we can expect to hear some more demands from the us at this time when tensions are quite high with its ally israel for more aid, more desperately needed aid to be allowed into gaza, where you have this threat looming of a man—made famine because of the very severe shortages of food. now, on top of that, mr blinken will be discussing, i'm sure, the ongoing talks in qatar with mediators acting as go betweens for israel and hamas, trying to secure a new ceasefire deal in exchange for the release of some of the remaining israeli hostages who are held in the gaza strip. on top of that, we do expect mr blinken to talk to the israelis about their plans, their declared plans for an offensive in rafah in the very south of the gaza strip, on the border with egypt. they say that they have to act there against remaining hamas battalions in the area if they are to win their war, to achieve their war, aim of dismantling hamas in the gaza strip. but, of course, that area is where you have something like one and a half million gazans, most of them displaced by the ongoing fighting, told to relocate there for their own safety by israel earlier in the war, now living in very desperate conditions. and so the us and others in the world have been speaking out against such an operation, saying that, you know, the cost with innocent lives would just be too great. they're trying to persuade israel to look at other options, perhaps sort of like much more targeted operations in that area. that was the bbc�*s yolande knell embellisher —— injerusalem. let's speak tojotam confino, who's the foreign editor ofjewish news. thank you forjoining us on the programme. let's start with mr blinken�*s visit, what kind of reception do you think he will get from israel's leaders? i reception do you think he will get from israel's leaders?— from israel's leaders? i think it de-ends from israel's leaders? i think it depends who — from israel's leaders? i think it depends who you _ from israel's leaders? i think it depends who you ask. - from israel's leaders? i think it depends who you ask. if - from israel's leaders? i think it depends who you ask. if you i from israel's leaders? i think it. depends who you ask. if you ask prime minister netanyahu i think he is not looking forward to this meeting, but benny gantz, on the other hand, the war cabinet minister on very good terms with washington, is probably looking more forward to talking with him. washington is really treating the government is two different parts, in a way. netanyahu, the prime minister, who they very much would like to see go, they very much would like to see go, they have said that up publicly, at least chuck schumer did, and that war cabinet minister benny gantz who represents a more moderate wing of the government who is more likely to compromise when it comes to the ceasefire and who in general is seen as a better option for the united states. it will be interesting to see what will come out of these meetings but as yolande also mentioned we know there will be negotiations in qatar because it ceasefire is best reached through direct or indirect negotiations and not through a un security council resolution. , ., , , not through a un security council resolution-— resolution. obviously this is a difficult line _ resolution. obviously this is a difficult line for _ resolution. obviously this is a difficult line for the _ resolution. obviously this is a difficult line for the us - difficult line for the us government, it wants to support israel, it has done so on the public stage and militarily, but it has increased the diplomatic pressure on the israeli government. do you see it having any impact on the way israel has carried out a military operation in gaza? i israel has carried out a military operation in gaza?— israel has carried out a military operation in gaza? i think since the beauinnin operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of— operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of the — operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of the war _ operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of the war the _ operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of the war the us - operation in gaza? i think since the beginning of the war the us has - beginning of the war the us has managed to change israel's behaviour, it has managed to allow age coming into gaza in the beginning, it said there would be no age coming into gaza in the beginning, electricity, nothing. this has changed significantly due to us pressure, so i think the united states has a lot of leveraging general but there also comes a point when israel will have to act independently, especially when we are talking about eradicating hamas. israel has consistently sided has to go into rafah to remove hamas from power, it is simply not an option not to go in, and this is where the us and israel are really cashing and why they are trying to come up with a solution that they can build support. fix, solution that they can build su ort. �* , ., solution that they can build su--ort. �* , ., support. a question about the israeli public, _ support. a question about the israeli public, how _ support. a question about the israeli public, how do - support. a question about the israeli public, how do you - support. a question about the i israeli public, how do you gauge support. a question about the - israeli public, how do you gauge the mood as you see growing international pressure for a ceasefire in gaza, what do israelis make of this? i ceasefire in gaza, what do israelis make of this?