tonight at ten. a policeman has been shot dead on the champs elysees in paris. a major security operation is underway. you have to stay back please! the champs elysees is closed because of shotguns, stay back. a gunman got out of a car on the busy boulevard and opened fire on a coach carrying police officers. the attack took place just under two hours ago — the entire area around the champs elysees has been evacuated. and meat we were moving towards the carand and meat we were moving towards the car and heard two or three shots. i didn't realise they were shots to start with. there was panic all around. two other police officers have been injured — the french authorities say they are treating it as a terrorist incident. this is the live scene in paris now — the police say they're not ruling out the possibility that there were other attackers. it comes three days before the first round of french presidential elections. we'll have the very latest on this breaking story. we'll have the very latest

on this breaking story. also tonight: the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, casts himself as the anti—establishment candidate in his first major speech of the election campaign. it's the establishment versus the people. it's our historic duty to make sure the people prevail. this election is about ensuring we have strong and stable leadership in this country in the national interest. scientists says they have identified drugs that may be able to halt the progress of diseases like dementia and parkinson's. the children of syria displaced by war — a year after they were forced from their homes we return to see how they're coping. later on bbc london, a couple who pretended their baby died on a bus are convicted of causing or allowing her death. there will be fewer buses on oxford street. find out why. a policeman has been shot dead on

the champs elysees in paris after gunmen opened fire on police officers. the french interior ministry said the gunmen got out of a carand ministry said the gunmen got out of a car and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon. he tried to run from the scene but was then shot dead. the area around the world famous boulevard has been evacuated. authorities are treating it as a terrorist incident. the attack comes three days before the first round of the french presidential elections. with the latest from paris, europe editor katya adler. you have to stay back, please. the area is dangerous because of shotguns. please stay back. tonight, france's worst fears realised, yet another terror attack and just two

days before an all—important presidential election here. one policeman killed, another seriously injured ina policeman killed, another seriously injured in a shooting on the emblematic and busy champs elysees. translation: i was walking on the pavement, there was a bus full of police, the man parked just in front of the bus, then got out a kalashnikov and then he shot six times. i thought it was fireworks. then he went and hid behind a lorry. translation: we were moving towards a carandl translation: we were moving towards a carand i heard two translation: we were moving towards a car and i heard two or three shots. i didn't realise they were shots. i didn't realise they were shots to start with. then there was just panic all around, everyone started running down the champs elyseesjust by started running down the champs elysees just by instinct. started running down the champs elyseesjust by instinct. i didn't stop to work out what was going on, ijust ran, stop to work out what was going on, i just ran, too. stop to work out what was going on, ijust ran, too. the attacker was then shot dead by police. guns drawn, the police are showing people of the street. this country which up untiljust of the street. this country which up until just now was of the street. this country which up untiljust now was obsessed by politics and the upcoming election has been thrown back into a sense of fear it was just about recovering

from after the mass paris attacks over a year ago. tonight, people in central paris were too scared to leave their homes. the tension is palpable. shots are being fired, is it gunshots? no. a sudden noise where we were was mistaken for gunfire and had police shouting us off the street. metro stations in central paris have been shut down for now as armed police spread across the streets of the capital. tonight, paris is fearful, and on high alert. katya adler: the bbc news, paris. our correspondent christian fraser is in the champs elysees. a developing, breaking story. what is the latest, christian?” a developing, breaking story. what is the latest, christian? i can tell you, the police operation that was under way for the last two hours around the champs elysees has come to an end. police activity we're seeing is around that car, which has pulled up alongside the police van. thereafter render it police officers working on that car. to the east of

paris they are going to an apartment they believe is linked to the attacker. we don't know yet whether attacker. we don't know yet whether a second attacker was involved. it is possible. the counterintelligence police here, dgs i, in france, say they know the identity of the attacker, it would suggest their may well be a terror link. three days before a french election there will before a french election there will be working through the night to find out who this person was, who did he speak to, who did he know? and whether there is further risk. we understand president francois hollande has called an emergency meeting with his interior minister. they are currently in the filise palace going through the details of that attack. we are hearing updated news one police officer was killed, two injured. taking place on one of the busiest streets right in the middle of paris. yes, we were

broadcasting at the foot of the arc de triomphe. that is the champs elysees the other side. as we were broadcasting one or two police cars when pastors, then all directions, clearly would have got out on police radios that fellow officers were in difficulty. there was a rather bizarre situation where they stopped a bus on the roundabout that goes around the arc de triomphe. about six police cars swooped on this bus, armed police got out. clearly they thought someone was on that bus trying to get away. for the hour that followed, there was a lot of panic here as people tried to get away from the area. there were armed police at the end of each street. clearly, quite a serious situation developed over the course of the next hour, because the police just didn't know what they were dealing with. christian fraser with the latest in paris. we can spread to europe editor katya adler in our paris studio. this attack has taken

