welcome to bbc news, i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: wanted for war crimes — the international criminal court issues an arrest warrant for russia's leader, vladimir putin, for his alleged role in deporting ukrainian children to russia. the judges issued arrest warrants. their execution depends on international cooperation. china's president, xijinping, is to visit russia next week for talks with president putin. tiktok reportedly under investigation in the united states over allegations the video—sharing app spied on journalists. plus, the benefits for babies of eating peanut butter. how a spoonful could help prevent an allergic reaction.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russia's leader, vladimir putin in connection with war crimes. the court says there are grounds to believe that president putin is personally responsible for the deportation of hundreds of children, from children's homes and orphanages in ukraine for adoption in russia since last year's invasion. it's the first time the court has ordered the arrest of a prominent serving political leader. ukraine's president zelensky, has hailed the decision as historic, but moscow dismissed the announcement as �*outrageous�*, saying it doesn't recognise the jurisdiction of the court. our diplomatic correspondent, james landale, reports from kyiv.

it is a war that he ordered. a war that brought death and devastation. a war that sent millions fleeing for their lives. the but it is one that has now left president putin accused of war crimes by an international court and even more isolated on the world stage. the judges have reviewed the information and evidence submitted by the prosecutor and determined that there are credible allegations against these persons for the alleged crimes. the international criminal court, based in the hague, alleges the russian leader and another official are individually responsible for the war crime of unlawfully deporting children from ukraine to russia. in the chaos that followed the invasion, millions of people were displaced and reports of thousands of children being sent to so—called, re—education camps in russia.

alleged crimes for which ukraine's president has repeatedly demanded justice. translation: this is a historic decision from which historical responsibility will begin. the head of the terrorist state and another russian official have become suspects in a war crime. a kremlin spokesman said the allegations were outrageous and unacceptable. the foreign ministry said the arrest warrant meant nothing legally. translation: russia is not a party to the ruling statute of the international criminal court and bears no obligations under it. these are only the first arrest warrants and more are expected for the killing of civilians in bucha and elsewhere across the country, where russian forces have been accused of rape, torture and indiscriminate shelling. the man investigating these allegations and those against mr putin denied

the warrants were symbolic. there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within our courts jurisdiction have been committed. so those that feel that you can commit a crime in the daytime sleep well at night should perhaps look at history. vladimir putin may never be arrested or appear in court, but it's not every day that a serving head of state is accused of war crimes and it is a signalfrom international community that they will seek justice for what's been happening here in ukraine. at home, vladimir putin may enjoy some popular support, however staged. but abroad, he now faces the possibility of arrest and trial. he probably will not be getting on a plane soon. with the reaction from russia and the impact this arrest warrant could have, here's our russia editor, steve rosenberg. on a practical level, do not expect russian police

to slap the handcuffs on vladimir putin and dispatch him to the hague. russia, just like america, does not recognise the jurisdiction of the international criminal court and russia does not extradite its citizens. and yet, this is an extraordinary moment. just think about it. the serving president of the world's largest country, a nuclear power, a permanent member of the un security council, the icc has issued a warrant for his arrest over alleged war crimes and that makes him even more of a pariah at a time when vladimir putin is still trying to be a global player. we have the chinese president coming in three days�* time for a state visit. no wonder the kremlin is furious. and the former russian president and putin ally referring to the arrest warrant in a social media post wrote this. he said no need to explain

where this paper should be used. and he followed that within emoji of a toilet bowl. we can speak to dr angela stent, director of the georgetown university center for eurasian, russian and east european studies. thank you forjoining us angela. thank you for “oining us angela._ thank you for “oining us anuela. ~ . ., angela. we heard there that the kremlin has _ angela. we heard there that the kremlin has called _ angela. we heard there that the kremlin has called this - kremlin has called this outrageous. it says it does not recognise the jury disc —— jurisdiction of the icc, so under what circumstances could present you to be arrested? very difficult to see that now. obviously as your correspondence have said he will be very careful about what countries he will travel to in the future, i don't think you will be visiting london anytime soon, so were he to go to a country that is part of the icc, and 123 countries have signed on to this rome statute, then theoretically he could be arrested but we have even had

