hopefully, fingers crossed, things are going to start coming down now, which is going to make it a lot more manageable. the harry potter author jk rowling says scotland's new anti—hate crime law is a threat to free speech. 0h, bloody hell! you see the tail! and a humpback whale has a lucky escape off the cornish coast. good evening. iranian state media is reporting that one of their embassy buildings in syria has been hit in an israeli air strike, with a senior commander in the powerful iranian revolutionary guards among the dead. the building is said to be adjacent to the iranian consulate in the capital, damascus. jeremy bowen, our international

editor, joins us now from northern israel. what more can you tell us? well, the iranians have confirmed this general has been killed in this attack, that it hit the consulate, which is next to the embassy of iran in damascus, in an area that i know quite well, a sort of middle—class embassy district. right at the heart, if you like, of the power dynamics that link up the syrian regime, hezbollah in lebanon, not very farfrom here, and their regime, hezbollah in lebanon, not very far from here, and their patron in iran. now, he was the senior general of iran, the irg c, which is

the iranian revolutionary guard corps in lebanon and syria. syria is a big bang, and i think this can only be seen as a serious escalation. i think the israelis are testing the resolve of the iranians and their allies hezbollah, who have been fighting already, if you like, a war that hasn't had a great deal of attention because of gaza internationally, but it has steadily been going on here in northern israel, over in lebanon as well, elsewhere in the region. so in that context, this is, i think, elsewhere in the region. so in that context, this is, ithink, a elsewhere in the region. so in that context, this is, i think, a signal from the israelis are saying that they are serious about increasing they are serious about increasing the pressure on their enemies, and i think they are looking at the fact that both iran and hezbollah, while they have been participating in this, i have not been pushing as hard as some might expect. so i think this is a challenge. they are saying, we are going to push harder at you. are you going to push back? there will be a response, but it may not be the response people are

expecting. maybe not missiles, may be cyber. let's see. indeed. thank you for that, our international editor jeremy bowen. meanwhile, after two weeks of heavy bombardment, israel says it's completed its military operation at gaza's biggest hospital and all troops have now left the area. most of al shifa's medical complex has been left in ruins. during the operation here in northern gaza, the idf says it killed 200 terrorists, claiming hamas had regrouped inside the grounds. palestinian media is reporting that a mother and her son, who were both doctors, were also killed. lucy williamson has the latest from jerusalem. al shifa's protection was its identity. hard to recognise it as a hospital now. the surgery unit, emergency department, wards and corridors, imploded, anonymized by

war. patients like this one, trapped inside during the two macro weeks of fighting. translation: , �* , ., translation: they didn't provide water for the _ translation: they didn't provide water for the last _ translation: they didn't provide water for the last two _ translation: they didn't provide water for the last two days. - translation: they didn't provide water for the last two days. there | water for the last two days. there were sounds of shooting and bombing. the explosions from the artillery lit up the room we were in and shook the whole building. translation: ., , , ., translation: there was a very small amounts of food. _ translation: there was a very small amounts of food. it _ translation: there was a very small amounts of food. it was _ translation: there was a very small amounts of food. it was not _ translation: there was a very small amounts of food. it was not enough. l amounts of food. it was not enough. we are _ amounts of food. it was not enough. we are 450 — amounts of food. it was not enough. we are 450 patients and several hundred — we are 450 patients and several hundred medical staff. no medicine, and constant bombing for 24 hours. israel_ and constant bombing for 24 hours. israel called this a precise and limited — israel called this a precise and limited operation against hamas fiuhters. fighters. it says 200 gunmen were killed and hundreds of people arrested, and that it's right to defeat hamas trumps the rights hospitals have under international law. at home, it the war with hamas is popular, but

israel's prime minister is not. for months, benjamin netanyahu has been caught between the demands of hostage families in his own high bright government. now, prewar process over his judicial reforms are resurfacing champion. temps have once again appeared outside the israeli parliament safe simple demand: go. —— mike attempts. protesters he won't be satisfied evenif protesters he won't be satisfied even if benjamin netanyahu brings home the hostages or dismantles hamas. there are new posters: you are in charge, you are responsible, they say. but they wanted him out before the war. now they are back, and they want him gone even more. karen has protested for years against the man known here as bibi. if bibi netanyahu brings the hostages home, will you support him to stay? i don't see the relations between the two. he needs to go just for the fact that 250 people were kidnapped

