first brexit, now trump — eu leaders present a united front against new perceived threats. at an eu summit, theresa may offers to help relations with the us president and says she wants a strong europe. what i want to build with the eu is a strong partnership, we want a strong continuing eu and a strong partnership because we're not leaving europe, we're leaving the eu. we'll be looking at where the eu stands in relation to the us and where the new uncertainty leaves britain. also tonight. a serving royal marine pleads guilty to stockpiling weapons for use by dissident republicans. terror at the louvre in paris as a man armed with a machete attacks the museum guards. the pastor facing up to 20 years in prison for protesting against for protesting against mugabe's government in zimbabwe. and, the original headbanger bows out. we speak to ozzy osbourne as black sabbath bring an end to half a century of metal.

coming up in sportsday: we will have the latest from the davis cup. and, ireland's women beat scotland in the six nations. scotland haven't won in the tournament since 2010. good evening. eu leaders have made a show of unity at a summit in malta against what they see as a potentially hostile us president. donald trump has previously praised the uk for voting for brexit. today, eu leaders declared the importance of a strong europe in the face of a newly uncertain relationship with america. theresa may offered to act as a bridge with the us following her visit to washington —

though one eu leader responded it's impossible to build bridges with the us when communication is done mostly on twitter. our deputy political editor john pienaar reports from malta. this report contains some flashing images. a stroll in the sun among europe's leaders, but soon theresa may will be walking alone after brexit, then she'll need all the friends she can get. friends, she believes, like donald trump. she took his hand last week and took home his promise of 100% commitment to the nato alliance. officials have their uses, one high ranking civil servant was suddenly appointed bag carrier today. she had work to do. offering to help the eu in future, just as she had helped the cause of nato. will that us relationship help in that? well, i think it's important that we got the 100% commitment to nato because nato has been so crucial in protecting the security, notjust of the uk

but also of europe and will do so in the future, but as we look to our negotiations what i want to build with the eu is a strong partnership. we want a strong continuing eu and a strong partnership because we are not leaving europe, we're leaving the eu. the prime minister's flying visit here is just part of her mission to hold on to britain's global clout after brexit. theresa may's hope, by showing she can deal with donald trump and get results, she will get a better brexit dealfrom eu leaders who may look to her to help fight europe's corner with the new president but like so much of theresa may's plan for brexit, it won't be easy. theresa may's welcome was warm enough at this informal summit, though she could be forgiven a few nerves, not everyone was interested in new ways to connect with president trump. we have got twitter for that, one leader said. and president hollande insisted it was france's job to develop the eu's special relationship with america after brexit

but the eu council president, donald tusk, saw a role for mrs may and britain. the uk can, inside europe or outside europe, i mean eu, not europe, can be very helpful. and i have no doubt also after today's discussions and what theresa may said, i have no doubt that today we can feel some kind of spirit of solidarity. but the summit host warned the eu would fight its own corner if necessary against president trump. we can not stay silent where there are principles involved and as in any good relationship we will have and we will speak very clearly where we think those principles are being trampled on. just now the moods almost amicable. eu leaders took a boat ride together today but hard negotiations to come will decide how far britain stays aboard with europe's future or whether the uk is left to chart its own course alone.

john pienaar, bbc news, valetta. damian grammaticas is in valetta. european leaders making sure they stand shoulder to shoulder over there in malta? yes, absolutely. interestingly, i was told by a source in there while the talks are going on that they had rarely seen so going on that they had rarely seen so much unity amongst the eu countries in recent months. today they actually did all of them reach a significant agreement on trying to stop the migrant flows across the mediterranean from libya, just as they've done from turkey, it's controversial because it means trying to get libya to keep migrants in libya, but the source said there was no argument at all, even the difficult countries in the past like hungary and poland raised no objections. in fact, they said that this was a time for unity, not for arguments. the reason is donald trump, iwas

