by a 24 hour strike. and passing the baton the queen starts the relay which will end at the commonwealth games next year. and coming up in the sport on bbc news we look ahead to the last of the fa cup quarterfinals. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. nicola sturgeon has announced plans for a second referendum on scottish independence. it s two and half years since the last one, in which scots voted 55 to 45% to remain in the united kingdom. scotland s first minister says she wants the referendum to take place between autumn of next year and the spring of 2019, to offer people a choice when the terms of the brexit deal are known, but before it s too late to pull out of it. the government has responded that another referendum would be divisive and cause huge economic uncertainty at the worst possible time. the brexit bill is being debated now by mps. tonight we re reporting live from westminster with our political editor, laura kuenssberg. but first, over to our
today on a second independence referendum. the ayes to the right, 335. the noes to the left, 287. so the ayes have it. at westminster mps vote to reject the changes made by the lords to the government s brexit bill. the lords are due to vote again on whether to accept the commons vote or resist, as government sources says the triggering of article 50 will be delayed until the end of the month. as famine looms for 20 million people across africa and the middle east, we report from somalia. rail services on some of the busiest lines in england are being disrupted because of a 24 hour strike. the queen leads a service at westminster abbey to mark commonwealth day. earlier she officially started the baton relay for the next commonwealth games which are being held on australia s gold coast next spring. and in sport chelsea take an manchester united for the last remaining place in the fa cup semifinals. good evening from bute house in edinburgh, the official residence of scotland
who are facing famine across africa and the middle east. the united nations says the crisis in nigeria, south sudan, yemen and somalia threatens to be the worst in 60 years. in somalia, conflict and corruption has made the effect of a two year drought even worse. our correspondent andrew harding is in baidoa in the country s south west. you may find some of the pictures in his report distressing. this is baidoa, a town besieged by two unforgiving enemies. the soldiers are here to guard against al shabab, the militant islamists controlling the countryside in this corner of somalia. but it s the second enemy, drought, that is now far more dangerous. nine year old ali has just been carried into the local hospital. he is unconscious. but it s 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 m
surprise and set her on course for a major battle with the uk government. westminster says not now to a vote, but do ministers mean, not ever? and at westminster tonight, the house of lords is set to approve the bill allowing the brexit process to begin. also on the programme we report from somalia and uganda on the famine threatening more than 20 million people in africa and the middle east. many thousands of rail passengers are affected by strike action across england, affecting three train companies. and at buckingham palace, the queen starts the baton relay for the commonwealth games of 2018. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news. birmingham and liverpool host an interest in hosting the 2022 commonwealth games, after it is announced that it won t be taking place in durban any longer. good evening. the first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, is to seek permission to hold a second referendum on independence between the autumn of next year and the spring of 2019. she
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. the other main headlines this hour: as famine looms for 20 million people across africa and the middle east, we report from somalia. rail services on some of the busiest lines in england have been disrupted because of a 24 hour strike. and the queen launches the baton relay for next commonwealth games, which are being held on australia s gold coast next spring. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the legislation to begin the process of the uk leaving the european union, the so called brexit bill, has been approved by both houses of parliament. amendments earlier proposed by the house of lords, which would have protected the rights of eu citizens living here and given parliament a final say on the outcome of the exit talks, were dismissed. the way is now clear for theresa may to