live from london, this is bbc news. russia and kazakhstan suffer the worst flooding in almost a century, forcing more than 100,000 people from their homes. we'll be speaking to our russia editor, steve rosenberg, live. muslims in gaza mark the end of ramadan — with fears of an israeli onslaught on rafah. president biden warns benjamin netanyahu he's making a "mistake." i think what he's doing is a mistake. i don't agree with his approach. i think it's outrageous. a landmark review into how england's health service provided gender services to children finds they were let down by treatment that lacked firm evidence. and world athletics announces it will become the first international federation to award prize money at the olympic games.

hello, i'm matthew amroliwala. welcome to verified live. we start with flooding — described as the worst in nearly 100 years — in russia and kazakstan. thousands have been forced from their homes — cities under threat, evacuations ongoing. the flooding in the urals and western siberia has been caused by unseasonably warm temperatures, which has melted snow. in the russian city of 0renburg — home to half a million people — the authorities said water levels had reached dangerous levels. thousands of people have left the city. 0renburg is downstream from the city of 0rsk, which was inundated when a dam burst last week. live now to moscow and our russia editor steve rosenberg. steve, editor steve rosenberg. give me a sense of the sc�*

of steve, give me a sense of the scale of this? , ., _ , of this? the first thing to say is that spring _ of this? the first thing to say is that spring flooding _ of this? the first thing to say is that spring flooding is - of this? the first thing to say is that spring flooding is common i of this? the first thing to say is i that spring flooding is common in russia, when winter turns to spring and the snow melts. nothing on this scale and it is beyond russia. you mention kazakhstan, 97,000 people have been evacuated from the flood zonein have been evacuated from the flood zone in kazakhstan, more than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in russia. you mentioned in both, more than 7000 people have been evacuated from 0renberg and boats have been sailing around the city, sirens wailing, people being called on to leave their homes in different districts of the city. the scale is quite big and there is an economic consequence too. as far as we know, casualty figures are low at

the moment, i have heard maybe four orfive the moment, i have heard maybe four or five people over the last few daysin or five people over the last few days in this flooding, but the flooding has affected lots of communities, lots of settlements in the ural mountains and western siberia. we the ural mountains and western siberia. ~ . , ., ., siberia. we are seeing aerial ictures siberia. we are seeing aerial pictures of— siberia. we are seeing aerial pictures of the _ siberia. we are seeing aerial pictures of the huge - siberia. we are seeing aerial pictures of the huge amount| siberia. we are seeing aerial. pictures of the huge amount of territory this flooding is actually hitting and impacting. all the water level still rising? talk me through the amount of help people are getting on the ground? figs the amount of help people are getting on the ground?- the amount of help people are getting on the ground? as far as we know the water _ getting on the ground? as far as we know the water levels _ getting on the ground? as far as we know the water levels are _ getting on the ground? as far as we know the water levels are still - know the water levels are still rising in 0renburg, and president putin's spokesperson dmitry peskov today said the situation was expected to get worse. in other places water levels have fallen, in the town of 0rsk that you mentioned it was quite interesting a few days ago, an angry crowd gathered in 0rsk to vent theirfury ago, an angry crowd gathered in 0rsk to vent their fury on local

officials, the regional governor of 0renburg, the local mayor, who they believe did not warn them in time that this flood was coming. they criticised russia's minister for emergency situations too. they did not criticise the kremlin, they were actually chanting, putin, help us, as if the president in the kremlin in moscow was the good cell according to russian tradition, give them compensation, make things better —— as if the president in the kremlin in moscow was the good tsar. has putin heard anything about this directly? we see him so vocal and international matters, the operation international matters, the operation in ukraine, what about something like this domestically. with people calling for him to step in, have we heard from him? the calling for him to step in, have we heard from him?— heard from him? the official messages — heard from him? the official messages vladimir - heard from him? the official messages vladimir putin - heard from him? the official messages vladimir putin is i messages vladimir putin is completely across this, he has been

kept informed, he is dealing with and coordinating the situation. we have not seen that yet, we have not seen pictures of this and there was no suggestion at the moment that vladimir putin will visit the flood the area. at the moment the message is being put out that the president is being put out that the president is in full control of the situation but we have not seen evidence of that. steve rosenberg, thank you. millions around the world are celebrating eid today at the end of the islamic holy month of ramadan, but many muslims in gaza who are caught up in the war with israel have foregone the customary food and celebrations — as our middle east correspondent hugo bachega reports. the war which has killed tens of thousands and left much of the land in ruins.

