this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall, the headlines at eight. the chanchellor defends his plans to increase national insurance contributions for the self—employed as a number of conservative mps call for a rethink of yesterday's budget announcement. the shift toward self employment is eroding the tax base and is making it harder to avoid the public services on which ordinary working families depend. those comments came at theresa may's final eu summit in brussels. the health secretary said it is essential that a&e departments in england hit their target for waiting times now that extra money has been pumped into care and health services. and in the next hour, remembering those who served in iraq, afghanistan and the gulf war. may this memorial commemorates the lives and service of all who took part in the operations in iraq and afghanistan.

the queen unveiled a memorial dedicated to both soldiers and civilians at a special service in central london. and what happened to the baby chimp rescued by a bbc investigation after being captured by traffickers? good evening and welcome to bbc news. the chancellor has been forced to defend his budget and the controversial changes to increase national insurance for self employed workers. that's despite a tory manifesto pledge not to raise national insurance. it's angered a number of conservative backbenchers and been roundly criticised by labour. there has been partial backing for the increase from the influential think tank the institute for fiscal studies, but overall it described

the chancellor's plans as a sticking plaster rather than a fundamental review. our chief political correspondent vicki young has been following the day's events. he says he's backing business, but visiting the west midlands today the chancellor had to fend off accusations that he's bashing the workers who keep the wheels of the economy turning. putting up taxes is never popular, and this is going to be a hard sell to conservative mps. we have to have a tax system that is fair, and it's right that we ask people to contribute appropriately for the benefits that they're receiving from the state. access to the national health service, access to state pensions, available now to self—employed people on the same basis as the employed, and they have to be prepared to pay a little more, if they're earning a higher income. the government insists the national insurance changes are needed. yesterday's announcement, plus others already planned, mean 2.6 million self—employed workers will gain around £115 a year. but 1.6 million will have to pay more — on average £240 a year.

and for self—employed cab—driver vince, this is bad news. well it was quite a shock, you know? it's another dent in my partner and my pocket, as well, because we're both self—employed. it's a struggle at the moment, so it will be more of a struggle, you know? like last night, as i got in, and that's the first thing i said to my partner. we spoke about it, so it's another thing that we've got to find. if i don't work, or go on holiday, i don't get paid. philip hammond's first budget has run into trouble at westminster too, with some tory mps complaining that he's broken an election promise not to increase national insurance. they're demanding a rethink. i think philip's a great chancellor, i think he's done a really good job. i think this is just something that slipped through the net. what we've got to do is make sure it doesn't get through the net, we've got to make sure it gets stopped, the chancellor needs to do a u—turn, needs to do it quickly.

this is not sending out the message which i know every conservative member of parliament believes in, which is supporting business growth. these people are making the growth of the future. and labour say the change is unfair on self—employed people. they don't get access to the same benefits, statutory sick pay, maternity pay, paternity pay, access to industrial disablement benefits, those sorts of things. that's what i thought he was going to start consulting about, but all he's offered them is an increase in national insurance and a possible reviewer on later stage. that's not acceptable. treasury sources say the chancellor is privately bullish about his tax plans. they hope the argument that they make the system fairer will persuade tory mps. there will have to be a vote on all this in the commons, although there is no rush, the changes aren't due in until next year. for now though, philip hammond is under considerable pressure to ditch the idea, or at least water it down. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. in the past few minutes laura

kuenssberg has asked the prime minister about the controversy over national insurance changes. theresa may said difficult decisions had to be made. the government was very clear that when the tax legislation was passed relating to class one national insurance contributions, which covers 85% of workers, the legislation was clear that it was honouring our 2015 manifesto commitment and no amendments or concerns were raised at the time. let me if i may talk about the budget yesterday. we made some difficult decisions in the budget yesterday, but those decisions allowed us to find an ambitious, new approach to technical education, to open more than 100 new free schools and meet the growing demand for social care as well as investing in the long—term productivity of the economy. it did so whilst maintaining our commitment to

balance the books. the decision on national insurance was taken in the context of a rapidly changing labour market in which the number of people in self—employment, often doing the same work as people employed more traditionally, is rising rapidly. the institute for fiscal studies has said it backed the rises to class four national insurance contributions paid by the self employed because they say the current system creates complexity and is unfair. let's speak to our political correspondent alex forsyth. how much i saw that cut to the critics on the backbenches? as you heard, theresa may is not going to back down. she is saying this is a fair change because it closes the gap between what people pay when they are self employed versus what they are self employed versus what they pay when they are employed. the concern comes from two france from

conservative backbenchers. those who are opposed to it because it ran contrary to conservative values, supporting people who wanted to start up businesses, that entrepreneurial spirit, and the other one who thought this was the conservatives rowing back on the ma nifesto conservatives rowing back on the manifesto commitment. theresa may has said they have stuck to their commitment, albeit on what some would say was a technicality. 0n the broad front she is saying this is a package of measures, it is a whole review of the workforce, and the tack they are trying to take is to persuade people that if you want investment in social care and education, you will have to pay for it somewhere. they are buying themselves time to allow themselves to do that. she said they would explain more in detail in a paper in the summer and then no legislation until the autumn. the hope would be that if you make the broader