stop he needs to go. it doesn't matter if he is bringing them back. the national unity that followed the hamas attacks is breaking down. six months on, israeli soldiers are still fighting an old enemy in gaza. but benjamin netanyahu is facing his own at home. energy prices in england, wales and scotland have fallen to their lowest level for two years. the regulator's new price cap has come into force, meaning a household using a typical amount of energy will pay around £1,690 a year. that's a saving of more than £200. the cap sets the maximum amount suppliers can charge for each unit up of gas and electricity, but not the total bill, so if you use more, you'll pay more. here's kevin peachey. spring has arrived in the gardens of this east kent community centre, promising warmer months ahead. i love the daffodils. but locals are still feeling the chilling impact winter bills had on their finances and lifestyle.

it's been quite a harsh winter and i haven't been able to afford to have the central heating on, so it's been rather challenging. and so i've been using hot water bottles. i invested in a battery—operated vest. inside the centre we find caz, who's found ways to stay warm, too. up wrap up in a blanket or one of those big snoods that you get now, and big fluffy slippers. and how paying the bills has been a juggling act. some months you rob peter to pay paul, and that'sjust the way it is. and as long as you let people know that you're struggling and that. i'm not the only person who's struggling. there's thousands and thousands. quite a few of my friends are struggling, as well, you know? but hopefully, fingers crossed, things are going to start coming down now, which is going to make it a lot more manageable with everything. manageable because today the cost

of each unit of gas and electricity in the home has come down. energy prices are now at their lowest level for two years. but at the same time, some government support is being wound down, and other bills — water, council tax, phone and broadband — are on the way up. financial pressures aren't over, theyjust look a bit different. that will pay for itself on the energy saving. that's why this former mining community is part of a project sharing good habits to save energy and money. if you use more energy, you pay more. so sarah, who leads the discussion, says simple tips are best even at this time of year. three tips would be: one, your hot—water setting. if it's too hot to wash your hands with, your boiler�*s too high. two, your draughts, from your chimney to your windows and your doors, manage those draughts. and three, your showers. you need to stick to four minutes. find a four—minute song. less bohemian rhapsody in the shower! and, again, that's £70 a year just on water and energy

that you could save. one water charity has even compiled a four—minute—song playlist, keeping people here and around the country to time, and their finances on song. kevin peachey, bbc news. you can get full details of all the changes happening this week, the beginning of a new financial year, on the bbc news website. there's also lots of information on how to cope with the cost of living. the harry potter author jk rowling has invited police to arrest her if officers believe she has committed an offence under scotland's new hate crime law. from today, it's an offence to stir up hatred, relating to someone's age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. ms rowling, who lives in edinburgh, says the legislation is a threat to free speech. but the first minister, humza yousaf, says it will guard people from what he calls a "rising tide of hatred." here's james cook.

this is a nation struggling to strike a balance between liberty and safety, between freedom of speech and protection from hatred. these protesters think the new hate crime law gets that balance wrong. but the first minister disagrees. i'm very proud of the hate crime act. we have seen, i'm afraid, notjust in the uk and of course, scotland, but right across many parts of the world, this kind of rising tide of hatred against people because of their protected characteristics. so unless your behaviour is threatening or abusive, and intends to stir up hatred, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of the new offences being created. but what exactly is in the hate crime act? the law creates a crime of stirring up hatred, relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. it also includes racial discrimination, although that was already illegal under an old law. a publicity campaign is now encouraging people to report behaviour which crosses a line from offensive,

shocking or disturbing, to threatening and abusive. but one group is not protected by the law — women. jk rowling, who lives in edinburgh, says that is wrong. on social media today, the author posted about several trans people who are protected, concluding... there will be a rush to report people to the police, including high—profile individuals. i imagine that there will be many complaints, for example, made againstjk rowling. so i think that yes, there is a high chance that the police will be overwhelmed with a lot of complaints, some of which will be purely spurious. the scottish government says it's planning a separate law to tackle hatred and harassment of women. but for now, senior police officers are worried about the impact of this act, with the complaints