— ceasefire in gaza, what do israelis make of this? i think most israelis would at this _ make of this? i think most israelis would at this point _ make of this? i think most israelis would at this point like _ make of this? i think most israelis would at this point like to - make of this? i think most israelis would at this point like to see - would at this point like to see ceasefire with the ultimate aim of getting the hostages out. we are seeing more and more demonstrations but also more and more outbursts against government officials from families of hostages, they are fed up families of hostages, they are fed up with the situation, they feel like they are not being informed about what is going on and when you see some of the ministers in the netanyahu government saying that the first priority is not to get the hostages out, they think we lose it. they have been under mental torture for six months waiting to hear about their loved ones so they are incredibly frustrated and i think most people would like to see netanyahu being removed from office, but he obviously insists on continuing to govern israel. he is not about to call elections. one more important thing to notice there are two actors right now who seem to have an interest in prolonging the war, hamas and netanyahu, netanyahu is because he wants to avoid calling for elections because he can argue in the middle of the you shouldn't, and for hamas, dragging this war out as much as possible increases the chances of them... as much as possible increases the chances of them. . ._ chances of them. .. thank you so much, chances of them. .. thank you so much. jotam _ chances of them. .. thank you so much, jotam confino, _ chances of them. .. thank you so much, jotam confino, foreign . chances of them. .. thank you so i much, jotam confino, foreign editor much, jotam confino, foreign editor ofjewish news. the kremlin says the special military operation in ukraine has now turned to war, a major escalation in language used. the kremlin official dmitry peskov said it is because of the west increasing involvement. large areas of ukraine are suffering blackouts of the russian missiles targeted energy infrastructure overnight. 15 blasts were reported in kharkiv and many households are without power in odesa. the state hydropower company said a russian strike hit ukraine's largest dam in zaporizhzhia but there was no risk of a breach. the regional governor, ivan fedorov, says seven buildings were destroyed and 35 damaged, and there is an as yet unknown number of wounded. a power line featuring the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has also been cut. early i spoke to vitaly shevchenko, the russia editor at bbc monitoring. it is the second night of much of air strikes across ukraine and one of the biggest attacks over the past two years —— the second night of massive air strikes. it involves almost 90 missiles. ukrainian energy officials are saying ukraine's energy system is badly affected. ukraine's second largest city, kharkiv, which at almost 4.5 million people before the war, has no electricity currently. in zaporizhzhia the hydropower dam was hit several times, at least three times. it has two turbine holes and there are fears that neither of them will be —— that's one of them will never be repaired, it is too badly damaged. one person said that russia tried to take out all of the key energy facilities feeding this major city. so right now details are still coming in, we don't know how many people have died across ukraine, at least two fatalities had been confirmed. rescue workers are sifting through the rubble in zaporizhzhia where a number of houses have been hit and in other parts of ukraine we believe there are people still under the rubble and the ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky reiterated his call for more air defence systems to be supplied to ukraine because, as he put it, russian missiles and drones do not know such delays as ukraine has been experiencing in obtaining military assistance from the west of the past few months. i want to ask about this breaking news that russia's fsb state security service has said it has detained seven moscow residents planning violent acts in the russian capital. it said these were individuals linked to the ukraine —based russian volunteer corps, a pelletier trash paramilitary group accused of carrying out incursions into russia from ukraine. —— a paramilitary group accused of. the from ukraine. -- a paramilitary group accused of.— from ukraine. -- a paramilitary group accused of. the fsb does not exactly have — group accused of. the fsb does not exactly have a _ group accused of. the fsb does not exactly have a track— group accused of. the fsb does not exactly have a track record - group accused of. the fsb does not exactly have a track record of - exactly have a track record of complete impartiality or being truthful in its reports, so this may or may not be true. this report comes after several attempts comes after several attem pts a p pa re ntly comes after several attempts a ppa re ntly by comes after several attempts apparently by militants or paramilitaries linked to the ukrainian military, attempts to infiltrate russia across the border from ukraine. the russian security services will be under pressure to respond, they will be looking for people possibly linked to ukrainian security services within russia, but we have to understand that the fsb clearly is controlled by the kremlin and has an axe to grind. the clearly is controlled by the kremlin and has an axe to grind.