arguments about the need to look at the tax system in the light of the changing workforce, then you can stave off the rebellion we have heard from some tory backbench mps. we have not had much reaction yet from conservatives to her press conference, but the level of opposition will depend on whether the government can convince people that the reason for these changes is genuinely about improving the system. for the moment, thank you. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are kate devlin, political correspondent at the herald, and peter spiegel, news editor at the financial times. the prime minister has arrived in brussels to attend what's expected to be her final eu summit before triggering the uk's departure from the european union. brexit will not be part of the formal discussions at the summit but nearer to home scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has given her clearest indication yet that before the uk leaves the eu, the snp wants to hold another referendum on scottish independence. dizzying, not just the

dizzying, notjust the backdrop, but the political job at dizzying, notjust the backdrop, but the politicaljob at hand. the brussels working day for the british government is no easier than at home. friendly faces, maybe, but how much help will theresa may really get? what advice would you give theresa may? belgian sympathy perhaps. she has had problems in parliament, he said. the portuguese employed, mrs make can inform us what is her point of departure? but the pm on the verge of starting the divorce talks, the irish leader confirmed she could be asked to pay out billions, so will theresa may really get what she wants? clearly the language on both sides here will change in terms of its rhetoric from time to time, but we have to have a

sense of realism. it sounds like you think she is not being realistic.|j am sure the prime minister is very realistic, but the situation is the prime minister of the uk wants as close relation as possible with the european union and we have our problems and circumstances and they are well understand at a european level and in her government. no showy entrance for theresa may. the prime minister in a hurry for the talks chose to go quietly in away from reporters. by the end of the month she will have embarked on the process of leaving the european throng. britain has always, somehow, be awkward in this crowd. this is the first time theresa may will meet european leaders in this brand—new building, but it is the last time the prime minister will come here before she pushes the button on brexit. but just as before she pushes the button on brexit. butjust as she is starting to grapple with all of the

complexities in brussels, the scale, the potential implications of leaving the eu, are becoming ever clearer at home. nowhere more so than in scotland were a clear majority voted to stay in the eu. but the prospect of another independence vote moves ever closer. the first minister openly suggested next year. some of your colleagues 110w next year. some of your colleagues now talk about autumn 2018 as a likely date. when there is an outline of a uk deal and it becomes clear and the uk exiting the eu, i think it would be the common—sense time for scotland to have that choice, if that is the road we choose to go down. you are not ruling out autumn 2018?” choose to go down. you are not ruling out autumn 2018? i am not ruling out autumn 2018? i am not ruling out autumn 2018? i am not ruling out anything. the prime minister's team will not accept that easily, but like the crash of leaving the eu, they are not saying what they will. it is easy to claim

we are on our way, but to say how is less easy to do. the prime minister has also spoken about the upcoming brexit negotiations as she says there was an opportunity for genuine economic and social reform. our european partners want to get on with the negotiation and so do i. it is time to get on with leaving and building the independent, self—governing, global britain that british people have called for. we will trigger article 50 by the end of this month. this will be a defining moment for the uk as we begin the process of forging a new role for ourselves in the world as a strong country with control over our borders and our laws. as the chancellor made clear yesterday, we will use this moment of change to build a stronger economy and a fairer society that

works for ordinary working people by embracing genuine economic and social reform at home. britain is leaving the european union, but we are not leaving europe. a global britain that stands tall in the world will be a britain that remains a good friend and ally to all our european partners. a church of england bishop has turned down a promotion after his congregation protested about his opposition to women priests. the right reverend philip north, who is currently the bishop of burnley, was selected as the next bishop of sheffield injanuary. mr north said it was clear his appointment would be "counter productive" to the mission of the church. the health secretaryjeremy hunt wants a&e departments in england to hit their target for waiting times now that extra money is being put into health and social care, as announced in the budget. mr hunt, speaking at a conference in london, said it's essential for patients' safety, that a&e waiting times are reduced. if we are leaving people too long in a&e departments,

not getting the flow right through hospitals, it is bad for patient safety. that's why it's absolutely essential that we do get back to the 95% target. this one is critical for patient safety. and that's why yesterday you saw the chancellor announcing a £2 billion short—term package of social care. the prime minister has denied the government has broken its manifesto promise by increasing national insurance contributions for the self—employed. theresa may is in brussels at what could be her last eu summit before beginning the exit from the eu. the health secretary says it is necessary for a&e departments to hit their targets now it has been given

extra money. now it is the spot and a full round—up. manchester united were held to a 1—1 draw by fc rostov in russia in the first leg of their last 16 europa league tie. the pre—match talk surrounded the terrible state of the pitch and it seemed to even things up on the night. united managed to score in the first half with zlatan ibrahimovic setting up henrikh mkhitariyan. but the home side were level not long after the half time break. aleksandr bukharov with a fantastic finish. the second leg is next thursday at old trafford. england are closing in on a 3—0 one—day series victory against west indies. england set the hosts a daunting 329 to win in barbados. they are currently 101—8 of 33 of their 50 overs. they are currently 101—8 of 33 of their 50 overs. england were put in and batted well. 0pener alex hales scored a century on his return from injury, and joe root also scored a hundred.

