two penalties. goals from antonio kudus and bowen looked to have put the away side in control, before that late double from barnes. spurs also came from behind, beating luton 2—1, son heung min with the winner in the 86th minute as tottenham keep up the pressure on the top four. elsehwere, burnley came from behind twice to get a 2—2 draw at chelsea, while fulham were 3—1 down but also ended with a draw at bottom side sheffield united. and notingham forest's point against crystal palace takes them out of the relegation zone. aston villa stayed above spurs in fourth with a 2—0 win over wolves. bre ntford brentford against manchester united has reached the second half but with an hour played, we still have no goals.
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danielle collins has won the final of the miami 0pen — beating elena rybakina in straight sets in florida. the unseeded american taking the title from rybakina who was the fourth seed and beaten finalist in 2023. this is collins�*s best performance in a wta 1000 level event. although the former australian open finalist announced in january that she'll retire from tennis at the end of the season. for the second year running, cambridge have completed the double over oxford in the boat race. there were straightforward victroies for their mens and women's crews. but with warnings about the state of the water in the river thames, they steered clear of one boat race tradition, asjoe lynskey reports. they've raced on the thames for nearly 200 years. this time the winners kept theirjoy on dry land. the boat race for the students had changed this year through geography. rainfall through the winter, increasing sewage in the thames. the river action campaign group found high levels of e.coli. rowers were told to stay out of the water. cambridge went clear in the men's
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race and stretched out a lead. they put in so much through four miles. some barely had the strength to finish. they won by 10 seconds, but 0xford had an explanation. we've had a few guys go down pretty badly with the e.coli strain. so, i mean, this morning i was throwing up. it would have been ideal not to have so much poo in the water. but, you know, that's not to take away from cambridge. they were a talented crew. i don't know if we would have had a chance to get them, even if we'd all been on form. so it's in no way to make excuses. the women's boat race was close until it changed on a moment. oxford, i'm warning you, oxford. that stern word from the umpire was to stop the boats colliding. 0xford fell back and cambridge powered on to chiswick. it's their seventh straight win and the men's fifth in six years. but what did change this year was the team's celebration. by tradition, the coxes get thrown in the river. but this year on the thames, they're staying out of the water. joe lynskey, bbc news.
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and that's all the sport for now. you can follow the football on the website. since the collapse of a bridge in baltimore after being hit by a container ship, it's emerged that most bridges in the united states do not have impact protection that could prevent similar incidents. cbs news says it's found thatjust over a third of the more than 4,000 bridges that allow ships to pass under them are vulnerable. bridges built after 1991 have increased protection but the rules didn't require upgrades for older ones. pope francis has been presiding over an easter vigil at the vatican, a day after pulling out of a good friday ceremony at short notice. vatican officials said the pope, who is 87, wanted to preserve his strength for roman catholic easter events this evening and on sunday. but what about easter events elsewhere and
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particularly injerusalem — a city which for many christians is the heart of the holy land? how will ceremonies be affected by the ongoing operation in gaza? earlier, i spoke to the very reverend canon richard sewell, dean of st george's college, jerusalem, which is an anglican pilgrimage centre. pleased to report that actually all our services injerusalem over these last few holy days have gone off without incident. starting with palm sunday last sunday, and then through this holy week, good friday and today into easter day, things have been quiet injerusalem. muslims are also celebrating ramadan, marking ramadan, and there have been significant numbers, but that largely has gone on peacefully, too. so we've been able, both of us
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together, to be able to mark these special days. the policing has been quite restrained and so people have felt free to go about their religious business in these few days. what we are missing, though, are our brothers and sisters from the occupied west bank, because almost all the applications for permits that we've made for west bank christians to come into occupied eastjerusalem and to the old city have been refused. and so...and because with everything else that's going on in gaza, although we can mark our services and celebrate easter, we do it with a very, very heavy heart because we cannot forget that whilst we celebrate the joyous message of easter, of the resurrection ofjesus christ, our brothers and sisters all over gaza, and especially our christian
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brothers and sisters are suffering. everybody is suffering. but we feel a particular intimate closeness to our christians in the two churches, in the compounds of saint porphyrius and the holy family and our staff at al—ahli hospital, which is an anglican hospital, so... and i want... yes, i'm sorry to interrupt you were about to run out of time, but i wanted to ask you, how does the war impact the relationships between those three main religions there injerusalem — judaism, islam and christianity? how does the war impact how you all relate to each other, especially as leaders? it puts great pressure on our relationships. there is a bond between muslims and christians with a shared palestinian identity who feel that our people alongside one another indiscriminately are being killed in gaza. and, you know, of course,