arguments. the reason is donald trump, i was told, because of the view that across in the united states now there is a president who the eu does not understand yet. they have heard him say he supports brexit, that other countries might follow, and that could be a wonderful thing. eu leaders want a close relationship with the united states but are unsure about what's going on so they very much welcomed theresa may when she said she wanted a united and strong europe and she had delivered that message to donald trump. what does that mean, i think a good atmosphere doesn't necessarily translate into prospects for brexit talks because at the same time we had president hollande deliver ago message to donald trump saying don't get involved, eu leaders very much signalling their priority is preserving their cohesion and that comes for brexit talks too. thank you. a royal marine commando from northern ireland has pleaded guilty to stockpiling explosives and making bombs. 31—year—old ciaran maxwell was arrested last year after police found two arms dumps in county antrim. unknown to the marines,

while serving he had also been preparing for acts of terrorism, including compiling a list of targets, to be used by dissident republicans. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has the story and his report does contain some flashing images. he was a member of the uk's elite royal marines unit a0 commando, having passed the gruelling 32—week training course. but today, ciaran maxwell admitted that during his five years in the marines he was also preparing for terrorism, building up hidden stockpiles of explosives, weapons and ammunition. he grew up in larne, some 20 miles north of belfast, a largely unionist town with some strong loyalist paramilitary links. a bmx fan who came from a catholic family, as a teenager he was on the fringe of irish republican activity in the town. it was the early 20005,

a time of widespread attacks by loyalists. ciaran maxwell himself was badly beaten up and ended up in hospital in belfast with a fractured skull. but in his mid—20s, despite his background, he joined the royal marines, posting this footage of his training on social media. some politicians now worry that there was a failure to adequately check his past or to monitor who he was mixing with on his trips back home. once he was in the marines and had access to all of the training and weaponry, there appears to have been no attempt to make sure that he wasn't using the opportunities that were available to him to help terrorists in northern ireland. then last spring, police in northern ireland uncovered two arms dumps near larne in a country park and a remote forest. hidden in plastic barrels in the woods were, among other things, claymore mines, capable of killing several people,

pipe bombs, ammunition and an armour—piercing mortar. it was the most significant arms cache found in northern ireland in recent years but it was the two claymore anti—personnel mines, clearly stolen from the british armed forces, that caused the greatest alarm. the claymores led the police back to ciaran maxwell's barracks in somerset. searches of woods near his devon home uncovered electronic components and notes on making bombs. it was clear to police they had found a serving royal marine involved in dissident irish republican terrorism, a man who had compiled a list of possible targets and got hold of a northern ireland police uniform, though security sources say he may have been a bit of a lone wolf. daniel sandford, bbc news, larne. an egyptian man armed with a machete has been shot and wounded after he attacked guards at the world famous louvre museum in paris.

hundreds of tourists were in the building at the time. the attack is being treated as a terrorist incident, as jonny dymond reports. in the heart of paris, at the entrance to one of its cultural treasures, an attacker is brought down by the military. an egyptian, he had come to the city eight days ago. he was stopped as he tried to enter the shops beneath the louvre. he shouted allahu akbar — god is great in arabic. and then swung at a soldier with one of the two machetes he was carrying. the soldier fired from the ground, all around — confusion and fear. translation: it happened very fast, really it all went quickly. everyone was panicking and we thought of our lives, we saw death coming for us, with everything that's been happening at the moment. we were very, very scared. injured in the attack, the soldier who had been struck and then brought down the attacker.

the president, in malta at the eu summit, said it was a terrorist attack. the situation, he said, was under control. translation: but the threat is there. it remains, and we have to face it. that's the reason we mobilise this many resources and we will continue to do so as long as it is needed. for the authorities, this was proof that the high—profile security presence in the capital and across france really does work. it was also a reminder of the attacks that took so many lives here, and of the threat that remains in paris and beyond. by the end of the day the louvre was open again but paris and france remain on high alert. jonny dymond, bbc news, paris. the energy firm npower is raising its electricity and gas prices by an average of 10% —

one of the largest rises by a "big six" energy supplier for years. the energy regulator has called on npower tojustify the price hike to its customers. our industry correspondent john moylan is here now. this is going to hit a lot of customers hard. i think many people in the industry we re i think many people in the industry were surprised by these price rises today and i think the figures really speakfor today and i think the figures really speak for themselves. if you are an npower customers from the middle of next month the electricity prices are going up by 15%. gas price is going up by nearly 5%. that means if you are a dual fuel customer you are going to be paying almost 10% more in the year ahead and that accounts to about £109 extra on your bill this year. npower insist it has to do this because it says wholesale prices are rising and it points to government energy policy costs, things like rolling out smart metres and paying for renewable energy. there was widespread criticism of

