to learn whether blood tests can spot the early signs of dementia. the race to rescue hundreds of people still missing in taiwan after a powerful and deadly earthquake rocked the island. hello. welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. three former supreme courtjustices are among more than 600 legal experts calling for the uk government to end weapons sales to israel. the 17—page letter cites the conclusion by the international court ofjustice that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" in gaza. in the document it reads... "the provision of military assistance and material to israel may render the uk complicit in genocide as well as serious breaches of international humanitarian law. customary international law recognises the concept

of "aiding and assisting" an international wrongful act. the prime minister rishi sunak is already facing growing cross—party pressure, after seven aid workers were killed in an air strike. our diplomatic coreespondent james landale has the story. the air strikes that killed international aid workers in gaza have prompted global condemnation, and now they're shaping political choices. more than 600 lawyers have written to the government, urging it to suspend arms sales to israel, because they believe there is a risk it's breaking international law. they said, "serious action is needed to avoid uk complicity in grave breaches of international law, including potential violation of the genocide convention." "to continue the sale of weapons and weapon system to israel falls significantly short of your government's obligations under international law." the whole framework of international law, governing war, it dictates

that the fact that you have been provoked and attacked, however outrageously, does not mean to say that you can do whatever you like. it doesn't mean to say that you can indiscriminately slaughter innocent civilians and children. it doesn't mean to say that you can attack aid convoys. british arms sales to israel are small — some of it are parts for american—made warplanes like this — but halting the exports would be a huge diplomatic blow to israel. at westminster, labour are pushing ministers to publish their internal legal advice about israel's compliance with international law. the lib dems and the snp want arms sales stopped now, as do some conservatives. i wholly agree with the lawyers who have written the letter today, it is quite clear that selling arms to israel is really a breach of all the rules that we set for ourselves when we issue licences for arms sales. some mps believe the foreign office

is ready to do just that but claim downing street is resisting. but officials deny this, and the former home secretary, who is visiting israel, says number ten should stick to its guns. we owe it to israel to stand with them. i think that we should maintain this military relationship, from which we benefit just as much as they do, and i think that it would be a tragic shame if we were to walk away from our closest ally in this region. these lethal air strikes are disrupting more than just aid supplies to gaza. they're also causing tensions within israel's allies, and the government has a difficult decision to make. james landale, bbc news. james landalejoined me in the studio earlier to discuss this. the key thing to understand is this is a formal process, this isn'tjust a political decision, the ministers sitting round saying what shall we do? there is a formal technical, an almost quasi—judicial process here. so what happens at the moment is a key cell of officials

in the foreign office are assessing the information, gathering information, talking to the israelis, asking more questions. they then reach their own assessment. that is then assessed by the foreign office lawyers, they consultant other lawyers, the law officers within government and then a recommendation, a bit of advice lands on the foreign secretary's desk, and he then has to say, "do i as foreign secretary believe that israel is or is not in breach of international humanitarian law?" so that process, i am told, the more evidence that is building up, that the leeway for ministerial discretion over that choice, i am told is very very narrow now. so, we are almost at a point where some kind of decision has to be made. but, there is still a bit of politics in this. number ten would have to sign off on it. once the foreign office makes that decision, if it does, then any decision about arms sales is made by the business secretary, kemi badenoch, so there is a process here, it won't happen overnight.

i think the second point is that although the pressure is clearly growing, there are senior voices in government who talk to me, who say "look, we don't think this is going to happen, it is unlikely. " whether that line is sustainable in the long run, you know, remains to be seen, because obviously politics shift at the moment. some mp his say there is a tension between the foreign office and downing street on this, officials deny this, but i think what there is, is you have got downing street machinery saying all the evidence is mounting up here, and you have a downing street which has a reputation for being a place where decisions go to die, notjust on this issue but a lot of things, and that there is a tension there too. so, you know, we are in a holding pattern, no decision has been made yet. so lots of things in the mix over here, but as the debate rages here in the uk, what about in the us, which of course gives the vast majority of sells the vast majority of arms to israel? that is absolutely right.

