towards the country's second city. they've opened up a new front north—east of kharkiv. thousands have fled the area. this is the most significant ground offensive — this is the most significant ground offensive since the start of the full scale — offensive since the start of the full scale invasion and ukraine is struggling to contain. do you have any messages for donald trump today? also tonight... he's described as the keeper of donald trump's secrets — his ex—lawyer, michael cohen, takes the stand in the former president's hush money trial. i'm innocent. this is a political witchhunt, and nobody has ever seen anything like it. after a bbc investigation, the notorious alledged people smuggler known as the scorpion is arrested in northern iraq.

the isle of man becomes the first part of the british isles to decide on assisted dying — law—makers vote tomorrow. the great thing is he is a very good pilot indeed. and the king hands over a senior military role, to prince william. on newsnight will go deeper behind the headlines. and a first look at tomorrow's front pages. good evening. we're reporting for you on the shifting frontline in the war in ukraine, where russia claims to have made it's first breakthrough, seizing territory, in many months. their advance is towards the country's second city of kharkiv. this is the map of the battlefield we've become used to seeing

in recent months, with red marking the areas in the south and the east under russian military control. but now a new front has opened up to the north—east, near kharkiv. over the weekend it's thought russia captured at least nine settlements, in what would be its most significant ground offensive, since the start of the full—scale invasion in 2022. ukraine has admitted russian forces are starting to surround the border town of vovchans'k, with local officals saying the fighting has been heavy. in a moment, we'll hear from jeremy bowen, but first james waterhouse is live in kiev, with the very latest... james. clive, this was the most meaningful cross—border incursion by russian troops since those traumatic early days and months of the full—scale invasion. they are claiming it wasn't a surprise. this is a city and region, kharkiv, which the

russians through the kitchen sink at early on, and yet in the last six months you have seen russian troops grow in confidence in their ambitions have got great as well and despite warnings of tens of thousands of troops gathering across the border we have seen two major incursions into the kharkiv region. concerning way for kyiv, they haven't stopped there. —— concerningly for kyiv, they haven't stopped there. shouting. these communities are used to russia being close, but not this close. forfour days, bombs have rained down here, and the window to leave is shrinking. thousands have been forced to escape, and counting. "keep talking to us," says this police officer to 71—year—old olga. she was injured in an explosion and their car is now an ambulance. they meet paramedics. we're told she's in

a serious condition. translation: vovchans'k | being mercilessly destroyed, blown up by rocket propelled grenades, artillery, mortars, and small arms battles are going on on the northern outskirts of the city. the newly homeless end up here in ukraine's second city, kharkiv. people are terrified. they are stressed. they take... they keep their animals with them. so everyone is in a huge stress because of the constant shelling and of the shock of the russian offensive. volodymyr said he went to feed his animals when he encountered machine gunfire in all directions. for now, kharkiv city is a place of relative safety. but for how long? while few think the russians are capable of taking it, they could soon be in artillery range.

translation: our task is crystal clear. - to stop russia's attempt to expand the war. the fulfilment of this task depends on everyone who is on the ground. missiles routinely hit kharkiv. if this offensive isn't contained, the destruction will be even greater. ukraine is struggling to hold what is a new front line. james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. jeremy bowen is here with me. is this a turning point in this war? how much of a moment is this development in the course of the war? ., , , , ., war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive. if war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive- if you _ war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive. if you look _ war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive. if you look at _ war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive. if you look at those - war? undoubtedly it is a moment, clive. if you look at those pictures| clive. if you look at those pictures and the kind of things in that report we have been quite used now two months, years, of absolutely brutal artillery, russians pushing on and the ukrainians clearly were not ready for this. the commander of

the area has been replaced. it too late for that, perhaps. they have learned lessons. they have learned how to target their missiles and their drones to take advantage of ukraine's very depleted air defences. they are good at electronic warfare. i think as well they are learning that because of they are learning that because of the wider problems ukraine has had in terms of getting those american supplies particularly, and they were held up for a long time in congress. ifeel there is a held up for a long time in congress. i feel there is a window of opportunity now this year before the full flow of american funded military can come in, and they seem to be taking advantage. of it. that suggests rather than trying to get him to run the war, he doesn't do that and that is for the generals,