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it is israel, which is... who are attacking us. we have to acknowledge october 7th and hamas�*s dreadful actions, of course. but our relations are tense and we, all of us, have to dig deep into the best of our traditions, to be the best of ourselves, so thatjerusalem can be the city of peace, where all can live together, rather than being the worst of ourselves and being at war and divided. and we pray that we will learn how to live alongside each other in mutual respect and equality so that we can live peacefully side by side. that was the dean of st georges couegein that was the dean of st georges college injerusalem. a man has been arrested after several people were held
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hostage at a nightclub. the man emerged from the venue in the town of ede wearing a bala—clava and can be seen here following police instructions to put his hands on his head. special police units had been deployed to the scene, and some nearby homes evacuated. police had said there was no indication of a terrorist motive. now, he was a soul legend who helped shape the sound of the sixties and seventies. now, nearly a0 years after the death of marvin gaye — there's a claim that previously unheard music has been found. he lived in belgium towards the end of his life, and now a lawyer representing the people he lived with says they've found a huge collection of his belongings, including costumes and audio cassettes. kevin connolly reports. marvin gaye, seen here in the legendary performance at montreux, made some of the greatest records in pop history. but what if there are more songs, maybe more classics, that no—one has ever heard?
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these are the tapes that we found... this belgian lawyer says there is just such a track, although he's keeping it under wraps for now. he'll describe it to us but he won't play it to us. it's an amazing song, a great tune, great lyrics, catchy, and i thought, "this is a planetary alightment moment". i'm interested to hear them. the jazz musician and marvin gaye expect gary crosby is looking forward to hearing any new songs. because we don't know — until we hear the tapes, i we actually don't know. but we are talking about - marvin gaye, one of the greatest artists of all time. there's bound to be - something of value in there. we did hear a sample of hours of private recordings. and there is a lot of unheard marvin gaye material. a vast collection of audio cassettes, stage costumes
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and documents has turned up in belgium, because in the early �*80s, marvin gaye lived in 0stend and gifted his landlord's family a treasure trove of memorabillia which they now propose to sell. the clothes and the accessories, they will be sold. any new music, though, could only be sold with the permission of marvin gaye's children. compromise is called for, says alex trappeniers. i want to reach my hand to the family because when you exploit the copyright which is in the tapes, you can't do that without the authorisation of his three children. if there are to be negotiations over any new material, they have yet to start. but there is at least a chance that another pop classic could emerge from this unexpected source. kevin connolly, bbc news, 0stend.
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next, if you don't like heights... you should look away now. video has been shared online showing ski lifts at an italian resort being violently shaken by winds of more than 60 miles an hour. the area had already been closed to the public because of the weather conditions those on the lift were the last skiiers leaving the piste for the day. resort operator cervino spa confirmed that all passengers reached their destination safely. scary pictures there. you're watching bbc news. stay with us, we have more after this short break. hello, we've had some sunshine, not a bad day overall, just a few
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showers here and there, i think easter sunday is going to be little more overcast, particularly across england and closer to the north sea coast, chilly breeze off the north sea with drizzle at times. the satellite picture shows that gap in the whether that is over us right now so things are set fair for the moment but this thick cloud towards the east will shroud the uk during the east will shroud the uk during the course of sunday, particularly eastern areas of the uk. tonight, they will be some rain in the forecast for some south—western areas, perhapsjust forecast for some south—western areas, perhaps just around the irish sea and into northern ireland but the bulk of the uk should have predominantly clear and dry weather, chilly north of scotland, touch of frost and and fog forming, particularly across central parts of england. the morning is looking bright for many of us, picky across the north and west of the uk, a few showers are northern ireland but then this thick cloud invades off then this thick cloud invades off the north sea, chilly breeze, fleeting rain possible from parts of
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the south—east through east anglia, lincolnshire, and really all along that north sea coast, the best of the sunshine will be out towards the west tomorrow around the irish sea, south—western scotland, northern ireland, the western isles. sunday night into monday, a weather front moves in from the south, this will be more substantial rain, around speu be more substantial rain, around spell of rain to come for many of us on easter monday, not looking particularly pretty across england and wales. your best bet for fine weather is the north of northern ireland, also northern and western scotland, away from the weather front. temperatures around 9 degrees in aberdeen but in the south, despite the cloud and rain, still getting up to 1a, although i don't think it will feel like it. the outlook for the week ahead will see a series of low pressures lining themselves up in the atlantic, heading our way, one weatherfront after the other and that basically spells rain so whether you are checking the website or looking at the app, an indication here with these rain symbols that the rain ——
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weather is going to be predominantly unsettled, rain at times certainly possible almost anywhere in the uk. before i go, quick message that british summertime begins tonight. by. —— goodbye.
