the us's top diplomat tells the bbc his country is prepared to take steps against china if it continues to support russia's war effort donald trump's former assistant takes to the stand as the first full week of testimony in his criminal trial comes to a close. and more on the debate on us abortion rights — we speak to the director of the white house gender policy council. hello, i'm helena humphrey. us secretary of state antony blinken met with chinese president xijinping on friday to discuss relations between the two global powers. the us's top diplomat said there is progress in some areas. he praised beijing for its efforts to stop the supply of fentanyl reaching the us and the restoration of military—to—military communication. president xi agreed the two sides had "made some positive

progress" since he met his us counterpart, joe biden, in november. mr xi said the earth was �*big enough' for both countries to achieve development and prosperity. however, differences between the two countries still remain, including china's claims over taiwan and the south china sea, and china's support for russia in its war on ukraine. mr blinken sat down for an interview with the bbc. he said that washington will act if beijing does not stop supplying russia with items used in its assault on ukraine. our china correspondent laura bicker has more from beijing. hello. i'm laura bicker. how are you? antony blinken�*s visit comes as us ties with china are at a turning point. how's your trip been? oh, it's been... i've covered a lot of ground. the dialogue and diplomacy for the cameras hides real discord and distrust. this is what chinese viewers are shown. a cinematic soundtrack

accompanies president xi, urging the us to be partners, not rivals. yet, hours earlier, mr blinken was warned the two sides could slip towards conflict. ..and this could not be happening. but he came to beijing with a warning of his own. 70% of the machine tools that russia is getting from abroad coming from china, 90% of the microelectronics. so for china, if it wants to have better relations not only with us but with countries in europe, it can't do that while at the same time helping to fuel the biggest threat to european security since the end of the cold war. we've taken action already against chinese entities that are engaged in this. and what i made clear today is that if china won't act, we will. you say you will act. i just want to be clear on what you're prepared to do. i'm not going to get into the details except to say, look at what we've done already. we've imposed sanctions, export controls, one kind or another.

china views this as hypocrisy as the us continues to arm israel. beijing is using the war in gaza to discredit washington and paint itself as a peaceful power. it erodes the credibility of the united states, notjust here in china, but around the world, don't you think? of course, china will do whatever it will do to distort our policies and to misinform its own people about what we're actually doing, what we're not doing, what we stand for, what we don't stand for. and i think china can play a constructive role here. it has relationships. it has influence with countries like iran that it can use effectively to, in the first instance, try to prevent the conflict from spreading. a record shop was mr blinken�*s final stop. perhaps taylor swift can help forge cross—cultural ties. this trip has not dealt with the two sides�* differences.

they've merely talked about them. and real risks remain in this fragile relationship, which mr blinken described as the most consequential in the world. laura bicker, bbc news, beijing. on friday, two british men were charged with helping russian intelligence services after a suspected arson attack on a ukraine—linked business in london. the suspects — aged 20 and 22 — are the first people to be prosecuted under the new national security act 2023, which was designed to strengthen the uk's defences against hostile activity by other nations. one of the men is accused of planning to target a business, and of trying to recruit other people to assist a foreign intelligence service. he is also accused of fraudulent activity and aggravated arson. the other man is also accused of arson, and of accepting money in the knowledge that it was from a foreign intelligence service.>public records show the businesses prosecutors claim the russian private military group, wagner, are involved. our home affairs correspondent

daniel sandford has the latest. this was the fire in east london last month that started what the head of scotland yard's counterterrorism command called a "highly significant investigation". two burning warehouses that led to two british men being charged under the new national security act with offences that amount to assisting russia. the businesses are owned by a ukrainian man and his latvian wife. it took 60 firefighters to tackle the blaze and investigators believe it was started with some sort of accelerant such as petrol. this afternoon, the damage from the fire could still be clearly seen, the scorched metal frame of one of the warehouses still exposed to the sky. a ukrainian—registered lorry was parked outside. on saturday at westminster magistrates�* court, 20—year—old dylan earl appeared in the dock charged with aggravated arson and a new offence of assisting a foreign intelligence service. it's the first time anyone�*s been charged under the national security act passed last year.