the west indies never looked likely to chase down what is a record total for a one—day international on this ground. and there has been some revenge for ben stokes, who trapped carlos brathwaite lbw with the first ball he's bowled to him since being hit forfour sixes in the final over of the world t20. it's a repeat of last year's grand final in super league this evening, warrington face wigan. wigan have won all three of their super league games this season. warrington have lost all of theirs and sit bottom of the table with no points. 11 minutes gone and wigan are leading 4—0. 11 minutes gone and wigan are leading 4—0. england's 0wen farrell couldn't get through today's training session ahead of the calcutta cup match against scotland in the six nations on saturday. the centre had medics looking at his left knee as he departed the training field at pennyhill park. number 8 billy vunipola will make his first appearance in the tournament from the bench. and although head coach eddiejones admits farrell could be a doubt for the game, he made light of the incident. he has got a bad leg, so he could

not finish training. how did it happen in training?|j not finish training. how did it happen in training? i think he ran into my dog, mate. my doc was running around and he ran into him. he will be all right. you just said he was a doubt. yes, but he will be all right, is that 0k? he was a doubt. yes, but he will be all right, is that ok? we have got plenty of back—ups. billy can play at 12, he is an exceptional player, he is no risk for us. as for scotland, edinburgh flanker hamish watson will start in place of the injured john hardie. it's the only change to the starting 15 and means their backline stays the same for the trip to twickenham, a venue where scotland haven't won since 1983. 0ur players know we will have to be on our best performance on that day, during that 80 minutes. we will have

to string together a number of excellent plays in attack and defence and think clearly to get them to start adapting to our play. they are a very good team. andy murray has been handed a favourable draw for the indian atp masters. he has avoided roger federer, rafael nadal, kei nishikori and novak djokovic. his first match will be against a qualifier. and novak djokovic. his first match will be against a qualifierlj and novak djokovic. his first match will be against a qualifier. i am coming in and i feel will be against a qualifier. i am coming in and ifeel well will be against a qualifier. i am coming in and i feel well and will be against a qualifier. i am coming in and ifeel welland i will be against a qualifier. i am coming in and ifeel well and ifeel fresh. i took a decent break after melbourne and hopefully i can play some good stuff. it is a place where i have struggled in the past, my results have been inconsistent and hopefully i can do a bit better this year. in badminton the british parents won

their game and will face the olympic champions in the next round on friday. the last british winners of the competition were nathan robertson and gail emms in 2005. there were some long rallies in that match. the arena is playing quite slow, but we like how it is playing out there. we stuck to the plan well today. it is a mean partnership and we never played them before, so we did a lot of video analysis, especially on her. we knew what he was going to bring and we were happy with how we performed. british skierjames woods has won a bronze medal in slopestyle at the x games in oslo in norway. home favourite 0ystein braaten took gold. not such a good day for freestyle snowboarder katie 0rmerod though. she's posted on social media that she has suffered a broken bone in her back while training. 0rmerod, seen here in a previous training session, became gb‘s first big air world cup winner

earlier this year, and describes the injury as nothing too serious, and says she'll be back in six weeks. but she will now miss the world championships in spain. you can follow the end of the cricket on bbc radio five live extra. i will be back later to stop a national monument paying tribute to members of the military and civilians who served and worked in the wars in iraq and afghanistan has been unveiled in central london. the queen led the ceremony watched by two and a half thousand invited guests including other members of the royal family, politicians and bereaved families. robert hall reports. there have been many accounts of individual sacrifice during the

longest and most intense period of combat operations since the second world war. this was a day to recognise the stories that have not been told. we meet in the presence of god to commemorate and give thanks to all those civilians and members of the military who have served on operations in the gulf region, iraq and afghanistan. 682 service personnel lost their lives in iraq and afghanistan. the political decisions which put them in harm's way still divide opinion. no one has ever doubted the courage and dedication of every man and every woman who travelled to a troubled region. may this memorial commemorate the lives and service of