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this is bbc news — the headlines... the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon says three of its observers and a translator have been injured in an explosion
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near the israeli border. in a statement — the un said it was investigating the origin of the blast — and that the targeting of its observers was �*unacceptable.’ a convoy of ships is carrying hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian supplies to the gaza strip and has set sail from cyprus. supplies to the gaza strip and has set sailfrom cyprus. the supplies to the gaza strip and has set sail from cyprus. the vessels are towing a platform loaded with 400 tonnes of supplies. aid agencies have warned that people in gaza are on the brink of famine. lizzo says she's "quitting" because she is fed up of being targeted for her looks and character online. the us pop star wrote: "i'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it." she didn't clarify if this meant she was leaving the music industry or social media. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. police have raided the home of peru's president, dina boluarte. video of officers smashing their way into the home
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was shared on social media. the raid is part of a corruption inquiry dubbed �*rolexgate'. the police were searching for more than a dozen rolex watches that the president has allegedly not declared. the investigation began after a news report drew attention to luxury watches she wore at public events, dating from when she took office in december 2022. peru's government called the raid an �*in—tolerable outrage'. in the uk — a plethora of household bills are due to increase on monday, in what some are calling "awful april." while energy prices are expected to fall, everything from internet charges, to water bills and council tax are due to go up. 0ur cost of living correspondent colletta smith has more details. council tax at the moment is... i'm doing the sums with rachel. £580 just to start with, that is not including your internet.
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we are working out what the bills will mean next month for her family. there is a huge chunk of money coming out. it is just something that is hanging over us every month. rachel is on maternity leave at the moment with an eight—month—old to look after, so price rises are hitting them hard. there is not one gap at all in my husband's salary. every single pound goes towards just the house. yes, the energy might be coming down but other bills are going up. the council tax, over £200 for council tax every single month. you know, that is a huge hit. most councils in england are increasing their rates by 5% from the 1st of april, like here in southport. but some councils in dire financial straits have been allowed to increase it by more than that. scotland is freezing council tax, but there is no limit in wales, so some areas are set for a bigger increase than much of england. i live in a three—bedroom semi, i pay roughly £120 a month. it is a big outlay out of my pension.