an act designed to combat the growing threat of espionage and sabotage from states like russia. the prosecution case is that the intelligence service involved here was the wagner private military group, led by yevgeny prigozhin before he died when his plane exploded last year. today, two more men appeared in court. jake reeves, on the right, is also charged under the new act with receiving money from a foreign intelligence service. dmitrijus paulauska is charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist acts. this afternoon, the foreign office summoned the russian ambassador, saying afterwards... "the uk remains deeply concerned by allegations of russian orchestrated malign activity on uk soil." the russian ambassador, on the left here, said the allegations were absurd, unsubstantiated and clearly fake news. daniel sandford, bbc news. this comes after numerous cases surfaced against alleged russian spies in germany

and an assasination plot targeting president zelensky in poland last week. speaking in berlin today, nato secretaryjens stoltenberg said that these alleged russia—backed plots will not stop the alliance from supporting ukraine. following the passage by the us congress of $60—billion dollars in aid to ukraine, the pentagon announced friday it will provide another $6 billion dollars through a long—term initiative. the aid will include munitions for patriot air defence systems; the type of weaponry ukraine's president has said is crucial to fending off russian aerial attacks. in announcing the aid, us defence secretary lloyd austin repeated the us position that vladimir putin's aggression against ukraine is a problem for the wider world. if putin prevails in ukraine, the security consequences will be grave and global. europe would face a security threat it hasn't seen in our lifetimes. as president biden has noted, russia will not stop in ukraine.

if the kremlin gets its way, and putin's war of imperial aggression succeeds, every parent on earth will take note. donald trump�*s �*hush money�* trial has wrapped up for the week — with testimony detailing a tabloid �*catch and kill�* scheme — that allegedly buried damaging stories about mr trump during his campaign for the white house in 2016. this could be the only one of mr trump�*s four criminal cases that will conclude before the presidential election this november. and on friday, president biden said — he�*d be "happy" to face donald trump in a debate — something he had not previously committed to. mr trump skipped all the previous republican presidential debates — and no further debates have yet been scheduled. our correspondent nada tawfik has been following the trial closely from new york. president trump was defiant as ever when he left the courthouse. he said that he heard president biden agreed to a debate and he invited him to do that any time anywhere, even suggesting here in new york next week or even

the white house. in court, his defence team had a chance to cross—examine two trump insiders. rona graff, donald trump�*s long—time assistant for over 30 years, prosecutors had her testify that she had entered the contacts for the former playboy model karen mcdougal and stormy daniels into donald trump�*s company contacts, and that she vaguely recalled seeing stormy daniels in trump tower ahead of the 2016 election. but she admitted on the stand that she did not want to be here in court. testifying that she respected donald trump, and he even stood up and tried to give her a brief hello on her way out. well, things were very different with the former national enquirer publisher david pecker. the defence tried to discredit him even though he was a reliable witness who said he didn�*t hold any grudges against donald trump or

have any ill will against him. they tried to get him to say that the whole alleged catch and kill scheme, which prosecutors had said is a criminal conspiracy to influence the election — well, the defence tried to paint it as a business decision, kind of standard operating procedure for a tabloid. but david pecker said he had been truthful on the stand. he reiterated that he did that scheme alongside donald trump and michael cohen, allegedly, to help the campaign. egyptian mediators are in israel tonight, in a new attempt to reach a ceasefire in the war in gaza. several israeli media outlets are reporting the country�*s war cabinet discussed a possible deal ahead of the delegation�*s arrival. an egyptian news agency linked to the country�*s intelligence sevice says there�*s been "notable progress" in finding common ground. but for now, there is no sign of the war letting up.

