The uk reliance upon allies for defence spending. In the past hour where been in france for a significant moment with abortion being enshrined in the constitution as a right and Emmanuel Macron has been taking part in pomp and ceremony. Lets take a look at that. It will be formally enshrined in the next couple of james. This is the ceremony and a symbolic moment for the country. Abortion has been legal for 50 years or so but this is an extra step, adding it to the constitution. Lets speak to a Womans Health reporter at the new york times. Thank you for coming on the programme. York times. Thank you for coming on the programme york times. Thank you for coming on the programme. Thank you for having me. What the programme. Thank you for having me what do the programme. Thank you for having me what do you the programme. Thank you for having me. What do you make the programme. Thank you for having me. What do you make of the programme. Thank you for having me. What do you make of this the programme. Thank you for having i me. What do you make of this moment . Its extreme me. What do you make of this moment . Its extreme significance me. What do you make of this moment . Its extreme significance because me. What do you make of this moment . Its extreme significance because of its extreme significance because of what france is signalling by doing this, telling the rest of the world that Abortion Access is fundamental to democratic functioning and a crucial pallor of a free and fair society. This is a perspective that has been echoed by several international frameworks, has been echoed by several internationalframeworks, including the un, that see abortion as a fundamental human right so globally, you will see that abortion rights go go hand in hand with the expansion of democracy. In the last 30 years or so, of democracy. In the last 30 years orso, many of democracy. In the last 30 years or so, many countries have changed Abortion Laws to award greater liberalisation so now france has edged there since the foundation of its legal system, in a way that makes it extreme are difficult to roll back, thats a crucial element to it, is a realfeet. To it, is a real feet. What year make about to it, is a real feet. What year make about the to it, is a real feet. What year make about the different to it, is a real feet. What year make about the different attitudes among the public across the very obvious contrast, the us and france . I think this moment of france doing this right now during an Election Yearin this right now during an Election Year in the us definitely raises the pressure on the Current Administration here by keeping this issue in the political limelight ahead of the president ial election. Today, abortion in the us is banned or restricted in almost half of states and as im sure you saw in alabama, the debate is expanded beyond when and if a pregnancy should be terminated to foetal personhood, whether life begins at the moment of conception and whether an embryo should be considered a human, but vast majorities of americans, roughly 85 , think abortion should be legal at least in some circumstances. And i think president biden, we saw last night at the State Of The Union, really pitched Abortion Access as a democratic, is an element of democratic, is an element of democratic society. His whole speech was about protecting democratic rights and we spent a large chunk of that on Abortion Access and so youre really seeing this pressure mmp youre really seeing this Pressure Ramp Up because this is turning into a political Lightning Rod for voters here. And i think frances decision it to make this move now speaks volumes to americans place in the world. Back in 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled that the constitution guarantees a right to choose, it was one of the first countries in the world to do so and it inspired moments around the world for a similar action in their countries and when the us then overturned that constitutional right to two years ago, it was again an outlier, becoming one ofjust four countries to roll back access significantly while most other countries are moving in the opposite direction. ~ countries are moving in the opposite direction. , ~ ,. , countries are moving in the opposite direction. Thank countries are moving in the opposite direction. Thank you countries are moving in the opposite direction. Thank you for l direction. Thank you. Thank you for havin direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me at direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me. At were direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me. At were going direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me. At were going to direction. Thank you. Thank you for having me. At were going to take i direction. Thank you. Thank you for | having me. At were going to take a look at the having me. At were going to take a look at the us having me. At were going to take a look at the us state having me. At were going to take a look at the us state of having me. At were going to take a look at the us state of the having me. At were going to take a look at the us State Of The Union i look at the us state of the Union Address we willjust mentioning there with us President Joe Biden because abortion was an issue raised. Plenty of other issues as well, the state of the us economy talked about, plenty of attacks on his presumed rival donald trump as well. But lets take a listen to some of what he said. Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My god, what freedom else would you take away . Look, in its decision to overturn roe v wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote the following and with all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral power. Excuse me, electoral or political power. Youre about to realise just how much. Cheering. Those bragging about Overturning Roe V Wade have no clue about the power of women but they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, we won in 2022 and 2023 and we will again in 202a. That was jill biden that Wasjill Biden there. Lets speak to cbs correspondent williejames inman, who is in washington. Great to see you. Were going to talk about, he talked about his opponent and the economy but want to start with this issue of abortion and abortion rights where does this sit in the Upcoming Election Campaign . It this sit in the Upcoming Election Campaign . This sit in the upcoming election camaiun . , campaign . It certainly is an issue the President Campaign . It certainly is an issue the president wants campaign . It certainly is an issue the president wants to campaign . It certainly is an issue the president wants to Talk Campaign . It certainly is an issue | the president wants to talk about, the president wants to talk about, the vice presidency is on the forefront of this issue because she has travelled across the country to not only highlight Abortion Access but also call out republicans, most notably former president donald trump, as the president did in his state of the Union Address, for what they have done in terms of restricting Abortion Access in the United States after the Supreme Court overruled roe v wade, you have seen a cascade of things happening most recently the alabama Supreme Court with the ivf ruling. But the president looking to galvanise his base with this issue that they believe democrats and the white house, that if abortion is on the pallets, if you can get people to think about Abortion Access and care, the republicans want to restrict that while the democrats want to make sure we maintain Abortion Access and care in this country, they believe voters will come out and vote against republicans on this particular issue. I also note the president has been saying for some time now after the roe v wade ruling that he wants to Codify Abortion Rights into law, although he cant do that alone, he needs a house and get democrats in control of that piece of the government. Also, you need to be able to maintain the senate. Democrats have controlled right now but this procedure here called the filibuster, at the president needs to be able to change that rule. So theres a lot of moving parts and theres a lot of moving parts and the president needs to be able to move in his direction if he wants to be able to get this codified into law. On top of that, he has to win the election and stay in power. Goad the election and stay in power. Good footnote there the election and stay in power. Good footnote there while the election and stay in power. Good footnote there while we the election and stay in power. Good footnote there while we have year, about the economy, what you make about the economy, what you make about the economy, what you make about the claims he was making . The president about the claims he was making . Iia president talks about the claims he was making . Iia president talks about about the claims he was making . Ii2 president talks about the economic success that the white house see his. Recordjob success that the white house see his. Record job growth, success that the white house see his. Recordjob growth, record unemployment while that might be true, consumersjust unemployment while that might be true, consumers just arent feeling the us economy in terms are they not describing it in a good way. The gift to present rack bad marks on the economy when it comes to public polling because prices are simply too high for consumers here and they believe they are too high when you go to the grocery store, you pay for things, a so consumers really arent seeing this economy and the rosy picture of the white house is trying to paint. Chick as the president has been out on the road talking about ways the white house is seeking to fight to those high prices, there was notably a recent announcement to lower credit card late fees to 8 rather than the average of 32, giving consumers a little bit of wiggle room. So while he cant control all parts of the economy, at the white house says they are going to do everything they can within their power to lower those prices for consumers. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight mh370, one of the greatest aviation mysteries. The boeing 777 airliner, carrying 239, people vanished on a routine flight to beijing. Radar and Satellite Data showed it Veering Off Route and heading to the southern indian ocean. The families of those on board have been campaigning for search for mh370 to be resumed. It was suspended six years ago and the malaysian government says it is negotiating with an american underwater Surveillance Company to start looking again. For ten years, li eryou and his wife, liu shuang fong, have been waiting for news of their son, yan lin. Theyve come back to malaysia from their small village in china to mark the tenth anniversary of his disappearance on board flight mh370. Translation the airline said they had lost contact. All these years, i keep asking, what does that mean . Ive been searching for my child for the past ten years, and i think that if you lose contact with someone, surely you should be able to reconnect with them. The search for mh370 was the largest and most expensive in aviation history. All communications on the plane had been cut, but rudimentary Satellite Data suggested it had turned back and flown to the remote southern indian ocean, where its presumed to have crashed. A few pieces from the plane were eventually discovered on beaches in east africa. But six years ago, the search was suspended. Now a retired British Aerospace technician thinks hes pinpointed a much smaller search area by analysing signals sent out by short wave radio enthusiasts. You can imagine a huge fishermans net across the globe, full of radio signals. And every time an aircraft passes through this net, it sort of breaks a hole, and you know exactly where the aircraft was because you know youve now got a hole in the net at a particular point. The families badly need a breakthrough. They hold events like this every year to remind us that their loss is still unexplained. Mr lis message was to his son, yan lin. Your mum and i have come to take you home, he wrote. These battered fragments are some of the very few pieces ever recovered from mh370. The lack of answers after all this time is a source of enduring pain for the families of those on board, and theres a lot of frustration, too, over the lack of progress in the search for the missing plane. This years event was attended by malaysias transport minister, after complaints that his governments been dragging its feet. We are already negotiating a new search, he promised. Theres no reluctance on the part of the malaysian government . No reluctance. As ive mentioned numerous times, as far as the malaysian government is concerned, we are committed to the search, and the search must go on. When you feel so tired but you cant sleep. Mh370 is an unfinished story, with Aviation Safety lessons yet to be learnt. And for all the families, it is an unending tragedy. Hong kongs legislator has debated a Draft National security law that critics say would further reduce freedoms in the territory. The legislation will allow police to detain suspects for up to 16 days without charge, up from 48 hours. Critics say the law would squeeze a basic rights such as Freedom Of Expression but also proposes jail term is of up to three years for possessing what it calls seditious publications. The former british Prime Minister theresa may is to stand down as an mp at the general election. Shes represented maidenhead in berkshire since 1997. In a statement to the maidenhead advertiser, she says shes taken the difficult decision because her work on issues including modern slavery and Human Trafficking is taking up increasing amounts of her time. Our Political CorrespondentHannah Miller has more. She spoke to the maidenhead advertiser for this announcement, which i think in and of itself is significant. As someone who has been Prime Minister and then stayed on as a backbencher and chosen to give this announcement directly to her constituents, when frankly, she could have had a much broader National Media article had she chosen to do that. And i think that says something about the kind of values and the way that she has conducted herself since being Prime Minister. She said that she the causes that she has been championing have been taking up an increasing amount of her time, and that as a result, shes concluded that shed no longer be able to do herjob as an mp in the way that she believes is right and that her constituents deserve. Beyond the next general election. Important to say as well, she does make very clear in her statement that she continues to support rishi sunak and the government, and she even goes so far as to say that she believes the conservatives can win the next general election. Theresa may certainly didnt want her premiership to be defined by brexit, although i think it is one of those things, you know, the way that things played out, it almost certainly was. She was also the longest serving Home Secretary of modern times, during which time she presided over cuts to the police. And the windrush scandal also began to unfold during her time in that office. And i think its fair to say that perceptions of theresa may have very much changed since she was Prime Minister. She has championed causes such as diabetes and eating disorders. She has done a lot of work on modern slavery as well. And she was also critical of borisjohnson and the partygate scandal when all of that emerged. So, she is someone who, in her time since being Prime Minister, the way in which she is perceived by colleagues, the way in which shes continued to serve, that kind of sense of Public Service and public duty is something that i think the History Books will also look back on as well. Here, a group of mps have warned the Ministry Of Defence has no credible plan to fund the armed forces the government wants, which could leave the uk increasingly reliant on its allies. The Public Accounts Committee report that the gap between the Ministry Of Defences budget and the uks intended military capabilities has ballooned to £16. 