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compared to some of my friends who live down south, _ we are paying a lot more in a lesser house. - whatever is going on in your council, there will be discounts and reductions available. it is often around 25% off if you live alone, but if you have certain types of disabilities or if some people in your household are full—time students it is well worth finding out if you qualify for a discount too. when it comes to mobile and broadband charges, most companies are upping prices by around 8% from the start of april. if you are on a deal which allows for mid—contract rises. it is just a bit cheeky, like, just changing it. when you are in the middle of a fixed deal as well, i think it is quite... what you have signed into and everything. having a mobile phone bill that will stay the same every month and is guaranteed not to go up is a godsend, really. _ the key to beating this rise is to find out whether or not you are actually beyond the end of your contract. for a phone it is pretty easy, you can just send a text to 85075
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and you will be pinged a message telling you your contract details. if you are beyond your contract or are nearly there, the likelihood is you can shop around for a better deal. when it comes to water bills, in england and wales average charges are going up by an extra £28 per year. but as well as cutting back on your usage there are schemes to help. every water company offers a social tariff for people on low incomes that can reduce your bills. what is on offer and who it applies to varies across the country, so it is worth finding out. but in england and wales, there is a scheme called water sure and that can reduce your bills if you are on certain types of benefits and you need to use lots of water. i have for medical reasons or because you have got three or more children of school age in the house. —— iverfor —— iver for medical reasons. it is more of a worry. it is hard, everything is going up. i am on a fixed income, i have been retired for 15 years. the money has got less and less. round and round the garden. so while there is gas and electricity prices are falling in april, rachel and herfamily are right not
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to be expecting extra cash in their pocket, with so many other price increases. colette smith, bbc news in southport. lets get more on northern ireland where politics has been thrown into turmoil with the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, said jeffrey donaldson, has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he was arrested on thursday along with a 57—year—old woman who has been charged with aiding and abetting additional offences. they will both appear in court next month. sir geoffrey is a northern ireland's longest serving mp at westminster. he says he will contest the charges. my colleague spoke to doctor claire rice, a political analyst specialising in northern ireland and uk politics. he has been the leader of the democratic unionist party for the
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last few years and he is perhaps better known within the wider uk political context as the political figure that was instrumental in many ways in bringing about the recent restoration of power sharing in northern ireland. he was also leader of the democratic unionist party when institutions were collapsed a couple of years ago as well. so he has been synonymous with northern ireland's politics, brexit, the northern ireland protocol and all of the trials and regulations that have come with that of the last number of years. i think it is fair to say that nobody quite foresaw that the end effectively of his political career as it has been over the last few years would come about in the way that it has. so it has been a fairly shocking piece of news to emerge here in northern ireland, and certainly one which has sent ructions through the political spectrum. i think it is important to say that at this stage at least a lot of the comments and the efforts from across the political spectrum in northern ireland have been around sustaining power—sharing in northern ireland and keeping focus on devolution operating here within the
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region. so hopefully at this stage there is not much cause for concern as to what it will do politically speaking to the dynamics of politics here within northern ireland. that has been a — here within northern ireland. that has been a concern, _ here within northern ireland. that has been a concern, hasn't it, that power—sharing really only got back on track a couple of months ago and are now one of the key figures there has resigned, and people are concerned that we potentially have another period of instability in northern irish politics.- another period of instability in northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed — northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views _ northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views on _ northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views on this, - northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views on this, i - northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views on this, i think. northern irish politics. yes, there are mixed views on this, i think itj are mixed views on this, i think it is important to say. some of you say that this is an internal matter to the dup and others say that this will be relatively contained as long as there is a degree of maturity of sorts amongst the political actors within the devolved institutions and that they can navigate this, it should not impact the terms of devolution and its stability more brightly within northern ireland. what does it mean specifically for the dup, he is described very much as a glue that held the party together?— as a glue that held the party touether? ~ , , , , , together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was _
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together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was coming _ together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was coming to _ together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was coming to as - together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was coming to as well- together? absolutely, yes. this is what it was coming to as well is i what it was coming to as well is that for the dup it is a massive shock for unionism. a particularly huge shock. looking ahead to add to the general election as well it was already a very tumultuous challenge for the democratic unionist party in the context of the protocol of the northern irishman windsor framework. there is a lot of discontent within the democratic unionist party at the decision to return to stormont. 0f decision to return to stormont. of course the reason for its collapse was in protest at the northern ireland protocol. there are a lot of internal ructions within the dup now. there is a broad acceptance, as is my understanding, that the interim measure has been appointed to take this role but there is an opportunity there for some of those dissenting voices to start coming through to the fore within the dup, a lot of pressure from the traditional unionist voice party on the dup, as there would have been any way going into this election. voices that are now heightened and are being seen particularly on
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social media, for example, to be using this broader set of circumstances as a type of political leader of sorts. against the democratic unionist party. it is setting a very difficult, borderline toxic, set of circumstances, particularly within unionism going into this election. that, for the dup, will be difficult, on top of managing its internal divisions and on top of having to deal with discontent that there is in certain portions of unionism of the return to stormont at all. in that sense there is a potential challenge to stability of the institutions going forward as a result of this. i think as long as the political momentum and will remains there to push through these and to see that it is an internal dynamic within one of the parties within power—sharing, i think we are on stable enough footing for the time being, at least. ., ., . , , ., ~ least. doctor claire rice speaking to my colleague _ least. doctor claire rice speaking to my colleague anna _ least. doctor claire rice speaking to my colleague anna sarah - least. doctor claire rice speaking - to my colleague anna sarah campbell. anna sarah campbell. protesting against plans to increase their boat licenses.