— and has an axe to grind. the bbc's vitaly shevchenko. _ the region along the north—eastern border of ukraine with russia has seen intense bombardments in recent days. entire villages are being evacuated, with hundreds of frail and elderly people moved to safety. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford reports from sumy, near the russian border, on what that means for ukraine. nina hasjust lost everything she owns. they all have. ukrainian pensioners who've been forced to flee russian bombardment and abandon their homes. nina's pain is felt by everyone here. villagers were evacuated under fire, by police, urging them on to safety. some had to be carried across bridges already bombed. this is sumy region, on the border with russia. the police video shows whole streets there destroyed in air strikes. so the first thing i hear at this temporary shelter is a plea for help for ukraine's soldiers. then anger at the man who launched this war, and just secured himself another six years in the kremlin. translation: putin is our enemy. what did he come here for? we never touched him. but so many people have been killed, so many tortured, so many have lost their arms and their legs. and what for? most who arrive think they'll go home one day. confused, as well as scared. this is the latest evacuation of people from villages that are under fire close to the russian border, being brought here for safety. more ukrainians who've had their lives turned upside down by this war. baby katya's life began under fire. she's just a month old. her mother tells me her heart is aching to be home again, that it hurts. she just wants all this to end. it's not only the fighting that families are fleeing. they're escaping occupation, too, by russia, a life under vladimir putin's rule. zoya and her husband travelled three days to reach sumy from a village now full of russian soldiers. everyone coming from occupied territory gets a security screening by their own country. then finally, zoya can tell her children that they're safe. she tells me she left because life under russian control scared her and it crushed her spirit. translation: as we were driving here, i started to cry. _ i breathed in the fresh ukrainian air. yes, we are ukrainians. we want our country to flourish, for our children and grandchildren to live in peace. i'm sorry. "it's very hard," zoya tells me, because she knows she's safer now. but ukraine is no closer to peace. sarah rainsford, bbc news, sumy. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. as haiti's political and economic system collapses, the country continues to spiral into violence and a humanitarian crisis. education is increasingly one of the biggest casualties, as young people are forced to choose between their studies and surviving the chaos. our central america and caribbean correspondent, will grant, reports. it isn't easy studying law in a lawless society, nor politics in a power vacuum, or economics in a collapsing economy. these students are doing all three. those schools in gang—controlled port—au—prince are mostly shut. classrooms in the calmer city of cap—haitien remain mostly open to its young people seeking an education against the odds. the dean says everything from the law school's curriculum to its salaries have been affected by the anarchy. translation: whether it's the upkeep of the building or the materials, - we haven't had any support from the state in covering it. we even haven't been able to pay our teachers properly, or bring in any visiting professors from outside. at this time i feel lucky to have a university place at all, says the student. all we can do is keep studying. for weeks now, the haitian capital has resembled a war zone as the gangs advancing to new neighbourhoods, the national police are struggling to repel them. an exodus of people from the city is heaping pressure on already stretched education system as thousands of youths fleeing the violence are looking to enrol in safer cities. if haiti is ever to get back on its feet, it will need its best and brightest in government. unfortunately, the political chaos here is only surpassed by the collapse in security, all of which has led to a humanitarian disaster which is disproportionately affecting haiti's young people. the officials in charge of cap—haitien, the country's main safe haven, but not provide basic services for the city's population, its newcomers, and keep the gangs at bay. i believe in the population. the people who live in cap—haitien have to collaborate with the municipality and the police department, thejustice department. that is the reason i believe cap—haitien will be safe. if everything on the list of haiti's failing infrastructure — food provision, housing, government and security —, it's education that is perhaps the most tragic. it speaks of the loss of a generation of haiti's young people, unmoored from their futures, uncertain as to what kind of country