since he is an economist. hisjob will be to get the war economy firing even more effectively than it is at the moment and ukraine is not fully mobilised in the way that russia is, so this is pointing to a long war, certainly, but it is also pointing to an immediate emergency this summer if the russians keep on pushing. it's a bit too early to say, only been a few days, but if they continue to push towards the big city, if they get into artillery range of the kharkiv, as james was saying in that piece, then strategically, well, it will certainly be a big tactical victory and possibly a chance of strategic changes on the battlefield. jeremie, thank ou, changes on the battlefield. jeremie, thank you. jeremy — thank you, jeremy bowen, international editor. he's the prosecution's star witness, and they say the keeper of donald trump's secrets. michael cohen, the ex—president�*s lawyer, has taken the stand and claimed mr trump had told him "tojust do it," and pay hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet over an alleged affair

before the 2016 presidential election. the former president denies charges of falsifying business records to cover up reimbursing mr cohen. sarah smith is outside the courthouse in new york. sarah? michael cohen is crucial to this case. it is his testimony that could convicted donald trump and today he said everything the prosecuting wanted him to, that donald trump was really worried a story about him having sex with an adult film star could badly damage his first presidential campaign and that he, mr cohen, did pay $130,000 hush money to stormy daniels and donald trump arranged to pay him back over 12 months in payments disguised as legal expenses. the only problem, he is convicted... would he be a credible witness? the star witness for the prosecution — he's also their biggest problem. michael cohen has been to prison

for telling lies to congress, so why should thejury believe him now? do you plan on telling the truth? rude, loud mouthed, he's already been called a bully and a jerk in this trial. and he frequently attacks donald trump on line. even thejudge has asked him to stop it. trumpism is fascism, and we must eradicate it from our body politic. donald trump can't answer back. he has been threatened with a jail sentence if he says anything about michael cohen or any of the trial witnesses. instead he's highlighting a new york times opinion poll that shows this trial is not damaging his political support. and there it is, it's trump, leading by a lot. in every state. every swing state leading by a lot. this trial is rigged. today he listened to his former fixer saying he would do whatever was required for the man he called boss, including telling lies. mr cohen described working to kill salacious stories that

could have hurt mr trump's first presidential campaign, including stormy daniels' claim about a sexual encounter. for a felony conviction, they have to prove that he did this to change the election outcome. michael cohen said he was not thinking about his wife, it was all about the campaign. michael cohen said he paid stormy daniels' lawyer and kept donald trump's name away from the deal. political allies of donald trump are allowed to call him a liar. does any reasonable — allowed to call him a liar. does any reasonable person _ allowed to call him a liar. does any reasonable person believe - allowed to call him a liar. does any| reasonable person believe anything michael cohen says? i don't think they should, and i think is testimony will not affect any reasonable juror.— testimony will not affect any reasonable juror. reasonable “uror. michael cohen makes no reasonable juror. michael cohen makes no secret _ reasonable juror. michael cohen makes no secret of— reasonable juror. michael cohen makes no secret of the - reasonable juror. michael cohen makes no secret of the fact - reasonable juror. michael cohen makes no secret of the fact he l reasonable juror. michael cohen - makes no secret of the fact he hates donald trump. ifjust one juror is

unsure of donald trump's gold, it will be enough to save him from conviction. one of europe's most wanted people smugglers has been arrested in northern iraq. it comes just days after the bbc tracked down and confronted barzan majeed, known as the scorpion, who's been on the run for more than a year. sue mitchell has this report, and was behind the bbc investigation. by his own admission, barzan majeed has smuggled as many as 10,000 people across the english channel. the boat crossings are incredibly dangerous. our investigation began when one of his sports field at sea. many adults and children have had to be rescued in the channel, including six—year—old maili. how many children were on the boat, maili? there was you and your brother... four. four children? yeah, four children. 26 members of the scorpion gang arranging these channel crossings have already been arrested and prosecuted after

