from attempting such crossings. we'll have more about the bill shortly, first let's go to wimereux near calais — our correspondent tom symonds is there: yes, jane. you can see the weather is very calm today. the sea is flat, there is plenty of visibility in the skies are relatively clear. it is perfect whether, as people—smugglers and migrants would see it, for crossing the channel to get to the uk, and that is what has been happening, several launches of boats from beaches. this is normally uncovered sand when the tide is out. that was what happened here earlier this morning, watched by a bbc team. a boat was launched, and people tried to get onto it, large numbers of people, about 110 or 112 tried to climb onto the boat. the police were here in attendance. what happened next was a fight between some of the migrants and some of the police. 0ur reporter andrew harding watched what happened. there's a real battle going on on the beach here. must be more than 100 migrants trying to get to the water. they're letting off firecrackers to try and keep the police away from them, but the police are moving in. they're trying to stop them from getting to the water. let's go ahead and see what we can see. you can see the smugglers here. some of them have sticks. they're trying to protect the migrants as they head towards the sea. what happened next? the boat managed to leave the shore and make it out to leave the shore and make it out to see, but then, and this is an account given by the french coastguard, it then got stranded on a sand bank. there were so many people on board that when they moved around as the boat became free on the water, some of them fell into the water, some of them fell into the water. we understand that five people have lost their lives and that one of them is a small girl, eitherfour that one of them is a small girl, either four or five that one of them is a small girl, eitherfour orfive years that one of them is a small girl, either four or five years old, which really does illustrate the risks that some of these migrants are taking trying to get across this channel. the french coastguard went in and tried to rescue some of those in and tried to rescue some of those in the water, and others who were in the boat refused to get out of the boat, which then appears to have carried on. our reporter who is on the other side of the channel, simon jones, who is in dover, says that he thinks one of the vessels that has been picked up by the british authorities and migrants taken to the uk, some people —— are some people from the boat that started here. so that is just a measure people from the boat that started here. so that isjust a measure in one incident of what the government is facing with its pledge to stop the boats. ., ., , ., ~ the boats. tom symonds, thank you for now. the boats. tom symonds, thank you for nova we — the boats. tom symonds, thank you for now. we will _ the boats. tom symonds, thank you for now. we will have _ the boats. tom symonds, thank you for now. we will have more - the boats. tom symonds, thank you for now. we will have more from - for now. we will have more from dover shortly. for now. we will have more from dovershortly. first, for now. we will have more from dover shortly. first, let's talk about the politics. after months of gridlock the government's rwanda asylum bill is finally set to become law. plans to send some asylum seekers to africa have been met with fierce criticism, but the bill — which designates rwanda a safe country — was approved overnight. the prime minister said the first flights will leave the uk in ten to 12 weeks. here's our political correspondent peter saull. further along the french coast from where five migrants lost their lives this morning, and at first light, dozens of people try to find a scrap of rubber to perch on. thisjourney was halted, but they will no doubt try again, a stark reminder of what the recent wranglings in westminster have been all about — how to stop crossings on small boats. figs have been all about - how to stop crossings on small boats. as many who are of — crossings on small boats. as many who are of the _ crossings on small boats. as many who are of the opinion _ crossings on small boats. as many who are of the opinion say - crossings on small boats. as many| who are of the opinion say content. the country, not content. this was the moment the house of lords finally backed down, and the legislation that declares rwanda a safe place to send people will become law. the covenant hopes the threat of being sent to east africa dissuades people from crossing the channel, even if it doesn't seem to be putting them off yet. the channel, even if it doesn't seem to be putting them off yet.— be putting them off yet. the prime minister is determined _ be putting them off yet. the prime minister is determined to - be putting them off yet. the prime minister is determined to make - be putting them off yet. the prime i minister is determined to make sure that we do stop the boats, and that is why we were sitting so late last night, determined to get the bill through parliament. we now need to get the treaty ratified and then we need to see the planes get off the ground. when we see the planes take off, then we will see the deterrent effect kick in. off, then we will see the deterrent effect kick im— effect kick in. rishi sunak had romised effect kick in. rishi sunak had promised to — effect kick in. rishi sunak had promised to have _ effect kick in. rishi sunak had promised to have planes - effect kick in. rishi sunak had promised to