all. my son was killed in iraq in 2007. at least they are all being recognised, that is the main thing. with all the controversy over the iraq wari with all the controversy over the iraq war i did not even think we would get a memorial, but it shows what people power can do. but delight at public recognition was tempered by regret that invitations we re tempered by regret that invitations were not extended to all very families. a very pretty service and a very pretty memorial, but very frustrated. brief parents, family members, were not originally invited to this. those who were invited sort of sculpture that offered a glimpse of sculpture that offered a glimpse of the past and the future. today brought closer to the event, iraq was quite traumatic and afghanistan where i went to 44 times which was very traumatic. there are still people out there. i am leaving the team behind that will continue

working. i leave in june. one day sergeant mark lamb and his wife michelle will pass on their iraq experiences to their son alfie, not on his best behaviour this morning. he and generations to come will have a permanent reminder of a chapter in our history that remains unfinished business. last month we brought you the story of nemlyjunior, a baby chimpanzee freed — thanks to a bbc investigation — from wildlife traffickers in ivory coast. two of the traffickers are now being prosecuted, in the first case of its kind. and the body responsible for trying to stop the illegal trade in endangered species has now tightened up its procedures. but what of nemleyjunior, the little chimp at the centre of it all? david shukman has been back to ivory coast to find out. a heart—warming story of recovery — a baby chimpanzee, nemleyjunior, with a great appetite. an astonishing turnaround, given the trauma he's been through. poachers killed his mother and the rest of his family and then sold him to wildlife traffickers.

he's learning to explore, he was freed as a result of a bbc news investigation. but he never likes to get too farfrom his keepers, he wants constant company. chimpanzees live in close families in the wild. nemleyjunior has now lost his and needs a new one. this is a key moment for nemleyjunior, meeting another chimpanzee, a slightly older female. he's never going to make it back into the wild, so the best hope is to create bonds with a new family. just a few months ago, he looked so much thinner while in the hands of animal smugglers. they were selling him for $12,500. we briefed the police and they moved in. a raid led to two arrests.

a young dealer called ibrahima traore and his uncle mohamed. they're now awaiting trial — the first prosecution for wildlife trafficking that ivory coast has ever seen. and with big money involved, they're linked to another network of traffickers in guinea. the sidibe family also sold baby chimpanzees, but two of them have now been arrested, so this could be a turning point. once you get one, your arrest them, you prosecute them, you incarcerate them, that message starts to get out that crime is no longer high profit, low risk, there is a risk here, in fact, i might go to jail. the dealers circulate videos of the chimps for sale. wildlife investigators say the arrests will slow the trade but not stop it entirely. it is just one big step, but it is a never ending battle, wildlife trafficking. so you've made progress, but it's not the end? not the end, it's like a drug, it's a never ending battle. back at the zoo nemley

junior is playful. a mobile phone keeps him amused and here's the view from it. after our first report of his rescue, many of you were keen to hear more about him. well, it's reassuring to see him thriving, and also to think that with four traffickers arrested, other chimps in the jungles may be a little safer. david shukmman, bbc news, in ivory coast. a woman who was stabbed to death by her brother at a flat in wolverhampton on wednesday has been named as anne—marie james. wolverhampton on wednesday has been named as anne—mariejames. she was 33. she was killed by her attacker, who was thought to be her brother, only named as melvin. but that man later died from what police believe to be self—inflicted, multiple stab

wounds according to a postmortem examination. anne—marie james's mother was also injured and she is in hospital with life—threatening injuries. police say following the confrontation the attacker, who was 36, was apprehended, but later died in hospital. armed police had to use stu n in hospital. armed police had to use stun grenades to distract the attacker as they stormed that 16 story tower block in wolverhampton. anne—mariejames, story tower block in wolverhampton. anne—marie james, 33—year—old woman, has now been named as the person who died in the attack. that was in wolverhampton. a united nations report is to call for an independent investigation into the potential health impact of the uk's largest open—cast coal mine. residents living near the site in south wales have led a long campaign against air and noise pollution, as stefan messenger reports. it's taken over his living room and, he says, it's taken over his life.

campaigning against the giant coalmine on his doorstep. so this is the back of your car, basically, covered in dust? yeah, car in the back. yes, you think, well, you know, that's going in my mouth, like, that's going up my nose. we are stinking in pollution here. 0utside, there's more coal dust on his windowsills. terry evans claims it's being blown from just beyond this ridge, 37 metres from his front door. from the air, you can see why — cut into the side of the valley, east of the town of merthyr tydfil, this is the uk's largest opencast mine, ffos—y—fran, the size of some 400 football pitches. since 2007, a private company's been digging here, turning old industrial land back to open moorland as they go. that's why it was allowed to happen so close to people's houses. the community were told that modern mining methods would protect them from pollution, but ten years on, some here say they've been betrayed.

