donald trump is embroiled in more controversy amid claims that russia has damaging information about him. the prime minister and the labour leader clash in the commons over the state of the nhs. the democracy can buckle when it gives

interfere. a couple who met while building lancaster bombers in the second world war celebrate the 73rd wedding anniversary. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. russia has dismissed media reports that it's holding compromising information about donald trump. it comes after claims in america that russian intelligence agencies have obtained personally compromising material about his business interests and his private life. mr trump — who has denied the allegations — is due to hold a news confererence this afternoon — his first since his election last november. he tweeted that the intelligence agencies shouldn't have allowed the information to leak. he will hold a news

conference this afternoon, his first since november. our correspondent jonny dymond reports. in nine days‘ time he will be president but never has a president—elect been so ensnared in controversy. the allegations that swirl around him and his aides are unverified. explosive allegations, all denied by the man himself, of unusual sexual practices and financial impropriety. leaked to a website. the suggestion that russian president vladimir putin had material which could compromise america's new president. from mr trump, a flat, loud denial. many people accept that donald trump is the president—elect. but recognise that there are issues, that there are problems, particularly with russia that need to be addressed. and so i think that is something that lawmakers are looking, and i think the intelligence community

would like to see donald trump take a more proactive approach to addressing. moscow's reach into the trump campaign and the president—elect‘s success has been a focus of claim and counterclaim for months. the latest allegations were reportedly compiled by a former british intelligence official who was once based in the russian capital. he is described as a credible source. donald trump has an extensive network of links to russia. this beauty pageant three years agojust one. he has gone out of his way to praise the russian president. his campaign team stands accused of improper relationships with the russian government. gathered by political opponents to discredit mr trump, the report claims that the russian government obtained material with which to

blackmail the new president. with bugged hotel rooms and clandestine things, the report reads like a spy thriller. one trump associate, a lawyer, shot down an allegation almost immediately. russia scoffed. translation: fabrication of such spoofed stories is an obvious attempt to damage our bilateral relations. washington waits for a new commander—in—chief, a man who promises to overturn the old order, a man confronted by his own spy chiefs with the most lured of allegations. never before has the office of a new president been under such scrutiny. jonny dymond, bbc news. well our correspondent paul wood is in washington. he has heard from the cia himself

that these allegations are thought to come from a credible source. he also said that mr trump is sceptical of information from the us security services. not the first time he has attacked the cia. we have not seen language like this for a long time. originally compiled by a former british intelligence agent, a mi6 man. he did it for an opposition research company in washington, dc. the company i know quite well and have visited often. working forjeb bush's super pack, and the party donor. the allegations are extremely low ridge. out of fairness to mr trump and anybody under the age of 18, we should not relate them. here is the crucial point. i was able to send a message into the cia in

november to ask them about the allegations, legal for any official to talk to me about them. i got a message through an intermediary, where they were regarded as credible, and there was more than a single source, not just credible, and there was more than a single source, notjust the mi6 man. more than one tape supposedly, not just video but audio, more than one date, not just the allegations in moscow, but st petersburg. busy moscow would not respond to these allegations. they are regarded by credible by the us intelligence community. let's p2 professor from the university of birmingham. what you make the credibility of these claims? the big flashing health warning is the one you a pad. this does not come from intelligence work by the us government or anybody else. this is an opposition report

dating from the election campaign compiled by retired intelligence officer, based on sources in russia, the veracity of which we don't know. a lot of news organisations trying to find out if they are true. we just don't know if they are yet. we have to treat it seriously, if they are true, they are quite significant. we should not get ahead of ourselves. in cases like this, one asks, the nature of the benefits? these claims would not look good for donald trump if they are true. some of the claims about his private personal behaviour. unless the suggestion is that it behaviour. unless the suggestion is thatitis behaviour. unless the suggestion is that it is criminal or blackmail took place, that may be no more than embarrassing. some other statements made about his business affairs, or possible campaign collusion with russian intelligence, if that was true, it would be a much more serious matter. the report are

