russian officials say there were 7a people on board from including a 65 ukrainian prisoner of four although we have no independent evidence of that. donald trump winds the republican primary in new hampshire but his remaining rival nikki haley has vowed to fight on. royal mail's regulator proposes reforms including reducing letter deliveries from six days a week to five, or even three. a senior tory minister has called for his party to replace rishi sunak as prime minister, orface a "massacre" in the next general election. an international team of scientists have successfully implanted an embryo into a white rhino with a first time producing ivf is possible

in the species. let's start with some breaking news this hour. a russian military transport plane has crashed in belgorod region this of southern russia, close to the border with ukraine. russian news agencies are quoting the russian defence ministry as saying that on board were 65 ukrainian prisoners of war on their way to a prisoner exchange. the russian military said six crew members and three others accompanying the group were also on board. bbc verified has verified this video showing the moment of the crash. the defence industry says it does not have clear information on what happened and is clarifying the circumstances of the crash. live now to the bbc�*s russia editor steve rosenberg in moscow. there has been a claim and counterclaim in the last hour. what

do you do?— do you do? there is a lot we don't know et do you do? there is a lot we don't know yet about — do you do? there is a lot we don't know yet about this _ do you do? there is a lot we don't know yet about this story. - do you do? there is a lot we don't know yet about this story. this . do you do? there is a lot we don't know yet about this story. this is | know yet about this story. this is what we do know, early this morning, this military transport plane crashed in the belgrade region. this is a region that borders ukraine. there was a mobile phone footage that appeared shortly afterwards, shot at a distance, showing the plane falling from the sky and then this giant fireball rising up. we have not seen with our own ayes and official statement from the russian defence ministry about this but various agencies are quoting russia's defence ministry as saying that on board this plane, there were 74 that on board this plane, there were 7a people, including 65 ukrainian business —— my presence of four. they were due to be part of a prisoner exchange. also, six crew members and three other people

accompanying at the group. that is according to this information allegedly from the russian defence ministry. after that, a russian mp, the head of the russian parliament's defence committee, made a statement in parliament claiming that the transport plane had been shutdown and suggesting that there had been a second plane in the sky, another plane carrying 80 ukrainian prisoners of war but that that plane had turned around. 0nce prisoners of war but that that plane had turned around. once again, we have no independent confirmation of this. this is the information coming from russian officials right now. the reuters news agency have been cutting the governor saying all people on board the military plane crashed in the belgorod region and builder has had some activity in terms of coming under this file recently, hasn't it? absolutely. for months now. _

recently, hasn't it? absolutely. for months now. in _ recently, hasn't it? absolutely. for months now, in fact, _ recently, hasn't it? absolutely. for months now, in fact, pretty - recently, hasn't it? absolutely. for months now, in fact, pretty much l months now, in fact, pretty much over the last year and a half, builder has come under shelling. there was very heavy shelling a few weeks back. belgorod region feels like a front line city. but we don't know the circumstances of what happened today. all we know is this transport plane crashed. we know what the russians are saying, claiming there were more than a 60 ukrainian prisoners of war on board. that is all we know for now. thank you for bringing us and we will be back if you have any more for us. the economists defence editor, shashankjoshi. i asked him what had happened. we i asked him what had happened. - know that a plane has gone down, it is in islay 76 and we know russians say it was carrying prisoners of war. i will add to what you said

that in the last units, the ukrainian general staff have said that the plane was carrying missiles for russia's s 300 defence system. this is their long range pretty advanced air system that copes with bigger aerial threats. advanced air system that copes with biggeraerialthreats. so advanced air system that copes with bigger aerial threats. so both sides have their story out. we don't know the details but what i will say is that this comes in a period, perhaps of one or two months, in which ukraineair defences have been growing more active, builder, they have shutdown a series of fighter aircraft if you months ago and more recently, last week, they shutdown a russian surveillance plane, a very valuable and prized target. so i would suspect if this shutdown, it is more evidence that ukraine is growing bolder and more aggressive in its air defence tactics against

larger, more valuable russian aircraft, including large frames stop. aircraft, including large frames sto. ~ ., ~ ., ., , aircraft, including large frames sto, . ., ~'., ., , ., stop. would the ukrainians have known if it _ stop. would the ukrainians have known if it does, _ stop. would the ukrainians have known if it does, as _ stop. would the ukrainians have known if it does, as the - stop. would the ukrainians have | known if it does, as the russians say, contain prisoners of four, but at transport plane would have been in the air? ~ ., ~ ., ., , , in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar _ in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar is _ in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar is the _ in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar is the nature - in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar is the nature of- in the air? what ukrainians may see from their radar is the nature of a i from their radar is the nature of a plane. they may be able to work out its location, its bearing, its speed and by the nature of the radar returns, as well as some of the indications about the air base from which that aircraft took off, which may be picked up using electronic intelligence, you may be able to work out what sort of plane it is. it is a fighterjet, a transport aircraft, an airborne command post or something else? what you of course don't know is precisely what it is carrying, unless there is