the example of the president of sudan, also under indictment from the icc, and he has been able to travel to other countries and nothing has happened to him, so i think we have to wait and see how the war with ukraine and is, what happens to putin afterwards, but right now it's difficult to see him being arrested. but it will restrict _ see him being arrested. but it will restrict his _ see him being arrested. but it will restrict his movement, i see him being arrested. but it| will restrict his movement, his ability to travel around the globe, he will be restricted to only a very few countries? yes, i mean really — only a very few countries? yes, i mean really go _ only a very few countries? yes, i mean really go to _ only a very few countries? yes, i mean really go to the - only a very few countries? yes, i mean really go to the 620 - i mean really go to the g20 summit in india? india is another country that has not signed onto the icc, which countries can he visit? i also think it is very interesting that this indictment was handed down today, three days before president xijingping down today, three days before president xi jingping visit to russia, because it puts him in a more awkward position because i'm the one hand china has been backing russia, and on the other hand, it also wants to appearas other hand, it also wants to appear as a peacemaker, it wants to appear as a statesman, so how does it look to arrive

in a country and shake hands with the president who has now been indicted for war crimes? as you say president xi jingping will visit president putin very soon, saying he has a peace plan for the war between russia and ukraine. how does that affect his plan? i’m does that affect his plan? i'm not sure that _ does that affect his plan? i'm not sure that it _ does that affect his plan? in not sure that it affects the plan very much because the plan is very vague, and it has been dismissed by most western countries, either president zielinski has said he wants to discuss it with president xi jingping and i don't know whether this will give xi jingping any more leverage over president putin to try to get him to come to the negotiating table, we will have to see what they say when the summit is over. ~ . . ~' they say when the summit is over. . . ., ~ , ., , over. we are talking primarily about the _ over. we are talking primarily about the deportation - over. we are talking primarily about the deportation of - about the deportation of children, the horrifying idea in itself but the list of potential war crimes is long, isn't it? is potential war crimes is long, isn't it? , ., ., isn't it? is a very long, and if ou isn't it? is a very long, and if you look— isn't it? is a very long, and if you look at _ isn't it? is a very long, and if you look at the _ isn't it? is a very long, and | if you look at the atrocities, it's the mass, the destruction

of civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure during the winter,, so there is a long list of potential war crimes, and these are being very actively investigated. i think the one with the deportation of the one with the deportation of the children is one that will really terror the heartstrings of billions of people around the world who are parents and grandparents, or even if they aren't, the idea that children aren't, the idea that children are taken away and forcibly given to other parents, trying to wipe out who they are, it's really horrifying.— really horrifying. how do you think this — really horrifying. how do you think this has _ really horrifying. how do you think this has been - really horrifying. how do you think this has been received | really horrifying. how do you i think this has been received in russia in south? {iii think this has been received in russia in south?— russia in south? of course we have had _ russia in south? of course we have had only _ russia in south? of course we have had only official- russia in south? of course we have had only official denials. have had only official denials that we have heard from your correspondence, and ijust correspondence, and i just wonder correspondence, and ijust wonder because the russian people, the ones that have stayed there that have not left because of the war, they know that this is happening, they know about the denials from their own government, it remains to be seen whether this softens any of the support for president putin, and whether the people who just watch

state—run tv will believe that these are all lies, or whether they might begin to question what that president has actually done.— what that president has actually done. what that president has actuall done. ., ,, , ., , actually done. thank you very much for _ actually done. thank you very much for your _ actually done. thank you very much for your insight. - the news of president putin's arrest warrant came as china announced its president, xijinping, will visit russia next week to hold talks with mr putin. beijing and moscow say the two men will discuss strategic cooperation. beijing is currently promoting a plan it says can bring a negotiated end to the war in ukraine. however, china's neutrality has been questioned as beijing continues to maintain close ties with moscow. the announcement of the state visit was made by the foreign ministry in beijing. translation: during his state visit to russia, president xi jingping will have an in—depth exchange of you with president putin on bilateral relations and a major international and regional issues of common concern.