the key point is if there is any decision about this in the uk it is purely symbolic because our armsle sales to israel are pretty small compared to the united states, i think if the uk were to make this decision, i mean that would be hugely important diplomatically but it would set a strong signal to the americans this is something they could consider. thus far, despite the fact that israel, that the united states and the president biden has repeatedly told israel to do stuff during this war, and israel has just simply ignored it, thus far, the americans have shown very very little willingness to get into the space of saying we are going to restrict arms sales, they might get into that space, but they are not even getting into it rhetorically let alone in substance. aid groups working in gaza have demanded that the israeli army improve and adhere to security procedures aimed at keeping their workers safe. the non—governmental organisation that employed the aid workers , the world central kitchen , has released a statement

calling on "the governments of australia, canada, the us, poland and the uk tojoin us in an investigation into the attacks." they added "an independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened and to prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers." israel has called the incident on monday a mistaken air strike. the un has suspended overnight aid operations in the strip for at least 48 hours "to evaluate security" in the wake of the attack on monday. the pentagon says the us defence secretary, lloyd austin, has also expressed his outrage about the killing of the aid workers in a phone call with his israeli counterpart yoav gallant. the bbc�*s middle east correspondent hugo bachega has more. i think it really shows the frustration inside the biden ministration with the way israel is conducting its war against hamas in gaza. so strong words from the us defence secretary in this phone call, again emphasising the need for the israeli authorities to do

more to protect civilians in gaza, aid workers in gaza, doing essential work in the territory, and also to allow more humanitarian aid to enter gaza and to be distributed inside gaza. so, you know, we have heard those words before, because these are not, you know, these are not new complaints by the american administration, they have been talking about this for quite some time now, and i think we have seen that words haven't really changed the israeli strategy. so today president biden is going to be talking to the prime minister, binyamin netanyahu. i think there have been some reports suggesting that again, president biden is extremely angry with the israeli authorities, the israeli leadership, and the way this war is being conducted, but despite this frustration, this anger, we haven't seen any kind of change in the us policy in relation to the weapons exports to israel.

so, you know, the most important ally of the israelis, when it comes to weapons, we still don't know whether there will be any kind of announcement today, any kind of change. this would be very significant, but i think, you know, the reaction we've seen from the americans, the international reaction over the last few days, shows that patience with israel could be running out. and what about the situation when it comes to aid hugo, and how has this strike on monday, on this aid convoy impacted on what aid is getting into gaza right now? exactly, so world food kitchen, which was obviously, you know, the convoy that was hit, they have suspended activities in gaza, they were responsible for more than 200,000 meals a day, and you know, ten days ago was in rafah on the egyptian side of the border with gaza, and un officials told me that more than 1,500 trucks with basic

supplies were waiting, you know, to be approved by the israeli authorities to enter gaza, and they were saying that many of those trucks had been turned away because they were carrying some items that were deemed, had been banned by the israeli authorities, such as sleeping bags or medical supplies because the israeli authorities say they could have military use. so there has been a lot of frustration from aid organisations from the un, who have accused the israeli authorities of, you know, creating some obstacles to slow down the delivery and the distribution of aid inside gaza. so these are accusations that the israelis have denied, but i think again, especially from the americans, there have been lots of, a lot of concern about the way the israelis have been, you know, carrying out those inspections, and indeed the obstacles created

to the distribution of aid inside gaza. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the official number of people trapped in collapsed tunnels along taiwan's eastern coastline has risen considerably, from 100 to almost 650. the island was struck on wednesday by its strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century. at least nine were killed and more than 1,000 injured when the quake hit the city of hualien, roughly 100 miles south of the capital taipei. our asia correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes reports from hualein. the mountains of eastern taiwan, famed for their rugged beauty, but yesterday beauty turned to horror. the huge scars down the mountainside showed the paths of the rockslides, some boulders as big as cars.