the israeli army is massing tanks near the boundary with southern gaza — in apparent preparation for a long—promised ground invasion into rafah. this was the scene in rafah on friday night — as israel continues to bombard the city from the air. gaza�*s hamas—run health agency says at least 50 people have been killed in israeli attacks over the past 2a hours. among the dead is sabreen al—sakani — a baby girl rescued from her dying mother�*s womb after an israeli air strike in rafah. we brought you her story earlier this week — now, her fight for life is over. fergal keane�*s report contains distressing images, from the start. in this fragile form, a tiny pulse of hope. baby sabreen was the last survivor... ..of a family obliterated by an israeli airstrike. her pregnant mum was pulled from here.

but minutes later, in hospital, doctors were able to rescue sabreen from her dying mother�*s womb. they tapped to stimulate her breathing. air was pumped into her lungs. then to an incubator, fighting for life. notice the gentleness of the doctor, as he cradles her head. relatives watched over the newborn. paternal grandmother ahalam planned to take care of the orphaned baby. translation: iwill raise her in the best way. - she�*s the memory of her dad. i hope that god gives her a long life. sabreen fought to live — two days ago, briefly opening her eyes.

2a hours later, her condition�*s still critical. baby sabreen lost her struggle. at midday yesterday, the dead child was brought home to her people. sabreen was buried alongside her mother — after whom, she was named — herfather, shukri, and three—year—old sister, malak. today, her uncle rami prayed at sabreen�*s grave. overhead, an israeli drone. the loss that changed everything for this family changes nothing in the war. translation: this girl left | a mark on everyone's heart. she moved the whole world.

to me, sabreen was the living legacy of my brother, the only survivor of the massacre. she was my soul. this is why i call her my soul. sabreen al—sheikh, of rafah, gaza, lived for five days. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let�*s look at another story making news. it�*s been a day of fighting talk from humza yousaf, insisting he won�*t resign as scotland�*s first minister, if he loses votes of no confidence, in him and his government, which are expected next week. the snp leader is struggling to stay in control after ending a power—sharing arrangement with the scottish greens, leaving him at the helm of a minority administration. here he is speaking in dundee on friday. i�*ve heard the anger and upset

from green colleagues, and it wasn�*t meant, the action taken yesterday was not meant to upset and anger them but clearly, i will be writing to patrick harvey and lorna slater to let see if we can meet but it does not mean that two pro—independence parties who share so many values and so many policies cannot and should not work together in a less formal arrangement. the conservative leader douglas ross said mr yousaf has "failed" scotland, his government�*s in "meltdown" and he "needs to go." you�*re live with bbc news. from the supreme court to arizona — the debate on abortion rights is at the centre of the battle between democrats and republicans across the country. on wednesday, arizona�*s house of representatives voted to overturn a 19th century law banning abortion — if the senate approves, it could be removed from state law as early as next week. however, the is—week

cut—off for abortions in the state would remain. also on wednesday, the supreme court heard arguments about the idaho case — on whether state abortion bans can be superseded by a federal law that requires hospitals to provide emergency care to preserve a person�*s health. idaho and other 16 states in the country have passed total or near—total bans on abortion since the supreme court overturned roe versus wade almost two years ago. florida could join them soon — next week, a six—week ban is set to take effect — voters in the state will vote on a measure to enshrine abortion rights on florida�*s constitution. joe biden has defended abortion access — while former us president and republican candidate donald trump has stated it�*s up to states to decide over health rights. for more on this, i spoke to the director of the white house gender policy council, jennifer klein — who�*s also an assistant to president biden. when we talk about abortion in the united states,

we talk about what is next, but we continue to see changes in the courts. since roe was overturned, where are women right now in this country, in this pos roe era? that is the right question because what happened when the supreme court in the united states overturned roe versus wade and the dobbs decision more than two years ago, women lost their reproductive freedom and their right to choose across the country. what has happened is that we are now in a situation where there are 21 states with extreme abortion bans in place. that means that one in three women of reproductive age in this country are living in a state with a restrictive ban. let�*s talk about the reality on the ground, what exactly that means. we have seen women turned away from emergency rooms and the risk of doctors being criminalised, is the situation urgent enough