china will uphold its objective and fair position on the ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks. here's our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, on what beijing might be looking for from this trip. beijing has created considerable expectation that this visit by xijingping might lead to some sort of a breakthrough in terms of promoting peace in the war between russia and ukraine. the reasons for that are that beijing does have some sway with moscow, and some would say considerable sway. beijing says it's a neutral player in the war and therefore that it could become a sort of honest broker. and also, the chinese government has just come off the back of brokering this deal which saw saudi arabia and iran resume diplomatic relations, and so people are thinking if you can get those two together, could beijing also do the same thing in terms of the war between russia and ukraine?

the problem is though that some analysts would say that really it is in china's interest to stop the war, if we consider the most cynical potential possibility. in a way, russia is doing china's dirty work — it's challenging the west, making the west eat up all of these military resources it has, and actually furthering beijing's geopolitical goals. that said, of course it is also disrupted trade and china did have good relations with ukraine before the war started, so for those reasons, people might say it wants to have peace. our us partner cbs is reporting that the fbi and the department ofjustice are investigating the chinese owned video—sharing app, tiktok, over allegations the company spied onjournalists. the reports come after several governments, including the us, the uk, the european union,

canada and new zealand, banned tiktok on government—issued mobile devices. there are concerns that the app collects information that could be accessed by beijing. our north america correspondent david willis has more details. it appears that this investigation was launched sometime last year, and then ramped up a couple of months ago after bytedance, which is the chinese company that owns tiktok, confirmed reports here in the american media that some chinese staff had been using the app to spy on american journalists, in particular to get information about their sources of stories that had appeared about tiktok in the american media. bytedance has said in response today's report that it is strongly condemning the actions of those staff who it says have subsequently been dismissed, but it's only a couple of months since tiktok the app was banned from government phones here

and in an attempt to basically head off further restrictions, bytedance has suggested that maybe the company should keep all user data, american user data, on servers located here in the united states. it appears that that sort of compromise may well have been blown out of the water by these latest allegations of tiktok being used for spying. as you said there the us, as well as the uk, new zealand and a list of other countries have all banned their employees from having tiktok on their work phones. is there any evidence that tiktok has been harvesting data from government employees? certainly the united states, and this goes back to the trump administration, which of course was not particularly well inclined towards china at the best

of times, they were looking into tiktok, and the biden administration has come under criticism from opposition republicans for not doing enough to ensure national security through apps such as this. earlier this week, the biden administration announced it was going to demand that bytedance either sells off tiktok or face a nationwide ban here in the united states. the us is its biggest audience by far, there are more than 100 million regular american tiktok users, so that would be a considerable blow to bytedance and to tiktok, which is due to parade its ceo before a congressional panel next week to face questions from lawmakers, probably incredibly sharp questions i imagine, about possible links to the chinese government and to the communist party in china.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russian president vladmir putin — for his alleged role in deporting ukrainian children to russia. china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week for talks with president putin. several thousand people have been protesting for a second day in paris and a number of other french cities. this follows president macron's decision to force through pension reforms, without a vote in the lower house of parliament. opposition parties tabled two separate motions of �*no confidence' in the government for its use of a constitutional mechanism to raise the national retirement age from 62 to 64. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. anger has spread and it is engulfing president emmanuel macron. he knew there would be

protests but his decision has now brought france to a standstill. police have responded with force. they have carted off hundreds of demonstrators, even his party's own mps are asking for police protection but the threat is notjust protection but the threat is not just out on protection but the threat is notjust out on the streets. opposition parties are furious that emmanuel macron raised the retirement age without a vote. they filed two no—confidence motions against his government. translation:— translation: something quite fundamental _ translation: something quite fundamental happened - translation: something quite fundamental happened which i translation: something quite fundamental happened which is| fundamental happened which is that immediately there was a spontaneous demonstration throughout the country. it goes without saying that, for my part, i encourage them because i think that is where it is going, with unions united. those unions are calling for strikes to continue. paris's in collectors have left 10,000 tons of rubbish to pile up,