place three days before the first round of the french presidential elections. what could the impact be? first let me tell you the reason i'm in the bureau, we are just 200 yards from where the attack took place and police really just shoved from where the attack took place and police reallyjust shoved us of the street. of course, this is an attack french security services so feared might be planned to coincide with the french presidential election just a couple of days ago police had a raid in marseille and found a house full of explosives. just now we're hearing reports on french media that the attacker was known to police for links to islamic extremism. and france, amongst all european nations, really been the most targeted. if this is confirmed as an islamic fundamentalist attack. in these kind of events, since 2015. france has been under a state of emergency since then. the shootings

tonight took place just as the french presidential candidates were holding their last televised debate. and at this moment we just don't know how it's going to affect the presidential election here on sunday. thank you, katya adler. we'll bring you the very latest on this breaking story later in the programme. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has used his first major speech of the election campaign to pledge that he will put power and wealth in the hands of the people if he becomes prime minister. he presented himself as the anti—establishment candidate taking on what he called a system rigged against working people. and he told his supporters that the outcome of the snap election was not a foregone conclusion. meanwhile the prime minister has restated her commitment to cutting annual net migration to a "sustainable" level in the tens of thousands. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. no one's going to say they're all the same. not in this election. and not the admirers of the labour leader who queued round the block to hear him.

we need something different, not more of the same. i really enjoy seeing him speak. this is a man who should be leading the country, should be our prime minister, because he is offering a real alternative. the left waited a long time for a leader likejeremy corbyn. but will the rest of the country rush towards him? he is their star. but what about you? the labour party that's standing up for working people, to improve the lives of all. it's the establishment versus the people. it's our historic duty to make sure the people prevail. applause cheering in practice, that means hikes to the minimum wage, bigger benefits for carers, higher taxes for some of the biggest businesses, who he said proudly should fear him. if i was southern rail

or if i were philip green eyes be worried about a labour government, i really would. if i were mike ashley or the ceo of a tax—avoiding multinational corporation i'd want to see a tory victory, i really would. why? because those are the people who are monopolising the wealth that should be shared by each and every one of us in the whole country. but it means more borrowing and spending, too. ideas that at the last election didn't do labour many favours. what is it you hope to show to voters in the next seven weeks beyond this room ? that they haven't seen in the last two years since you've been party leader? our message is one of inclusion and social justice and we're going to get that message out across the whole country. and i'm very confident of that. this invited audience of loyalist leapt to their feet.

this was a classicjeremy corbyn speech, the kind of speech that won him the labour leadership election. he spelt out in sky—high letters how he will pitch this campaign. the people versus the powerful. he's obviously a man of principle, a man of integrity. we know that for a fact. can he step up to the plate and the next level? well, he's got 50 days now to do that. i'm really impressed, jeremy has always said the right thing, he just never had the opportunity. he's a decent man. maybe decent people don't get elected, but he's also got an allotment, he makes his own jam, did you know that? i did know that. there you go now. beyond the home crowd in seats like luton, will jeremy corbyn and his team's campaign of us and then cut through? i'd love to see you again in power. he hasn't got the oomph. he's a modern socialist, and i think if given the chance he'll make changes. i don't think he's a coherent leader. and i've voted labour in the past.

i'd never vote for him. inevitably, the prime minister claims mr corbyn is not up to it. not least because unlike the tories he won't commit as she affirmed today to the tory ambition to cut immigration to under 100,000. no mention of the fact the target has been missed for years. this election is about ensuring we have strong and stable leadership in this country in the national interest. it's about strengthening our negotiating hand for brexit and about sticking to our plan for a stronger britain, developing a more secure future for ordinary working people in this country. jeremy corbyn‘s a happy campaigner. comfortable with his fans. but he needs millions more. a brutal election beckons. and laura kuenssberg is in westminster for us now. sojeremy so jeremy corbyn sojeremy corbyn starting out as the underdog but clearly believes he can appeal. one thing is completely clear from today. jeremy corbyn is not going to be squeezed into any

kind of election straitjacket, he's sticking to what he has always run on, sticking to the same kind of pitch that captured the labour leadership for him. his appeal is clear, right round to the whole country. he says the tories are the party of the few, labour is the party of the few, labour is the party of the many. and only he can somehow make the country fell for everybody. what he'll be tested on of course in the next seven weeks is whether that message can do more than put fire in the belly is of people on the left. can he translate that into something that works for voters of all sorts of different varieties? people close to him believe they can put a significant dent in the tories enormous poll lead. they believe the course of this election could turn quite sharply. whether they can really close the gap when time is so tight, that's quite a different question. they are aware it's a tall order. but he's not stepping back at all from his message to try to come across as any more moderate or try