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some of them say the changes — by the canal and river trust which come next week — will threaten their way of life. barry caffrey reports. we don't want to leave our water! an unusual site for little venice on a saturday afternoon. these boaters are protesting against upcoming price increases and new charges that they say will affect their entire way of living. because of our way of life, will be charged more. so our nomadic way of life is being penalised. the new surcharges may mean that i have to leave the river because the cost is increasing a huge amount. why first got my licence fee, it was something like £600 for the year, now it is over a grand. alice lives on a boat and is a continuous cruiser along the waterways. me and my partner move our boat from a different location to a different location, and we move normally about 30 miles in a year, sort of roughly. and then i commute to work, you know, from where ever the boat is.
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the decision from the canal and rivers trust to introduce a surcharge on continuous cruisers was first announced last november and will come into effect on monday. the trust says it needs the extra funding to maintain the waterways, but the boaters say it is discriminatory and will affect their nomadic way of life. we feel, even if we are using the river more, we are actually maintaining the livers because we are going up and down the rivers, we are moving the silt so we are keeping the rivers flowing. the idea of being in you know, in one settled place and not travelling is beyond me. the increase to the cost of boat licences and new surcharges come into effect on monday, but the protesters here say they will do what they can to get the decision reversed. barry caffrey, bbc london. us pop star lizzo says she's quitting because she's fed up with being targeted for her looks and character online.
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in a post on instagram, the truth hurts singer wrote "i'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it." the 35—year—old was last year accused of sexual harrassment and creating a hostile work environment by herformer dancers — allegations she denies. it's not clear if the instagram post meant lizzo was quitting the music industry, or social media. let's speak to entertainment reporter, caroline feraday. caroline, thank you forjoining us on the programme. just tell us what are some of the reactions to this post by lizzo?— are some of the reactions to this post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot. i post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot- i mean. _ post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot. i mean, or— post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot. i mean, or to _ post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot. i mean, or to be _ post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of shot. i mean, or to be somebody| post by lizzo? well, quite a lot of- shot. i mean, or to be somebody who burst onto the music scene is a bit of a breath of fresh air. she looks different, she was bossy positive, she promoted positivity, and she brought this kind of different look and vibe to the music industry and brought all of the positivity that
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came with that. and the last year or so for laser has been pretty rough, she was the subject of a lawsuit, as you said, from two of her former backing dancers. parts of that lawsuit had been dismissed but parts of it still continue. so no doubt that will play out as time goes forward, but there are some allegations in that of misconduct, allegations in that of misconduct, allegations that stem around a trip when they were on tour where they went out in the red light district in amsterdam and the backing dancers say they were sort of forced to go to these venues that had a new dancers. there are allegations that they were forced to participate in a prayer circle. so that is the sort of basis of the allegations of that lawsuit. 0n of basis of the allegations of that lawsuit. on top of that, lizzo, she really has been subject to an enormous amount of online trolling.