many hundreds are still trapped here. at a dressing station, rescue teams unload a steady stream of victims they have managed to bring out of the mountains. their wounds are quickly addressed, but the mental scars may take much longer to heal. sorry, i really don't want to cause more trauma for you, but we're all really curious as to what it's been like being stuck there. it's. . .your worst nightmare coming true. it's like they show in the movies. you never think you're going to experience it that way. were you in a hotel, or were you...? we were in the tunnel when it happened. and we felt the earth tremble, we just held on to each other. he was hit by some shrapnel and some stones, and we just held on to each other for i don't know how long, until it passed. so these are more rescue teams heading up into the mountains here behind me. this is called taroko gorge, and this is a very famous

tourist spot, a very narrow, deep gorge that runs way up into the mountains here. this is where most of the more than 600 people now listed as trapped are thought to be, and there are many, many search teams in there trying to find out where they are and trying to get them out. this local restaurant owner has lived at the mouth of the gorge for more than 30 years and has experienced many quakes before. but nothing like this. translation: i was trying to get to sleep, and then an aftershock hit, and i leapt up and ran outside again. just hearing that sound of the rocks falling, it really scared me, and i can't sleep. in hualien city, the buildings badly damaged by yesterday's quake still pose a serious threat. frantic work has been going on all day to shore them up and stop them from toppling over. here too the physical scars from the quake will soon be removed, but not the memory of what it felt

like for the people who experienced it. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in hualien, eastern taiwan. i spoke to rupert wingfield hayes a short time ago, who gave me the latest on the search and rescue mission. this on the search and rescue mission. is now a night n the this is now a night number two after the earthquake and it is just started to rain likely in hualien. rain will make the effort to rescue people even harder than they have been, which has been extremely hard already. this is an operation going on around the clock. we were about that rescue station this afternoon for quite some time, and it is really an operation that is going as fast as it can. they are sending teams in, bringing teams out, and as they come out, they bring injured people out. if they have been heavily injured, they are taken to hospital by ambulance, but what has been really surprising today, we

thought they were about 100 people trapped in the mountains, and that has certainlyjumped to around 650 at around the middle of the day to day, and that has been quite a shock to everybody here. it is a much bigger task for the rescue teams to track down where all those people are. the singaporean couple i spoke to, they had clearly had this really traumatic experience of being trapped in quite a famous tunnel, quite a famous beauty spot, with all the rock coming round them, clinging to each other. it was incredibly terrifying for them. and then it took another day or so for the teams took another day or so for the teams to get to them. but there are people out there tonight perhaps in similar situations. some nato countries along russia's border are calling on their western allies, including the uk, to bring back military service as a deterrent to president putin. all the scandinavian and baltic countries have been rebooting their own schemes, but britain is ruling out a return to conscription,

which ended 60 years ago. the bbc�*s europe correspondent nick beake visited a military session and sent this special report from the estonian ? russian border. fighting for their lives as russia attacks. these young estonians fear this training exercise could become reality one day. toivo studied in the uk for four years before starting his compulsory military service. it gives the general population a better preparedness, because they have completed a basic course of what they should be doing in a state of emergency, any kind of emergency, and they're better prepared to react to that kind of situation. even if you're not on russia's doorstep, you still think it's useful? yeah, ifeel like this gives me better preparation, even for everyday life. more and more european nations are rebooting or revamping military service. estonia is among those urging other countries including the uk to do the same.

