welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories. three years after civil war started in yemen, the death toll continues to rise. both sides are fighting for the biggest prize, the capital, sa'naa. to take the fight into the heart of this historic, densely populated city would be a bloody, urban battle. back in class for the first time since the deadly shooting in florida. students return to a high school changed forever. another white house resignation. communications director hope hicks is the latest high profile figure to leave president trump's top team. and tributes to the evangelist billy graham. his body is lying in state in the us capitol as the nation's leaders pay their respects. after three years of conflict, conditions

in yemen are described by the united naions as "catastrophic". houthi rebels, backed by iran, remain in control of large parts of the country, including the capital sana'a. fighting them are forces loyal to the former president, backed by saudi airstrikes and a naval blockade. caught in the middle are the country's civilians — more than 20 million people needing humanitarian help or protection. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has travelled with saudi and yemeni government forces to the frontlines. high above the arabian peninsula, just off the coast of yemen. saudi arabia and its allies have ruled these skies since the war began. and they control the seas below. these shipping lanes are a vital gateway for the world's energy supplies. and a smuggling route

for illicit goods. among them, the saudis say, weapons that iran supplies to yemen's houthi fighters. we land on board a saudi warship. inspecting vessels bound for the port. most of yemen's imports flow through there but it is in houthi hands. saudis are on the look—out for suspicious vessels. we meet the captain, whose mission is a crucial front line in this war. operational rules are to treat all vessels as suspicious? yes. even humanitarian ones? yes. a naval blockade has been lifted for now. it had obstructed vital medicine, food and fuel from reaching yemenis in desperate need. but this war grinds on. and on the ground, it is yemen's army who are battling houthi fighters. advancing slowly on hostile terrain.

mountain by mountain. seizing strategic heights of the approach to the capital. sanaa is the prize in this war. the houthi rebels want to keep it, but to take this densely populated city would be a bloody urban battle. all roads in this war will lead to this capital. the yemeni forces and their allies have ambitious plan, surround sanaa, and force the houthis to surrender, but their enemy is well entrenched. supported by iran, the houthis are now well trained and well supplied. their ballistic missiles have reached the heart of the saudi kingdom. fear as part of their arsenal, too.

hundreds of journalists and political opponents have been detained arbitrarily. many have fled. in a government—controlled area we meet this 27—year—old, whose crime was posting comments on social media. he tells us, they hung me up, tortured me until i fell unconscious. when he woke up, he did not move. imagine, he says, in a second, you cannot walk. what can i do now, he asks but yemenis live with other fields, too. this is the impact of a saudi airstrike in sa'naa, a neighbourhood close to the defence ministry. only about ten miles from here, this area is in their sights the saudi—led coalition has been pounding enemy positions. armed with the most sophisticated weaponry from allies like britain, the us and france.

the saudis insist civilians are not a target. but they are being hit. this family, like many others, lost their home in a coalition bombing. they had taken refuge here. we are begging for help, cries this woman. yesterday my three children did not eat. i am ill, always ill. neither dead nor alive. it is hard to escape from this war. it has pushed these families from place to place. at this temporary settlement they are digging in. trying to make a new home from the little they now have. the arab world's poorest nation now a battle ground for regional powers in a middle east which grows ever more combustible. saudi arabia and iran know they are playing with fire. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the un security council has been told that death, destruction and misery are continuing unabated in the rebel—held area of eastern ghouta in syria, despite a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

the un's emergency relief coordinator, mark lowcock, says no aid has reached civilians in dire need of food and medical supplies. the international olympic committee has lifted its ban on russia, just days after the winter games in south korea. the suspension was imposed in december, after inspectors found evidence of systematic state—sponsored doping. president putin gave some of the winning athletes their medals at a ceremony in the kremlin. much of europe is blanketed in snow as cold weather spreads as far south as the mediterranean coast. here in the uk, dozens of roads were closed and trains and flights cancelled. hundreds of schools suspended classes, and many businesses have been telling workers to stay at home. the german government has confirmed its computer network has been the target of a cyber—attack. authorities have not commented on reports that the attack was carried out by russians and targeted the foreign and defence ministries. the hack was first discovered in december and may have lasted up to a year

(pupils have returned to their school in florida — two weeks after a former student murdered 17 people there. at the white house, president trump has been meeting politicians from both sides of the gun control debate, urging them to come up with legislation to prevent school shootings. our correspondent, nada tawfik, was at marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida. it was a return that was emotional for members of stoneman douglas high. police and members of the community climbed into the walkway for moral support. a flower, a hug, comfort ahead of their tough journey back to the scene of so much pain and loss. inside, the focus was not on studies but on helping them to heal and giving them the space to readjust. today was a roller—coaster. we were not completely sure what to expect. all of the kids are at different stages of healing.