gazans are marking eid, the last day of ramadan. streets that in the past would have been bustling are now empty and destroyed. families who would be celebrating are mourning lost lives. amany mansour came to remember her son, killed in this war. translation: when i think about last i eid, it was the best one of my life i because my son was beside me in my arms, getting him ready. everything he wanted, i did for him. i wish he was here with me. in rafah, dozens gathered outside what is left of the iconic al—farouk mosque. amid the rubble, they laid out their prayer mats. translation: this day for me is heartbreaking | compared to last eid. i look at my children and i feel heartbroken. when i sit with them, i start to cry, feeling sad for the days that have passed. 1.5 million palestinians are sheltering in rafah. israeli officials have vowed to enter the city to destroy hamas, but those plans have faced international opposition amid fears an offensive here would lead to a humanitarian disaster.

pressure on the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is growing, even from his closest ally. i think what he is doing is a mistake, so what i am calling for is for the israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six to eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country. the biden interview happened before the latest proposal for a ceasefire, but it shows the president's frustration with israel. the deal would see the release of a0 hostages being held in gaza in return for 900 palestinians detained in israeli jails. hamas now needs to give its response. but this is the main hope to bring a pause in the fighting and much needed respite for palestinians in gaza. hugo bachega, bbc news.

let's look at the humanitarian situation. joining me is inger ashing, ceo of save the children. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. how will alarm to argue at the us and the uk now openly talking about some sort of plan b for the israeli incursion into rafah? —— how alarm are you? just israeli incursion into rafah? -- how alarm are you?— alarm are you? just to say that in the ast alarm are you? just to say that in the past six _ alarm are you? just to say that in the past six months _ alarm are you? just to say that in the past six months of _ alarm are you? just to say that in the past six months of war- alarm are you? just to say that in the past six months of war nearly 26,000 children have been killed or injured. the war is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, children and families desperately needs a ceasefire and immediate safe humanitarian access. more children have been killed in this conflict than in all other global conflicts for the past four years, that is important to keep in the back of your head. we cannot stress enough

how catastrophic expanded military operations and rafah will be for children and their families, operations and rafah will be for children and theirfamilies, it needs to be avoided at all cost. and we need to find a sustainable solution for peace and ceasefires, solution for peace and ceasefires, so any initiative to achieve that is welcome is because the situation is catastrophic, to say the least. there are 1.3 million people estimated to be in rafah. can you see any logistical way that the civilians can be moved safely? the un organisations have already made it clear they will not be part of any move to force people, can you see a safe way of doing this so the israelis can move into rafah without large amounts of civilians being killed? figs large amounts of civilians being killed? ~ , ., ., , large amounts of civilians being killed? ~ , . . , ., killed? as far as we ceh, an extended — killed? as far as we ceh, an extended military _ killed? as far as we ceh, an extended military operation | killed? as far as we ceh, an - extended military operation with leave more than 1

extended military operation with leave more than1 million palestinian civilians, including 600,000 children, without adequate supplies, so we do not see where it would be safe to move. we stand with the un in their assessment and analysis of the situation. liaise the un in their assessment and analysis of the situation. give me analysis of the situation. give me an idea in terms _ analysis of the situation. give me an idea in terms of _ analysis of the situation. give me an idea in terms of your - analysis of the situation. give me i an idea in terms of your colleagues on the ground what they are seeing each hour? figs on the ground what they are seeing each hour? �* , , , each hour? as i said, this is the deadliest conflict _ each hour? as i said, this is the deadliest conflict we _ each hour? as i said, this is the deadliest conflict we had - each hour? as i said, this is the deadliest conflict we had seen l each hour? as i said, this is the | deadliest conflict we had seen in decades. of course that is very clear for our colleagues on the ground. it is incredibly challenging because of the lack of humanitarian access. save the children and all over organisations are preparing for a response but due to the lack of access we are not able to respond to the needs that we see on the ground as much as we would love to. the health situation among children is critical and has seriously deteriorated across gaza. 0ne