have planes in i effect kick in. rishi sunak had | promised to have planes in the effect kick in. rishi sunak had - promised to have planes in the air in the spring, but his new timescale is ten to 12 weeks from now. he wants and arguably needs it to work in time for the general election expected later this year. but labour say they would scrap the scheme. the roblem is say they would scrap the scheme. tue: problem is that say they would scrap the scheme. tte: problem is that the say they would scrap the scheme. t'te: problem is that the rwanda say they would scrap the scheme. tte: problem is that the rwanda scheme is an extortionate to expensive gimmick thatis an extortionate to expensive gimmick that is not a serious plan to actually tackle the problem. it's costing around half a a billion pounds for just costing around half a a billion pounds forjust 300 costing around half a a billion pounds for just 300 people to costing around half a a billion pounds forjust 300 people to be sent to two. that is less than 1% of asylum seekers, so it's not addressing the 99%. tt’s asylum seekers, so it's not addressing the 99%. it's not addressing _ addressing the 99%. it's not addressing the _ addressing the 99%. it's not addressing the overall- addressing the 99%. it's not - addressing the overall problem. the other main opposition parties are critical too. other main opposition parties are critical toe-— critical too. people are in a desnerate _ critical too. people are in a desperate situation - critical too. people are in a desperate situation and - critical too. people are in a l desperate situation and they critical too. people are in a - desperate situation and they are doing _ desperate situation and they are doing desperate things, and that is very concerning, the loss of life we have _ very concerning, the loss of life we have all— very concerning, the loss of life we have all seen as something that should — have all seen as something that should concern us all. but really, what _ should concern us all. but really, what should be happening is that we should _ what should be happening is that we should be _ what should be happening is that we should be looking for a sensible and humane _ should be looking for a sensible and humane approach. this should be looking for a sensible and humane approach.— humane approach. this is another exam - le humane approach. this is another example of— humane approach. this is another example of government _ humane approach. this is another example of government by - humane approach. this is another i example of government by pressure rather— example of government by pressure rather than — example of government by pressure rather than a — example of government by pressure rather than a serious _ example of government by pressure rather than a serious attempt - example of government by pressure rather than a serious attempt to - rather than a serious attempt to address— rather than a serious attempt to address the _ rather than a serious attempt to address the problem _ rather than a serious attempt to address the problem of- address the problem of people—smugglers - address the problem of- people—smugglers bringing address the problem of— people—smugglers bringing people across— people—smugglers bringing people across the — people—smugglers bringing people across the channel. _ people—smugglers bringing people across the channel. this _ people-smugglers bringing people across the channel.— across the channel. this is where the migrants _ across the channel. this is where the migrants will _ across the channel. this is where the migrants will be _ across the channel. this is where the migrants will be sent. - across the channel. this is where i the migrants will be sent. ministers insist that the scheme is uncapped, but perhaps the biggest unanswered question is how many will actually make it here. tens of thousands of people who arrived in britain on small boats are waiting. the government says it has planes and an airfield ready, but there is a process to work through, and ministers are bracing themselves for legal challenges. taste ministers are bracing themselves for legal challenges.— legal challenges. we are protecting vulnerable individuals _ legal challenges. we are protecting vulnerable individuals from - legal challenges. we are protecting vulnerable individuals from being . vulnerable individuals from being sent to places which might cause them severe harm. whether or not the rwanda policy stops the boats is mr sunak�*s concern. so far, we have seen no evidence that it does. more than two years _ seen no evidence that it does. more than two years have _ seen no evidence that it does. more than two years have passed since the policy was announced. in the meantime, the boats had kept coming. this was filmed just a few hours ago, migrants being picked up close to dover. but the controversial plan to dover. but the controversial plan to send people like mr rwanda is edging closer to becoming a reality. peter bbc news. let's go back to our correspodent simonjones, who's in dover. so the bill is through, but that is the question, is it enough to stop people—smugglers and to stop people wanting to come? people-smugglers and to stop people wanting to come?