britain has stepped significantly closer to leaving the european union. parliament has given its final approval to a crucial law that allows the government to trigger brexit. mps in the house of commons overturned amendments from the upper house, the lords, seeking guarantees on the rights of eu nationals in the uk, and on how much say parliament will have on the final terms of the brexit deal. this from our political correspondent chris mason. so, it was the final stage of the whole process of getting a law to give the british prime minister, theresa may, permission to say to brussels that the uk is going to leave the european union. now, you might think, well, that's a bit odd. didn't british people leave the european union almost a year ago, so why couldn't she have just done it anyway? well, there was a challenge in the courts, that decided that there had to be this law for the brexit process to start. that took place a couple of months ago. since then, the legislation has been working its way through the commons, the elected part of the british parliament, and the lords, the unelected, appointed part. tonight it passed its final hurdle in the house of lords, which means the bill will become an act. it will receive royal assent. it will become british law. but mrs may, the british prime minister, is not expected to go ahead and trigger article 50, the mechanism for starting the brexit process, for a couple of weeks yet, even though as of tomorrow morning she will actually have the power to do so. and british politics has been given another almighty twist, complicating the brexit process, as well, by an announcement from the scottish government that it is planning a second referendum on independence. scotland's first minister says it is necessary to protect scottish interests, because of the government in london's approach to brexit. the british prime minister has called it a divisive move. our scotland editor sarah smith reports from edinburgh. this is a big and bold move from nicola sturgeon, a dramatic political moment, one that is a huge gamble for her. but it is a risk she says she is ready to take. what scotland deserves, in the light of the material change of circumstances brought about by the brexit vote, is the chance to decide our future, in a fair, free and democratic way. a democratic decision she says must happen before the uk leaves the eu. it could have been avoided, she claims, if the uk government had been prepared to negotiate a separate brexit deal for scotland. we have worked hard, really hard, to try to find agreement. the prime minister and her government have been given every opportunity to compromise. our efforts have instead been met with a brick wall of intransigence. opinion polls still don't suggest more than 50% of the country would want to vote for independence. the economic circumstances are much harderfor you than they were in 2014. do you really believe you could win another referendum on independence? yes, i do. absolutely, i believe that. i believe that it would be wrong for scotland to be taken down a path that it has no control over, regardless of the consequences for our economy, for our society, for our place in the world, for our very sense of who we are as a country. that would be wrong, and therefore my judgement is that we should have that choice. outside, people came to share a significant moment. but this big decision can't be made here alone. the scottish government will need the prime minister's permission for another referendum. instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. in the scottish parliament, a majority do support another independence referendum, even though the tories, the lib dems and labour will oppose it. nicola sturgeon tells us she's forcing this debate on us because of brexit, and the uncertainty and division that that's caused, so how on earth can creating more uncertainty be a good thing? nicola sturgeon has seized the initiative today, and taken theresa may by surprise. she did not know this announcement was coming. but ms sturgeon will need the agreement of the uk government before she can have another independence referendum. theresa may could refuse to allow it, or she could insist any vote takes place after brexit is complete, after the whole of the uk has left the eu. when the prime minister met the first minister here injuly, she said they would reach a uk—wide agreement on brexit. that failed. now, they must try and agree the terms of a scottish referendum. their predecessor signed a deal to allow the last independence vote, one they said was a once—in—a—generation event. and don't forget, both these men then lost theirjobs after losing referendums. tonight, voters in scotland will have to start thinking all over again about whether they want to stay in the united kingdom, a decision recent polls suggest is very finely balanced. what we've seen over the last few weeks, actually, is support for independence actually going up the last few polls. what this tells us is that, if you thought this was a foregone conclusion, for either side, to take this for granted would be absolutely wrong. this is going to be a really, really tight race, whenever the next referendum happens. clearly a second independence referendum is going to be a high—stakes venture for all concerned, with the result currently impossible to predict. let's round up some of the other main stories: an independent report has found president trump's planned changes to the health insurance law known as obamacare would massively reduce federal deficits, but would leave an extra 14 million americans uninsured next year. the house intelligence committee was seeking a response by monday in the claims of wiretapping. the justice department says more time is needed to provide evidence. an independent report has found president trump's planned changes to the health insurance law known as obamacare would massively reduce federal deficits, but would leave an extra 14 million americans uninsured next year. the congressional budget office, which is non—partisan, also says premiums will keep rising. the white house insists