already coming in. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. ministers are facing a potential revolt from conservative mps over plans to criminalise rough sleeping. proposals in the criminaljustice bill would allow the police to fine or move on so—called "nuisance" rough sleepers. hannah miller's here. how bad could this revolt be if it happens? home office sources are suggesting to us that these negotiations are all very much part of the normal process, but of course, they only negotiate if they are worried about a potential rebellion. i think two things are interesting about this. first, of course, the issue itself, the idea that rough sleepers could be sent to jail or face fines of up to £2500 has always been controversial, ever since it was first suggested by the former home secretary suella braverman. secondly, though, there is also the politics of this. the mps who are

not very happy about this policy are from the centre ground of the conservative party. they are not the same group of people who have been making life challenging for rishi sunak on a whole range of other issues, and then you have the amount of time that is being spent on these negotiations, which means that we now don't have really any clear sense of when the criminaljustice bill might actually become law. one mp actually suggested to us today it has been put on the back burner. all of that, of course, creating a challenge for rishi sunak. a challenge for him, but also, it seems, a bit of a local difficulty for keir starmer in lancashire? yes, this has been described as the biggest mass resignation under keir starmer�*s leadership. 20 councillors in total, who will now sit as independents, including the leader of pendle borough council, who had previously called for keir starmer to go, actually, over his stance on

the israel gaza war. they are accusing the party of stifling free speech and threatening to remove them as candidates. the bbc has been told that several of them had spoken told that several of them had spoken to after concerns were raised about their conduct, including allegations of anti—semitism. all the labour party has to say on this today is that their focuses on winning the general election to improve people's lies. thank hannah miller. —— people's lives. the home office says more than 5,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats so far this year, with nearly 800 making the journey this easter weekend. stopping the boats was one of rishi sunak�*s five pledges to the electorate ahead of a general election. a new study has found more than 250 people a week in england may have died unnecessarily last year due to very long waits for a bed in a&e. the figures come from the royal college of emergency medicine. the government says it's making progress in reducing waiting times, including adding thousands of beds to increase capacity. here's dominic hughes.

february saw the highest number of attendances to a&e on record. and despite some small improvements to waiting times, tens of thousands of people have faced long waits. it's well established that longer waits, particularly for those who need to be admitted, increase the chance of death. nhs data for england shows that in 2023, more than 1.5 million patients waited 12 hours or more in major emergency departments. of those, around i million were waiting to be admitted to a hospital bed. using a respected statistical model, the royal college of emergency medicine has calculated that when looking solely at patients awaiting admission, an average of 268 excess deaths are likely to have occurred each week last year. with the number of people attending a&e increasing, the pressure is unrelenting, and experts say the number of excess deaths over and above what you might expect is not surprising. so, these findings won't surprise

anybody who's working in an emergency department in our country at the moment. far too many people are spending too long in our departments, and we know that this is harmful. the scientific evidence shows that people who wait more than six hours before they get admitted, you can start to plot an increase in their mortality. and we know that from between six to 12 hours, there is an increase in mortality. the department of health and social care says it's making progress in reducing waiting times, including an extra 5,000 permanent staffed beds this winter. but doctors warn that what used to be described as "winter pressures" are a thing of the past. that pressure now lasts all year round. dominic hughes, bbc news. turkey's president erdogan has described his party's worst—ever defeat in the country's local elections as a turning point. he acknowledged his ak party had lost ground, and promised not to act against the national will. the main opposition party achieved its biggest victory in nearly half a century, winning in all five of turkey's

largest cities, including istanbul. in germany, people over the age of 18 can now grow marijuana plants at home, and carry the drug for personal use, following the government's legalisation of cannabis. the move comes as they try to tackle the black—market trade in the drug. the new law allowing recreational use remains contentious because of health concerns and questions over whether it will help reduce or increase the illicit trade. a burial crypt close to the resting place of marilyn monroe has sold at auction for more than £150,000. the buyer, a us tech investor, says he's always dreamt of being next to the hollywood star. one of the actress's dresses also sold for over £250,000, eight times the asking price. a humpback whale has had a lucky escape after being cut free from fishing lines off the cornish coast. the large adult whale,