all of us were well aware of people's concerns and real problems of washing being dirty, of kids being disturbed because they couldn't get to sleep at night. since then, the mine has got a bit deeper, the noise pollution has got less, but nobody believes that the air pollution has got any less. for more than a decade, there have been protests and petitions, attempted legal action, complaints to the local council, the welsh and uk governments. now, bbc news has learned that the united nations is set to make a surprising intervention. a report by its special rapporteur on the human rights of communities at risk of pollution will call for an independent investigation into claims this mine could be harming local people's health. he had met local campaigners as part of an official visit to the uk injanuary. i came across a number of pressing issues, but this was definitely at the top of the list. i heard allegations of very high rates of childhood asthma, cancer clusters among the community.

i didn't hear any evidence of a strong intervention by the government to investigate. merthyr tydfil council said its findings were based on unsubstantiated claims by the community. the mine's operator, miller argent, said he'd been taken in by fake news, accusing him of being biased and a disgrace to his office. the welsh government said it was supporting local authorities to monitor air pollution. the uk government will respond after mr tunca k‘s official report has been published in september. stefan messenger, bbc news. now for the weather with sarah. good evening. after a fine and springlike day we have clear skies across much of the country. this evening the cloud will creep in from the west and there was low cloud in the south—west of england with bill fog

and further north drizzle in northern ireland and scotland. central and eastern parts of the country stay clear. here are the lowest temperatures. the eastern parts of the uk will keep the sunshine for longest on friday and further west the cloud increases on thursday. drizzly rain in northern ireland. in the south—east of england and east anglia we should see the sunshine lasting through much of the day and the cloud will break elsewhere. temperatures up to 13 and most of stay dry on friday evening. this weekend we have fronts moving in. on saturday most parts of the look dry and by sunday the rain is clearing to the east and temperatures are a few degrees lower. goodbye. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines now: the government defends its plan to increase national insurance contributions for the self—employed,

as a number of conservative mps call for a re—think of yesterday's budget announcement the shift towards self—employment is eroding the tax base. it is making it harder to for the public services on which ordinary working families defend —— depend and this goes some way towards fixing that. the health secretary says it's essential that a & e departments in england hit their target for waiting times now that extra money has been pumped into care and health services. the queen has paid tribute to members of the military and civilians who served in iraq and afghanistan between 1990 and 2015, as she unveiled a memorial in central london. theresa may has defended the national insurance increase for self—employed workers, saying it will make it more fair. the

government have been accused of breaking a manifesto pledge on tax rises. around 15% of all british workers are self—employed. under this new tax change more than half of workers will be worse off. higher and middle earners will be hardest hit. 0ur economics editor kamal ahmed has been looking at the numbers. hairdressers, builders, minicab drivers, well—paid management consultants. the growing five million strong army of the self—employed. they tend to pay less tax and the treasury doesn't much like that. i asked the man charged by theresa may with investigating the new world of work whether phillip hammond was right to impose an increase in national insurance contributions on those who work for themselves. tax rises are never popular but as tax rises go, this is pretty fair. it's economically rational and it strengthens the long—term resilience of the tax base. so if you're going to increase taxes, this is a pretty good way to do it. mr hammond has talked about fairness. so what are the differences between being employed directly by a company

and being self—employed ? for employed people, there's the issue of rights at work. they receive parental leave, sick pay and holiday pay. if you are self—employed, you receive none of these rights. and let's look at income. at present, an employed person on about £25,000 a year would pay national insurance of £1,970. for a self—employed person, that insurance payment falls to £1,630. after this new tax increase, that payment will rise to £1,810. that means the tax gap between the employed and the self—employed has narrowed. self—employed people earning less than £15,000 or £16,000 per year are actually going to be better off. the biggest hit will be about £580 a year by 2019 for people earning more than about £110,000. yeah, exactly...

the self—employed are not the only people facing a tax increase. this is kelly gilmour—grassam, who runs her own writing business. she takes some of her income in dividends from her shares in the company. the government is going to ask her and over a million other investors with shares to pay more tax. people that might be thinking of making the leap to being a freelancer or setting up a small business, it might make them think twice. this isjust one budget and we have already had quite a lot of changes. if you can imagine what might happen next year or the year after, you know, it is setting a culture of discouragement for entrepreneurship. but what about the employers of the self—employed ? they also gain by, for example, not making national insurance contributions. the government is looking at changing the rules for them as well. this debate about the new world of work and fairness has only just begun. kamal ahmed, bbc news. sir howard hodgkin, one

of the most celebrated figures in british contemporary art, has died aged 8a. his works appear abstract, but he said they related to memories of people and places. he drew inspiration from everything from the french ipressionists to the landscapes of india. his well—known pieces included this poster, on the theme of swimming, commissioned for the 2012 london olympics. with me is the art critic richard cork. richard, thank you very much for coming in and we will have a look at some of these amazing piece says. how influential was a to british art in particular? a hugely so, i think. he was an artist who grew and grew. he was an artist who grew and grew. he started off in a rather quiet way and once people got hold of the fact that he was doing something wonderful with his paint and his brush, i think, wonderful with his paint and his brush, ithink, by wonderful with his paint and his brush, i think, by the end of his life he was up there in my view, and