9 billion, their largest ever deficit. Simon jones has more. Raf fighterjets called into action last month to Strike Houthi targets in yemen. But this all comes at considerable cost. The Public Accounts Committee, which examines the value for money of government projects, says it is alarming that in an increasingly volatile world, the military is facing a record shortfall between what is expected of it, and what the Ministry Of Defence can afford. This british warship took part in a recent nato Training Exercise in norway, designed to be a show of strength to neighbouring russia. But the Committee Says in Future The Uk could be left increasingly reliant on its allies. At zero zero speed. It accuses the mod of a lack of discipline in budgeting, delays in defence procurement, and a failure to cancel projects it can no longer afford. The Committee Notes the mod will see a Budget Increase of more than £46 billion over the next decade, but mps say that could still leave the military facing an estimated deficit of 16. 9 billion its biggest ever black hole. And theres a fear the real figure could be as high as 28. 9 billion, as some parts of the mod have only budgeted for capabilities they thought were affordable, rather than all those the government had requested. The warning from the Public Accounts Committee to the top brass here at the mod could hardly be starker you need to get a grip of spending, or you wont be able to deliver the military capabilities that the uk needs. In response, the mod says it is increasing significantly spending on Military Equipment over the next decade, and it says British Forces stand ready to protect the country and play a leading role in nato. The defence secretary, who visited ukraine this week, has frequently insisted the governments aspiration is to spend 2. 5 of gdp on defence. There is a trajectory upwards. I cant give you the exact date because weve always said its as the Economic Conditions allow. But the point is, were working to a plan. But mps say the mods problems arent new, and are actually getting worse. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Bbc news, bring you different stories from across the uk. I for many of us, artistic swimming is something we only see at the olympics but across the country, its very much alive and kicking. Here in cheltenham, sisters sam and sarah, theyve been involved in the sport for most of their lives, winning competitions and now setting up this new club. Just really passionate about the sport of artistic swimming and we want to share that with as many people as possible. So, from the age of seven all the way up to, weve got swimmers in their 50s, were just trying to make possible for as many as people to come and do the sport as we can. Its the fun aspect. I think, when anyone goes swimming, theyre always doing handstands and throwing each other out the water. And we do that but without touching the bottom. Its really hard, its very technical, theres a lot fo things you have to learn as a new starter. But itsjust really good fun. For more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. Youre live with bbc news. Uk Charity Givers donate on average more than £130 million during ramadan, with the muslim holy month set to begin over the weekend. But seven years on from a £40,000 donation to British Charity penny appeal, one donor tells us shes been left waiting to see her dream of building an orphanage realised. And this isnt the first time the yorkshire based charity, which raises tens of millions of pounds annually, has been under the spotlight. Yasmin khatun dewan reports. Call to prayer. Ramadan 2024 is just days away, a month of restraint, charity and worship for much of the worlds almost 2 billion muslims. This is the future, this is what it is going to look like. Seven years ago, ishrat baig, an account managerfrom birmingham, thought she had found a way to realise a dream, saving £40,000 to donate during the holy month. I had an ambition to open an orphanage, didnt matter where. Googled it, came up with penny appeal. Founded in 2009, the charity raised tens of millions of pounds annually. Its website says donations have reached 60 countries across asia, The Middle East and africa. They gave us a timeframe of about a year, give or take a couple of months. Despite this, years in, the orphanage showed no real signs of progress. In 2020, reports of abuse at a charity in the gambia surfaced. With a subsequent investigation into the charity. The video shows conditions inside the site. This was discussed in 2017, do you have Safeguarding Measures in place . Why has this been an issue in gambia if you had Safeguarding Measures in place . They could not give me answers. Injune 2021, ishrat asked for her money back. They said they would not be able to get my money back, i said, why . I said, i have invested in you and i have no trust in you any more. Its in the Eastern Province of punjab where the purchased land to build her orphan home. In 2012, according to the website, they were in the process of mirroring their ten home orphan complex. She made her donation with a few separate transactions in ramadan 2017. The charity told her the new orphanage would be complete the following year. After numerous complaints about the process, ishrat was told orphans would be moved into the new homes, first in december and then this february. The