known locally as ivy, was entangled yesterday. andy cowie, who was first on the scene, says the rescue was remarkable. i think ivy was very lucky to be able to get out alive. she was in the right place that she got spotted by a passing boat and not very far offshore, she was lucky that she got entangled on the surface and not at depth, and she was lucky that the guys from the rnli were able to cut her free and she was able to go on her way. time for a look at the weather. here's louise. spring, finally! i've got the dress on. good evening. there have been winners and losers with the weather story today. in norfolk, we had a pretty grey and miserable day on

good friday. but the lion because much of the century today. there are showers, some persistent heavy with 4 north wales into the north west of england into scotland and northern ireland. sunny spells and scattered showers for some, particularly dinners the south—west. the rumble of thunder. as we go through the evening, and overnight, the rain will continue to drift its way north and linger across eastern scotland. showers will tend to fade a little compulsion down towards the kent coast. sandwiched between the two we will see some patchy mist and fog in low single figures. chilly start for some, a murky start as well. at the mist and fog will lift away from much of england and wales, is the showers is away, it'll be a dry and sunny day. rain by the end of the day into the south—west. at that frontal system lingers and it's interesting to point out the cool north—easterly breeze in scotland. so feeling quite chilly here on exposed coasts and the wind will be with you for much of the week.

elsewhere with some sunshine, if you dodge the showers, highs of 15, it'll feel quite pleasant. as we move into wednesday, low—pressure returns and it is going to dominate the remainder of the week. there will be outbreaks of rain almost like we have seen today, moving northwards across northern england into southern scotland and northern ireland. find it, a few scattered showers. the wind direction plays its part with a mild south—westerly, highs of 15. the cool north—easterly, only around 6 or 7 under the cloud and rain. looking ahead, he will have to dodge outbreaks of rain from time to time, it will stay unsettled this week and turning mild in the south. that's it. i'll be back at ten, but you can keep up with all the latest developments on the bbc website. now let's join our colleagues for the news where you are. bye for now. you're watching bbc news. i'm tanya beckett. the home office says a further 442

people in nine boats crossed the channel yesterday, taking the total number of arrivals so far this year to almost 5.5 thousand. that's a rise of 43% compared with the first three months of 2023. our news correspondent simonjones is in dover and told us more about the increase at the start of this year. almost 350 people made the crossing yesterday. it was almost 450 people. now, numbers do fluctuate according to factors such as the weather. today, for example, it's really windy in the channel, so we've seen no crossings. but at the weekend it was very calm and we saw large numbers of people arrive. other factors are also the supply of boat parts. plus, how many french police

officers are patrolling beaches over in northern france to try to stop the boats launching in the first place. but i think the increase in numbers over the past three months or so, it's down also to a couple of increased factors. for example, the number of people per boat, because when these crossings started in earnest around five years ago, there was an average of around seven people per boat that has now gone up to around 50. so the smugglers organising thejourneys don't have to launch as many boats, but they're still able to get large numbers across. and another factor may also be the government's plan to try to start sending some asylum seekers far away from here to rwanda to act as a deterrent. because one former head of the borderforce i've been speaking to, a senior officer there, has told me that the smugglers over in calais are telling people they need to make this journey quickly before those flights to rwanda possibly start taking off towards the end of spring. and that may be a factor pushing people to make that perilous crossing over the world's busiest shipping lane.

and i think that is going to be a huge headache for the government because rishi sunak has made it a personal priority to try to stop the boats. and to be fair, last year, the numbers making the crossing did come down by about a third. but now we've seen at the start of this year, numbers going up by 43%. that is a big number. the home office told us that the rise in numbers is unacceptable, but it shows the need to get those flights to get off the ground as quickly as possible. but labour say the government's small boat policy is now in complete tatters and ministers are simply presiding over one unwanted record after another. simonjones. one is at great ormond street hospital. concerns have been raised about whether the new service is ready. hand—made silhouettes of almost 1500 servicemen are being made in oxfordshire and will go on display in normandy later this month to mark the 80th anniversary of d—day.