according to the mare's office. workers across some of france's largest refineries are halting production. translation: ~ a ., ., , translation: mr mcmahon largely silent, his prime _ translation: mr mcmahon largely silent, his prime minister— translation: mr mcmahon largely silent, his prime minister has - silent, his prime minister has faced the brunt of the anger. now more of his ministers are in the firing line. translation: ~ ., , translation: we are carrying out this reform, _ translation: we are carrying out this reform, which - translation: we are carrying out this reform, which is - out this reform, which is difficult and not popular. it is true that the majority of french people do not support it and where perfectly aware of that. it is a difficult reform that. it is a difficult reform that we are making to balance the pension system by 2030. emmanuel macron made pension reform a key part of his campaign but now that he has done it, he must whether one of the greatest challenges to his authority yet. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. a major review of london's metropolitan police is expected to criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. baroness casey was appointed

to examine the met�*s standards and internal culture after the murder of sarah everard by a serving policeman. sirens. they used to be in uniform, until they were convicted. since wayne couzens was arrested, more met police officers have been sentenced, many for sexual offences or violence against women. the force has faced criticism it can't deal with complaints against its own officers. i think it's easier to let these police officers stay than try and get rid of them. sally —— not her real name —— was the partner of a met police officer. they met when he investigated a crime she was the victim of. last year, she told the met he'd domestically abused her, and misused police powers. how do you feel that they have dealt with him, given the fact he is a police officer? well, they haven't dealt

with him, have they? he's still working. he's still getting paid. he's still going to get his full pension. he's still going to get everything he asked for. he is now going through the met�*s misconduct system, on restricted duties. i think, 100%, if he had attacked me and he wasn't a police officer, he would have been arrested, and taken and carted off. where are you on being able to trust the met? i don't. i don't trust the police at all. and i do not understand why we report allegations against police to other police officers. there is no place in the police service for an officer like him. absolutely not. the met boss has accepted he is unable to sack hundreds of officers, and the bbc understands the casey review next week will heavily criticise the way the met tolerates wrongdoing and puts its own people ahead of the public. do you believe the head

of the met when he says they are going to do better? no, sorry. prove it. prove it by actions. don't just stand there and give us a load of old words. we want proof that you're going to act on those words. you're brought up to believe the police are there to protect. the police should be there to protect. that's what we pay taxes for. but they just seem to protect themselves. natalie claims her ex—husband, a met officer, coercively controlled her. she struggled to find the right avenues to complain to the force to get them to take action. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her anonymity. i've been in police stations. i've spoken to policewomen who squeezed my arm and looked compassionate, and told me this time it would be sorted, you know? it was unacceptable. you know, then like i said, you hear nothing. and it then makes him worse. he's bolstered

by this, isn't he? he's enabled, and protected. what more do you think the met needs to do now? own up. i think they need total reform. we will take the most robust action against officers that are found to have committed these crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise we are in a bad place. but we are committed, and absolutely determined, to turn that around, and we are going to do so. i completely understand that people will often feel nervous or hesitant to go to the police to report a crime committed by the police. but it's clear it's notjust about a few officers who've been sentenced. the entire force will face serious accusations of racism, misogyny and homophobia. its reputation and ability to regain trust in serious doubt. lucy manning, bbc news. a new study suggests that introducing babies to smooth peanut butter between the ages of four and six months

could reduce the risk of allergy dramatically. researchers are now calling on the government to change official weaning advice. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. a spoonful of smooth peanut butter, twice a week, mixed with breast milk, if preferred. she really seems like the peanut butter! yeah! this is how doctors say babies can be safely introduced to peanuts. whole and chopped nuts should never be given as they're a choking hazard, but when should parents start? 1—in—50 children in the uk is allergic to peanuts and it can be life—threatening. there has a threefold increase in recent decades, partly driven by faulty advice to avoid peanuts altogether until the age of three. that was dropped in 2009. the current official nhs advice is that introducing peanuts should begin