estonia's prime minister told us how britain could adapt her system. we have a reserve army of 44,000 people that would equal, for great britain, around two million people. two million people who are ready to do, you know, to defend their country, to know what what they have to do. the british government told us there was absolutely no suggestion of a return to conscription. members of one of estonia's emerging bands were not initially enthusiastic about forced military service but now say they appreciate they may have to use their skills because of russia's aggression. yeah, ever since this war with ukraine is going on, i think it's just a very present thought. and i don't think i have a single friend who thinks in an opposite way or in a different way. back in the forest, training's ending,

but they'll do it all again tomorrow. if russia were to attack your country, estonia, what response would they face? massive defeat — i will say that! because we are ready, our reservists are ready. and of course they have the numbers, but in the end, talking to the strategic level, we have nato. russia ridicules suggestions it may invade a nato country next. but here, at least, they don't trust a word that moscow says. nick beake, bbc news, on the estonia—russia border. and nick beake is live from the eastern estonia city of tartu. what is the mood among the people you have been talking to over the past few days about conscription?

this city is actually a european capital of culture, and it is a pretty genteel scene in the main square. we havejust had some pretty genteel scene in the main square. we have just had some tours taking place in the past ten minutes or so. and if there is no panic. people are obviously perturbed by the situation, but what really struck as travelling around the country this week was this underlying unease. on one hand there is a some level of security people say they feel because they are in nato, now an enlarged military alliance, but there is this concern about what russia may do next, and thatis about what russia may do next, and that is born of a few things, largely their experience during the 20th century. the occupation under stalin, and then eventually they got their independence back in 1991, but because of the generational experience, a lot of people say that fear of what russia may do next, that anxiety never goes away. russia says it has no intention of invading

a country like estonia, but people make the point they were saying similar things before they invaded ukraine back in 2022. what similar things before they invaded ukraine back in 2022.— ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feelin: ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feeling about _ ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feeling about what _ ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feeling about what the _ ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feeling about what the short - ukraine back in 2022. what is it a feeling about what the short and | feeling about what the short and long term future holds? certainly in terms of conscription _ long term future holds? certainly in terms of conscription we _ long term future holds? certainly in terms of conscription we are - long term future holds? certainly in terms of conscription we are seeing | terms of conscription we are seeing it notjust in this country but the other baltic states as well, lithuania and latvia up both reinvigorating their conscription systems, and also the likes of denmark, norway, sweden, they are also asking more people to do this military duty. on one hand it really fills the gaps in their professional armies, which would be really expensive to run were it not for having all these people coming through at the age of 18 to help them. but there is also their sense people were telling us about, in terms of hardening their psyche of a nation, toughening people up, and alerting them to the possibility of warfare in the future. that is why

the prime minister in estonia is urging the united kingdom to look quite seriously at the idea of conscription. you don't have to be on russia's doorstep to be mindful of what could come next. she is really urging this as a system that protects the country but also does give skills to a lot of people. the united kingdom, however, have said they have got no plans to bring back conscription. that ended in the uk about 60 years ago.— a man has been found guilty of the murder of a pc in bradford in 2005. two police officers were shot as they responded to a raid at a travel agents in bradford back in 2005. tragically, she was shot on her

youngest daughter's fourth birthday, and she later died from her injuries. we can go now to danny savage, who is outside the court. welcome. the verdictjust in. bring us up to date. the welcome. the verdict 'ust in. bring us up to «ah welcome. the verdict 'ust in. bring us up to date. the 'ury had been out for something — us up to date. the 'ury had been out for something like — us up to date. the jury had been out for something like 19 _ us up to date. the jury had been out for something like 19 i _ us up to date. the jury had been out for something like 19 i considering i for something like 19 i considering their verdicts. for something like 19 i considering theirverdicts. on for something like 19 i considering their verdicts. on the day of the shooting, the defendant was effectively the ringleader, the man who organised the robbery, the man who organised the robbery, the man who planned it, the man who scouted out the scene beforehand, and then got the gang together to carry out that raid. he wasn't actually in the building at the time. there were seven members of the gang, three of them went into the travel agents in bradford and were responsible for shooting the two police officers as they burst out of the building following the robbery and made their getaway. in the weeks that followed,