critical and has seriously deteriorated across gaza. one in ten children are suffering from infectious diseases are more than two thirds of them have had diarrhoea in the past two weeks due to overcrowding in shelters and then the collapse of basic sanitation and health facilities. there is an absolute lack of medical supplies. there is no infrastructure to even respond to the basic needs of the children in gaza, so the situation is getting worse by the hour. we know many children are at the brink of starvation, almost 300,000 under five are at the risk of starvation as we speak. it is incredibly challenging, the situation on the ground. at challenging, the situation on the round. �* ., , challenging, the situation on the round. . _ challenging, the situation on the round. �* . , . ., inger ashing, thank you. the ceo of save the children, speaking to us life. around the world and across the uk, you are

watching bbc news.

you are live with bbc news. the post office inquiry in london has been hearing evidence from lord arbuthnot, a leading supporter of the campaign forjustice for the hundreds of branch managers who were wrongly convicted. faulty accounting software developed by the japanese company fujitsu made it look as though post office workers were stealing. lord arbuthnot said he became "frustrated and annoyed" sub—postmasters�* concerns. —— with the government's lack of drive to address sub—postmasters�* concerns. let's speak to our reporter azadeh moshiri, whojoins us from central london. take us through the key bets. as you said, lord james _ take us through the key bets. as you said, lord james arbuthnot - take us through the key bets. as you said, lord james arbuthnot has - take us through the key bets. as you said, lord james arbuthnot has been j said, lord james arbuthnot has been campaigning on this issue for more than 1a years, he was a conservative mp at the time when one of his constituents became a victim, more

than 900 sub—postmasters were prosecuted at the time because of this faulty it system. he has criticise not only the post office but also successive governments for not having done more for the victims. he had said the post office was defensive, secretive and accused them of blocking information getting to investigators, and when it comes to investigators, and when it comes to the government and southey said he highlighted issues with the software nearly two decades ago but the response he got from successive governments was despite owning the post office, the government has an arm's—length relationship with the post office. he didn't take that response very well, he said it is essentially saying no to me, when he expected them to sort what he saw as a potential injustice out, and he said it is essentially not taking

ownership, accountability of your ownership. he described a particularly colourfully. if you have an organisation that is as important to the community as the post office is, then the people have got to be able to have proper control over it. if the people own it and there's a sort of democratic deficit that is popping up here, if the government is refusing to take responsibility for it, and also, i know that mr henry has been talking about the risks of owning a dangerous dog. you cannot say that the dangerous dog has an arm's length relationship with you. if the dangerous dog behaves badly. so the whole process of arm's length control is a worrying one.

it seems to me... i want to bring in david enright, who represents hundreds of victims, sub—postmasters impacted by the scandal. thank you for your time. what do you make of lord arbuthnot�*s testimony so far? we what do you make of lord arbuthnot's testimony so far?— testimony so far? we need to recognise _ testimony so far? we need to recognise that _ testimony so far? we need to recognise that lord _ testimony so far? we need to recognise that lord arbuthnot testimony so far? we need to i recognise that lord arbuthnot is testimony so far? we need to - recognise that lord arbuthnot is on a par with alan bates. at the end it is evident we took the unusual step of paying him a note of thanks, for myself and the wonderful people i represent i would say, bravo, my lord. he first of all started championing the case ofjo hamilton in 2009. thereafter he championed the constituents of the 140 mp5, he engage with the post office initially, wanted them to look properly and fairly but he soon came

to the conclusion they would be an obstructive auntie could no longer trust them. he said paula vennells had broken her word to him and parliament. he lost complete faith are no longer agreed to work with them. we are no longer agreed to work with them. ~ ., ., ., ., them. we are also hearing right now from someone _ them. we are also hearing right now from someone who _ them. we are also hearing right now from someone who chaired - them. we are also hearing right now from someone who chaired the - from someone who chaired the mediation in 2013 between the post office and the sub—postmasters, sir anthony hooper. in recalling some of that experience he seemed pretty exasperated. 5ir that experience he seemed pretty exasperated-— that experience he seemed pretty exasperated. that experience he seemed pretty exaserated. . �* ., , ., exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 ear exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 year high _ exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 year high court _ exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 year high court and _ exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 year high court and court - exasperated. sir anthony hooper, a 20 year high court and court of- 20 year high court and court of appealjudge, said the post office case from its inception was completely implausible. he said it made no sense the post office would accuse postmasters of taking money when just days after stealing thousands of pounds they would have to immediately reconcile their accounts. he said it was completely implausible. accounts. he said it was completely implausible-— implausible. thank you so much, david. matthew, _ implausible. thank you so much, david. matthew, the _ implausible. thank you so much, david. matthew, the post - implausible. thank you so much, david. matthew, the post office | implausible. thank you so much, - david. matthew, the post office says it is deeply sorry for the impact