a lot of other people's opinion as well, as one of the great british artist of his day. talk to us about his style. we have four pictures we can rotate through. first we will look at or sunset. for some people, andi look at or sunset. for some people, and i have to admit i am one of them, sometimes contemporary art is quite difficult to penetrate. i can just about see it might be a sunset, but what is he trying to tell us?|j think he is trying to show you that there is in something in motion here, it is notjust a placid view of a sunset that you might expect in a photograph. in fact, of a sunset that you might expect in a photograph. infact, it of a sunset that you might expect in a photograph. in fact, it is something that almost seems to be changing as you look at it, and that is one of the crucial characteristics of his work, that you are very aware of the energy of the brush marks that he is making, and he makes no attempt to disguise that. he draws you in so you get very involved, not only in the wonderful colours that he uses, but

also in the way that he handles the stuff. we now have going to america to have a look at. what makes that an extraordinary piece of art rather than a few dogs of paint, but a lot of people might think, give me five minutes and i could not but out. of people might think, give me five minutes and i could not but outm does look very abstract to begin with but the more you look at it you realise that it could be some kind of window frame, through which you are looking at, well, first of all you think it is quite a distant view, and there is a hint, isn't there, towards the top of a hillside in the sky, but there is this blaze of colour for the like howard hodgkin, blaze of colour in the lower pa rt hodgkin, blaze of colour in the lower part of the painting. you don't know what in terms of a literal view it is because he is not literal. he is one of these guys that although it is based on something that he has seen, it is also to do with his memories, memory isa also to do with his memories, memory is a crucial thing with hodgkin. you

interviewed him, didn't you? what was he like? a fantastic guide to interview, first of all because you go to his most amazing studio, one of the most beautiful places i have ever been, very near the british museum in london. it was built many yea rs museum in london. it was built many years ago for enormous vehicles to drive in and out so you can imagine how huge it was, and, indeed, is. all of that has changed because he wa nted all of that has changed because he wanted a very, very clean, bare space within which his paintings could almost sort of you get the feeling they were living and breathing within this extraordinary vast room. i wonder what will happen toa vast room. i wonder what will happen to a studio, i hope somebody comes to a studio, i hope somebody comes to its rescue. this is a storm in goa. i was reading that he found painting to be agony, he called it the horrors of painting, but he wasn't equipped to do anything else. what was so difficult about it? he sometimes returned again and again

to the same in the age and changed it very dramatically indeed, and you can sense that and it is one of the reasons why i find his work so involving. what is the medium there? the top looks at watercolour on the bottom looks like oil?|j the top looks at watercolour on the bottom looks like oil? i think it is all the same medium because you have the sort of sense of the action of the sort of sense of the action of the brush, culture, especially lower down, he seems to be almost scratching the brush into the paint. there is this sense of lyricism on the one hand, but almost urgency on the one hand, but almost urgency on the other. he is a very urgent painter. we must look at swimming, from london 2012, which a lot of people might be aware of but not realise who was responsible for it. yes, that is one of the most a bstra ct yes, that is one of the most abstract pictures we have seen here today. 0nce abstract pictures we have seen here today. once again, the more you look at it the more you realise that it is very much to do with the surge the water. it seems to want to wrap itself around you should look at it.

the closer you get to the paintings, andi the closer you get to the paintings, and i always want to go very close and i always want to go very close and see exactly how they are painted, the more i think you suspect that there is a figure they're swimming. suspect that there is a figure they‘ re swimming. although suspect that there is a figure they're swimming. although you can't quite make it out. i think there is a figure, the dark blue underwater. that is what i think. i think you're absolutely right. who knows? that is what so lovely about it, you can bring your own interpretation to it. who will pick up his mantle? are their contemporary painters that are clearly influenced by him?‘ their contemporary painters that are clearly influenced by him? a lot of painters are still very interested in this wonderful confluence between abstraction on the one hand and figurative art on the other. i think that he has been an inspiration to a lot of people in that respect, although he is irreplaceable. there is only one hodgkin and i really do think that his achievement is titanic. always lovely to talk to

you. richard cork, art critic, thank you. wikileaks founderjulian assange says his group will work with technology companies to help defend them against cia spies. in an online press conference, mr assange says companies had asked for more details about the cyber hacking that he claims to have revealed in a leak this week. the cia has declined to comment. the cia have now said thatjulian assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity. mr assange, who's been living in the ecuadorian embassy in london since 2012, believes his group can help technology companies. wikileaks has a lot more information on what has been going on. and so, i want to announce today that after considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these polls from some is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive

access to the additional technical details we have, so fixes can be developed and pushed out so people can be secured. once this material is effectively disarmed by us, by removing critical components, we will publish additional details about what has been occurring. let's speak to michael scheuer, a former cia intelligence officer. hejoins me on webcam from north virginia. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. first of all, what type of impact, how big the impact be for the cia if there was a full publication of its cyber warfare programme? well, it would certainly bea programme? well, it would certainly be a victory for the islamists