it was a tough day for nicole velazquez. she lost her friend nicholas, and still mourns his absence. in the morning i actually saw him, and we said happy valentine's day and that was the last i heard from him. a makeshift memorial wraps around the school that honours the 14 students and three staff members killed. students have adopted that slogan as the name of their campaign to push for stricter gun measures. this is the first time survivors of a mass shooting of been so vocal about gun control in the us, and despite the students‘ return to classes, they have vowed to keep up the momentum and they plan a march on washington later this month. at the white house president trump held a bipartisan meeting when he seem to support expanded background checks for gun purchasers and other measures. we're going to come up with some ideas and hopefully we can put them in a bipartisan way.

it would be so beautiful if we could have a bill that everyone could support. senator chris mafi called out they influence of the powerful gun lobby, the nra. the gun lobby has had veto power of any legislation that comes before a government. i wish that was not the case, and if all that we do is the stuff that the gun industry supports, then this just isn't worth it. this new urgency is a result of the students‘ demands to put gun safety at the top of the agenda. their protests have had a strong impact. companies have cut ties with the nra, and two major retailers, walmart and dick's sporting goods, have announced they will raise the minimum age for all guns to be purchased from 18 to 21. in some parts of corporate america, it is no longer business as usual. in the latest high—profile departure from the white house,

one of president trump's longest—serving aides — communications director hope hicks — is resigning. on tuesday she was questioned for eight hours by the house intelligence committee, investigating russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but the white house has denied any connection. chris buckler reports from washington. hope hicks was often at the side of president trump, not just the communications director, but one of his closest aides and advisers, but 110w his closest aides and advisers, but now she isjoining otherfigures like steve bannon and shaun spicer in leaving the trump white house. in a statement, the president described her as outstanding. he said... earlier this week, the 29—year—old former model gave evidence to a

congressional committee looking into allegations of russian interference in the 2016 election. it is reported that she admitted telling white lies on occasion for the president but left, having refused to answer presidents —— questions about the meeting that took place during the campaign between the trump team and a russian lawyer. the white house insists her resignation has nothing to do with that testimony. but it leaves the president once again with a key position to fill. hope hicks was the fourth communications director of his presidency and we are only 13 months into it. bollywood a—listers havejoined mourners — and thousands of fans — in mumbai, for the funeral of the indian actress sri—devi. an autopsy found she died in a bath in dubai, after losing consciousness. a police investigation has now been closed. sameer hashmi reports. a grand farewell for one of india's most famous movie stars. thousands of people turned out on the streets of mumbai to say goodbye to sridevi, an actress who charmed audiences through a career spanning five decades. before her last rites

were performed, her body was put on display for people to pay their respects. heartbroken fans came from all over india and queued for hours to catch one last glimpse of their beloved star. i've come from far because i love sridevi. we have no connection but there is one. that is through her movies and through the amazing, impeccable woman that she has always been. she's always going to stay in our hearts. i am so sad. she is one of the greatest actresses of bollywood. i'm here to try to take a glimpse of her. bollywood icons turned out in large numbers to mourn the loss of the actress being called the industry's first female superstar. for india's movie industry,

she was an icon who broke the glass ceiling by becoming one of the very first female superstars capable of delivering huge box office success without the support of the male hero. she achieved that at a time when indian film makers were reluctant to cast actresses as the main protagonists in their movies. she acted in nearly 300 movies across five different indian languages. she was already a big name in south india in the 1970s. but it was her performances in bollywood the following decade that cemented her popularity across the country. and it wasn'tjust sridevi's acting that drew crowds to the cinema halls. her fantastic dance performances left her fans mesmerized. the circumstances about her death is controversies but all was forgotten as she made herfinaljourney. bigger than her influence on an indian industry that

leaned on male roles for success, her legacy she leaves behind. stay with us on bbc news — still to come... the royal four‘s first official engagement. prince harry says we're stuck together for the rest of our lives. first the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables, then suddenly the people, the tables and the chairs crashed sideways and downwards and it was just a matter of seconds until the ferry lurched onto her side. a hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll. the americans have successfully test a weapon which dwarfs the force of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and my heart went bang and bang.