this has had on victims and it is cooperating with the inquiry. meanwhile, this phase of the inquiry is trying to figure out who knew what and when, so much of what we have found out today will be put to the former chief executive of the post office paula vennells who will give evidence in the coming weeks. for now, the inquiry continues. studio: thank you very much. i want to show you live pictures of president biden at the white house, he is meeting with japan's prime minister at the start of the visit, talking about the strong and growing partnership with japan on the white house. this kicking off on the south lawn of the white house. there was an arrival ceremony a short minutes ago with some early comments. we will keep a cross that, if there is anything significantjoe biden or

the japanese prime minister says we would bring back to you, especially keeping an ear out for any further comments from the american president about the middle east. a major report into gender services for young people in england and wales says that medical interventions given to under 185 are based on �*remarkably weak evidence.�* the report's author — dr hilary cass — says the long—term impact of using puberty blockers and hormones is uncertain, and should only be given with �*extreme caution.�* england has joined a list of countries that are reviewing treatments for gender dysphoria. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. it is a landmark review with a stark conclusion that children had been let down because of remarkably weak evidence on medical interventions in gender care. this final report follows an interim review, which has already led to major changes. gender services provided by the controversial tavistock clinic in london, ended last month. two new centres in london and liverpool have been set up.

the use of drugs to stop the onset of puberty has now stopped until further research is done. the author of the report says hormone treatments should in future be used with extreme caution for 16 to 18—year—olds, and argues that children were let down by the quality of services. it is unusual for us to give a potentially life changing treatment to young people and not know what happens to them in adulthood. and that has been a particular problem that we haven�*t had the follow—up into adulthood to know what the results of this are. and that is the reason why i have said that we must improve the research base here. keira bell started taking puberty blockers aged 16 after being referred to the tavistock. she then took legal action, arguing she was not challenged enough at the clinic, and regretted her decision. her lawyer responded

to the review findings. whilst it is very reassuring for young people who are going through gender—questioning at the moment, and their parents, hopefully there will be a new service developed that will meet their needs appropriately. it is unfortunately for many young people too late. they live with the ongoing consequences of poor clinical treatment. and their lives are forever changed. expanding gender services is another key focus of this review. recommendations include a separate pathway for young children and their families, allowing early discussions to take place, a follow—through service for 17 to 25—year—olds, and assurances that the same standards of care as other parts of the nhs will be provided. sonja wanted to transition from the age of 15, but she found she couldn�*t get access to care, and was put on a waiting list. by the age of 18, she hadn�*t had a first appointment

and was transferred to adult services. after hearing there would be another long wait, she opted to go private until she could be seen by the nhs. sonja says the long delays were hard to cope with and she hopes there will soon be changes. hopefully with the review and its findings, the young trans people of today and the generations can have a more human and a more respectful transition, that doesn�*t feel demeaning or demoralising or like it is taking years upon years ofjust waiting. nhs england says there will be an implementation plan. for sonja, it is the detail and the delivery which will count. with just over 100 days to go, until the paris 0lympics, there are concerns that the triathlon event could be delayed — or the swim leg even cancelled — because of poor water quality in the river seine. that�*s despite more than one billion

euros spent trying to improve it. from the banks of the seine, our correspondent hugh schofield sent this update. the big picture is a good picture. it�*s a positive picture. the big picture is that the river has been cleaned up extensively over the last 20, 30 years. it�*s far, far healthier than it was in the 60s when there were three species of fish left in it. now there are 30 or 40 species of fish. so the general picture is a very good one, but the specific picture is rather more worrying. the specific picture is this bid to get the river swimmable in by the olympics, which was a commitment that the olympics organisers, which president macron made and which they insist is still on track. but there have been now these findings from an ngo which looks into water quality, which are troubling. this ngo called surfrider, has found that in a series of readings it took over the winter, the bacteria levels are too high, they�*re above the norms and it�*s