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it does not take a deep dive on social media sites to see the depths and terrible things, the racist remarks, the fat shaming remarks, that are made about lizzo online. and i think for lizzo are four other stars in that position, that can really have an impact, because with social media, those comments, the stars are not protected from it. they are able to see them and i think these trolls that are able to hide their identity are actually able to have quite an impact. find able to have quite an impact. and what has been _ able to have quite an impact. and what has been the impact of those allegations against her, has which we have said she denies those allegations but how have they impacted her career? she allegations but how have they impacted her career?- allegations but how have they impacted her career? she did a fundraiser— impacted her career? she did a fundraiser for— impacted her career? she did a fundraiser for biden _ impacted her career? she did a fundraiser for biden and - impacted her career? she did a fundraiser for biden and so - impacted her career? she did a | fundraiser for biden and so that sort of seems to have been the final thing that broke the camel's back, so to speak. this fundraiser forjoe biden and off the back of that was
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criticised and so she took to social media to say, look, ijust want to make music, i wanted to make people happy and i am being constantly criticised, and i quit, i have had enough, i don't want my character to be pulled apart, i want no part of this. so clearly the toll on her of having to come up against the scrutiny of being in the public eye and the scrutiny on her conduct and the lawsuit that has surrounded her from two of her backing dancers is clearly taking its toll. it is not new, i think, for stars to feel that scrutiny, but i do think it is something that is talked about a little bit more in the public eye. we saw lewis capaldi also say that he needed to take a bit of a break. so lizzo, i think is not alone in needing to step back and step away from the limelight. how long that will last is not really clear from
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her post. whether it is, i quit, thatisit her post. whether it is, i quit, that is it for ever, or whether it is, i quit until i feel slightly better. she is undoubtedly a musical talent and i think it would be a shame if this is the end of her musical career.— shame if this is the end of her musical career. ., ~ , ., . musical career. thank you so much for that analysis, _ musical career. thank you so much for that analysis, caroline. - for that analysis, caroline. caroline fereday, an entertainment reporter based in los angeles. demis hassabis, the co—founder of the british artificial intelligence firm, deepmind, says it feels �*incredible' to receive a knighthood — the first ever to be awarded, for services to ai. sir demis sold his company to google for £400m a decade ago — but continues to run the company in the uk. he told simonjack on this morning's today his reaction on hearing of the honour. it's amazing, to be honest. it's hasn't really sunk in. and i think it's...a it's a really incredible honourfor me and for all my colleagues as well, and just a great recognition
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of everything we've done. you've been one of the prophets of ai. it's now wall to wall news coverage about al, the threats, the opportunities. what do you make of the current debate? what are people missing? well, i think actually the debate's pretty good at the moment. i think people are starting to realise how transformative ai is going to be. we've always known that. i've known that for 20, 30 years since i've been working on this and i would say maybe in the last two or three years people have started to just get the inkling of how transformative is going to be and incredible positives in things like science and health. massive advances in scientific discoveries is the sorts of things that my passion, but also the attendant risks to with something that transformative. and we have to make sure we use it responsibly. in fact, that you signed a statement from the ai summit in the uk last november saying "mitigating the risk of extinction from al should be a global priority alongside other
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societal scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war." really? iam not i am not saying that that is likely or even any time soon or any of those kinds of risks, but the fact that there is an nonzero risk of those types of things if things go wrong and these technologies become very powerful in the next few decades, i think it is important that society and governments and civil society takes it seriously. it feels like a sort of arms race, i don't know if you have seen the film 0ppenheimer, that you are talking about these kinds of risks and he said now we are become deaf, destroyer of worlds. do you feel and 0ppenheimer type of responsibility? scientists like me who grew up in the 80s and 90s reading books about that time and world war ii and 0ppenheimer, the manhattan project, also the apollo programme, these are both inspirations and warnings about the power of science, the amazing
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thing is that it can do but also the risks involved if one does not handle that power correctly. and so it is a good cautionary tale in many ways, and i know christopher nolan well and it is a fantastic film. i think it is a great film for the times. the difference that i would say with al is that there is unbelievable positive impact that al can have. much broader than even nuclear, nuclear of course has positives too but i think that al has an almost limitless potential for good in the world. we has an almost limitless potential for good in the world.— has an almost limitless potential for good in the world. we are in a deal where _ for good in the world. we are in a deal where half _ for good in the world. we are in a deal where half of _ for good in the world. we are in a deal where half of the _ for good in the world. we are in a deal where half of the world's - deal where half of the world's population will go to the polls, disinformation is a hot topic, people tend to be split into camps, some people believe almost everything they see and are now some people don't believe anything that they see. what are the dangers that you see in democracy?— you see in democracy? look, i think we are in a — you see in democracy? look, i think we are in a very _ you see in democracy? look, i think we are in a very delicate _ you see in democracy? look, i think we are in a very delicate and - we are in a very delicate and critical time with democracy. this