this today, the regulator ofgem said it saw no justification for significant price rises where firms have bought energy well in advance. i think have bought energy well in advance. ithink in have bought energy well in advance. i think in a sign energy is moving back up the political agenda there was tough words from the government today. the business department said it was concerned about npower‘s plans and warning where markets don't work it will be prepared to act and there is a suggestion, there we re act and there is a suggestion, there were hints there could be measures to help some customers in a forthcoming consumer green paper which is due in the spring. thank you very much. sheffield city council failed to stop an employee, a predatory sex offender, from abusing his victims in council offices over two decades. roger dodds has been sentenced today to 16 years in prison. the council was first told about the allegations against dodds back in 1981 — but didn't inform the police. years later, following further allegations, they allowed him to take early retirement with an enhanced pension. michael buchanan has the story. cheering.

1980, olympic gold for seb coe. celebrating in the athlete's parents' front room — a sexual predator. at this very time, roger dodds was abusing young men at sheffield city council. today, the court heard, he used his friendship with seb coe to lure a boy to sheffield and abuse him. after escaping justice for decades, the 81—year—old was this afternoon sentenced to 16 years in prison. in the 19705, dodds used to work here, giving grants to sheffield students. he used thatjob to sexually assault some of those teenage applicants. decades later, his victims are speaking out. very gradually, his left hand started to feel its way towards my rightjeans pocket. and ever so really slowly go in the direction of my genitals. this man was assaulted at his very first meeting with dodds, and on several other visits, too. dodds had a big bunch of keys with him. and he opened the door to this type of classroom, for want of a better word.

i went in, in front of him, and i remember turning around and looking at roger dodds with his big bunch of keys, locking the door. and that was horrifying. in 1981 a raft of allegations were made against roger dodds. the council launched an enquiry. richard rowe, a colleague, gave evidence. he told officials that he had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by his manager over 18 months. the investigation led to sheffield city council simply moving dodds to another post. thisjob, whilst based in the department, it regularly took him out to schools. and once i found that out, i was horrified. the newjob gave dodds unregulated and unsupervised access to schools. a decade later, in 1993, kenny dale, another council employee, was assaulted by roger dodds. kenny complained. the council acted.

unbelievably, it gave dodds early retirement with an enhanced pension. the council are so responsible. they allowed it to happen. everyone knew. everyone in the council knew, but they chose to do nothing about it. in 2008, three victims told police about dodds' abuse. the crown prosecution chose not to charge him, but sheffield city council ordered an internal enquiry. we've learned the report concluded the council was complicit in allowing dodds' decades of abuse. despite the fact that this happened more than a quarter of a century ago, we have accepted responsibility, and do not seek to defend the indefensible. roger dodds' victims have become friends in adversity. but given the number of young men that passed through dodds' office, few believe that they're the only ones harmed by a sexual predator, protected by his employer. michael buchanan, bbc news, sheffield.

fighting between ukrainian government forces and russian—backed rebels in eastern ukraine has escalated, with some of the worst violence for two years. both sides in the conflict have accused each other of attacking civilians. the focus of the clashes has been the government—controlled city of avdiivka, 10 miles from the rebel—held city of donetsk. tom burridge is in avdiivka and sent this report. a wait for food — part of their perpetual nightmare of war. but for thousands, the city of avdiivka is still their home. it's now the epicentre of the worst fighting in eastern ukraine in two years. she says she sits at home trembling when the night—time routine of heavy shelling begins. today we met valentina. still in shock, her daughter was killed in the shelling last night. she still hadn't told her

nine—year—old grandson. translation: the child still doesn't know his mother is gone. and i don't know how to tell him. "who was firing?", asks the dead woman's cousin. "who is responsible for eastern ukraine being covered in blood?" we found elena's husband clearing up the family's apartment where his wife was killed. the reality is, most of the civilians living in the city, are just a short distance from the front line in that direction. you can hear the fighting now. they have nowhere else to go. they are stuck here, stuck in the madness of the conflict in eastern ukraine. it's why a woman — an innocent woman — died last night. there, in the same apartment block, was a british journalist. freelancer christopher nunn was badly injured to the head. we met the ukrainian army doctor who treated him. he had an injured face and injured eye. i think a fragment of rocket go into his eye. he is lucky.