merging into the public domain would be from those who want a full and thorough investigation into his connections with russia. days before the inauguration, how does this affect the presidency at the start? notan affect the presidency at the start? not an ideal situation to have the new president coming into this under a cloud. the united states is a divided country, even if these claims were proven true, the president has a strong constituency which would support him regardless. many people would be keen to attack him using this ammunition. in the middle a number of republican senators he don't have any particular party incentive to attack donald trump, but are very concerned about his relationship with russia, and would like to look into this further. maintaining congressional majority support is vital, if any truth is found in these claims. majority support is vital, if any truth is found in these claimsm any laws are found to be broken, does that create problems with the

inauguration happening? impossible to demonstrate the laws have been broken before we get to that point. the question would be, how do the allegations stack up if they can be properly investigated once donald trump is in office. one of the reasons there have been a big problem, because donald trump has been lacking transparency in his finances and business activities. there are questions about the russian involvement in the campaign which is opposed to investigating. if he was more keen to be more transparent, there will be less questions about something to find. that donald trump press conference is expected to take place at four o'clock. we can also hear from

is expected to take place at four o'clock. we can also hearfrom his choice as secretary of state. as soon as he speaks we will return. until they get under way, we will turn to british politics. the prime minister has called the red cross irresponsible and overblown for talking about a humanitarian crisis in the nhs and social care. at prime minister's questions the labour leaderjeremy corbyn said the nhs was in crisis but the prime minister was in denial. our political correspondent iain watson reports. some medical professionals are issuing critical warnings of the worst of a winter crisis in the nhs and now labour want to turn this into a political crisis by piling pressure on the government. jeremy corbyn told the premise that she needs to pay concerned to the professionals ? she needs to pay concerned to the professionals? sian works in the nhs, a 22 month —year—old child was

taken to hospital, there were no beds, he was treated on a blanket. they told her it is always this way. they told her it is always this way. the prime minister told mps to put the problems it in proportion. there have been a small number of incidents where unacceptable practices have taken place. what matters, we don't want those things to happen, what happens is how you do with them. earlier this week the prime minister said she wanted to create a shared society. we certainly have that. more people sharing hospital corridors on trolleys. more people sharing waiting areas at a&e departments. more people sharing in anxiety created by this government. our nhs is in crisis. the prime minister is

in denial. the last thing from the nhs, that it needs is a check from labour that is bouncing. the one thing we can do is have a strong economy. yesterday the gentleman proved not only that he is incompetent, but he would destroy our economy, devastating our national health service. the hospital is only a heartbeat away from westminster, the nhs neverfar away from thoughts. the governors say they have increased funding, and what about improvements. the opposition parties do not think that is good enough. what would they do if they have the power? we set out an expert panel to look at the idea of it dedicated health care tax. set alongside that, an independent assessment of how much money the health and care system needs. assessment of how much money the health and care system needslj asked health and care system needs.” asked why he did not do this while in government? we were talking about

it, i went on to the bbc television news to make the case for more money for the nhs. it did not happen? that was towards the end of 2015, we got an extra £2 billion for the nhs. labour say with the cold snap forecast many demands on the nhs are likely to increase. in the medium term, we would argue bringing forward 700 million for social care allocated for 2019, let's not wait until 2019. £700 is just allocated for 2019, let's not wait until 2019. £700 isjust a down payment. you are quite correct, we need to look at this across—the—board for the need to look at this across—the—boa rd for the long—term. labour feel the government is vulnerable on the nhs. the conservatives would continue to argue only they can provide a robust economy that would pay for it. nurses are warning that the

conditions in the nhs are the worst they have experienced. staff being told to discharge patients before they are fit. wendy preston joins me from the royal college of nursing. what details are people telling you? our members have been telling us on the front line this is the worst winter ever. it is getting worse and worse every year, there is no letup. no such thing as a winter prep when you set is the first scene, you are talking about pressure on beds, lack of beds, people and patients who are not healthy not been moved at a

hospital because they do not have the next place to go to. no social ca re the next place to go to. no social care in place. all of those factors? yes, we're hearing the stories in time and time again, not isolated stories. for example, we're hearing aid in the commentary team for patients to be on a trolley for 12 hours, up to 23 hours. also nurses on the wards are having difficulty. pressure to get patients home before they feel the care has been put in place. are there specific so you feel could be tackled slightly more quickly than some other issues? people presenting at a any who could be persuaded it is their gp they need to see. what are the key areas? we need long—term strategies, also short—term strategies. it is a problem that includes everybody. we