he went to pakistan and it took years to track him down, to get him arrested and get him back to the uk. the raid took place in 2005, he wasn't detained until about 2020, and then brought back to the uk sometime later. so he has only gone on trial very recently. he was on trial for the on trial very recently. he was on trialfor the murder back in on trial very recently. he was on trial for the murder back in 2005. he denied any wrongdoing. he said he was owed money by the people who owned the travel agents and that was the reason for his involvement. actually, he was the mastermind. the jury actually, he was the mastermind. the jury have found him guilty of murder this afternoon. he probably will not be sentenced today, that will take place tomorrow, but this was a huge story at the time. a west yorkshire police officer shot dead on the day of her daughter's fourth birthday. it has taken a long time to bring

this man tojustice, but it has taken a long time to bring this man to justice, but west yorkshire police never gave up. what yorkshire police never gave up. what did herfamily — yorkshire police never gave up. what did her family say _ yorkshire police never gave up. what did her family say as _ yorkshire police never gave up. what did her family say as this trial got under way. what have they been saying around this?— under way. what have they been saying around this? sharon's husband did talk at the — saying around this? sharon's husband did talk at the time, _ saying around this? sharon's husband did talk at the time, when _ saying around this? sharon's husband did talk at the time, when this - saying around this? sharon's husband did talk at the time, when this man i did talk at the time, when this man was arrested in pakistan and brought back to the uk. he said he feels as though he is always reliving this nightmare and he just wants this over with. nightmare and he just wants this overwith. i nightmare and he just wants this over with. i have seen him in the courtroom at the beginning of this trial, so he has been here for some of it. he has followed it. but this was his wife who 18 years ago was shot dead while doing herjob, and he is the man who had to hold the family together afterwards. in time, we may hear more from the family, but i have spoken to the senior investigating officer at the time of the shooting. he is somebody who

never gave up. they had to get some people back from somalia as well after they fled there. he led an international manhunt to bring those responsible to justice.— responsible to 'ustice. convicted of murder by a — responsible to justice. convicted of murder by a majority _ responsible to justice. convicted of murder by a majority of— responsible to justice. convicted of murder by a majority of 10-1 - responsible to justice. convicted of murder by a majority of 10-1 afterl murder by a majority of 10—1 after 11 jurors deliberated for almost 19 hours over four days. the final suspect in the murder. convicted in the past few moments at leeds crown court. it is remaining unsettled for the rest of this week. as we head into the weekend, we are looking at some very windy weather with a new name the storm. we are in between weather systems today, so a relatively quiet day before the next area of low pressure moves through during the overnight period. it will remain

chilly. limited sunshine. the best of any sunshine will be across the midlands. but they will be some showers. it will stay blustery through the channel. between 1a and 16 degrees. this evening and overnight, wet and windy weather spreads northwards across the country. as it bumps into the cold air across scotland, we are likely to see some snow. it stays cold here but a very mild night for england and wales. potentially some disruptive snowfall across central and northern scotland for the early part of friday. even fairly low levels, actually, but mostly on the hills. the rain, sleet and snow will eventually ease. temperature wise, a little bit higher. 17 or 18 degrees across southern and eastern areas. still chilly across scotland but those temperatures will start to

recover, particularly as we head into saturday, because this deepening low pressure system has been named as storm kathleen. that is going to bring very strong winds to the republic of ireland. a very blustery day expected on saturday. we are into a very windy day with sunny spells and scattered showers on saturday. seven eastern areas are staying dry altogether but it is going to be a very windy day wherever you are. we may even see severe gales. but look at these temperatures, even scotland very mild. warm and windy. on sunday, storm kathleen passes to the north—west of the uk so another blustery day for part two of the weekend. more showers in the mix. some of these could be heavy and thundery. another blustery day. another mile day but not as warm a saturday. top temperatures around 17

degrees.

piling on the pounds: new charges on eu food coming into the uk. "more money is always good" — rock legend gene simmons speaks to the bbc about selling the kiss back catalgogue.