bbc had been to the location on three occasions after speaking to ishrat. A few roads away from penny appeal� s original orphan home, construction has been taking place and, in december, we were told this large, gated area would be ready in about six months to replace existing orphan homes. Two months ago, ishrat was sent this image and told her orphan home was complete. The building seems to match these structures, first seen in 2022. When a bbc team visited the Construction Site at the end of february, we took this picture and saw a complex still under construction with no orphans at the site. 12 years on from the start of the project and seven years on from ishrat� s donation, penny appeal said the following. Ishrat� s home was completed in december 2023. Children will begin moving into the community from march 2024. We are grateful to miss baig for her generous donation. We understand and share frustrations around building delays. In 2019, penny appeal had to submit an appeal to the Charity Commission and were investigated for financial impropriety as well as a report on safeguarding grounds. Last year, the Charity Appeal issued a warning in and last year, the Charity Commission issued penny appeal with a warning for three failings. Still waiting to see her orphan home supporting vulnerable children, for ishrat, another year and another ramadan has arrived. Taking you to the live feed, pictures of gaza from israel as news coming through of a brand new way of attempts to get you to in via the sea, should be operational by the weekend. We will be looking at those plans and plenty more coming up. This is bbc news. Hello. Our reasonably dry and settled spell of weather continues for another couple of days. Things do turn a little more unsettled as we head into the weekend, but certainly for today, a pretty chilly wind coming in from an easterly direction, but most of us should see some spells of sunshine. Early cold air mass with us. Weve got High Pressure to the north and the low pressure to the south west, and that combination is drawing in these fairly brisk winds from the near continent. I think the best of the Sunshine Today will be across parts of east anglia, southern england, also west wales. But where weve had a lot of cloud over recent days, so North East England and eastern scotland, weve still got the cloud but its tending to be a little bit thinner, so some brighter intervals breaking through. These are the gusts of wind we are likely to see, so 30, possibly 40 miles an hour, the windiest weather down towards the far south west. We could see some big waves around some of the coasts as well. 6 or 7 degrees in the north east, 10 or 11 towards the south. But wherever you are, its going to feel a touch colder when you add on that wind chill. Most of us, dry tonight, a little bit of low cloud drifting north. But some rain, as you can see, across parts of central and southern england, into wales, by first thing tomorrow. So with more cloud and that wet weather, it wont be as cold here as it was last night, but we are still expecting a touch of frost, i think, across the sheltered glens of central scotland. Now, into saturday, High Pressure to the north, low pressure to the south. Weve still got that easterly wind. That low pressure will bring some showery rain, particularly for parts of wales, perhaps the midlands. A few splashes into Northern Ireland as well. Nothing particularly heavy. Any of that rain will be quite showery in nature. More moving into the far south west with blustery winds later in the day. But elsewhere, actually a fair amount of dry, bright weather, some sunny spells. 13 degrees or so for london, but only 6 in aberdeen. Into the second half of the weekend, and that low stays with us towards the south. This frontal system just pushes a bit further north, so i think by sunday we could see some slightly more persistent rain, initially for southern and eastern parts of england, drifting across other parts of england and wales. Probably the best of any brighter weather will be in scotland and Northern Ireland, towards the far north west. But still a few showers possible here. Just 5 11 degrees, so a little below par for the time of year, feeling chilly with the wind and the rain around for some of us too. But that low pressure eventually drifts off towards the east as we head through the day on monday. A ridge of High Pressure working in behind it, so i think well see a little bit of a drier interlude but there will be plenty of rain symbols, as you can see on the outlook charts here. So a bit of a mixed picture but things turn a little bit milder into next week. Today at one. A british army agent who was their top ira spy cost more lives that he saved. A new £40 million investigation links the agent known as stakeknife to numerous murders and abductions. The metropolitan Police Firearms officer charged with the murder of 24 year old chris kaba is named in court for the first time. Theresa may announces shell stand down as an mp at the next election, nearly five years after resigning as Prime Minister. Baby crying. Paternity leave rules become more flexible, but campaigners say the changes still dont go far enough. And the grandaughter of england legend ian wright pulls on her boots for the biggest Girls Football session ever. And coming up on bbc news. Indias dominance on day two of the final test against england