need the public to think about where they seek medical advice. where they speak to nurses and doctors to get advice. pharmacies, gps, instead of a&e. we also need to address some of the fundamentals across health and social care. not just the fundamentals across health and social care. notjust a health problem, but we have a big crisis in social care funding, if we do not address this, we will not get a long—term solution. we need everybody including the politicians and the health and social services to work together to look at we're going to crack this long—term. to work together to look at we're going to crack this long-term. what about starting. people listening will understand where the key pinch points out. is this an issue starting, or the fundamental problem is not enough beds. notjust about how many staff we have. we know there are 2a,000 nursing vacancies across the uk. we need to address that. we have some problems, the nursing bursaries are being taken away. that has led to a 20% decrease

in university applications. we know there are issues like 1% cap on nurses wage rises. not encouraging nurses wage rises. not encouraging nurses into the profession. those jobs are being done by agency staff, presumably? the roles are being fulfilled at a greater cost. there is no more extra money, that cost has to be offset in other ways. service is being cut. the whole system not being looked at correctly. many thanks for coming the headlines on bbc news: donald trump and the kremlin both deny claims moscow's intelligence agencies have obtained compromising details about the president—elect. jeremy corbyn accuses theresa may of being in denial about the pressures on the nhs. a teenager is remanded in secure accommodation after being

charged with the murder of a seven—year—old girl. and in sport: english football's first professional female player has announced her retirement. kelly smith is also england's all—time record goal—scorer with 46 goals — and she won five fa cups with arsenal. bbc sport understands sam warburton is preparing to stand down as the wales captain ahead of the six nations. alun wynjones would be the leading candidate to succeed him. and boxer nick blackwell is still a year away from making a full recovery. he suffered serious head injuries during a bout in march and was injured again in an unsanctioned sparring session in november. i'll have those stories and more at half—past two. a 15—year—old girl has appeared in court charged with the murder of a seven—year—old girl in york. katie rough was found critically injured near a playing field in the woodthorpe area on monday afternoon — she died later in hospital. our correspondent fiona trott is in york. tell us what has happened. katie

rough‘s mother and family were in court as she spoke to the judge. she has been remanded in secure accommodation, before she appears in leeds crown court charged with murder and possessing an offensive weapon. katie rough was found near housing, residence there a woman believed to be her mother was crying, calling for people for an ambulance. the seven—year—old was taken to hospital, dying from her

injuries later. it hit the community hard, people who did not even know the child. fundraising the setup online, set up by woman he wanted to help the family through this terrible time. a 15—year—old girl appeared charged with the murder, remanded into secure accommodation, due to appear before leeds crown court on friday. the forth road bridge has been closed in both directions after a lorry turned over in it. the driver has been charged with dangerous driving. 200 homes across the north—east are power. a shopping street in newcastle city centre has been shut because of damage caused by the weather. the last half-hour gusts have been shy of 50 miles an

hour. causing problems for the engineers trying to remove the lorry from the centre of the forth road bridge. this is the main artery into edinburgh from the north. tens of thousands of cars cross it every day. for the last 11 hours, com pletely day. for the last 11 hours, completely empty of traffic. people having to take a 40, 50 completely empty of traffic. people having to take a 40,50 mile completely empty of traffic. people having to take a 40, 50 mile detour to get to scotland's capital. not just problems here, but because of the weather elsewhere across the country. in the early hours of this morning, strong wind blew over this lorry as it was trying to travel north on the forth road bridge. it happened at 2am, the lorry falling over on to the southbound carriageway. the bridge was close to —— close to hgvs and the driver was

charged with dangerous driving. hours later the road would usually be packed with busy traffic. it was silence, the recovery process delayed because of the windy conditions. there was damage to the central reserve over 40 metres, the most extensive damage we have ever had on the bridge. conditions were very blustery, the bridge was closed to all high sided vehicles from half—past midnight. the gusts were around 74 miles an hour. elsewhere in newcastle city centre, newgate street was closed when part of the root of this debenhams store was torn off, debris strewn across the street. in county durham, a house and these cars were badly damaged. in gateshead conditions were so bad, the wind blew this horse shed into the wind blew this horse shed into the road. power supply to the north—east in yorkshire said 25,700