specific intelligence to tell you. right now, until we see more details of the debris and until we see more intelligence, we have absolutely no way of verifying either of these side's claims that this was carrying prisoners of war of the russian side or that it was carrying missiles on the other side. we civilly don't have the evidence to establish that at present. have the evidence to establish that at resent. , , ., ., , ., at present. they remind you that you can keep up-to-date _ at present. they remind you that you can keep up-to-date with _ at present. they remind you that you can keep up-to-date with the - at present. they remind you that you can keep up-to-date with the very i can keep up—to—date with the very latest on this story on the bbc news website or app. there is a life page “p website or app. there is a life page up and running. to the us now, where donald trump has won a key victory in the race to be the republican party's presidential nominee. the former president won the new hampshire primary with more than 54% of the vote to 43% for his remaining rival, nikki haley. the result puts him in a commanding position. nikki haley conceded defeat

but has vowed to fight on. presidentjoe biden,who's standing for re—election for the democrats,says it's clear mr trump will be the candidate. we start with this report from north america correspondent, nomia iqbal. it was an election result donald trump accepted. well, i want to thank everybody. this is a fantastic state. this is a great, great state. new hampshire gave him a big win, but not a blowout, leaving his rival, nikki haley, still on for the fight to secure the republican party's presidential nomination. well, i'm a fighter... cheering. ..and i'm scrappy. and now we're the last ones standing next to donald trump. that was a comment that trump really didn't like. and she was up and i said,

"wow, she's doing like a speech like she won." she didn't win, she lost. the race to win new hampshire was seen as a real test for donald trump's strength. nearly 40% of people here are independent voters. at this polling station, voters were greeted by others, making their points loud and clear. amongst them, glenn, who arrived early. nikki haley, who i support, is a good person, who, while i don't agree with all of her — her conservative views — i'm sort of half liberal, half conservative. she's a strong person. but sue is no fan of nikki haley. she thinks she'd be nowhere without trump, who once appointed her un ambassador. there is something to be said for loyalty. you don't see nikki haley as loyal. i don't. give him a shot. give him the the second term that he deserved, frankly. it's interesting you're both

here and getting on very well. very well. i even made him hot chocolate. two different opinions, two very different votes, but friendly neighbours in the snow. voters in new hampshire here play an outsized role in deciding presidential nominees. that's despite it being one of the smallest states in the country. mark is a registered republican, who is voting for nikki haley. if trump were to win, i would be worried for the future of the nation. we'll see you on the trail. donald trump's path to the republican presidential nomination may be clearer, but to return to the white house, he'll likely facejoe biden, the man who beat him at the ballot box four years ago. nomir iqbal, bbc news, new hampshire. sean spicer, former white house press secretary under trump, reacted to his victory in new hampshire. this is what he had to say to sarah smith on the latest americast podcast. people that were dropping out of the race, vivek ramaswamy, senator tim scott, who had previously run, ron desantis,

were all backing trump. he had the support going into today. and i think that matters. look, this is the first time, by the way, that a candidate has won both iowa and new hampshire since 1976. so there's ways that you can feel good about yourself if you're the candidate and the team. but i think there is an element of "you were supposed to win," but they haven't let it down yet. there's nothing where someone is saying, "wow, that was really close." they've continued to meet the expectations bar that was set. you can hear more of that interview with sean spicer a former cabinet minister has called on rishi sunak to be replaced as prime minister. on rishi sunak to be replaced sir simon clarke, a close on rishi sunak to be replaced ally of the former prime minister liz truss, wrote in the telegraph newspaper that unless the conservatives find a new leader they will be "massacred" at the general the home secretary james cleverly has been

asked about this morning i could not disagree with him more on this particular issue. the prime minister has been clear in his plan for government to reduce inflation, which is reduced by over more than a half, to get the economy growing again, to stop the boats and we have seen over a third of reduction last year when across the rest of europe, those numbers are going up. he is absolutely determined to drive this government further in the delivery of the plan and if we were to do something as full —ish as have an internal argument at this stage, all it would do is open the door for keir starmer and keir starmer has no plan, would undo all the good work, take us back to square one stop i

would stick with the plan and stick with the prime minister and i will keep working for the british people. this is the seat at the door of number ten. we have seen rishi sunak coming out yet but he may well do very shortly because it is going to be prime minister's questions in the house of commons in around 45 minute time. some are expecting that he may well be asked about those comments from senior mp, sir simon clark, that the party mean to replace him as prime minister or being massacred in the general election. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the body that looks into potential wrongful convictions was warned it could have missed important dna evidence in rape cases

a year after first rejecting andy malkinson's appeal. mr malkinson's conviction wasn't overturned until a decade later and his lawyers say the criminal cases review commission report means he could have been exonerated earlier. police have shot a dog dead after reports of it attacking a man in hamilton in scotland. officers were called to the tinto view area of the town on tuesday to deal with the "dangerously out—of—control" animal. the man was taken to hospital with "serious injuries" following the incident, which involved a "large bulldog—type dog". almost 10 million people in england now can't access free earwax removal services on the nhs. the hearing loss charity rnid warned that some people are resorting to "dangerous self—removal methods" if they can't afford to go private. the government says patients can still be referred by their gp if the problem is linked to hearing loss. you're live with bbc news.

more on the plane that has crashed close to the border with ukraine. russia's defence ministry says there were 65 ukrainian wrestlers of war on board on their way to a prisoner exchange along with six crew members and three others. according to the government, all the people on board or dead. bbc verified has verified this footage showing the moment of the crash. just to repeat, rush saying no survivors or that military plane that has crashed. let us go live now to kyiv. what, at the moment, do you know from the ukrainian side about this crash? for the ukrainian side about this crash? en" the moment, i cannot say a lot about

the moment, i cannot say a lot about the ukrainian reaction