before he was airlifted to hospital. the attack happened moments after the 59—year—old left a meeting in a town in central slovakia. here in sl have slovakia people are struggling to come to terms with the attack. also tonight: two men appear in court in newcastle charged with felling the sycamore gap tree in northumberland last september. england's overcrowded prisons — from next week some inmates will be released 70 days early. bottled water is handed out and people are urged to boil their tap water after cases of a stomach and diahorrea bug are confirmed in south devon. and, in an exclusive interview, sir eltonjohn and david furnish tell us why they love photography and its importance as a historical record.

coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news — this is where celtic can win the scottish premiership title tonight. but they've already lost twice at kilmarnock this season. good evening. slovakia's prime minister, robert fico, is in a life—threatening condition in hospital after being shot a number of times this afternoon. the attack happened in the central slovak town of handlova, where a government meeting had just been held. a man — who's said to be 71 — has been detained by police. the 59—year—old prime minister has been a divisive figure — a leader who is widely viewed as authoritarian and russia—leaning. jon donnison reports.

just moments after being shot, prime minister fico is dragged out of a flower bed and bundled into a car by his security team. eyewitnesss report hearing three or four bullets being fired. a few metres away, amid the panic, police wrestle a suspect to the ground. translation: i heard three shots — it was quick, one by one, like if you throw fire—crackers on the ground. i saw a scratch on the prime minister's head and then he fell next to the barrier. it's a nightmare. the 59—year—old was flown by helicopter to hospital. with officials saying his condition is life—threatening. a few hours later, the country's president addressed the nation. translation: i'm shocked, we are all shocked by the terrible and vicious attack on prime minister robert fico.

a physical attack on the prime minister is first of all an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy. hateful rhetoric, which we can see in society leads to hateful actions. please, stop it. prime minister fico, seen here earlier in the day, is a divisive figure — a populist politician, he has been accused of authoritarianism and being too close to russia. but, in slovakia's parliament this afternoon, there was condemnation for the attack from across the political spectrum. translationz the attack on the prime minister is l terrible, uncivilised i and brutal — pure evil. this should provoke just one action — unite all society- against evil, hate and violence. the alleged attacker is now in police custody, where detectives will be trying to find out his motive and whether he acted alone.

jon donnison, bbc news. our europe correspondent bethany bell is in the slovakian capital bratislava. what do we know about his condition tonight and any motive? extraordinary scenes today. a huge sense of shock as well? an extraordinary scenes today. a huge sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock. _ sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock. one man _ sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock. one man i _ sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock. one man i spoke - sense of shock as well? an enormous sense of shock. one man i spoke to l sense of shock. one man i spoke to in bratislava said things like this simply don't happen here, there are attacks like this on politicians. it is interesting, listening to some of the witnesses who saw the shots happening, one of them said she assumed it was fire crackers that had been thrown at the prime minister. the president here has called on people not to speculate on what happened until the police release more details. and she has said the most important thing that matters now was for mr fico to get

better soon. matters now was for mr fico to get bettersoon. but matters now was for mr fico to get better soon. but many people here are concerned about polarised society. there have been calls for unity, but many are afraid the attack will pull apart society even more than it was before. so this is a country really waiting very much to see what happens to mr fico, people wishing him a speedy recovery. people wishing him a speedy recove . . ~' people wishing him a speedy recove . . ~ , ., from next week, some prisoners will be released 70 days early as part of a government plan to free up space in england's prisons. rishi sunak has insisted that there will be strict rules in place to keep the public safe, but labour says that convicted domestic abusers could end up being among those released early. prison overcrowding has prompted the government to order order some magistrates court appearances to be delayed to try manage the numbers. here's our deputy political editor, vicky young. england's prisons are overcrowded

and running out of space, so the government's taking emergency action to control the flow of prisoners through the system. some will be let out up to 70 days early and court hearings could be delayed. after 14 years of tory government, the prison system is in chaos. the labour leader wanted more details about the prisoners being released. how many? where are they? what crimes have they committed? so will he at least guarantee that none of criminals he is instructing prisons to release early are considered high risk? mr speaker, there are strict eligibility criteria in place, with exclusions based on public safety and no one will be put on the scheme if they were deemed a threat to public safety. but sir keir said a high risk inmate prisoner has been freed early from lewes prison. does the early release of stalkers, domestic abusers, and those considered a risk to children sound like the work of someone who is