houses lost power. sse said 1500 houses lost power. sse said 1500 houses without power, they were working on the problem. the air is just getting colder and colder, coming from a long window. feeding in wintry showers, tomorrow, we have a spell of rain across southern parts of england and wales. cold air coming in behind it, that could turn the rain into sleet and snow in the south—east in time for the evening rush tomorrow. after several hours cruise on the forth road bridge have managed to remove the lorry from the central reservation. they cannot be taken off central reservation. they cannot be ta ken off completely central reservation. they cannot be taken off completely out of the weather improves. the weather forecast and the winds forecasted to pick up tomorrow. causing problems on some very “—

pick up tomorrow. causing problems on some very —— routes. at this bridge they have two wake of the wind to dip before 40 miles an hour for 20 minutes before they can start removing the lorry. even when the lorry has gone there will be checks on the infrastructure, possible delays and disruptions for the next few days. the man has cut his throat in the dock while waiting to be sentenced for sexual offences. he had pleaded guilty and was taken to hospital by air ambulance. the 33—year—old had pleaded guilty to sexual assault by grabbing and kissing a shop assistant. let's speak to our correspondent david grundy. he has been treated in a hospital on the outskirts of swansea. his

condition is said to be serious. the ambulances were called here to this magistrates' court at about 10:20am this morning. a very bizarre incident, the 33—year—old was due to receive a sentence for sexual assault. it is understood he then tried to slit his own throat with a knife he fell in the dark in the courtroom. it is understood there we re courtroom. it is understood there were cries of, he has got a knife. he lost a lot of blood, lost consciousness. as you said, he has been flown to hospital in swansea. he will stay there to receive treatment. ditto —— the police will investigate the situation, not speaking to anybody else about the issue at the moment. we will take you to washington where

donald trump's choice for secretary of state is speaking. we have underwritten source effort taking place in iraq. at a time when really come in many ways, the united states had unleashed forces in the region, not unlike taking a big stick and hitting a cornet‘s nest, changing dramatically the dynamic in the region. we had the choice of whether we surge, tried to be successful at what we began, or take another course. afghanistan had also been under resourced. all of a sudden, we began discussing things like nation—building, things that have not been part of our vocabulary for many years. we had the arab spring

that took place in 2011, some of which was built on the activities i mentioned earlier. we had all kinds of incoherent things that took place. the quick throwing aside of a leader in egypt we had known for yea rs. leader in egypt we had known for years. an undertaking in libya i have still never understood what the goal was. leaving a large vacuum in the region with alarm spreading throughout northern africa and other places. the conflict in syria, that began with us cheering on the people he wanted basic human rights, and more of a democracy. then we had the red line that our country did not follow u p red line that our country did not follow up on. after that the taking of crimea, the destabilising of eastern ukraine. some of which was driven by observing us chip in the world. we had china redrawing a map

that had been around for thousands of years. in the south china sea. claiming islands and properties, building runways, doing things that until that time had not occurred. we have had the whole destabilisation of europe from confidence levels in europe are the lowest they have been in our lifetimes. driven by concerns, in many cases, about what our role is, also the role of russia from what they have been doing in the region, the role of immigrants flooding in, the whole challenging of the european model. then we have had a campaign, let's face it, somewhat unorthodox, one that is also given concern to our allies in the world, and many around the world not just where the world, and many around the world notjust where america is going to be. with all of this chaos,

exhibiting three multiple administrations, and will continue under this for a period of time, we have had chaos where the united states has been withdrawing. to me thatis states has been withdrawing. to me that is a recipe for further chaos. this is a very important living. i have the ability of the other day to sit down with general flynn, the national security adviser, spending time with people around him for some time. i know, rightly so, his focus is also on our country doing well economically. every military leader we have had before since secretary gates has told us if our nation is not strong economically, we are not doing the things chris gilley to keep ourselves strong, our nation will be weak, in our leadership around the world. it will be

diminished. iam around the world. it will be diminished. i am thankful that is the case. a lot of people here realised it is not only important for us to be economically successful, but we understand that autocrats in other places, when they themselves are not successful end up creating havoc around the world for nationalistic reasons, to build support within the country. therefore we do not wish the other major countries in the world harm, as it relates to economic growth, we wa nt as it relates to economic growth, we want them to do well. countries like china, even russia, who no doubt has conducted very nefarious activities in our country. many of us have seen in the middle east, poverty not unlike what happens in our own country, where people who live in cities and neighbourhoods have no hope, crime permeates. things occur.