— wanting to come? well, the government _ wanting to come? well, the government is _ wanting to come? well, the government is describing i wanting to come? well, the | government is describing the wanting to come? well, the - government is describing the passing of the bill as a landmark moment. i would call it a moment of truth, because if flights do take off as planned injuly, is here in dover where we are going to see whether the deterrent effect is working, because it's down there that boats are brought in shore after migrants are brought in shore after migrants are picked up in the channel. this morning, it has been very busy on this side of the channel too. we have seen border force and the lifeboat brings cause of migrants back to shore more we reckon around 200 people so far. i understand there is another boat out there in there is another boat out there in the channel that is currently being picked up. talk to people here in dover, and there's a certain sense of scepticism about whether flights really will make a difference. that's because over the past five or six years since these crossings became a regular thing, people say there have been a number of prime ministers and a number of home secretaries. there have been several immigration ministers, all who have promised to get a grip of this issue, but the boats had kept coming. in the past, various ideas have been talked about. for example, there was talk of turning boats back in the channel. that was considered too dangerous. there was even talk of wave machines. the military were brought in at one stage and they were asked to try to send out a deterrent effect, but the effect only became, in the eyes of critics, a taxi service for migrants. so lots of things have been tried, but the government hopes rwanda will be the one that works. government hopes rwanda will be the one that works-— one that works. simon jones in dover. one that works. simon jones in dover- now — one that works. simon jones in dover- now a _ one that works. simon jones in dover. now a look _ one that works. simon jones in dover. now a look at _ one that works. simon jones in dover. now a look at the - one that works. simon jones in | dover. now a look at the rest of one that works. simon jones in - dover. now a look at the rest of the day's news. the speed limit on some roads across wales looks likely to be increased — just seven months after being reduced to 20 miles an hour. the new welsh transport secretary ken skates is due to give more details this afternoon about bringing back the 30mph limit, after the original plans were widely criticised. let's go to our wales correspondent hywel griffth in cardiff. what is likely to happen? we will hear from ken _ what is likely to happen? we will hear from ken skates _ what is likely to happen? we will hear from ken skates in - what is likely to happen? we will hear from ken skates in the - what is likely to happen? we will. hear from ken skates in the senedd later this afternoon. if we rewind to last year when this 20 mile an hour default limit was first introduced, we were told by the welsh labour government that it would save lives, and the political pain they endured would be worth it for better road safety. since then, everyone has had to get used to the new limit. not everyone happy about it. and increasingly, it seemed almost inevitable that the welsh government would have to make changes. seven months after it was unveiled, wales' default speed limit could be heading into reverse — rather than a total u—turn. in september, a third of the roads were changed from 30 to 20mph zones, with a claim it would save lives and bring people out of their cars. a record petition to the senedd signed by almost half a million people called for the policy to be scrapped. now a new transport secretary says he's listening, and some of those roads could revert. so roads which were made 20mph zones in september could now flip back to 30. it's an issue which has divided people in wales ever since the policy was introduced, and this latest turn is no different. what a waste of time and money. how much money have they spent on doing that? i'm happy with 20 miles an hour. the government always said it was going to review what was going on, so they're only doing what they said they were going to do. i can tell you one thing, - when it came in, i've not really given it much of a second thought. it's business as usual, really, as soon as i get behind - the wheel, you know? anyone who ignores the limit does risk prosecution. it is being enforced. but the welsh government says it will work with councils to target changes, setting it in a different direction. hywel griffith, bbc news. in the last couple of hours, the uk has announced another £500 million of funding for ukraine. the prime minister rishi sunak announced the funding on a visit to the polish capital, warsaw. let's talk to our political editor chris mason, who's travelling with the prime minister. what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane- we are — what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we are at _ what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we are at a _ what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we are at a military _ what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we are at a military base - what is he announcing, chris? hello, jane. we are at a military base east i jane. we are at a military base east of warsaw. in the next half hour, the prime minister, the nato secretary general yan stoltenberg and the polish prime minister donald tusk will all be here. a substantial speech expected from the prime minister later. as you say, there is this £500 million boost to british funding for ukraine in this financial year, so going up from £2.5 billion to £3 billion. mr sunak making an argument that in his view, i was speaking to him on the plane here, moscow �*s invasion of ukraine has been a strategic failure. nato has been a strategic failure. nato has expanded the western military alliance, but there is clearly a nervousness from western leaders that in democracies, you have to continue to continue to take people with you. and when you are allocating hundreds of millions of pounds, billions of pounds a year to a cause defending ukraine, that comes with a cost. the money can't be spent elsewhere and there is the prospect that that kind of expenditure could go on for years and years and years.