the constitutional rights of these marches are the rights of the citizens of the us, and they should be protected even testing them out so they do not get their heads broken and sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say much about it, but will it boil up when you get to the states? it worries me, but i think i'm going to be all right in the end, as they say. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. the united nations says conditions in yemen are ‘catastrophic‘ — with — more than twenty million people needing humanitarian help. back in class for the first time since the deadly shooting in florida. students return to a high school changed forever. theresa may has said no prime minister of the uk could ever accept the european union's draft

document which sets out the legal framework for britain's withdrawal. it proposes a "common regulatory area" across ireland, to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the irish republic. in effect, that would keep northern ireland in some sort of customs union with the eu — something mrs may has explicitly ruled out. rob watson reports. breaking up was never going to be easy, as efforts to finalise the divorce agreement, the withdrawal treaty as it's known in brussels, are proving. "don't blame us," says the eu negotiator michel barnier. it was the uk that wants to leave, throwing up all sorts of problems, including the thorny issue of the border between northern ireland and the irish republic. translation: i am not trying to provoke or create shock waves. i want this negotiation to be a success, but let me remind you that it was uk's decision to leave, and as i said from the beginning, no one should underestimate the consequences of this action. that northern ireland might almost

effectively stay in the eu to avoid a hard border brought a hard response from theresa may. she said she would sign no such treaty. the draft legal text the commission have published would if implemented undermine the uk common market and threaten constitutional intregrity of the uk by creating a customs and regulatory border down the irish sea. and no uk prime minister could ever agree to it. pro—brexit mps and her governing conservative party applauded her. stop brexit! outside parliament, these freezing anti—brexit protesters may have a powerful new ally. former prime minister and conservative party leader john major launched a scathing attack on the government's handling of brexit, accusing it of caving in to a handful of hard—line anti—europeans in pursuing a policy that would leave britain poorer,

weaker and more divided than ever. brexit has been the most divisive issue of my political lifetime. it has divided not only the four nations of the united kingdom, but the regions within those nations. it has divided political parties, political colleagues, families, friends and the young from the old. many people in britain are probably more worried about the weather right now than the details of britain's withdrawal from the eu. politicians likejohn major believe the voters will cool on brexit, too, as and when the reality of leaving the eu unfolds. certainly, a chill has set in between london and brussels with no obvious prospects of a thaw in relations. rob watson, bbc news. the australian government says more than 57,000 firearms were handed in during a three month

gun amnesty last year. the haul includes thousands of automatic weapons and an unregistered rocket launcher. the amnesty allowed people to hand over weapons without fear of prosecution. a third of the firearms have been destroyed, the rest have been licensed or registered for sale. men in france could face fines for making lewd comments about women in public, under new plans to tackle street harassment. details were set out by a parliamentary working group on wednesday amid rising concern about sexual harassment and assaults following the harvey weinstein scandal. fines would range from 90 to 350 euros. washington's political leaders have come together to remember the christian evangelist billy graham who died last week aged 99. he is only the fourth private citizen to lie in state in the capitol. the last was civil rights icon rosa parks in 2005. for many, he was america's pastor. the man who brought the word of god to all. an unadorned message in contrast perhaps to the ceremony

surrounding his death. he treated everybody the same, even the great and powerful who came today to pay their final respects. billy graham shared their stage for decades but uniquely avoided their politics. he met every president since harry truman and was a counsellor to most. he also shaped the evangelical movement into a political force. shall we pray? from president trump, who spoke of his own childhood memories of billy graham, came this tribute. everywhere he went, the reverend graham delivered the same beautiful message, god loves you. that was his message, god loves you. we can only imagine the number of lives touched by the preacher and the prayers of billy graham. billy graham will lie

in honour until thursday, allowing members of the public to pay their respects. he will be laid to rest in north carolina on friday. meghan markle has been speaking of how women can best use their voice — and power. she was appearing alongside her fiance prince harry, and the duke and duchess of cambridge, at a charity showcase — their first official engagement as a foursome. she was a women's advocate for the un, and said she wanted to "to hit the ground running" when she takes up her duties. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. they are the foursome who will take the royal family forward for decades to come. and on stage together for the first time, they talked about their mission. william said it was to build on what his parents and grandparents had achieved. hold on to the values that have always guided our family, but seek to engage in public life in a way that was updated and relevant for our generation.