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year, as you say, is very critical. there is the issue of misinformation and deep fakes, i think that is possible already without ai, just another social media platforms social media might proliferate to that. it can also be a tool to help someone of the things that we build recently is called synth id which actually watermark to any of the digital images are any generative ai assets that our systems produce, so that you can take a look at that and basically tell whether something has been generated or not. like basically tell whether something has been generated or not.— been generated or not. like an anti-kitemark, _ been generated or not. like an anti-kitemark, in _ been generated or not. like an anti-kitemark, in a _ been generated or not. like an anti-kitemark, in a way? - anti—kitemark, in a way? effectively. we have an ai system that creates that so that it is almost imperceptible. nobody will want to ut almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that _ almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that on _ almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that on if _ almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that on if they - almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that on if they want i almost imperceptible. nobody will want to put that on if they want to j want to put that on if they want to believe it is real. you of course, but these are built into all of our generative systems and we are suggesting that any generative ai system suggesting that any generative ai s stem , ., ., ., , system should have that in-built. because most _ system should have that in-built. because most of— system should have that in-built. because most of the _ system should have that in-built. because most of the big - system should have that in-built. because most of the big labs - system should have that in-built. because most of the big labs and | system should have that in-built. i because most of the big labs and big companies are coming together to sort of agree with government and
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what does kitemark systems or watermarking system should be. you have said in — watermarking system should be. you have said in the past that we should not be hard on teenagers gaming. you studied chest and went on to video games and said that it is a productive thing, sir demis, what would you say to parents about children stuck in their rooms playing video games? i children stuck in their rooms playing video games?- playing video games? i was programming _ playing video games? i was programming them - playing video games? i was programming them as - playing video games? i was programming them as well| playing video games? i was i programming them as well so playing video games? i was - programming them as well so it is important to be the creative part, notjust playing them. i think you never know where your passions lead so i would just encourage parents to get their children are really passionate about things and then develop their skills through that. and actually, just be ready to be very adaptable to what is going to be a very fast changing world, just a embrace that adaptability. i think the kids of today are going to be the kids of today are going to be the first kids to grow native with al like we did with personal ai like we did with personal computers. ai like we did with personal computers-— ai like we did with personal computers. ai like we did with personal comuters. ., , , ., ,, ., computers. lizzo speaking to the bbc's simon _ computers. lizzo speaking to the
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bbc's simon jack. _ earlier we told you about a new discovery of old tapes from musical legend marvin gaye — found in belgium 40 years after his death. a lawyer representing the people gaye lived with there says a huge collection of his belongings has been discovered — including audio cassettes containing previously unheard music. this is how fans and musical experts have reacted to the news today, speaking to the bbc. #to # to make me feel. # to make me feel. # with some other guy you knew before. ~ ,,., , ., ., before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued. _ before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued. i— before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued, i really _ before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued, i really am, _ before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued, i really am, as - before. absolutely wonderful, i am so intrigued, i really am, as an - so intrigued, i really am, as an artist, — so intrigued, i really am, as an artist, and _ so intrigued, i really am, as an artist, and a _ so intrigued, i really am, as an artist, and a fan. someone who grew up artist, and a fan. someone who grew up on _ artist, and a fan. someone who grew up on marvin — artist, and a fan. someone who grew up on marvin gaye was the backdrop of our— up on marvin gaye was the backdrop of our music — up on marvin gaye was the backdrop of our music. my musical education back in_ of our music. my musical education back in the — of our music. my musical education back in the day. # _ back in the day. # i_ back in the day. # i heard through the grapevine... | # i heard through the grapevine... i admired and influential as much for the way— admired and influential as much for the way that— admired and influential as much for the way that his _ admired and influential as much for