making the country more secure? it does not apply to anyone serving a life sentence, anyone convicted of a serious violent offence, anyone convicted of terrorism, anyone convicted of a sex offence. at the start of the week, the prime minister said if labour was in charge it would risk the country's security, so this was an awkward moment for him — releasing prisoners early allows the labour leader to turn that attack back on the government. today, ministers also announced some trials will be delayed and suspects could be released on bail rather than being sent to a cell. and, with the number of prisoners set to rise, some think these measures could last for years. if we were to follow that trajectory, there is no way the government can build enough prison places in time to meet those numbers. so i think what we are looking at is emergency measures actually being in place for the foreseeable future, to continue

to deal with what is an ongoing crisis of capacity in the system. lawyers say they're seeking more information about the emergency measures and in the meantime, victims and defendants face uncertainty. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. two men have appeared in court in newcastle charged with causing criminal damage after felling the famous sycamore gap tree in northumberland. it had stood next to hadrian's wall for 200 years. but it was chopped down in september last year. our north of england correspondent, danny savage, reports. arriving at court in newcastle today, the two men accused of chopping down the famous sycamore tree by hadrian's wall in northumberland. in court, both men stood in front of a districtjudge to confirm their names and addresses. 38—year—old daniel graham pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to the tree and the wall. 31—year—old adam carruthers

did not enter any pleas. the famous sycamore was felled one night in september last year. a police investigation has been under way ever since. there was an international outpouring of shock and dismay over the felling of the much—photographed tree, which has stood next to the roman wall since the late 1800s. in court today the prosecutor said harm to the tree had been estimated at more than £622,000. that had been calculated partly by taking into account the economic value of the sycamore and the number of people who had public access to it. damage to hadrian's wall was estimated at £1,144. the tree was made famous when it featured in the film robin hood prince of thieves, starring kevin costner. azim, the great one, i am home! it was a landmark.

the two men accused of chopping it down will appear before newcastle crown court next month. danny savage, bbc news, newcastle. people across south devon have been advised to boil their tap water after 22 cases of a diarrhoea and sickness bug were confirmed. a further 70 suspected cases are also being investigated. the uk health security agency says traces of the parasite cryptosporidium have been found — infections can be caused by drinking contaminated water or swallowing it. our correspondentjenny kumah is in south devon. well, hundreds of bottles have been given out here today and many of the people i have spoken to that have come to collect them said they feel frustrated and upset, because only yesterday, despite concerns being raised, they were told the water was safe, only to find out today that there is a problem with it. for days

people in brixham have been falling ill. social media has been awash with angry people blaming the tap water, but yesterday they were told the water was safe to drink. lisa and her two teenage children have been sick for almost two weeks. it started with a scratchy throat and a cough and i assumed it was a cold. i had diarrhoea.— had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? _ had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? yes — had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? yes they _ had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? yes they said - had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? yes they said it - had diarrhoea. yesterday they said to carry on? yes they said it was . to carry on? yes they said it was fine to drink _ to carry on? yes they said it was fine to drink the _ to carry on? yes they said it was fine to drink the water _ to carry on? yes they said it was fine to drink the water and - to carry on? yes they said it was fine to drink the water and we i to carry on? yes they said it was. fine to drink the water and we are dehydrated and we need to drink water. and i know a lot of people haveit water. and i know a lot of people have it and they were drinking the water, because they were told it was safe. , ,., ., safe. the utilities said overnight testin: safe. the utilities said overnight testing found — safe. the utilities said overnight testing found the _ safe. the utilities said overnight testing found the parasite - testing found the parasite cryptosporidium in the area. this

water storage site is one of places they're looking into. do you accept it was was a mistake to tell people to carry on?— it was was a mistake to tell people to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind siaht to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind sight it — to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind sight it looks _ to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind sight it looks like _ to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind sight it looks like we - to carry on? yes with the benefit of hind sight it looks like we should i hind sight it looks like we should have _ hind sight it looks like we should have said — hind sight it looks like we should have said something different yesterday. but we operated at that point _ yesterday. but we operated at that point with — yesterday. but we operated at that point with the best intentions and using _ point with the best intentions and using the — point with the best intentions and using the sampling we had. 22 cases have been confirmed _ using the sampling we had. 22 cases have been confirmed and _ using the sampling we had. 22 cases have been confirmed and more - using the sampling we had. 22 cases have been confirmed and more are l have been confirmed and more are expected. experts say outbreaks like this are less common because of the quality of water supply. most healthy people will recover within a month. leaflets are being delivered to tell people to boil their water. applies to drinking, cooking, preparing _ applies to drinking, cooking, preparing food _ applies to drinking, cooking, preparing food. i— applies to drinking, cooking, preparing food.— preparing food. i think it is pathetic _ preparing food. i think it is pathetic. there _ preparing food. i think it is pathetic. there should - preparing food. i think it is| pathetic. there should have preparing food. i think it is - pathetic. there should have been notification sooner. and the fact that it has been denied is totally