attention inevitably focused on the newcomer, meghan markle underlined the relevance of her agenda talking about female empowerment. you'll often hear people say, "you're helping women find their voices." and i fundamentally disagree with that, because women don't need to find a voice. they have a voice, they need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen. and i think, right now, in the climate that we're seeing with so many campaigns, i mean, me too and time's up, there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered, and people really helping to support them, men included in that. meghan said she was looking forward to hitting the ground running after her wedding. sitting next to her, her future sister—in—law. so how is it working as a foursome? working as family does have its challenges, of course it does. the fact that everyone‘s laughing means that everybody knows exactly what it's like. laughter but, look, you know,

we're stuck together for the rest of our lives, so... laughter this is true. togetherness at its finest. togetherness, yeah, yeah. together and seeking to make a difference. after a massive renovation the palace cinema in brussels has officially reopened. it is 136 years old, and its owners hope the historic building, and a mix of international and local films, will tempt audiences more used to watching them, these days, online. laura westbrook reports. the doors of one of the world's oldest cinema are open again. after lying dormant for a century, the palace in brussels has been restored to its former glory. the historic building has some modern upgrades, but those behind the renovation made sure to keep the old with the new. it has been beautifully renovated, from what i can see. very curious to see the room and how they did it. it was first opened in 1913, but by 1973,

this room had been turned into a car park. setbacks to its restoration included bankruptcy and a battle over who would own the building, the french or flemish community. it was the french who eventually bought it. but it was still many years before renovations were complete. i think it's really lovely and really nice and i had the advantage to visit it some months ago when it was under construction, and i think they have made a very beautiful work out of it. british actress charlotte rampling introduced the first film to be shown here. fittingly, set in brussels. the new owners hope to show a mix of independent films and blockbusters. it may seem odd to reopen a cinema in an age where so many watch films

online, but those behind this hope it will once again be a place where anyone who loves film can go. the arctic blast — nicknamed the beast from the east — has caused havoc across many parts of europe. romania's black sea coastline has transformed into a glacial fairy scene. people have stepped out in temperatures of minus 10 celsius and strong winds to admire the frozen balustrades and icy remains of the abandoned consta na casino. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. hello there.

as far as meteorologists are concerned, the first of march is the first day of spring. but what we have to contend with through the day ahead is a continuation of this spell of severe disruptive wintry weather. still that met office red warning, still in force through central portions of scotland and west towards glasgow. a larger area of northern eastern scotland, covered by an amberwarning. in all these areas, snow showers will continue to feed in relentlessly as we head through the early hours. some showers further west and south as well, and here the winds will be picking up, so it will feel bitingly cold up there. but of most concern is the weather across northeastern scotland into northeast england, 10—20 cm of snow falling here, perhaps even a little more than that through the central belt of scotland. that will continue to cause some significant issues. as we look further afield and run the weather through the day, you can see some of the showers will fade, parts of east anglia and lincolnshire will have a slightly drier day.

down south, an area of low pressure is spinning its way up, that will bring some snow into the channel islands and likely set in in parts across southwestern wales. on the thermometer, your temperature will struggle to get above freezing. it will feel like —11 degrees in birmingham and in cardiff through the middle parts of the afternoon with that biting wind. now this area of low pressure continues to push northwards as we head into thursday evening, and that brings the likelihood of a spell of really significant snow across southwest england and wales. the met office has an amber warning in force here, because the snow will pile up, 10—20 cm, maybe more in southwest england. very strong winds. there'll be blizzard conditions out there, as we head through thursday night into friday, some of that snow perhaps fringing into northern ireland, and as we go through the day on friday, snow will come across some other southern areas today. showers will feed into northern and eastern scotland.

temperatures for most of us are still disappointing, a bit milder towards the southwest. however, if any snow turns back to rain, it could hit very cold surfaces and turn immediately into ice, which would give some really slippery conditions. into the weekend, we continue to see frontal systems up from the south, and slowly but surely, something a little bit less cold, so temperatures will slowly lift throughout the weekend. there will still be showers, and some of those will still be wintry. this is bbc news — the headlines... united nations officials are describing conditions in yemen — after three years of conflict — as ‘catastrophic‘ — with more than 20 million civilians needing humanitarian help. houthi rebels supported by iran are fighting forces loyal to the former president, backed by saudi air strikes. in the latest high—profile departure from the white house, pupils have returned to their high school in florida — two weeks after a former student murdered 17 people.

president trump has been meeting politicians, urging them to come up with legislation to prevent school shootings. two major retailers have announced they will no longer stock assault rifles. in the latest high—profile departure from the white house, one of president trump's longest—serving aides — communications director hope hicks — is resigning. it's just a day since she was questioned by the house intelligence committee, investigating russian interference in the 2016 election — but the white house has denied any connection. now on bbc news... it's time for hardtalk.