we have seen the same thing happen in the middle east, where young people with no hope are attracted to ideologies that end up threatening our own nation. i appreciate that at the national zu rt i appreciate that at the national zurt office —— security office they're not only connected with those connected with our role in the world, but focus on those economic issues. which brings me to trade. our country has shown great leadership around the world. rob portman served as our trade representative and there has been talk of what our role will be. most of us believe that a world that continues to focus on free enterprise and a world with democratic principles is a world thatis democratic principles is a world that is a better place for us. while

our... why we should always focus on trade as it relates to improving the standard of living of americans another benefit is people within those countries begin to adopt the values that we hold so dear here. just to explain what we are watching if you'rejoining us on bbc news. we are live in washington, because this is the beginning of the confirmation hearing for rex tillerson. he is donald trump's nominee to be secretary of state. this is the formal process that has to be gone through for senior senators to confirm they're through for senior senators to confirm they‘ re happy through for senior senators to confirm they're happy with that choice. this is senator bob corker and we were expecting to hear from rex tillerson. some of the senators have been talking for longer than we

might have anticipated. hence that is why we are still listening to senator corker. we hope to hearfrom rex tillerson soon. we think we will hear about donald trump's approach to vladimir putin and his general relationship with moscow. and all of this again on a particularly interesting day in us politics. we are going to stick with this for now. we are hoping we will hear from rex tillerson in the not too distant future. this a key part of the confirmation process that many of the nominees for the big jobs have to go through. and particularly interesting coming up at 4 o'clock we are going to be hearing a news conference the president elect. this will be the first time that we hear from donald trump formally in a formal news conference setting since

he was elected in november. the inauguration is at the end of next week. that particularly interesting to look ahead to, due at 4 o'clock. let's listen in and we hope we will hear rex tillerson's statement soon. i believe the world's at its best when america leads. and i think most people at this dyas believe the same thing and we understand the importance of diplomacy and we know with the 1% of us budget that we spend on efforts like this. but that 196, if spend on efforts like this. but that 1%, if we are successful, the likelihood of the men and women that we cherish so much in our military are much less likely to be in harm's way. which brings me to you. this is

a person, mr tillerson who, way. which brings me to you. this is a person, mrtillerson who, had never met mr trump as i understand until a few weeks ago. a month ago. i believe like senate corden said it is possible that you are in fact an inspired choice. we look at the president to, if you think about it, approaches everything almost from an economic stand point. that has been the world that he has lived in and the world that he has lived in and the fact that you have led a global enterprise and have been there and met world leaders and know them up close and personally. to me, that is going to give our new president much greater confidence in your ability to offer advice. and i think it is going to give the state department possibly the ability to have the

appropriate balance with other forces. as it relates within the white house and other places, as it relates to developing a vision for our country. if you think about it, not only does the world not relevant really understand where —— really understand where america is today and all of us have had leaders wondering what is next, all of us. but if you think about the body politic in our own country, doesn't understand. you look at the election, we had a, we had the bush presidency and we had the obama presidency and we had the obama presidency which was not the bush presidency which was not the bush presidency and we have had this election, where many things have been said and sometimes in unorthodox ways. so notjust the world leaders don't know where we are. notjust world leaders don't know where we are. not just citizens world leaders don't know where we are. notjust citizens who watch us on television. but our body politic here does not know. so mr tillerson,

you have got... this is a momentous time. this to me is the most important nomination that the president has made. the world paying attention to this hearing denotes that. you have the ability no doubt to draw a crowd. but it is going to be your responsibility to define clearly what america's role in the world is going to be. secretary gate has taken of this many times as he talks about the way the world was when it was us and the soviet union. now it is different. the american people even don't fully understand what the future holds. you have got to restore our credibility secondly. look, the nato alliance is shaken. europe is shaken. our arab friends, because of negotiations that have taken place are concerned about the future and i could go on and on. but

i want to be respectful to other people's times. but one of your goals will be to restore us credibility. you're going to need to prierp tiez. one of the things i have —— prioritise. one of the things i have witnessed is there is a lot of activity that takes place, but it's hard to discern where it is taking us. i think as a person who has led an organisation who has ryz frn the bottom and —— risen from the bottom may in fact be annen spired choice. —— be an inspired choice to restore credibility. to have those relationships based on trust, based on people knowing what we are going do what we say. and lastly, you're the person that is charged with being the principal advisor to the