the violence will leave behind for them. the sports giant nike he says it has no plans to recall a change the new england football shirt following a decision to change the colour of the cross of st george on the back of the shed. traditionally red and white, the new design features navy, light blue and purple. mikey describes the design is a playful update and save the colours were inspired by the training kit worn by england's 1966 world cup winners —— nike describes. the labour leader sir keir starmer has criticised the change, saying that the flag was a unifier and to urge the company to change it back. uk viewers can see more on that debate in the next half hourin more on that debate in the next half hour in the bbc news channel. police in west yorkshire have opened an investigation into whether one of the biggest conservative party donors a crime when he allegedly made racist comments about britain's longest serving black mp, diane abbott. our political correspondent helen cattjoins us. what do we know about this investigation? helen catt joins us. what do we know about this investigation?— about this investigation? earlier this month _ about this investigation? earlier this month the _ about this investigation? earlier this month the guardian - about this investigation? earlier - this month the guardian newspaper reported that major conservative party donor frank hester, he has given £10 million to the party, told a meeting of his company in 2019 that the mp diane abbott made him want to hate all black women and should be shot. he apologised for what he said was being rude to diane abbott, the prime minister condemned the remarks as racist. the conservatives have been resisting pressure to hand back those donations. what we have this morning as a statement from west yorkshire police which says it is investigating what it describes as racist comments allegedly made at a meeting in leeds in 2019. it said a complaint was originally made to the met police's parliamentary investigations team in march the 11th but was passed to west yorkshire because of where the meeting took place in horse feather in leeds. it said officers had since worked to establish the facts and ultimately ascertain whether a crime is committed and i didn't recognise that the strong reaction to these allegations, and it appreciated everyone who had contacted them since the publication of the article. ., ., ., ~ article. have we heard from mr hester and _ article. have we heard from mr hester and what _ article. have we heard from mr hester and what has _ article. have we heard from mr hester and what has been - article. have we heard from mr hester and what has been his l hester and what has been his position? he hester and what has been his osition? . , hester and what has been his osition? ., ., , ., hester and what has been his osition? .,, ., ., , ., ., position? he has apologised for what he said was making _ position? he has apologised for what he said was making rude _ position? he has apologised for what he said was making rude comments, | he said was making rude comments, being rude about diane abbott. this is very new breaking news, we've only had this in the last hour or so, there has been no reaction to that. ., ., ~' so, there has been no reaction to that. ., . ~ ., ., that. looking at the background to the story there _ that. looking at the background to the story there has _ that. looking at the background to the story there has been _ that. looking at the background to the story there has been a - that. looking at the background to the story there has been a huge i the story there has been a huge political row into these allegations? it political row into these allegations? political row into these alleaations? ., ., ., allegations? it dominated quite a lot of the week's _ allegations? it dominated quite a lot of the week's worth _ allegations? it dominated quite a lot of the week's worth of - allegations? it dominated quite a lot of the week's worth of news i allegations? it dominated quite a lot of the week's worth of news ifj lot of the week's worth of news if you think back to last week, if you think that there was originally the revelation of these comments, downing street's reaction, the prime minister saying they were racist, then calls from the opposition parties and some conservatives for the conservatives to hand back about £10 million of donations which the party has rejected. in effect, it has not done that. there were reports of potentially further donations which have neither been confirmed nor denied. just when this seemed to have died down, what this opening of a police investigation does is bring virtual back to the forefront and put those questions again to rishi sunak.