because he didn't die? they are treating the injured and receiving the dead at avdiivka's tiny hospital everyday. the ukrainian army, which holds the city, is fighting russian backed separatists. ukraine and russia both blame each otherfor the increase in violence. civilians have also been killed in the separatist—held city of donetsk. russia claims the authorities here, which it supports, are in a battle for independence. but there is clear evidence the conflict, which has ruined cities like avdiivka, has been fuelled by russia. and countries like britain accuse moscow of violating the sovereignty of ukraine. war here has a familiar feel, but things could now once again spiral out of control. tom burridge, bbc news in eastern ukraine. is president trump heralding a new age of foreign policy by tweet? today he extended economic sanctions

on iran after he sent an early morning tweet warning that "iran was playing with fire" over their ballistic missile test. the foreign minister of iran then tweeted himself. he said, "iran unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people". let's talk now to our north america editor, jon sopel. a fairly hostile twitter exchange, is it likely to result in any action? we have heard there are sanctions that have been imposed, probably far tougher than barack obama would have done when he was president, and that has pleased donald trump's republican base. showing he is being tough on iran. swift action is what a lot of people had demanded. but if you cut through the noise, what he's also doing is, he's not doing anything thatjeopardises the iran deal, which he says was the worst deal, which he says was the worst deal the us had ever made. that stays in place. looking at a couple

of other things, there is an air of normalcy among the disruption. we heard in the report from ukraine, the us ambassador to the un said yesterday sanctions would have to remain in place against russia because of the situation in ukraine and crimea. we also saw a statement from the white house last night saying that israel, cautioning israel against building more settle m e nts israel against building more settlements in the west bank. not the friendship israel thought they would get. very quietly, there are bits of common ground between the foreign policy of donald trump and barack obama. a zimbabwean pastor, who started a grassroots protest movement against president robert mugabe, has appeared in court charged with trying to overthrow the government. if convicted, evan mawarire faces up to 20 years in prison. it comes as president mugabe prepares to celebrate his 93rd birthday with a lavish party against a backdrop of economic hardship, as our harare correspondent shingai nyoka reports. this is the man who dared to demand that zimbabwe's

ruling elite stepped down. don't worry, justice will be served. he believes he's paying the price for speaking the truth. he is accused of being behind some of the biggest protests against president mugabe in over a decade. his online rants against corruption went viral. they tell me that the black is for the majority, people like me. and yet for some reason i don't feel like i am a part of it. and soon, other zimbabweans were venting their anger, using his hashtag, thisflag. protests erupted around the world. he left the country fearing for his safety. but in the last six months the government has clamped down on civil rights. evan mawarire hasn't received the same level of public support that he did when he stood on these same court grounds last year, but his supporters believe

that his case, which will be heard here, will test the limits of freedom of expression in this country. i think a lot of people are still a little bit upset, if you like, disappointed. they feel let down by the fact that he left in the first place, and perhaps they fear that he might do it again. but i think at its core, it must be remembered at all times that evan mawarire is not the problem, he's never been the problem, and the problems that got everybody to rise up the first time he spoke out, remain. those problems include an over 80% unemployment rate. the country is running out of cash. in this supermarket, zimbabweans are weighing up the price increases. in a desperate measure, the government has introduced a 15% tax on some basic goods. it's very, very unusual. it's very unprecedented. most countries, they don't actually impose sales tax or vat on basic commodities. it comes as zanupf prepares to throw

another lavish birthday party for long—term leader president robert mugabe, this month. he turns 93, and says he will stand again for elections in 2018. the thisflag pastor has not ruled out running for office, but his immediate fate lies at the hands of mr mugabe's government. shingai nyoka, bbc news, harare. the band credited with inventing heavy metal play their final gig tomorrow night, in their hometown of birmingham. black sabbath pioneered their sound back in 1968. sabbath‘s legendary front man ozzy osbourne gave his final tv interview as a member of the band to our entertainment correspondent colin paterson. music: paranoid by black sabbath. four teenagers from birmingham who quit their factoryjobs and started a musical genre which travelled the globe. # finished with my woman ‘cause she couldn't help me with my mind. without black sabbath, there would be no heavy metal. but from tomorrow night,