president on foreign policy. that is the question that people on both sides of the hour will raise here, we know that... we know that the president elect‘s foreign policy is evolving as he takes office, as he talks to people and there is no way you could speak on his behalf today. so what people here are going to wa nt to so what people here are going to want to know is. how are you going to advise him? you're going to be one of the last people to talk to him. you're going to be up under the hood, sharing with him what you think aught to happen. we know you're going to carry out his policy and all of us have watched as other secretaries of state have tried to carry out their own policy and not the president's and we know that does not work. we thank you for being here. my sense is that you're going to rise to the occasion. that you are going to demonstrate that you are going to demonstrate that you are going to demonstrate that you are in fact an inspired choice,

that you're going to be able to take the years of accomplishment and relationships and transfer that and translate it into a foreign policy that benefits us national interest. thank you again for being willing to put yourself before our country and the world and with that, let me turn to our distinguished ranking member and my friend, ben corden. thank you for the accommodations of the hearing. iagree, this for the accommodations of the hearing. i agree, this hearing for the accommodations of the hearing. iagree, this hearing is about mr tillerson and his views. but i think we are going to have some specific questions, because of statements made by mr trump. but we do want to hear your views, particularly as it relates to many of the challenges that the chairman we nt of the challenges that the chairman went through. it is a pleasure to have you hear and we thank you for

your years of public service. secretary can have gates, thank you. you honour our committee by being here. iwant you honour our committee by being here. i want to welcome our new colleagues senator booker and berkeley and portman and young. i have worked with all of you before andl have worked with all of you before and i know your commitment to our national security and to foreign policy and you all will be great additions. i want to acknowledge senator king who is here. we have got to get you on the committee. be we thank you for your interest in this hearing. mr tillerson has i said, thank you, thank you for being willing to serve the public. it is not easy to put yourself forward as you have found since your nomination, your life has changed dramatically. notjust nomination, your life has changed dramatically. not just for you nomination, your life has changed dramatically. notjust for you but for your family. dramatically. notjust for you but

foryourfamily. providing dramatically. notjust for you but for your family. providing advice is one of most important constitutional powers of the senate. it is a responsibility and one that i know that all of us take with the utmost seriously. mr tillerson, there is no question about your impressive re cord question about your impressive record in the business world. rising through ranks and then running exxon, one of largest multinational operations in the world. yet, i would offer, having a few from the sea suite at exxon is not the same asa sea suite at exxon is not the same as a view from the seventh floor of the department of state. anyone who said anyone who can run a business can run an agency do a disservice to both. it is not the same as serving the national interest of all the american people. governance and management does not always lend

itself to government decision—making where bureaucracy and institutions serve a different political and social purposes than maximising profits. i therefore want to get a sense of how you see pivoting from the mind set of an oil man to that ofa the mind set of an oil man to that of a statesman focussed on promoting american interest and values. as you know, congress has a separate and co——equal branch of government has an important role to play in ensuring the values that have animated our nation continue to flourish. first i want to share with you my vision of the united states foreign policy and the role of secretary of state. i approach this hearing and discussion with a clear set of expectations of next administration. i believe in a world where america works with its allies, a world that is governed by laws and

institution, consistent with the liberal international order, where we champion our values at home and abroad. i think it is worth spending some time on the questions of human rights, democracy, good governance, anticorruption and society support. it is worth doing so, because of the importance of the issues for america's role in the world and our values are our interests, not a separate set of considerations. but also because of the nature of exxon. there are questions about how you view this issues and how you intend to approach them. as you may know, over my tenure in the house, i have championed human right and the importance of democratic process. so i see violations of the sovereignty by china in the south china sea and i speak out. when i see gross human

rights violations in ethiopia, i speak out. when i see massive corruptions in countries with extreme poverty like this i speak out. when i see the loss of human rights i speak out. events serve as a remind hearthe rights i speak out. events serve as a remind hear the democracy will not defend itself. it requires those of us defend itself. it requires those of us who believe in the enduring values of democratic experiment to nurture and support and it defend it from authoritarian opponents. perhaps, the most aggrievious... from authoritarian opponents. perhaps, the most aggrievious. .. we are going to keep an eye on that hearing in washington. all the introduction lasting longer than anybody suggested. we want to be back to hear the man nominated to be secretary of state. we will be back