out of order. the that it has been denied is totally out of order.— out of order. the authorities are lookin: out of order. the authorities are looking into _ out of order. the authorities are looking into the _ out of order. the authorities are looking into the source - out of order. the authorities are looking into the source of - out of order. the authorities are looking into the source of the i looking into the source of the outbreak. people here want answers. millions of litres of untreated sewage were illegally pumped into the centre of england's largest lake, windermere, in february, according to documents obtained by the bbc. it was ten hours before an engineer could arrive to stop the flow — which may have partly caused algae blooms like these in recent summers. united utilities, which manages water supplies in the north west of england, say the incident was caused by an unexpected telecoms fault. ukraine has pulled back its troops from several villages in the border region of kharkiv following continued pressure from russian forces. president zelensky has cancelled all upcoming foreign trips as ukrainian troops struggle to contain new cross—border incursions, with heavy fighting around the border town of vovchansk, which isjust 45 miles north of kharkiv — ukraine's

second biggest city. our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, is in kyiv. kharkhiv is a city the russians took early on, lost, and now they want it back? they got close to taking. russia has all wanted to take kharkiv and all of ukraine. i don't think this incursion is capable of that. but what you are seeing is a very noticeable change in russian tactics. you're seeing them, troops setting up positions inside one town and we are seeing them gather troops further north where attacks are feared by the ukrainians. they're trying to create a buffer zone. it is troubling for ukraine. that is fuelling an urgency to the politics here, with the visit of antony blinken that ended today. he announced will the $2 billion of funding to help ukraine get weapons

faster, to help ukraine manufacture weapons at home and the means buy weaponry. at the moment volodymyr zelensky cease it as serious enough to cancel his travel plans. at the moment, the country's facing questions about notjust its ability to defence this incursion, but whether it can prevent further ones. thank you. our top story this evening. an assassination attempt on an eu leader — slovakia's prime minister robert fico is fighting for his life after being shot multiple times. and still to come, find out why some of our most loved seabirds are unexpectedly at the centre of a brexit row. coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news — the fixtures are out for the next nfl season. we'll let you know which stars

are coming to london in october with two games at tottenham and one at wembley. there's been a rise in the number of people renting homes who are having to ask friends or relatives to act as their guarantor in case they can't afford to pay their rent. one in three tenants under the age of 30 have been required to give a guarantor this year. it's making renting property even more stressful for many, with intense competition to find somewhere to live. our cost of living correspondent, colletta smith has the story: this is a three—bedroom mid terrace. wannabe flatmates kate and lily are trying to fly the nest. we can move in pretty much straight away. but moving out of mum and dads and into their first rental isn't easy. we applied for one a couple of weeks ago that fell through within three days. because so many people

are applying for the same house. we went on that one viewing and there were 20 people there, weren't there? we just want to get out of our mums'! we're lucky in the sense that we've got time. but not everyone has got time. that's exactly what happened to the raymond family. we got section 21. they have three children under 12, and after a no—fault eviction have just two months to find a home. the clock is ticking. you need, like, 40k wages to show them and the other thing is, - a guarantor as well. so that's the big issue. so you've been asked for a guarantor? we have been asked for a guarantor. luckily, we have friends who have known each other for the last ten to 1a years, so they are doing a guarantee for us. we are lucky we found them. but you have a decent wage coming in. you have got all that proof. we have the proof. if you don't have a guarantor, - they won't give you an appointment. with so many landlords facing higher mortgage costs, it becomes a much bigger problem if a tenant doesn't make

those monthly payments. that's why we've seen an increase in the number of landlords asking tenants to provide a guarantor, no matter what their financial circumstances. you're looking at - a six month contract. i wouldn't want to put pressure on someone else. i could probably ask someone, but it's that awkward conversation that you don't want to have. ultimately, you just want to rent and you don't want to involve anyone else. for those without financial back—up, new companies have now sprung up charging a fee to provide a guarantorfor you. i think it's here to stay. i believe it's probably fair and equitable for the landlord to ask for a guarantor, and i think for the tenant, if it gives them a home and it protects any financial loss, it can only be a positive thing for them too. perfect. and that is relatively common, that you're being asked for a guarantor? nearly everyone, yeah, except for these and maybe one more. we'll let you guys out.