that the administration can do something now? yes, the president said from the day the dobbs decision came down that the only way to replace the constitutional right that had been lost, and i would note it�*s a first time in american history that a fundamental constitutional right has been taken away, the only way to replace that is by passing federal legislation that would affect women and people across the country. that is what the president and vice president are fighting to do. at the same time, he was also clear that there is a lot we can and will do. that is what we have been doing every day in the biden— harris administration. for example, we are working to ensure women — when they walk into an emergency room, perhaps in the midst of a miscarriage,

they are able to get the emergency care they need which is required underfederal law. we are working to make sure women have access to medication abortion, which is more than 50% of the abortions in this country, so that they can get access to this fda safe and approved and effective medication to use. as you noted, there are cases of women being forced to travel out of state, and we are making sure they have the right to travel out of state if that is what they have to do. we are also making sure that the full range of reproductive health care is available, including abortion, but also included contraception. sadly, in this country, most recently, in alabama, the alabama supreme court put the availability of in vitro fertilisation in question, so we are making sure that people have the full range of reproductive health care they might need. i wonder whether you think the president could go further. the use of executive orders, for example, we have abortion rights activists calling for federal land to be used for abortion clinics. is that something

he would consider? we have considered every option including that one. that one has a big problem associated with it, which is if a person performs an abortion on federal land and left federal land, they could be executed they could be prosecuted in the state, so we have looked at every option, and i think it is important to keep in mind that we have taken every action that we can. he has issued three executive orders and a presidential memorandum, and from each of those, a whole series of actions have been taken across the federal government, whether that is making sure that service members and veterans have access to reproductive care and making sure the department ofjustice is defending and bringing cases to defend reproductive freedom. also, across all of the agencies that have a role to play, most obviously the department of health and human services, who, for example, as i said,

an issue in the supreme court, have issued a series of guidance and information on under the emergency medical treatment and labour act to make sure that women get access to that emergency care that they need, even if it includes an abortion in emergency rooms. i want to touch on the metoo movement, something that gained nationwide recognition in 2017. if we take a look at seven years since that, we are seeing it face challenges, including recent challenges. where do you think we are in this moment of history? are you concerned we could see structures try to push back in america on some hard—won rights for women in this country? i am concerned, and this most recentjudgment out of the new york supreme court is a devastating judgment.

courageous women, courageous survivors came forward, the jury believed them, millions of people believe them, and thisjudgment does not change that, but it is a stark reminder that we have a long way to go. i would also note we made lots of progress. right here in the biden and harris administration, the president and vice president are committed to addressing gender based violence wherever it occurs including at work, the military, college campuses, online, we see a huge amount of harassment and abuse online. so the president would proudly tell you that one of his most important accomplishments is passing the violence against women act which he did in 1993. we were able to reauthorise that on the bipartisan basis in 2022, so there is great work being done. lot more that we can and do need to do, and what i learned just yesterday is that the work

that those survivors have done, the experiences that they have taken by coming forward are not for naught. we need to continue to support them. jennifer klein, assistance to the president and director of white house gender policy, thank you forjoining us. a woman who lost herjob in lockdown and decided to focus on running to keep her busy has just been chosen to represent team gb in the marathon, at this summer�*s olympics. rose harvey, who�*s 31, only started running for fun after leaving university — and discovered, to her surprise, she was rather good. sophie raworth has been talking to her. rose harvey only started running ten years ago, when she moved to london and joined a running club to get fit and meet people. keep pushing, keep pushing. well done, rose. she never imagined it would lead her to the olympics. i still cannot believe it. i am absolutely buzzing with excitement. itjust feels like two minutes ago that i was still working full—time as a lawyer and just