more people will be covered under the changes. an egyptian prosecutor has approved the release of the country's former president hosni mubarak. he could be out in a day or two. he is currently confined to a military hospital in cairo. earlier this month, a court ordered the charges dropped that linked him to the deaths of dozens of protesters in 2011. millions of americans on the east coast are bracing for the worst snowstorm of the season, with blizzard warnings issued for new york, newjersey, connecticut and parts of pennsylvania. the national weather service is predicting up to 60cm of snow by early wednesday, and temperatures well below seasonal norms. thousands of flights have been cancelled, and several schools closed. the turkish government has announced a series of diplomatic measures in retaliation for the dutch decision to prevent two turkish ministers speaking at campaign rallies in rotterdam. it is refusing to let the dutch ambassador return to ankara, and contacts between the two governments will be suspended. at a news conference, turkey's deputy prime minister warned of what he called racist and fascist views, and, in his words, a great destruction of europe. translation: i would like to share some of the measures, for now diplomatic ones, but will be taken. first of all, it was decided that until benevolence make good on the matters we have stated, the dutch ambassador to turkey, who is on leave outside our country at the moment, will be banned from entry, meaning he won't be allowed to return. secondly, it was decided that, until benevolence somehow compensates for what it has done, high—level relations and planned meetings for ministers and above will be put on hold, and will be postponed for a while. indefinite permission is given last december to the flights that carry dutch diplomats are revoked as of today. if our attitude is not taken seriously, if the netherlands, which started this crisis, does not take necessary steps to resolve the results of this crisis, then turkey will discuss the matter is, and if the bid will take additional measures, and try and make benevolence turn back from its mistake. turkey will not be harmed by this. turkey will protect its rights. turkey will protect its honour. but i would like to state that some european countries, starting with the netherlands, will be harmed by this. it was nothing good will come out of racism, fascism, anti—immigrant sentiments, 01’ fascism, anti—immigrant sentiments, or marginalising people by categorising them. these are signals ofa categorising them. these are signals of a great destruction in europe. europe may turn into a state of argument, conflict within itself, in several years. let's talk now live to dr aykan erdemir, now a senior fellow at the foundation for defence of democracies in washington, but you were a member of the turkish parliament for four years. i guess the timing here is relevant, isn't it? both sides in some sense playing the domestic audiences? exactly, this does seem to have aligned right for the populace. in the netherlands, their upcoming election is on wednesday, and on turkey there is a crucial referendum on april 16 which could bisto erdogan with executive powers, consolidating his role. so on different timelines are playing to the hard right in both countries, in a way? exactly, although populace on both ends of this conflict seemed to be clashing with one another, actually it is a win—win strategy for them, because they seem to be strengthening their hand in their respective elections. the only difference is the difference between timelines. as of wednesday this week, there is no more incentive in the netherlands to push for populism, whereas on the turkish and, turkey's is islamistjustice and, turkey's is islamistjustice and development party has a strong incentive to escalate the crisis until the referendum. and the very stark measures that we see today are a reflection of that. turkey will, though, presumably have its eye on future leverage in europe, won't it? certainly, and in fact i think that the current regime of sanctions cannot be sustained, because we have to keep in mind that last year, a loan, more than 900,000 dutch tourists came to turkey, which already represented a 25% decline in comparison to 2015, and turkey's tourism industry is going through very difficult times. and in fact, some analysts argue that this could be the final nail in turkey's tourism is. so i think president erdogan will have an incentive, following the referendum, to de— escalate the conflict. and we also have to keep in mind that the netherlands, a little known fact in turkey, is the leading contributor of fdi to turkey, and turkey a country that runs a huge current account deficit is lately desperate forforeign currency account deficit is lately desperate for foreign currency and investment. soi for foreign currency and investment. so i think, following the referendum, the economic reality will take over populism, as turkey ‘s tears back to improving relations with the netherlands. so both sides in many ways very important to each other. could it possibly get worse before the dutch election, which is clearly very close, but is it possible things could still escalate? yes, that is a possibility. and it is not only between the turkish diaspora and the dutch authorities, but we have to keepin dutch authorities, but we have to keep in mind that the turkish public, just as is the case in turkey, is also deeply polarised and divided in the diaspora. for example, when we take a look at almost 500,000 people of turkish background in the netherlands, we see that there are not only erdogan supporters, but there are also kurds, there are also left—leaning, secular turks who fiercely opposed what erdogan and his islamist project stand for. so it is also possible that we might see some intra— turkish clashes in the turkish diaspora, not only in the netherlands, but also in germany, where they number more than 3 million. thank you very much. thank you. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the queen launches the baton relay for the 2018 commonwealth games in australia, as it starts its journey around the world. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much do you think? i don't know really. i've never been married before. this is bbc news. i'm mike embley. the latest headlines: brexit gets a step closer for the uk — but scotland's leader drops a political bombshell and demands a second independence referendum. turkey announces a series of sanctions against the netherlands as the diplomatic row between the two nations reaches breaking point. aid agencies are warning that time is running out — to save more than 20 million people facing famine in africa and the middle east. united nations officials say the crisis in nigeria, south sudan, yemen and somalia threatens to be the worst in 60 years. in somalia, conflict has intensified the effects of a two—year drought. it's left nearly three million without enough water and food and vulnerable to disease. our correspondent andrew harding is in baidoa in south—west somalia. you may find some of the images in his report upsetting. this is baidoa, a town besieged by two unforgiving enemies. the soldiers are here to guard against al—shabaab, the militant islamists controlling the countryside in this corner of somalia. but it is the second enemy, drought, which is now far more dangerous. nine—year—old ali has been carried into the local hospital. he is unconscious. but it is not from hunger, not yet. after three years of failed rains, clean water is hard to find. the doctors here believe they are battling a sudden outbreak of cholera. inside, weak from diarrhoea, dozens of new cases. many families have walked miles to get help. it is a cruel opening salvo of disease, before famine marches into town. we feel the situation is getting very bad. out of control? yes. due to the disease outbreak, and the outbreak, this is totally different. can you deal with it? with our capacity, no. for now, there is an orderly queue at baidoa's main well. a nurse has volunteered to oversee the rationing. but every day more people are coming into town, from the parched countryside. the famine is going fast, very fast. there is not enough food, there is not enough water, from hunger, and the problem is very big. like any town under siege, baidoa is digging in, and praying that reinforcements arrive soon. as things stand, they only have enough supplies here to help one in ten of those who need it, and there is little doubt things are going to get a lot worse. new arrivals seeking shade on the edge of town. during the last famine, in 2011, many left it too late before moving to seek help, so maybe this counts as progress. but it is hard to get the timing right in such a gruelling climate. this woman buried herfour—year—old daughter and five—year—old son on thejourney here. probably cholera again. and what happens if the aid supplies in baidoa run out? those helping say the main lesson of 2011 is to sound the alarm early. what we want to do different is that we say there is a famine that is coming. we are sure that it is going to come, and especially if the rain doesn't happen. so we are saying, give us help now, give us the resources we need now, and we will save the children that need to be saved. and look how easy it can be. after 15 minutes of treatment in hospital, nine—year—old ali opens his eyes and asks his father for water. in the besieged town, one life saved, many more to go. some more stories in brief now: iraqi forces say they are still closing in on fighters of the extremist group, the so—called islamic state, in mosul. the us envoy co—ordinating the battle has said any is fighters still in the city will die there — now the last road out of mosul has been captured by the iraqi army. new figures show that nato nations have raised the defence spending in the last year. most are still below the last year. most are still below the level that the resident trumpet is insisting on. only britain, estonia, greece and poland have hit 296 estonia, greece and poland have hit 2% of gdp spending. the man known as carlos the jackal has gone on trial in france, accused of a grenade attack at a shopping centre in paris more than a0 years ago in which two people died. under his real venezuelan name, ilyich ramirez sanchez, he's already serving two life sentences for a series of murders. for many years he was one of the world's most wanted men. the countdown to the next commonwealth games in australia is under way. queen elizabeth launched the baton relay at buckingham palace earlier — and over the next 388 days — it will visit all of the commonwealth nations and territories, before arriving on australia's gold coast. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. it is said to be the third—largest multisport event in the world, the commonwealth games, bringing together countries which between them represent roughly one third of the world's population. the venue for next year's games will be australia's gold coast. the queen will not be there herself but the message from her as head of the commonwealth will. she placed the message in the baton which will be carried to all the countries of the commonwealth to arrive on the gold coast in april of next year. the baton relay was started by the australian track cyclist anna meares. she was joined by britain's victoria pendleton and then to add another australian touch, it was transferred to a combi, the camper van used by so many generations of surfers which trundled off down the mall at the start of the 140,000 milejourney. four years ago it was sir chris hoy who did the honours, launching the baton relay to the city of glasgow, the 2014 venue. the route over the next 13 months will be much the same, taking the baton to every commonwealth nation and territory. so it will travel across much of africa. to the indian subcontinent, where four years ago it was taken by steam train in sri lanka. and to tiny islands in the pacific. a reminder of the scale of the commonwealth and of the cultural and historic links which bind its 52 member nations. in april next year, in australia, the commonwealth's sporting rivalries will be resumed, but in the context