whether or not it's fair, giving a guarantor is now a new hurdle in the ruthless rental rates. thank you very much. colletta smith, bbc news, in liverpool. meanwhile, in scotland the scottish government has declared a national housing emergency during a debate at holyrood. scotland's socialjustice secretary blamed uk government austerity and brexit for the housing shortage. but uk ministers say scottish government funding from the treasury was 25% higher than other parts of the uk. the two prison officers who were killed in an attack on a police convoy in france yesterday have been named. fabrice moello, who was 52, and 34—year—old arnaud garcia died and three other warders were seriously wounded when their van was attacked by gunmen at a motorway toll booth in normandy. police are hunting muhamed amra, a convicted criminal who was freed from the van. the owner of royal mail has

indicated it is willing to sell the company to a czech billionaire after an improved takeover offer worth £3.5 billion. international distribution services said daniel kretinsky�*s investment group, which already owns more than a quarter of the company, agreed to make certain commitments, including keeping six—day—a—week first class letter deliveries. a former high school headteacher has been found guilty of sexual offences against four girls. 66—year—old neil foden, who worked at a school in north wales, has been found guilty of 19 charges of sexually abusing the girls over a period of four years. here's our wales correspondent, tomos morgan. for over 25 years, neil foden was a head teacher at ysgol friars in bangor. he was previously an executive member for the national education union, but the 66—year—old was arrested after a child showed an adult a photo of them together and screenshots of sexually explicit messages.

over a three—week trial, mold crown court heard how foden had groomed and abused four youngsters over a four—year period, in locations including his car and hotel rooms. he was found guilty today in 19 of the 20 counts against him, which included sexual activity with a child and sexual assault of a child. after the verdicts were read out here, thejudge, rhys rowlands, addressed neil foden with some quite scathing remarks. he said that "some of the explanations offered by you at times, frankly, beggared belief" and "frankly, the fact that you put them forward at all was arrogant. you are a controlling individual used to getting your own way. you thought you could do what you like". the judge also said it was worrying that gwynedd county council dismissed concerns raised to them about foden's behaviour in 2019. the local authority did investigate, but no action was taken. expressionless, neil foden gave no reaction on the verdicts today, and he will be sentenced here on 1st july. tomos morgan, bbc news,

mold crown court. thousands of tourists try to catch a glimpse of these much loved seabirds every year. but the puffin has now found itself unexpectedly at the centre of a post—brexit trade dispute between the uk and brussels. our climate editor, justin rowlatt, explains. a puffin arrives back at its nest, its beak full of sand eels to feed its chicks. but it has to get past the black headed gulls first. and it's notjust the gulls. a quarter of a million tonnes of sand eels are caught by european boats each year in the uk's north sea waters, mostly to be used as food for pigs and salmon and to make fish oil. so bird experts tell me there are puffins living in the holes in the cliff here, but they are very hard to see at the moment. so the uk has used its post—brexit powers to ban fishing for sand eels out there in the north sea.

but the european union, egged on by danish and swedish fishermen, is challenging the ban. it says it breaches the uk's break—up agreement with the eu. conservation charities in the uk and europe are furious. a total of 38 say they support the ban. the rspb has been campaigning to stop sand eel fishing for 25 years. we're absolutely disgusted to see the eu challenging this sand eel closure. our seabirds are struggling. we've seen a 62% decline across species. a quarter of our puffins lost. our seabirds need these fish to feed their young and survive. but the european union says the uk needs to balance the needs of marine ecosystems against the well—being of the fishing communities, mostly in denmark, that depend on sand eels too. danish fishermen have been fishing for sand eels sustainably in the north sea for decades.

there is no scientific basis for this ban. there is no relationship between breeding success of seabirds and the current fishing management regime in the north sea. if a compromise can't be agreed, the dispute will have to be decided by an independent panel. if the uk doesn't abide by its decision, the eu could end up imposing trade tariffs. justin rowlatt, bbc news, bempton cliffs in yorkshire. they are iconic images that capture moments in time — marilyn monroe, malcolm x, this versace dress — and the singer sir eltonjohn — here with eggs on his face. these images are all owned by sir elton and his husband david furnish — they have one of the greatest private collections of photographs in the world — more

than 7,000 of them. now an exhibition of some of them is about to open at london's v&a this weekend. they've been talking exclusively to our culture editor katie razzall. # i'll write a symphonyjust for you and me. 300 photographs, many on show for the first time. # i'll paint a monster piece. sir eltonjohn started collecting after he got sober in the �*90s, and with his husband david furnish, now has one of the world's great collections. i'm so proud of what we've collected, because we both love photography so much. itjust hits so many emotional moments for both of us. the nan goldin one especially, i bought that because i thought, that's my life, my old life on the wall, the addictions and the people we lost to aids. there's a lot of pain and grief on these walls.