because we have chosen mistakenly in the united states and in europe to fight these people with the intelligence services rather than the military to the extent that we needed. and so when you get rid of telegram on the other messaging apps that they have, that isis have told their people to use, when you make them aware of the fact that we can crack at rio really back to the drawing board. who benefits? thank you for turning that phone off. perhaps someone is aware that you're on the tv and they're calling you. it has happened before! julia krass on shows he is helping out the tech companies here, is he? he will help the tech companies for the people are worried about that but it is certainly not going to help american security or the safety of people

around the world. what likely backlash is there to be from the trump administration of the cia?|j think trump administration of the cia?” think the backlash needs to find out who leaked documents and then punish them, but the horses out of the barn now i'm afraid. i don't think there is much you can do about it now. how difficult is it to investigate leak like this? if you're going to do it, you traffic —— you cover your tracks, don't you? yes, you cover your tracks, but the people who are looking for this are very expert in doing that. they may well find the person but the problem we have in the united states is we have so bloated the intelligence community since 9/11, we have an enormous number of people who have access to this so it will take some time to find him or her and perhaps you are correct, perhaps they never will but of the person is still working, there was a very good chance they will find them. what sort of shape

is the cia in at the moment? certainly we are not in very good shape, i would think, we have been the subject of social experimentation in terms of lb gtn multiculturalism and diversity and those all come first before talent and there are many people who are there and they resent mr tuck —— trumps or think it is a very chaotic situation at the moment. thank you very much. i will let you get back to your phone call and i am a sucker for being called mamma! the headlines now on bbc news. theresa may has defended plans to increase that insurance contributions for the self—employed, outlined in yesterday's budget. the prime minister is in brussels on what could be her last eu summit before officially beginning the brexit

process. the queen has unveiled a memorial in london to service personnel and civilians who served and worked in iraq and afghanistan. an update on the market numbers for you. here is how london frankfurt ended the day and south the dow and nasdaq are getting on. the ftse100 suffered a bit from whence morrison's supermarket said they we re morrison's supermarket said they were concerned about food prices because of the value of sterling. now its time for meet the author with rebecca jones. for much of her career, lionel shriver scribbled in obscurity, and those are her words, not mine. then her seventh novel hit the big time. we need to talk about kevin won the orange prize for fiction in 2005 and made her name. lionel shriver‘s latest book is called the mandibles, and it's set during a financial crisis in america during the near future. at its heart are four generations of a once wealthy family who must deal with the loss of their fortune and then learn to survive

as the dollar collapses, inflation soars and the economy spirals out of control. lionel shriver, you wrote the mandibles in 2015, and the picture you paint of america is pretty bleak. revisiting it now as it comes out in paperback, what are your thoughts? well, it's bleaker now! one of the striking things about revisiting this book after the release of the hardback in the spring of 2016 is obviously we now have a new president, and not the president we expected. so there's a feeling of not quite being overtaken by events, because what happened in the book is not happened yet.

we haven't faced economic collapse. in fact, quite to the contrary, the stock market is going through the roof, though i'm not convinced it will stay there. but certainly interest in dystopias, in dystopian fiction, has picked up enormously, and i think the entire landscape of reality has changed, if that's not being a little overdramatic. in that what we consider possible has changed. donald trump was initially not going to get elected. the idea of his being president was farcical. and now look. and ditto with brexit. as you say, it is a dystopian novel, set in 2029 predominantly, in the near future. but this isn't a future of lizards running down 5th ave and zombies in flying cars. it's a world in many ways that is very recognisable to us.

how deliberate was that? very deliberate. in fact, i kept the technological innovation to a minimum. there is a little bit, because of course things do move on, but i didn't want the reader's focus to be on gadgets, so i tried to keep the changes between now and then quite modest. i did insert things, there was a major cyber catastrophe in 2024, which i think is highly likely. but i wanted you to be able to walk into this book as if from the next room. and we see what happens to one particular family, the mandibles, and how what they take for granted and perhaps what many of us take for granted is gradually eroded. a cabbage suddenly costs $20. you can't get hold of olive oil and wine. and by the end of the book, it's $40. yes, there you go. yes. i wanted to go on that nitty—gritty household level. so there's more than one scene in this book that takes place in a supermarket.

and the supermarket becomes a strangely political place. which it is, rather, because it has to do with our primitive survival. and what people regard as necessary to their primitive survival varies according to income level, so that most middle to upper middle classes would consider having to live without olive oil an absolute outrage. i mean, one of the things that people start hoarding and therefore becomes unavailable is loo roll. this is a major crisis. indeed. and one that you examine in the book when we have a shortage of it. you explore america's collapse through this one family, and it's not the first time you've explored big issues through one family. i wonder why you did that.