there once the panel hears properly from rex tillerson. adele, eltonjohn, coldplay and iron maiden. just a few of the artists who have publically said they are anti resale ticket websites, otherwise known as secondary ticketing websites. it's a very profitable industry, worth billions worldwide, and it makes lots of money for touts who routinely use them to sell tickets at inflated prices. but an investigation for the victoria derbyshire show has found at least one artist who's been putting tickets directly onto secondary ticketing websites at higher prices for a stadium tour that hasn't sold out. chi chi izundu reports. there are more and more sites where you can get hold of a ticket for a gig or a show, but it seems it's getting more and more difficult to get one at a reasonable price. and that could be down to the proliferation of resale sites, or secondary ticketing websites where fans can resell tickets. have the artists actually allowed for, or given permission, for prices of their tickets at their events to be sold at significantly inflated prices?

but it seems it's not just the fans uploading tickets on to these sites, as highlighted recently by a committee of mps. we are actually working with one artist at the moment whereby we are openly, transparently listing those tickets within get me in and seatwave, saying, these are the official artist tickets. # let me entertain you... ticketmaster confirmed to me that that artist is in fact robbie williams. here is a ticket you can buy on ticketmaster's website. i'm feeling flush, so let's get some good seats. level one, block 126 sounds good. £95 each. let's see on the secondary website. these tickets are direct from the event organiser, very similar seats, one block over from the stage, at £160 each. this is not a resale ticket. it's being sold for the first time on the secondary site. ticketmaster say these platinum tickets are the best seats in the house, but confirmed they come with no extra perks.

but there is a £65 difference between these two very similar seats, even though they both come directly from the event organisers. now, robbie and his management aren't doing anything illegal. they are not breaking any laws or any rules. but some people have said that this is just greedy. in 2015, a number of promoters and artists' managers signed an open letter to the government asking them to take a harsher stance on the secondary ticketing market. harvey goldsmith, who has promoted acts like michaeljackson and madonna, signed it, and we pointed out another signature. i think it is wrong, but, hopefully, most of the people who have signed the petition are acting honourably and do everything that they can do to prevent tickets being sold on the secondary market. ticketmaster say they are being transparent, but it does seem you are paying more for a ticket for no real reason, when you can get a similar one cheaper.

and despite numerous requests for a statement, robbie's management team, ie music, haven't responded. a white supremacist has been sentenced to death for killing nine black people at a church in the us state of south carolina in 2015. dylann roof opened fire seventy—five times during a bible study class in what prosecutors said was a racially—motivated attack. he rejected a final chance to plead for his life at the court in charleston, telling the jury he still felt like he'd had to do it. sophie long reports. this is the man condemned to death for the cold—blooded murder of nine people as they sat quietly praying. dylann roof was convicted last month of 33 federal charges including murder and hate crimes. he told the sentencing hearing that he felt he had to carry out the killings. the brother of one of his victims said the sentence would not bring back his beloved sister. this is a very hollow victory.

because my sister is still gone. i wish that this verdict could have brought her back. but it can't. the prosecutor said on june 17, 2015, members of one of charleston's most historic black churches had opened the door for a white stranger with a smile. he had come with a hateful heart and a glock 45. he had sat in a bible study group for 40 minutes before opening fire as they closed their eyes to pray. turning the peaceful church into a bloody crime scene. one of those who died was the local pastor and state senator, clementa pinckney. a personal friend of the outgoing president, who sang at his memorial. # amazing grace... # how sweet the sound... roof is the first person to face

execution for a federal hate crime conviction. it a hard thing to know that someone is going to lose their life. but when you look at the totality of what happened, it's hard to say that this person deserves to live when nine others don't. dylann roof will be formally sentenced later today. sophie long, bbc news. the national chain store, wilko retail has been fined £2.2 million after a student work irish republic was crushed and left paralysed. 23—year—old corisande collins now has to use a wheelchair after an accuse accident at a leicester branch of the company. simon ward reports. miss collins was working part—time