and one final hometown gig, there will be no black sabbath. if i'm being honest, utterly excited and kind of devastated. it's unbelievable. ozzy osbourne, the end of black sabbath. why? well, it's run its course, really. it just felt right. when we did the first black sabbath album, i remember thinking, ah, it'll be all right for a couple of years. it's kind of like being put in a barrel and rolled down the biggest mountain ever, and you come out and you're like, it's 49 years later. this is where it all began, the crown pub, right here in the centre of birmingham. back in 1968, black sabbath, or earth, as they were called at the time played their first gig. the fee that night — they weren't paid in money, but in t—shirts. how things have changed. this farewell tour with founding members tony iommi and geezer butler

has taken more than £60 million in ticket sales. i've been collecting over the last 25 or 30 years. but for dedicated fans, tomorrow night is not going to be an easy one. a mixture of emotions really. i'm sure i'll shed a few tears on the final night. which is to be expected. and even ozzy, the self—professed prince of darkness, isn't ruling out the possibility of having a cry on stage. my emotions are flying all over the place. let's see what happens. black sabbath, heavy metal pioneers, but tomorrow mightjust bring out their soft side. colin paterson, bbc news, birmingham. # can you help me occupy my brain? that's it. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. good evening and welcome to bbc

london news with me, louisa preston. it's being claimed that lives could be put at risk because of a new it system used by the london fire brigade. union leaders say the computer software introduced to improve how engines are sent to emergencies is plagued with technical problems, causing unnecessary delays. the fire brigade admit to some teething problems but insist the system has been improved. london's fire brigade has a target — to get to the scene of a fire within six minutes of a station being mobilised. but this man knows sometimes that doesn't happen. they were phoned straightaway, once we knew there was a fire going on in our garage. it's about a mile and a half from my house to the fire station. how long does that take to get here?

hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm lizzie greenwood—hughes, here's what's coming up tonight: deputy dan steps up to win britain's opening davis cup singles match in canada. stoke admit new signing saido berahino served an eight week ban at west brom last year. and the six nations get underway this weekend. but still no victory for scotland's women who haven't won since 2010. so plenty coming up tonight. and we're starting with the tennis because great britain are 1—0 up in their opening davis cup tie of 2017 against canada after dan evans won the opening rubber against the 17—year—old wimbledon junior champion denis shapovalov. evans is britain's flag bearer in ottawa in the absence of world number one andy murray. he eased through the first set then brought in a decisive moment in the second, and again in the third. evans wrapped it up in straight sets, 6—3, 6—3, 6—4, to put britain

w011 sets, 6—3, 6—3, 6—4, to put britain won it with kyle edmund next week. o nto football won it with kyle edmund next week. onto football no... onto football now... parliament will next week debate how english football is governed as mps try to improve the way the sport is run. the culture, media and sport committee will bring a motion of ‘no confidence' in the football association's ability to restructure itself. the fa have responded saying they're committed to working with the government. here's our sports news correspondent richard conway with more. well, this is the culture, media and sport, select committee, a body of mps who quite frankly have had their patients weren't slightly thin by the football association in recent yea rs. the football association in recent years. they have had two report into the governance of football and as they see at the fa needs to reform, look at how it governs itself, and it needs to look at the make up of its board. rethink the powerfrom the football league, the premier league, is too entrenched. that

there is not enough diversity in that group of decision—makers and also throughout the organisation —— they think that the power from the football league. the stoke city manager mark hughes says he sees ‘no reason‘ to exclude new signing saido berahino for tomorrow's premier league meeting with the striker‘s old club — west brom. it's been confirmed berahino served an eight—week fa suspension last year. it follows newspaper reports today, that he failed an ‘out of competition drugs test‘ but it's unconfirmed by either club or the fa. he served a ban when he was here at west brom. i don't really want to comment on the reason why. but i will go back to saying what i said then, and i'll say it again, he never played for me, or didn't play regularfor me, because he never played for me, or didn't play regular for me, because he wasn't fit enough, for whatever reason. it was a personal matter. we are under strict obligations not to