— and years and years. chris mason there. nasa says its voyager 0ne probe, the most distant man—made object in the universe, is sending usable information back to earth again — after months of spouting gibberish. the spaceship left the solar system in 2012, and is currently more than 15 billion miles from earth — but it can still send data back. 0ur science correspondent victoria gill explains. we have ignition, and we have lift off. pl. we have ignition, and we have lift off. �* .., we have ignition, and we have lift off. ~ .., we have ignition, and we have lift off. . .., ., we have ignition, and we have lift off. ~ ., ., off. a spacecraft bound for a “ourne off. a spacecraft bound for a journey that _ off. a spacecraft bound for a journey that no _ off. a spacecraft bound for a journey that no one - off. a spacecraft bound for a i journey that no one imagined. off. a spacecraft bound for a - journey that no one imagined. when voyager1 launched in 1977, its mission was to explore our own solar system. it captured detailed images of saturn's rings and discovered thatjupiter has a ring of its own. then itjust kept going. and in 2012, it became the first human made object to leave our solar system. but last year, after nearly 50 years in space, something finally went wrong. the data voyager1 was sending back to earth stopped making sense. nasa engineers worked out that a single chip on its decades—old on board computer had stopped working. to fix it, they transmitted an essential piece of code that was on that broken ship back to the spacecraft from mission control. it took 22 and a half hours for that code to reach voyager 1 control. it took 22 and a half hours for that code to reach voyager1 in interstellar space. for that code to reach voyager1 in interstellarspace. but for that code to reach voyager1 in interstellar space. but this very remote reboot worked. the craft has now sent readable data reporting its health and status back to earth for the first time in five months. aha, lat the first time in five months. a lot of this technology _ the first time in five months. a lot of this technology is _ the first time in five months. a lot of this technology is from - the first time in five months. lot of this technology is from the 60s. not 70s. we are now in 2024, which is extraordinary. i sit here at my age thinking, good god, this thing is still going, and it's brilliant. the next step is to get scientific information from the craft, to keep learning from its interstellar mission. by next year, though, voyager 1's ability to generate enough power to operate its instruments is set to come to an end, leaving this tiny icon of space exploration to wander the universe, possibly for eternity. victoria gill, bbc news. the time is 13:16. our top story this afternoon... five people die, including a child, trying to cross the english channel in a small boat. and searching for kidney donors — a new scheme to find a match more quickly. and coming up on bbc news, ding junhui begins his world snooker championship campaign at the crucible in sheffield as he looks to add the one title missing from his glittering cv. people who are black wait on average ten months longerfor a kidney transplant than white patients. nhs blood and transplant say there's a national shortage of organs, particularly from black and ethnic minority donors. about 5,700 people in the uk currently need a kidney transplant — including more than 100 children. 0ur health correspondent michelle roberts has been to meet one young girl who's part of a new swap scheme designed to find donors more quickly. it's like a microphone. a microphone? hello, hello, hello. destiny—rae is five. she loves play—doh, singing and her mum, maria. but she doesn't like broccoli or dialysis. but maybe when you get your kidney, you might like broccoli. what do you think? she's been having dialysis three times a week since she was ten months old because her kidneys don't work. added together, that's more than six whole months of her young life rigged up to the machine. i think all she's ever known is dialysis. she definitely doesn't have any memory of not being on dialysis. and this has kind of been like her second family for a long time, which in many ways is a beautiful thing. but, also, what's best for her is to be out in school. there we go. play therapy helps pass the time while waiting for a new kidney. that's your favourite one, isn't it? the odds of finding a donor are stacked against destiny. there's a national shortage of organs... my turn! ..particularly from black and ethnic minority people. no suitable deceased donor has been found, but a special organ swap scheme with living donors — the uk living kidney sharing scheme — might help. the sharing scheme widens the search, using people who are willing to give one of their healthy kidneys to a stranger. they promise to donate if in return their friend or loved one gets a kidney from someone else. the swaps only go ahead if everyone matches up, so that no patient misses