— forefront and put those questions again to rishi sunak. thank you very much to our— again to rishi sunak. thank you very much to our political— again to rishi sunak. thank you very much to our political correspondent | much to our political correspondent helen catt, and we will have more on that throughout the day on bbc news. labour says it would allow police to bring charges against domestic violence suspects directly in some areas of england and wales without first consulting the crown prosecution service if it wins the next election. the announcement follows a review by the party of the criminal charging system which has found there is a blame game between police and prosecutors leading to a catastrophic collapse in the number of charges. there are renewed calls for a formal apology from the british government for historical forced adoptions. they come joint committee on human rights says many women suffered harrowing experiences at the hands of state employees in post—war years —— the commons joint committee. it's china, joanna cherry, says the women were pressured into giving a for adoption because they were unmarried. the scottish and welsh governments have already apologised. two white supremacists are suspected of carrying out two murders while on the run following a prison break in the us state of idaho. skylar meade, here on the left, and his alleged accomplice nicholas umphenour were caught after a brief car chase on thursday afternoon. police say they are both members of a prison gang, the aryan knights. meade escaped after umphenour ambushed guards taking him back to prison from hospital, opening fire and injuring two of them. you are watching bbc news with me, catherine byaruhanga, and if you would like to follow any of the stories here you can go to the bbc website. otherwise stay with us here on bbc news. hello. we've got a fairly unsettled spell of spring weather over the next couple of days, low pressure to the north of the uk. and that's going to be bringing us a story of some sunny spells out there today, but also some heavy showery downpours. it's feeling colder than recent days and pretty windy as well. so we've got that colder air mass working its way slowly further south, low pressure sitting to the north of the uk. so this weather front has brought some rain. we're going to see it slowly clearing away from the south coast into the afternoon hours and then we're all going to be in the clearer skies. but it is going to be windy, especially across parts of scotland, and we'll see some showers driving in. this is three o'clock in the afternoon, some showers across parts of wales, north—west england. fewer i think further east across england, but temperatures ten to 12 degrees so certainly significantly cooler than recent days. the showers will be more frequent this afternoon across parts of northern ireland and scotland where they're a little bit wintry over the highest ground. i think few are reaching the likes of aberdeenshire. but into this evening and tonight, we've still got these brisk winds, gusts about 60 miles per hour in the north, driving more frequent showers in from the north—west. fewer showers again for parts of southern and eastern england, but you could catch one almost anywhere through the night. and it'll be colder than recent nights with temperatures between about two to four degrees in our towns and cities, but a touch colder in the more rural spots. so heading on into the weekend, then, low pressure starts to move its way towards the east as we head through the second half of the weekend. that will mean the weather will start to improve. but for saturday, plenty of those showers rattling through on those brisk north—westerly winds. again, gales in the far north—west. some of the showers a little bit wintry over the higher ground of scotland. and there could be some hail and some thunderstorms mixed in as well. some sunshine in between the showers, but only nine or ten degrees. it's not going to feel particularly warm, especially where you're exposed to the brisk winds. now into sunday, that's when we see things quieting down a little bit. still some brisk winds bringing a few showers in the north and the east first thing, some rain approaching from the west later on in the day, too. but actually, in between, not too bad. some sunny spells around and temperatures probably a degree or two warmer compared to saturday. looking ahead into next week, though, low pressure stays fairly close to the uk. we've got one area clearing away towards the south—east, another approaching from the atlantic. so i think it's not going to be a complete washout into next week. there will be some dry air and some brighter weather, but some showers around. those temperatures a little bit warmer later in the week. welcome to this lively conversation, impassioned as well, about the nike design and the colours, more pertinently, of the cross on the colour of the new england shirt. steve, you're passionate about this. just explain why you think this is a no—no? just explain why you think this is a no-no? ., .. ., , ., just explain why you think this is a no-no? ., ., , ., , no-no? you cannot start playing about with _ no-no? you cannot start playing about with our _ no-no? you cannot start playing about with our history _ no-no? you cannot start playing about with our history for - no-no? you cannot start playing i about with our history for corporate benefit. if they think they can get away with this, they will take it a step further in the future and start shoving stuff down our throats and think they can get away with this, that and the other. i was proud to serve my country. the symbol of my heritage was the st george's cross. i have grandparents who are welsh. i have irish history from another grandad. and part of this country. i define myself as english because i was born in england and i have served my country. so for a corporate company to come along and think they can do what the hell they want with our flag to