all scientifically kind of organised above a certain level. you can swim below a certain level, you can swim above... you can�*t, and the levels were above that level. so there are assurances coming from the organisers saying "don�*t worry, winter water is worse than summer water." there are all sorts of things that have yet to happen which will continue to clean up the river in time. but one can�*t help thinking that they must be worried. and in the same way that there are concerns expressed about the opening ceremony on the river seine, the security people are now saying perhaps there should be a plan b in case the water isn�*t clean enough by the end ofjuly. i think the plan b, as i understand it, i mean, there are three events. there�*s the triathlon, there�*s the swimming marathon, and then there�*s the paralympic triathlon as well. so three events. as i understand it, the fallback plan, if things go badly wrong, is that they can shift the date, they can move it around. they planned it to be take place early in the games. and so if early in the games

and therefore last for two weeks, it looks like the river is not up to snuff, then they�*ll push it back later. but if that doesn�*t work, i don�*t think there is another plan. and of course that�*s why there are all these assurances that they have things under control. but, you know, i think anyone watching is feeling a little niggle now that maybe they�*re talking confident, but they�*re not as confident as they look. hugh schofield is on the banks of the seine. a two—storey houseboat — complete with a white picket fence — was towed through san francisco bay after the owners were asked to leave redwood city marina. the floating home took the precarious journey across the bay to san rafael. the boat was apparently one of dozens told to leave the marina as they were blocking public access to a state waterway. as part of an ongoing legal battle, the council offered compensation for the move.

incredible pictures. we will take a short break and then i will be back with more of the day because my headlines in a moment or two. go away. —— don�*t go away. it�*s got quite cold last night as the weather briefly come down, things will warm up briefly come down, things will warm up over the next couple of days but at the moment claridges streaming from the atlantic, those were the front bringing spells of rain and the wind direction changing, a south—westerly wind brings in warmer air. temperatures will not be too high because we have lots of cloud and fog over the hills, 14 or 15 is and fog over the hills, 14 or 15 is an improvement on yesterday. the rain will be heavier across the hills of western scotland for a while, the second—rate band will push south eastwards rain becoming light and patchy. still have a south—westerly breeze, it will be much warmer than last night for many

parts of the country, temperatures will remain in double figures. tomorrow sees more sunshine, some early rain on the far north of scotland players, ate few spots of rain through the english channel and southernmost england and wales, could stay cloudy. across the uk it will be dry in most places. with sunshine around in the south—westerly breeze it will be warmer, temperatures back up to 19 or 20. warmer, temperatures back up to 19 or20. some warmer, temperatures back up to 19 or 20. some more weatherfronts coming in from the atlantic once again will return northwards, take more cloudy and wet weather northwards. some rain pushing towards northern ireland and into scotland, maybe northern england. further south after a cloudy start we should see the cloud thinning and breaking up some sunshine coming through. we still have those warm south—westerly winds, so these are the temperatures we are looking at on friday. let�*s compare those with the average for this time of year. bury st edmunds 20 degrees on

friday, 6 degrees warmer than normal, aberdeen is also 6 degrees warmer than normal. pleasant for many areas on thursday into friday, over the weekend it will cool down, the wind direction changes, cooler air will push down from the north—west, pressure will be falling out with low pressure moving in we will find more wet weather from the north—west. the fine weather will last through the weekend across south—eastern areas but even here it will turn cooler, towards the north and west and increasing risk of showers.

this is bbc news. the headlines: russia and kazakhstan have faced some of their worst flooding, forcing people from their homes. muslims in gaza mark the end of ramadan — in the midst of destruction caused by six months of war and fears of an israeli onslaught on rafah. president biden warns benjamin netanyahu — he�*s making a "mistake." new foreign office figures reveal that more than a quarter a major review has found that children are being let down by weak evidence around treatment. new foreign office figures reveal that more than a quarter of all uk overseas aid — some £4.3 billion — was spent last year on asylum costs at home.

and with just over 100 days to go until the paris 0lympics,