an investigation by police across europe. but majeed escaped and went on the run. together with former soldier rob laurie, we traced barzan majeed through his network across europe, finally confronting him in iraq where he spoke to us off—camera, telling us he was providing a service to the people wanted. nobody forced them. they wanted to, they were begging. they were begging the smugglers, "please do this, do this for us. you know that smuggling through europe is illegal and highly dangerous. you know that. of course. and yet you did it. i'm telling you, i've done them kind of things. i done it. majeed was arrested earlier today as a result of our bbc investigation. he is now being held and questioned by police in iraq. sue mitchell, bbc news. and you can hear the full story in a new series, intrigue: to catch a scorpion. it's on bbc sounds, or you can get it wherever you listen to podcasts. the isle of man's parliament,

will tomorrow vote on a bill to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill. the island is a crown dependency setting its own laws, and would be the first part of the british isles to pass such legislation under the proposals, assisted dying would be lawful for terminally ill patients, with a life expectancy of 12 months or less, and who have a clear and settled intention to end their life. two doctors must approve, and the individual must be over 18, and have lived on the isle, for at least five years. here's fergus walsh. simon was kept alive way too long in way too much pain. he had no dignity whatsoever, no quality of life. sue biggerstaff is haunted by the memory of her husband's agonising death from motor neurone disease. the doctor, everybody was wonderful, but the fact is, simon had intravenous morphine in both legs and both arms and patches, and still he was in pain.

she says simon's final months were torture. paralysed from the neck down, his muscles wasting with open wounds that would not heal. how can anybody want to be alive when they're decomposing? i mean, it's sick. it's sick. ella, god love her, if i had her here now, paralyzed from the neck down, incontinent, and her body decaying, and i didn't do anything, i'd be locked up. the isle of man has a population ofjust 85,000, the same as grimsby, but it sets its own laws and is taking on one of the most contentious issues facing society. assisted dying involves a balance between ethics and law, morality and medicine. should the terminally ill have

control over how and when they die? and should the health service be allowed to provide the means to hasten their end? the manx parliament, tynwald, dates back over 1,000 years and claims to be the oldest continuous parliament in the world. alex allinson, a politician and doctor, introduced a bill to allow assisted dying. he says for some terminally ill patients it will provide dignity, autonomy, and comfort. on the isle of man, we have about 800 deaths a year, so really we're looking at perhaps less than a dozen people a year would be opting for assisted dying on the isle of man. that's a very small number. but for those people, it could be a major thing that they could then achieve for themselves. politicians have increased the residency requirement on the island from one year to five in order to deter so—called death tourism.

but there is plenty that critics still oppose. i actually called it the kill bill, and that was because i had significant concerns with regards to safeguarding, vulnerability of individuals. and i'm very concerned that we would not be able to recruit the right medical, clinical professionals to the island if this bill goes through. if assisted dying came in, it would really challenge me, emotionally. all the island's doctors like duncan gerry qualify overseas. he says many like him will consider leaving if assisted dying is introduced. i'm very concerned that assisted dying is a slippery slope that you start on. when you allow people to be killed by their doctor to assist, to die by their doctor, it begins a journey that doesn't stop, and vulnerable people start out with an offer, becomes a suggestion, becomes an obligation to die. and i worry that vulnerable people will be sucked into a law to help a very, very small number of people.

if the bill is approved, it could become law next year with the first assisted death in 2027. although there's now a proposal for the whole issue to be put to a referendum, giving the public, not politicians, the final word. fergus walsh, bbc news, on the isle of man. rishi sunak says the next few years will be some of the most difficult and dangerous in the uk's history and only the conservatives can keep the country safe. in his first speech since suffering heavy losses in the local elections, he pointed to threats coming from the likes of china and russia, as well as from global migration. labour said the tories had left the uk less secure at home and abroad. here's chris mason. the pace is quickening. the election is almost certainly still months away, but the two candidates vying to live here in downing street next year and beyond are limbering up. announcements, news conferences, bashing their opponent.