out. good, we've got one. destiny's wait for a kidney has been long and uncertain. nope. but social media has provided a lifeline. they met liffy in an online discussion group talking about the difficulty of finding a donor. they don't go together? although liffy is not a tissue match for destiny, she hopes the scheme can pair them with someone who is. destiny was actually the same age as my own daughter and i couldn't imagine being in the same position as maria and destiny and someone not wanting to help. a healthy donor like liffy can lead a normal life on one remaining kidney, although it's a massive decision to make. my daughter loves her, so she calls her auntie liffy. she loves her. they've got an amazing, like, bond. it's so beautiful to see. and, yeah, she's literally sent from heaven. she's my guardian angel. every three months, destiny and liffy wait to hear if a match can be found. they're hoping today it's third time lucky. maria, earlier today, i got a phone call. they've found a match for us. 0h... so we're paired up. want a hug? a few weeks on, the operations have gone ahead successfully. maria and destiny are still isolating at home, but are looking forward to a new chapter in their lives. now we can plan. things that we couldn't do before, we can now do. and i'm just excited for the fact that we... i can see a future. i couldn't see a future before. michelle roberts, bbc news. prince louis, the youngest child of the prince and princess of wales, is six today. to celebrate, a new photograph has been it was taken by his mother, known to be a keen photographer. the post office inquiry, which is looking into it failings that led to hundreds of prosecutions, has been hearing from susan crichton, the business's most senior in—house lawyer between 2010 and 2013. during her time, the post office brought hundreds of cases against sub—postmasters, despite concerns surrounding the horizon software. let's speak to our correspondent emma simpson, who is at the inquiry. tell us more about what has been heard _ tell us more about what has been heard today~ _ tell us more about what has been heard today it— tell us more about what has been heard today-— tell us more about what has been heard today. it really is, jane, one ofthe heard today. it really is, jane, one of the big question _ heard today. it really is, jane, one of the big question is, _ heard today. it really is, jane, one of the big question is, why - heard today. it really is, jane, one of the big question is, why did - of the big question is, why did susan crichton, the top in—house lawyer, abruptly leave herjob in the autumn of 2013 after a series of reports flagging up a host of concerns? we heard today she felt the chair had lost confidence in her and the lines of communication had broken down, but one of the most interesting things we heard was on the discussions at very senior levels on the language to be adopted to describe computer bugs. it has emerged that paula vennells, the boss, had asked her husband for tips. what is a non—emotive word for computer bugs, she asked him. exceptions or anomalies, he suggests. susan crichton acknowledge his suggestions ended up in a formal briefing note that paula vennells used for mps. susan crichton was asked to explain that. it's absolutely orwellian, isn't it, the word "exception" now instead of "bug"? changing the language within the company, crafting a briefing that now refers to... did you not take responsibility for that briefing, given that you were one of the people drafting it? if i had solely drafted it, it had been my work, i then i would have taken - responsibility, or would take responsibility for it. i don't have... i can't remember that. this was all smoke and mirrors, the inquiry heard. susan crichton will continue answering questions for the rest of the day. emma simpson, thank you. an extreme form of soil erosion is causing entire communities to disappear across africa and latin america. experts have told the bbc that gully erosion is advancing at a worrying speed, because of deforestation and extreme weather, as well as a lack of urban planning. stephanie hegarty has visited two cities living on the edge. this city in brazil is at risk of falling apart. translation: this thing has taken away my life. i joao batista is a mechanic and his workshop is on the edge of a giant ravine. translation: it got risky after it started raining - when the gullies started to grow. our whole house would collapse. boom. these ravines are caused by gully erosion. translation: my belongings, my house, it's all gone. - i only saved my children and my wife. in total, 60 people were killed when their homes collapsed into a gully here in kinshasa, in the democratic republic of congo, in 2022. translation: my neighbour who was on the other side, i she died with her four children. brigitte blames the construction of a highway uphill. translation: they built very tiny drains. - they couldn't cope with the amount of rainwater, and it overflowed. i've spent 19 years here, and nothing like this has ever happened. buriticupu is in the brazilian amazon, but since the �*90s, the timber industry has cut down most of the trees — a natural barrier to erosion. and when rainwater hits the bare ground, it can dislodge soil. streams of water then push this soil downhill, carving gullies into the earth that develop into these huge canyons. climate change is expected to make this problem worse. the rainfall intensities may increase with 10% to 15%, and due to that, gully erosion rates may double or even triple. so, for sure, this