well, i think it's a good route in to an issue, and one of the things that happens when an economy breaks down is that civil structures break down, and relationships between people break down. on many different levels. as a nation, you can stop functioning, as a city or a neighbourhood you can stop functioning, and as a family you can stop functioning. and you put enough stresses on people, and i do design the plot so that little by little, everyone ends up in the same house. yes. and they don't get along, right? so that's a festival for fiction. there is one character in this book, nollie, who is a bestselling writer, like you, who has lived away from the united states for several decades, like you, and indeed her name is an anagram of lionel.

why did you want to insert yourself in the novel? well, partly for fun. i'd written enough books by then, ifigured i'd earned a little self reference. did you enjoy it? i had a ball with it. i used all the truly atrocious working titles of my real books for the titles of her books, and she's an exercise fanatic, and annoys everyone by doing star jumps on an upperfloor, pound, pound, pound. and you do them? yes. although by this time she's 72 and really doesn't have a hope in hell of looking any better as a consequence! so it was partlyjust to take the mickey out of myself. but it was also, and there was a slight political intention in that this book, i have to confess, in some ways, economically anyway, demonises the baby boomer generation, of which i am a member. and so i was putting myself in the book partly to admit, well,

i'm the kind of person that younger generations are going to have to carry, and so it was a kind of mea culpa. the mandibles is your 12th novel. you'd been writing novels and getting published and reviewed, and then you had this an enormous success with we need to talk about kevin. is it true, by the way, that that book was turned down by 30 publishers? in the uk, yes. it was also turned down by 20 different agents in the united states. so what kept you going? uh... bloody—mindedness. spite. ok, you were determined. i will show them! and you did. it certainly wasn't artistic fervour. and then you, as i say, it was this enormous success. is that only a blessing, or does it bring its own pressures with it? well, for a while, it did oblige me to revisit a book that i felt i had moved on from. and that got a little bit trying,

although i always had to be mindful not to complain, because all my professional life, i had been waiting for a book to hit it big, so once i got what i claimed i wanted, i had to keep my mouth shut. i'm still proud of that book. every once in a while i have to go back to it and read a scene or a passage, and sometimes i think, hmm, not so bad. you tackle some pretty big subjects in your books, including this one. and you've written about the health care system in america and obesity, to name a couple of others. how do you pick your subjects? ijust look for something that i have a strong reaction to, you know. and i'm not necessarily obliged in my own book to pick something controversial or in the headlines. although i sometimes do.

but i'm just looking for something that i have a strong emotional reaction to. lionel shriver, you always give us plenty to talk about. thank you so much. pleasure. good evening. it has been a dry, spring day across many parts of the country and we had long spells of sunshine earlier on. this sunset was ca ptu red sunshine earlier on. this sunset was captured by one of our watchers. we have clear skies but increasingly amount of cloud rolling in from the west and south—west. low cloud and mist and fog in devon and cornwall and the channel islands. we will see cloud and drizzle in northern ireland and the western half of scotla nd ireland and the western half of scotland and also wales but the central and eastern parts of the

country have it remaining clear overnight. the lowest temperatures will be here and a touch of frost and scotland. the rest of scotland sta rts and scotland. the rest of scotland starts with cloud and drizzly outbreaks. northern ireland and north—west england are fairly cloudy with spots of drizzle possible. for the north—east of england it is clear but cold. fresh with sunshine in east anglia, kent and sussex. in the west of england away is quite a bit of cloud and there could be hill fog and drizzle, particularly around coastal hills. through the day the cloud in the west will edge its way slowly to the east. much of east anglia and the south—east stays dry and bright for a good part of the day. a lot of dry weather on the clouds in the crowd should break up in wales and north—east england with some sunny spells developing. not quite as warm as it was on thursday. for the six nations rugby wales take on ireland in cardiff and the

evening should be dry. 0n into the weekend we start to see frontal systems moving west to east across the country. more unsettled compared to the past 24 hours. saturday looks like a decent day. a slow—moving front brings rain to some parts but for central and south—eastern england it is a fine day with maybe 15 degrees in sunnier spells. 0n sunday we start to see low—pressure and frontal systems moving to the east across the uk. a return to sunny spells and scattered showers. to summarise the week on whether for you, on saturday it stays dry with a good deal of sunshine around. 0n sunday so outbreaks of rain clear to the east and then things will start to feel cooler. all in all quite a good deal of dry and springlike weather on the cards for the next few days. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source.

america is expanding its presence in syria, offering support to local militia trying to drive the islamic state group out of raqqa. full details shortly. the new head of the us environmental protection agency claims carbon dioxide emissions are not a major factor in climate change. washington and new york states join hawaii in trying to block donald trump's revised travel ban. theresa may speaks at her final eu summit before triggering the brexit process and eu leaders have re—elected donald tusk as president of the european council, despite strong objections from his home nation.