the �*standing with giants' installation is made from recycled signs and has taken artist dan barton four years to plan. john maguire has been to the studio with veteran stan ford to see the finishing touches added to the project. not all giants loom large. yes, i remember him. yes. i was only 18 when i...when ijoined. i'm proud to have done my bit. proud, very proud to have done my bit. yeah. and my eight brothers, they all done their bit. stan ford is among kindred spirits — among those who served, as he did, on d—day — and among symbols of those who never returned home. it's an honour to be in the presence of this. it does give you some idea — a great idea of the. ..of what the cost, and the people involved. he's here to see the making of standing with giants — an installation representing, in silhouette, the almost 1,500 men of the army,

navy and air force under british command who died on that first day, june the 6th. like sentinels, they will stand at the british normandy memorial above ver—sur—mer in northern france — codenamed gold beach during the allied invasion. they've been created by dan barton — a labour of love, commitment and dedication, four years in the making. the multiples of the same figure — it just seems to just really drive the point home, ofjust how many people suffered for our freedom. part of dan's vision was to involve as many volunteers as possible. more than a thousand have helped to create the figures from recycled signs. he's borrowed thousands of pounds against his oxfordshire home to self—fund the project and to make his vision a reality. you don't really get parents taking their children and standing them by the — sadly — the monument in the village and taking a photograph for posterity, whatever, but you do with our figures — they come along, they take a lot of pictures

with their children and conversations start. and it's a way of telling youngsters, you know, just to be mindful of where their freedom came from. and, you know, that's... that's... this is a passion project for those involved. for sure. today, personnel from the nearby raf base, brize norton, are lending a hand. like many in the armed forces, the station commander has a family linked to the second world war — her mother's father drove a tank onto sword beach during the d—day landings. it wasn't something he talked about quite a lot, and i thinkl he was just that kind of quite a modest, reserved man. - and we learn about our history when you're in the military, i right from day one of being in the service, so we knowl the sacrifices that our- predecessors have made — and they made them under really difficult conditions, as well. - but, of course, it's really- important to remember the people that made those sacrifices, because if not, then what was it all for? i the silhouettes will travel

to normandy in these specially created stillages, adorned with poetry, prose and poppies — hand—made by volunteers from the women's institute, and delivered in mail sacks bursting at the seams. john maguire there. a british—iranian man who was imprisoned in iran is to run the london marathon for the second time. is to run the london marathon for the second time. anoosheh ashoori from south london was jailed on spying charges. while incarcerated, he vowed to run the marathon if and when he was released. my name is anoosheh ashoori. i am nearly 70 years old. i was taken hostage in iran, where i spent four years and seven months in incarceration. i went to visit my mother, who was recovering from a knee operation. and one day, when i was taking my suitcase to have its zipper repaired in the local market, when i reached the bottom of the hill, a car pulled over

with four men in it. they made sure that i am anoosheh ashoori, and they manhandled me inside the car. and shortly after, i was blindfolded, and my ordeal started from there. there was a floodlight, which was on 24 hours over my head. sounds of people begging, and crying and whimpering from the other cells. together with the intensity of the interrogations, i reached a point where... and they were actually threatening to harm my family members.so i so i reached a point that i decided not to be. luckily, i survived. but it was it was as bad as that. one day i managed to run for two hours nonstop, and when i went back to our hall, this friend was actually holding this book in his hand, which was

the book by haruki murakami, which i talk about when i talk about running. and that inspired me to one day, when i am released, if i could actually run the london marathon. this is the uniform that you have to wear when you are being taken to the revolutionary court. i managed to smuggle it somehow, and managed to bring it to britain and i ran in this in the first london marathon in 2022. there were two charity organisations that helped us very much. one was amnesty international. iran for them the first time. and then hostage international, who helped my family members while i was in prison. and afterwards, when i was released, they provided a psychiatrist and i've been going through trauma therapy up until now, actually. running is a key factor for mental health, which i actually suggest anybody who can, actually, they do it. i didn't know i could actually cross the finish line. and it happened. i mean, this is a good memory that i have for the rest of my life.

now, its time for sportsday with olly foster. hello, and welcome to sportsday — i'm olly foster. vardy fires va rdy fires lester vardy fires lester back to the top, another gripping day in the championship, and it's not over yet. amyjones leads the england recovery in wellington as they make it when it starts in a one—day series. today, we were constantly sand, one ball at a time, just reacting kept us in the moments, which was good. and ready steady, coal, we which was good. and ready steady, coal. we are _ which was good. and ready steady, coal, we are in _ which was good. and ready steady, coal, we are in yorkshire _ which was good. and ready steady, coal, we are in yorkshire for- coal, we are in yorkshire for the gist coal, we are in yorkshire for the 61st running of the world championships which has become a easter tradition.