first up this week, rishi sunak. i feel a profound sense of urgency, because more will change in the next five years than in the last 30. i'm convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous, yet the most transformational that our country has ever known. the prime minister, nursing a cold as he turned 44 this weekend, he's the best part of 20 years younger than keir starmer, is trying to argue he is a more credible face of the future and has a plan to keep us safe. we've proudly taken the generational decision to increase defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5% of gdp by 2030, yet labour have refused to match our pledge. either you believe the world is more dangerous, or you don't. let's cut to the quick here, prime minister. are you saying the country would be less safe under keir starmer, and in summary, is this

the beginning of an argument from you that says be careful what you wish for, better the devil you know? in a word, yes, chris. laughter. what the country needs what the country wants, what the country deserves is to know there is a secure future for them and their families ahead. that is the choice at the next election. surrounded by a busload of labour mayors, the man who hopes to replace him was in wolverhampton today. keir starmer keeping the company of winners — he longs to be one himself, soon enough. the most important mission bar none is economic growth. the key choice. a changed labour party that will raise living standards for everyone, everywhere. that is our ambition. or more chaos and decline under the tories. and as for that claim that labour would jeopardise our national security... no, we would not be less safe under a labour government. this government talks about national security, but what is its record? it's hollowed out our armed forces,

it's wasted billions of pounds on procurement, and doesn't have a credible plan for the future. there'll be plenty more days like this before we find out if another photo needs to be added to this wall of prime ministers. can you smell the cordite? does it feel like a recoil of a starting gun on an election?— on an election? yes, but in all likelihood _ on an election? yes, but in all likelihood it — on an election? yes, but in all likelihood it will _ on an election? yes, but in all likelihood it will go _ on an election? yes, but in all likelihood it will go on - on an election? yes, but in all likelihood it will go on for - on an election? yes, but in all| likelihood it will go on for quite a while. all of these signals point towards the autumn, there could be a bit of shadow boxing for quite a while. the curiosity today was that the prime minister was around the political paddock, there was the stuff about national security, he talked about artificial

intelligence, cancer, the importance of maths in schools, all sorts of policy areas he touched on. a definite attempt to sharpen political dividing lines. so often, i have asked rishi sunak questions where i have encouraged him to make explicit what has been implicit in a speech. almost always, he has ducked that because he is so cautious about what he says in public. today, that caution was gone. he answered the question directly. trying to get some political credit for the defence spending announcement of a couple of weeks ago, but the big question is whether it is perceived to be credible by many people, when keir starmer has gone out of his way in the last couple of years to emphasise that a labour government under him would be credible on the whole question of defence. to final thoughts, i was reminded of 1997 and the conservative campaign about new labour, new danger, putting demon eyes on tony blair, that attempted to ask searching questions of an

opposition party and whether they could be trusted. rishi sunak publicly acknowledge the prospect of defeat today, which i thought was quite interesting. you might look at some of the evidence of recent elections and opinion polls and say, well, why is that a surprise? it is still quite something when a prime minister is willing to do that, an acknowledgement that he knows he is “p acknowledgement that he knows he is up against it. the government has watered down plans to allow police to arrest so—called "nuisance" rough sleepers in england and wales, after opposition from tory mps. officers will have to direct people to support services before taking action and they won't be able to arrest or fine someone for "excessive smells" . the measure was removed from the criminaljustice bill following concerns it could lead to a rough sleeper being penalised, for being unable to wash. a mother and son have beenjailed after an eight—year—old boy suffered what a judge described today as catastrophic and life changing head injuries when he was attaked by an xl bully dog. amanda young, who's a9, had allowed the dog to roam

unrestrained around the communal area of a block of flats, in the bootle area of merseyside. she was jailed for 20 months. her son lewis, who's 30, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to being the owner. an inquiry into why some women have traumatic experiences in childbirth has called for a major overhaul of maternity and post—natal care in the uk. the report, led by a group of mps, refers to harrowing evidence given by more than 1,000 women. a warning — michael buchanan's report contains detailed descriptions of birth complications from the start. i'm bleeding, getting weaker, and theyjust left me there for several hours until someone else came in to clean the room and said, "oh, you're still in here!" and they couldn't beleive it. for decades, women didn't speak about birth injuries. i was being pressured to have an induction when i felt there was no medical proof to do so. the decision was made