is a man—made disaster in many ways, but with proper infrastructure, this can be prevented. stopping gullies after they form is expensive. the brazilian government is considering a $60 million proposal for structural works in buriticupu. meanwhile, joao batista is trying to solve the problem by himself. translation: if i don't take action, the rain when it comes _ will take everything. after i started planting the bamboo there, the ground no longer fell. stephanie hegarty, bbc news in buriticupu, brazil. a potential new treatment for sports related concussion is being trialled in professional rugby union. it's a brain cooling device which is used to treat head injuries, and could eventually be felicity kvesic has the story. bigger players and bigger impacts. in rugby, head injuries can be a consequence. scotland centre mark bennett knows. this recent turnover tackle led to a try for edinburgh... ..but it also forced him from the field. afterwards he used a new brain cooling treatment that aims to aid recovery from concussion. it's a contact sport. there's going to be risks involved. and i knew that when i was going to play. i think that the more research that's happening and the sort of more information that we get, the better. edinburgh is now one of a number of clubs in the united rugby championship that have started trialling the new pitchside treatment for players. much of the focus in contact sports, including rugby union, has been on preventing head injuries. this, though, is a treatment that can be used immediately after concussion and as part of the return to play protocols. hot concussions, sport related concussions, are potentially worse than cold concussions. and that really brings us into this idea of whenever we identify an athlete with a concussion pitchside, as we do quickly now in rugby, is there that benefit of cooling their brain quicker, and is there then a translated benefit into into their concussion recovery? unlike an ice bath or an ice pack, polarcap targets cooling the blood flow to the brain, thereby lowering its energy use. it is used once for 45 to 60 minutes in the acute phase of injury. a recent study concluded that it may reduce symptoms and shorten return to play time for athletes. concussions are a serious issue for athletes... tests in ice hockey showed that it helped to reduce long term injury absence. the swedish company behind it is led by a former ice hockey player who retired due to concussion. i see the different parts of the concussion issue. i think we should focus on all parts. how can we prevent them from happening? how can we have a safe return to play, which is very, very important? and also, can we treat in the acute phase? well, actually, as of right now, you can. concussion is now at the forefront of minds in many contact sports. could keeping a cool head prove a viable treatment? felicity kvesic, bbc news. four spears taken from an aboriginal community by captain cook and the crew of the endeavour when they landed in australia in 1770 are being repatriated. the weapons have been handed over at a ceremony at trinity college cambridge, following years of discussions. our culture reporter noor nanji reports. these are the four spears that were brought to england more than 250 years ago when captainjames cook returned from australia on the endeavour. now they've been formally handed back. representatives of the la perouse aboriginal community were at the event and welcomed their return. having them returned after all this time and having them displayed at kurnell at the very point they were taken in 1770, ensures that we're able to amplify the significance of the spears, but also too the events that occurred on that day. the weapons were taken from a local camp when the british expedition arrived in australia at the site of modern day sydney. they were given to trinity college on captain cook's return the following year, and the spears have been part of the college's collection ever since then. campaigners have long called for their repatriation to australia, where similar fishing spears are still used by the local community. the spears were taken without the consent of the gweagal people just over 250 years ago. it's right that they are returned, but it is also positive that they are returned. why has it taken so long to return the spears? in the past, requests were made that were not supported by the indigenous peoples themselves. there has been a complex history. now people have come together, the community has the full support of the national museum of australia. the college is the latest in a long line of british institutions handing back artefacts taken from around the world by british explorers. noor nanji, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. that is a very beautiful image. tit is to compensate for the grey, chilly weather at the moment, although it is not grey everywhere, it is lovely and sunny across much of western scotland, northern ireland, west wales, south—west england, that is what we will see the next few days, chilly air, as such i'd further west, grey further east because of the northerly wind feeding in clouds town the north sea coast. northern ireland, west wales, south—west england to western scotland have the best of the sunshine and the best of the temperatures, into the mid—teens, but distinctly chilly and further east with more cloud, thick enough for spots of rain into the south—east and the odd shower for south—west england too —— south—east england. up to 15 in glasgow, almost tropical, further east, down the north sea