at the wilko store in leicester in 2013. she was pulling a metal cage over lifted loaded with paint in a lift. she was crushed and her spine was fractured. the court heard there was fractured. the court heard there was a lack of training and risk assessments. thejudge was a lack of training and risk assessments. the judge said wilko accepted the failings, but he took into account the company's annual turn over of more than £1.4 billion when giving the fine. the family are happy with the fine. it has been difficult, because he was extremely young when this happened. but i think they feel that the end of the criminal case will help her in her rehabilitation. the investigation was carried out by leicester city council. i think that 2.2 million pound fine reflects the seriousness

of the case where a employee suffered devastating injuries. when my officers investigated this case, we found significant health and safety failings that could have been addressed easily. the judgment will he support a civil case for compensation. a couple who met at a factory making lancaster bombers in world war two are celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary. 97 year old trudy met 96 year old barclay patoir when hejoined the factory on merseyside. despite opposition to the relationship, the mixed race couple did marry and now have seven great grandchildren. our correspondent stuart flinders reports. this is a story of war and peace. of trudie and barclay. it begins in the days of empire. barclay was an apprentice engineer in british guyana. in 1942 he found himself in liverpool. it was freezing cold

and the snow was an eye—opener. barclay was put to work making lancaster bombers at a factory in speke. archive reel: many thousands of men and women toil night and day to produce these gigantic warplanes for bomber command. his assistant on the production line was trudie. everybody used to laugh at us. they would say, he's ruining you, isn't he? he used to bring me sandwiches in and make me cups of tea. barclays and trudy took a shine to each other. and a visit to the empire theatre to see the star richard tauber clinched it. we went to see richard tauber and it was... sorry to pull away. let's join rex tillerson at the senate confirmation hearing. teaching many

yea rs confirmation hearing. teaching many years in texas. my sister, a family practice physician for many than 30 yea rs. practice physician for many than 30 years. my brother—in—law is beginning his fifth term at the state district court of texas. i appreciate so much the love and support they have given me in the past and most particularly they would come from texas to be with me today. good morning. i'm honoured to have the backing of these senators from my home state and i want to thank senator nunn for his commitment to nuclear none proliferation and to secretary gates. chairman corker, and members

of committee, it is an honour to appear before you as nominee nor secretary of state and seek the approval of this committee for my confirmation. i come before you at a pivotal time in the history of our nation and euro—world. our world. nations are unsettled. old ideas that were well understood and governed behaviours may no longer be effective. we face considerable threats in this new environment. china has emerged as an economic power in global trade and our interactions have been friendly anded adversarial. russia's recent activities have disregarded america's interest. radical islam is

not new, but it is hateful, deadly and an illegitimate express of islamic faith. countries like iran and north korea pose threats. as we confront these realities, how should america respond? my answer is simple —to america respond? my answer is simple — to achieve stability american leadership must not only be renewed, it must be asserted. we have many advantages on which to build. our alliances are durable and our allies are looking for a return of our leadership. our men and women in uniform are the world's finest fighting force and we possess... my home was destroyed. senators be brave. protect my community. protect america. rex tillerson i reject you.

my home was destroyed. our men and women in uniform are the world's fine egs fighting force and —— finest fighting force. america is still the destination of choice for people the world over, because of our track record of hope for our fellow man. america has been indispensable in providing stability to prevent another world war, increased global prosperity and encourage the expansion of liberty. our role in the world has also entailed a place of moral leadership in the scope of international affairs, america's level of good will is unique. quite simply, we are the only globe superpower capable of shaping the world for good. if we do

not lead, we risk plunging the world deeper into confusion and danger. but we have stumbled. in recent decades we have cast american leadership into doubt and we have withdrawn from the world in some insta nces. withdrawn from the world in some instances. in others we have intervened with good intentions but our actions and our nonactions have triggered a host of unintended consequences. ourfriends triggered a host of unintended consequences. our friends still want to help us, but they don't know how and oured a ed ed a verse sairies have taken advantage. i hope to explain what our approach means and how i would implement it. americans welcome this rededication to

american security, liberty and prosperity. new leadership is incomplete without accountability. if accountability does not start with ourselves, we cannot extend it to our friends and oured a ed opponents. we must uphold the promises we make to others and an america that can be trusted is essential in achieving our goals and securing our security. we must hold our allies to commitments they make. this is an injustice to our and others.