to have a c—section, and at that point ijust gave my body over. ijust felt, i don't trust these people, but i had to give in. today, on bbc radio 5 live, they most certainly did. the consultant cut to me, my partner and my mum i were paddling in my blood. it was all over the room, they had to shut the room off completely. i the women were responding to a parliamentary inquiry launched after a backbench mp told the commons what had happened to her. i remember the trolley bumping into the walls and the medical staff taking me into theatre, and being slid onto the operating table. felicity benyon was one of the 1,300 people who came forward to tell of their experience. after her son's birth eight years ago, she needed an emergency hysterectomy. the surgeon, however, mistakenly cut out her bladder, leaving the mum of two rely on a urostomy bag for life. i'm not going to suddenly regrow a new bladder. i live with my stoma. i live with the physical incapacities it has

created through that. but, as time goes on, the physical things heal and you get used to them. they become your new everyday. it's the emotional and mental things that so much longer. among the themes the inquiry identified were a failure to listen when a woman said something was wrong, a lack of informed consent, medics not properly explaining specific procedures and a lack of pain relief, with women in acute pain being given just paracetamol. sadly, there does seem to be a maternity postcode lottery in this country. when i was looking for patterns, it was clear it wasn't just individual trusts or certain parts of the uk, but it is actually a national challenge. the birth trauma inquiry want the government to invest in more midwives and to appoint a maternity commissioner, someone directly responsible for improving care across the nhs. ministers say they're aware of the problems. i have prioritised women's health and maternity services as one of the health priorities of this government. i am confident that we will see

changes notjust in the far future, but in the near term as well. the inquiry found that black and asian women appeared to experience particularly poor care, sometimes as a direct result of racism. campaigners say more work is now needed. there are so many missed opportunities in all of these reports to look specifically at data that looks on ethnic minorities, so that that can be picked up and dissected, and we can find out what's really going on there. the vast majority of women will have a healthy birth experience. but this inquiry highlights where care still needs improving. michael buchanan, bbc news. and for more details of organisations offering advice and support on pregnancy—related issues, just go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline. authorities in baltimore have set off a series of controlled explosions to separate the stricken

cargo ship from the remains of the collapsed francis scott key bridge. the dali, partially covered in metal from the bridge, has been stuck at the scene of the accident in march — which killed six people and sent around 4,000 tonnes of debris into the river. it's hoped the port of baltimore, an economically important shipping channel, can reopen by the end of the month. king charles has officially handed over the senior military role of colonel—in—chief of the army air corps to prince william. it is however a title some thought, might have gone to harry, had he remained a working royal. here's duncan kennedy. from king to prince, from father to son. this was day of symbolic and personal handovers. after three decades as colonel—in—chief, king charles passed the regimental belt and blue beret to prince william, marking the moment the role changed hands. well, this is an incredibly symbolic and personal important moment for both the king and for the prince of wales.

this is something that hasn't been done, the handing over of the colonel—in—chief role, in 32 years. the setting for today's ceremony was by an apache helicopter, the kind that prince harry once flew in afghanistan. some commentators have suggested he might have been considered for the role of colonel—in—chief, had he not stood back from royal duties. the king made no mention of that as he met families of the aircrew, before speaking about his confidence in william's future role. i do hope you go from strength to strength in the future, with the prince of wales as your new colonel—in—chief. the great thing is he's a very good pilot indeed, so that's encouraging. one change of clothes later, prince william, himself a trained helicopter pilot,

stepped into his new role by meeting aircrews, some of whom have seen combat service everywhere from afghanistan to iraq. we were extremely fortunate to have the king, then prince of wales, as our colonel—in—chief. and to see that handed over formally today has been fantastic. later, in a pair of twin take—offs, the king left in a royal helicopter, while prince william took the front seat of an apache. a day of transition completed at the home of the army's air regiment. duncan kennedy, bbc news in hampshire. time for a look at the weather. here's ben. thank you very much. a mixed