running forfun. i mean, the last olympics, i wasn�*t even fast enough to make the trial. for years, rose was a good club runner, completing the london marathon in three hours, but it was lockdown that changed everything. also, i was made redundant from myjob and i had three months basically at home, and i needed a lockdown product, so that�*s how i started training seriously. and if i hadn�*t have had that forced upon me, i would i wouldn�*t be heading to paris. project lockdown worked. rose suddenly found herself on elite start lines. go on, rosie! go on, girl! come on, push it! push it! but it was in chicago last autumn that she ran her fastest ever marathon — in 2 hours and 23 minutes — cheered on by her fiance, charlie. so good! come on, bring on olympic qualifying time! there must be so many people out there with talents that are just undiscovered, and perhaps they haven�*t...

they haven�*t fully realised their potential yet. just take the plunge with whatever is fun, whatever you love doing, and just see where you can go with it, because you never know where it might take you. and finally before we go, the olympic flame was formally handed over to organisers of the paris summer games ahead of the tournament�*s opening injuly. the flame was received at the marble stadium in athens following an eleven—day relay across greece. the flame will leave greece saturday on a boat headed for marseille where it is expected to arrive on may eighth. it will then go on a relay through france before the opening ceremonies in paris. you�*re watching bbc news. i am helena humphrey in washington. thank you for your company. goodbye for now.

hello. after what has been a mixed and decidedly chilly week of weather, things are not going to warm up an awful lot through the weekend. staying chilly, some rain at times, but it is going to turn warmer next week. however, not completely dry. still some wet weather in the forecast. certainly some wet weather for the weekend, all driven by this area of low pressure pushing up from the south. this frontal system here bringing rain northwards across southern england into wales, the midlands and east anglia. to the north of that, some sunny spells to start the day. a cold start with a frost across northern england, northern ireland and scotland. it will be another sunshine and showers day. the showers wintry over high ground in scotland. some hefty showers breaking out for southern counties, and then some more persistent rain heading in from the south by the end of the afternoon, temperatures generally around 10—13 degrees. and then through saturday night, this rain will push its way northwards, covering large parts of england, clipping into the east of wales. further north and west, some clear spells.

another relatively chilly night, there�*ll be a frost for some. further south and east, not as cold because of the extra cloud, because of the outbreaks of rain, all driven by this area of low pressure which will be sliding its way northwards through the day on sunday. some parts of england are going to have a lot of rain through the day, heavy and persistent rain that will make it feel decidedly chilly. some rain fringing into east wales, turning wet in eastern scotland, rather windy for some of these eastern coasts, but eventually brightening up for south west england, for wales, parts of north west england, northern ireland and western scotland seeing some sunshine as well. temperatures still stubbornly stuck in that range between 9—11! degrees, but temperatures will start to lift on monday. a frontal system pushing in from the west. outbreaks of rain for some, but ahead of that, a southerly wind bringing a warmer feel. temperatures back up really to where they should be for late april 12—16 degrees. and it�*ll turn warmer still as the week wears on. this area of low pressure tending to roll away southwards

as all these different weather systems reorientate themselves. well, the wind direction will change, we�*ll pick up something of an easterly flow from the near continent, and that will bring some warmer air. highs potentially up to 19, maybe the low 20s celsius. but with that, there will still be some rain at times.

this is bbc news. we�*ll have the headlines at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. there are still places that surprise me, even after travelling for nearly 20 years — countries that appear to be one thing but, when you dig a little deeper, turn out to be something completely different. this is pretty spectacular. it is, it is. and i�*m loving all the colours. the cabo verde archipelago, located just over 600km from senegal�*s coast, is one of them. tourism has really picked up pace here in recent decades, and it�*s easy to see why — crystal—clear waters, golden beaches, year—round sun, all the ingredients for an amazing holiday. but i feel there�*s so much more to this place just