9/11, political riots, assassinations. what makes you want to collect that pain? because in pain sometimes, there's a lot of beauty, unfortunately, and i'm drawn to that. that's why the show is called fragile beauty. # seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind. we're sitting surrounded by some very beautiful people. but of course, there's sadness here as well. we've got marilyn, chet baker. and i'm looking at miss piggy, so there's something for everyone! marilyn monroe, chet baker, they clearly suffered for their art. did you think you suffered for your art? well, i did in a way, but it was self—inflicted. the pain i suffered was because of addiction and alcoholism and unhappiness, but music saved me and it always has done. the couple have 2,000 photographs from 9/11. it's the first time they've exhibited any of them. it's too raw for people who lived through that, but it's good to see some of them. there's only about four of them out. reportage is very important.

and there's a very powerful photo of the january 6th capitol hill riot. yes, i think the importance of photographs like that is that we live in an age now where people seem to want to rewrite history and want to deny truth, and i think when things are captured photographically, it's irrevocable. it's important to have photographs like that and it's important to keep a record of what happened. unless it's a picture of the man himself. there are just two photographs of eltonjohn in the exhibition, one of his hands, and this playful image. completely spontaneously, he picked the plastic eggs up and put them under his glasses, and that to me says more about elton's personality and sense of humour and irreverence than anything, and that's what i love about photography. it is extraordinary that i collect photographs, because i don't like being photographed. i find it really painful. # hold me closer, tiny dancer.

many will find pain, but also joy in this extraordinary collection, a chronicle of our times. katie razzall, bbc news. let's return to our top story — the news that the slovak prime minister robert fico is in a life—threatening condition in hospital after being shot a number of times in this afternoon. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is here. we don't know any more about his condition. we know the motive, but we think a 71—year—old man is being held. but this has certainly sent shock waves across europe. this we do know- the _ shock waves across europe. this we do know- the reaction _ shock waves across europe. this we do know- the reaction across - shock waves across europe. this we j do know- the reaction across across do know— the reaction across across europe and far beyond. stubble, in slovakia. we live in a time, sophie, of great political polarisation. politics in slovakia is deeply polarised and now it seems tonight dangerously polarised. robert fico is well known. he is a career politician, a career spanning three decades. he returned to powerfor the fourth time last october. and

his platform was greeted with mass protests by more liberal parties, more pro—eu parties. he founded a populist party. it was part of a eurosceptic coalition. he campaigned saying not a single bullet would go to ukraine. he wanted sanctions ended against russia. he criticised western allies, criticised policies giving rights to lgbtq, and this attack took place just before a protest against the new broadcasting bill. tonight they are saying in slovakia the arguments are part of democracy, not assassination attempts. democracy, not assassination attempts-— democracy, not assassination attemts. , ., democracy, not assassination attemts. , . ., ., attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at — attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but for _ attempts. lyse doucet. more on that on the news at ten but for now, - on the news at ten but for now, thank you. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. it's been a dry day across south—east england today, with innocuous —looking cloud in the capital. but look at the satellite picture and you can see these small lumps of cloud growing bigger and bigger as they work towards the

north—west. and we can see that progression in the weather watcher pictures we have had sent to us today, with more threatening cloud across the midlands. by the time we got to lincolnshire, we had heavy downpours and thunderstorms mixed in, even with localised flooding and hebden bridge in the last hour. there are a few more thunderstorms to come and go for northern england and north wales over the next few hours. then the weather calms down, clear spells for most, but there will be low cloud coming in off the north sea. you might see a few patches of mist and drizzle as you head into the first part of thursday morning. broadly speaking, thursday is another day of sunshine and showers, but there will be a clump of heavy rain from the continent. looks set to move in somewhere across northern england, perhaps east anglia and the midlands as well. away from that, the chance of a thunderstorm in northern ireland. the driest and warmest weather is likely across northern scotland again, where temperatures will reach around 23 degrees. that clump of thundery rain then works across

wales as we head to thursday night before clearing