at around six months, as part of weaning, but a study by allergy experts says it should begin earlier, at between 4—6 months. they estimate that peanut allergies if this was done. that would mean around 10,000 fewer children with a peanut allergy each year in the uk. so we know that if babies eat peanuts, the gut sees that as harmless and the body does not develop an allergic reaction to them. if you contrast that with a baby who first sees peanuts on the skin, the body then tends to develop a peanut allergy. sienna is 2.5 and allergic to peanuts. her mother followed official advice and was not fed them early on but now wishes she had been. if i had another opportunity it would have been completely different. everyday life would be

a normal situation, same as it is for her brother and we would not have to worry about her getting older and making sure she is safe as well. we will do some bubbles on yourarm, ok? and when they are there, we will go pop, pop, pop! sienna is now being tested for other possible allergies. the researchers are urging the nhs to change the guidance to recommend peanut products and six months... pop the bubbles. ..and say it would make a huge impact on safeguarding the health of children in years to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. there was a time my daughter would only eat peanut butter sandwiches and it made sending her to preschool very difficult because so many people had allergies! such interesting

research coming out of the university of southampton. hello there. the weekend is getting off to a mild start. we will certainly stick with those mild conditions throughout saturday. there will be some spells of sunshine, but there will also be some pretty heavy, thundery showers around for sunday. perhaps a little cooler for some of us and a little drier for a time as well. now, on the earlier satellite picture, we can see various clumps of cloud. the cloud has been bringing some showery rain in places and all of that cloud and those showers rotating around an area of low pressure which will be dominating the scene for saturday. and this little frontal system wriggling its way up from the south, well, that will bring a pulse of more persistent rain up across southeast england and into east anglia. also, this band of rain swinging across northern ireland and into the western

side of scotland in between some spells of sunshine. but some showers will pop up, some of which will be heavy and possibly thundery. turning a little bit brighter through the afternoon across parts of southeast england and eventually east anglia. it's going to be mild again, 15, maybe 16 degrees, a little bit brighter in northern ireland through the afternoon as this band of rain progresses into scotland. in fact, some quite heavy rain across the far north of the mainland into orkney. although shetland should hold on to some sunshine, the rain will arrive across shetland as we head into saturday night. elsewhere, this band of cloud and some spots of rain pushing south east was a bit of mist and murk around here and there. but most places by sunday morning will be dry and clear and a little bit chillier. there could be very locally just a touch of frost to start sunday, because sunday will bring this ridge of high pressure, quite a transient feature. but it brings us a window of drier and brighter weather, a little bit of low cloud and mist around first thing, but then some

good spells of sunshine. northern ireland, though, will cloud over through the morning. some rain getting in here during the afternoon. that rain perhaps just getting into the far south west of scotland by the end of the day. still mild, maybe not quite as mild. eight to 13 degrees covers it for most of us. and then into the new week, while that ridge of high pressure clears off into the near continent and is replaced by frontal systems running in from the atlantic, and that will bring bouts of heavy rain, some quite strong winds at times. but throughout it is set to stay mild. it mayjust get a little cooler in the north for the end of the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the international criminal court has issued arrest warrants for vladimir putin and his children's commissioner, accusing them of war crimes over the unlawful deportation of children from ukraine to russia. it's the first time the court has ordered the arrest of a prominent serving political leader. china has announced that its president, xijinping, will visit russia next week to hold talks with president putin. beijing and moscow say the two men will discuss strategic cooperation. beijing is currently promoting a plan it says can bring a negotiated end to the war in ukraine. the head of nato has welcomed turkey's decision to start, the process of ratifying finland's application to join the bloc. butjens stoltenberg stressed it was important that sweden too joined as soon as possible.

president erdogan said sweden still hadn't handed over people