of a sporting event, which like the commonwealth, as self showing respect and mutual understanding. and if a city fancies hosting such an event in 2022, there is a vacancy. durban has just pulled out. nicholas witchell, bbc news. we're bombarded by thousands of images every single day — some we ignore, others we share. but what impact do they have on the way we think and how do they influence the world around us? jane o'brien reports from new york on a new exhibition that explores the power of digital imagery to promote social change. french choreographer has exuberant high heeled dance videos going viral. his work is included in this exhibition, perpetual revolution, to show how internet imagery can help break gender stereotypes and lead to positive social change. social change generally meant that the photographer was photographing something that was negative in the world, salmon, or war with the idea that somehow the images that would help promote change. now people are photographing themselves and creating their own kind of change. so it's fantastic that gender queer people and trans people have had this mode of communication in order to build community and represent themselves. gender isjust one thing. the exhibition also explores the impact of imagery on perceptions of refugees, socialjustice, climate change and more. but there is a common thread that anybody who spends any time on social media will recognise immediately and that is the power of the network to image. pictures that we create or find online and disseminate to others in an endless cycle of sharing. but what long—term impact do they actually have? perhaps, more importantly, how do we use them to influence others. there is, of course, a dark side. the terrorist organisation, the so—called islamic state, produces patented lee false but tweet able images of an hope in society under its rule. isis is the one instance in which the social change is bad. they make propaganda ina change is bad. they make propaganda in a variety of different languages. a lot of it ends up being translated into english. but they are aiming at anyone who may come and join their cause. this exhibition shows how digital imagery reflects society. but ina digital imagery reflects society. but in a world that often feels in flux, it also shows how we can use oui’ flux, it also shows how we can use our visual culture to reinvent ourselves and even create a new reality. a reminder of our top story: brexit has moved a substantial step closer. the uk parliament has passed a bill that enables the government to start the process of leaving the european union. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbc mike embley. hello there. the relatively settled theme to the weather continues for at least a couple of days. relatively mild during the day on tuesday but breezy for many of us, particularly windy across northern parts of scotland where the met office have issued a yellow warning for the strength of the winds, causing some disruption for the northern isles of scotland with heavy showers on the cards. further south, most places looking dry first thing tuesday morning. pretty mild too. around the country at eight o'clock, heavy showers for the northern and western isles with the odd rumble of thunder in line with those strong winds and some big waves. much of scotland and northern ireland, a bright start for most. some isolated showers. cloudy for northern england. down to wales and the south—west. a bit of hill fog. for much of england and central eastern parts, relatively bright. some sunny spells breaking through. a cloudier day than we saw during monday. most places, dry. strong winds, gusts up to 70 miles per hour developing across the northern isles of scotland. heavy showers too. less breezy elsewhere, still mild for this time of year. in the sunnier spells, 15 or 16 degrees. a degree or so higher in one or two spots. the first day of the cheltenham festival, decent day. cloud but quite bright. mild, 13 or 14 degrees with a gentle south—westerly breeze. through the latter part of tuesday evening and overnight, a few spots of light patchy rain moving south across england and wales. cloudy with some mist and hill fog. further north, clearer skies. particularly northern england and scotland and northern ireland. temperatures fresher first thing. wednesday is looking like a decent day for many of us. high pressure in charge. variable cloud. cloudy towards the south and south—west for a time. the best of the sunshine towards north—eastern parts of the country. some rain in the far north—west but elsewhere dry and temperatures still in the mid—teens. pleasant enough day on wednesday. thursday, a bit of a change. the atlantic low pressure system bringing this fairly weak weather front. breezy day on thursday. expecially in the north—west. it is here we will see a few outbreaks of light patchy rain. further south and east across much of england and wales, still mild and dry. 14 degrees or so. slightly fresher towards the north—west. that fresher theme continues into friday and saturday and things will feel a bit more unsettled into the weekend. bye for now. the headlines on bbc news: brexit has moved a step closer, after the uk parliament passed a bill that enables the government to start the process of leaving the eu. the process will be complicated by an announcement from the scottish government that it plans to hold a second referendum on independence from the united kingdom. the turkish cabinet has confirmed a series of sanctions against the netherlands, as diplomatic relations between the two nations continue to deteriorate. the dutch ambassador will not be allowed to return to the country, in protest at the netherlands' refusal to allow two turkish ministers to address rallies. aid agencies are warning the current humanitarian crisis in in nigeria, south sudan, yemen and somalia threatens to be the worst in 60 years. in somalia, conflict has intensified the effects of a two—year drought, leaving nearly three million without enough water and food, and vulnerable to disease. now on bbc news: the week in parliament.