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the way that his career— admired and influential as much for the way that his career evolved - admired and influential as much for the way that his career evolved and j the way that his career evolved and how he _ the way that his career evolved and how he found — the way that his career evolved and how he found his _ the way that his career evolved and how he found his own _ the way that his career evolved and how he found his own voice - the way that his career evolved and how he found his own voice and - the way that his career evolved and | how he found his own voice and was determined — how he found his own voice and was determined to — how he found his own voice and was determined to follow _ how he found his own voice and was determined to follow that _ how he found his own voice and was determined to follow that path, - how he found his own voice and was determined to follow that path, in l determined to follow that path, in particular— determined to follow that path, in particular with _ determined to follow that path, in particular with what _ determined to follow that path, in particular with what is _ determined to follow that path, in particular with what is going - determined to follow that path, in particular with what is going on. l particular with what is going on. # what's — particular with what is going on. # what's going _ particular with what is going on. # what's going on? _ particular with what is going on. # what's going on? i— particular with what is going on. # what's going on?— particular with what is going on. # what's going on? i want to reach m hand # what's going on? i want to reach my hand to — # what's going on? i want to reach my hand to the _ # what's going on? i want to reach my hand to the family _ # what's going on? i want to reach my hand to the family because - # what's going on? i want to reach | my hand to the family because when you e>
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be compromise and i really do hope that the musicologists and fans like myself will get the chance to hear what he was doing back then. what an icon of an artist, you know, i really do hope that they do reach a compromise and we can get to hear it. it compromise and we can get to hear it. , ., ., ., compromise and we can get to hear it. it is an amazing song with a treat it. it is an amazing song with a great tune. — it. it is an amazing song with a great tune, great _ it. it is an amazing song with a great tune, great lyrics, - it. it is an amazing song with a. great tune, great lyrics, catchy, and i_ great tune, great lyrics, catchy, and i thought this is a planetary alignment moment. # age no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you. so # age no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you.— me from getting to you. so what is our me from getting to you. so what is your reaction _ me from getting to you. so what is your reaction to _ me from getting to you. so what is your reaction to the _ me from getting to you. so what is your reaction to the prospect - me from getting to you. so what is your reaction to the prospect of. your reaction to the prospect of some new marvin gaye music? it's the hit 90s show that's been revived and taken saturday nights in the uk by storm — and viewers have seen the winners decided in the grand final of the new series of gladiators. mary louise has done excavation or
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gladiators champion. and it is findlay who climbs through to become champion of gladiators! marie—louise won the women's contest, and finley won the men's. the reboot made its debut to an audience of more than eight million injanuary, and tonight the lycra—clad contenders will be taking on tests of speed and strength as they aim to lift the trophy. you can see the winners, mary louise and finlay. you are watching bbc news. stay with us, i will be back at the top of the hour with more global headlines. hello, we've had some sunshine, not a bad day overall, just a few showers here and there, i think easter sunday is going to be little more overcast, particularly across england
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and closer to the north sea coast, chilly breeze off the north sea with drizzle at times. the satellite picture shows that gap in the whether that is over us right now, so things are set fair for the moment but this thick cloud towards the east will shroud the uk during the course of sunday, particularly eastern areas of the uk. tonight, there will be some rain in the forecast for some south—western areas, perhaps just around the irish sea and into northern ireland but the bulk of the uk should have predominantly clear and dry weather, chilly north of scotland, touch of frost and and fog forming, particularly across central parts of england. the morning is looking bright for many of us, particularly across the north and west of the uk, a few showers are northern ireland but then this thick cloud invades off the north sea, chilly breeze, fleeting rain possible from parts of the south—east through east anglia, lincolnshire, and really all along
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that north sea coast, the best of the sunshine will be out towards the west tomorrow around the irish sea, south—western scotland, northern ireland, the western isles. sunday night into monday, a weather front moves in from the south, this will be more substantial rain, around spell of rain to come for many of us on easter monday, not looking particularly pretty across england and wales. your best bet for fine weather is the north of northern ireland, also northern and western scotland, away from the weather front. temperatures around 9 degrees in aberdeen but in the south, despite the cloud and rain, still getting up to 14, although i don't think it will feel like it. the outlook for the week ahead will see a series of low pressures lining themselves up in the atlantic, heading our way, one weather front after the other and that basically spells rain so whether you are checking the website or looking at the app, an indication here with these rain symbols that the weather is going to be predominantly unsettled, rain at times certainly possible almost anywhere in the uk.
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before i go, quick message that british summertime begins tonight. bye— bye.
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live from london, this is bbc news. the un says the targeting of its peacekeepers is unacceptable after three observers were injured in an explosion in southern lebanon. a convoy of ships sets off from cyprus
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to bring desperately needed aid to the people of gaza. the gloves are off — a row over a campaign video highlights the bad blood between donald trump and joe biden. and hearing it through the grapevine, the lost music of marvin gaye discovered in belgium. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the un peacekeeping mission in lebanon, unifil, says three of its observers and a translator were injured in an explosion near the israeli border. it said the peacekeepers were on a foot patrol when the blast happened and they've been taken to hospital. the un said it was investigating the cause of the explosion,
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and warned the targeting of observers was "unacceptable."

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