to show in anyway is somehow not who he really is. there has been a development for one of mr corbyn's biggest backers, facing something of a challenge. this might sound very obscure but it's absolutely fundamental to the labour party's fortu nes fundamental to the labour party's fortunes in this election and potentially beyond. len mccluskey is the boss of unite, the union, the biggest in the country and the biggest in the country and the biggest backer of mr corbyn. he's been facing a challenge to his leadership from a man called gerard coyne. that election has been relatively low—key, but it's drawing toa relatively low—key, but it's drawing to a close. the ballot papers have gone out and counting is about to begin. today, right from the blue, a dramatic twist. news which does gerard coyne had been suspended from hisjob at the gerard coyne had been suspended from his job at the union. it doesn't mean he's kicked out from being a candidate, but it does mean, just as this general election campaign is going, there is a question over who's going to be in charge in the

offices of the place where labour absolutely needs their support. the result officially is not expected until next week, but we believe it might emerge tomorrow. you can't underestimate how much this backroom struggle has been a struggle, really, a proxy, for the whole future of the labour party. in the next couple of days, a big clue about how labour will go forward very about how labour will go forward very soon. about how labour will go forward very soon. laura kuenssberg, thank you. the deadline for parties in northern ireland to try to form a government has been extended to the end ofjune — beyond the forthcoming general election. several parties at stormont have said talks were unsustainable as they'd be campaigning against each other. it also means the british government avoids having to make a decision on direct rule from westminster. launching the greens' election campaign in bristol, the co—leader caroline lucas said her party would stand up for equality and a bigger role for the state. she appealed to young people to vote green — and said they'd been betrayed over tuition fees, a lack

of affordable housing and inaction on climate change. the former ukip leader nigel farage has told the bbc he will not be standing as a candidate in the forthcoming general election. mr farage has previously failed in seven attempts to get elected to westminster. ukip currently have no mps after douglas carswell quit the party last month. the scottish conservative leader ruth davidson has been strongly criticised for failing to condemn new welfare rules — which mean some women will have to demonstrate they were rape victims — in order to receive benefits. under the changes, tax credits will only be paid for a family's first two children — unless they can show that other children were the result of rape. our scotland editor sarah smith reports. here's something you don't expect to see in the general election. four rival party leaders all on the same side. no wonder they look a bit awkward. demonstrating against the so—called rape clause. the policy, introduced

by the westminster government, that limits tax credits to two children unless the mother declares a child was conceived as the consequence of rape. inside the scottish parliament nicola sturgeon challenged the tories scottish leader to defend the policy. do you support the rape clause in principle or do you, like me, think it is utterly abhorrent? answer the question. ruth davidson. i will answer the question the same way i answered it in the press this morning. if the first minister doesn't like the two—child tax policy she can change it. but the truth is, the truth is, this first minister is always happier, always happy complaining about the uk government than she is about doing anything herself. first minister. can i say this? shame on ruth davidson.

and shame on the conservatives. we have just seen in this chamber the true colours of ruth davidson and the conservatives. ifjeremy corbyn was prime minister there would be no rape clause. there would be no more housing benefit cuts and there would be no more austerity. and i will proudly campaign for that over the next six weeks as she campaigns for independence. so for the government to pass judgment... the two—child tax policy applies right across the uk. the snp have made it a particularly hot political issue in scotland. this row could be a problem for the conservatives. they are hoping to attract the support of people who are not natural tories but who don't want scottish independence. that's why all the other parties have come together to highlight a tory policy that is not popular in scotland. ruth davidson has worked hard to detoxify the tories in scotland. successfully increasing

their support. by attacking her on issues like benefit cuts, her opponents want to reverse the campaign to rebrand and reposition the scottish conservatives. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. let's return to the main news tonight. a police officer has been shot and killed by a gunman on the champs—elysees in central paris. two other officers have been injured. christian fraser who's in the champs elysees. in the last few minutes we have received a clearer picture of what has happened. extraordinary pictures of the immediate aftermath of the shooting and a grey audi car pulled up shooting and a grey audi car pulled up alongside the police van and in this image the policeman clearly fires at somebody on the pavement. i was speculating earlier that perhaps there was a second attacker because of the activity that went on around this area shortly after that. they

stopped a bus on the roundabout here and we're hearing from reuters that perhaps there may have been a second attack and they have seen a document from the interior ministry of an arrest warrant for a second man that travelled into france from belgium bya train travelled into france from belgium by a train but that is only from one news agency at the moment so i would express some caution with that. politically we are hearing from marine le pen and francois fillon they are cancelling their campaigning tomorrow. remember it's the final day of campaigning for them tomorrow so that is quite something, two days ahead of the election they will not go into the final rallies in paris and elsewhere in the country. francois hollande has been in a meeting this evening with his interior minister and we expect an update from him shortly. i would just remind you there is a police operation live and ongoing in paris at the moment. there is a search going on in the department east of paris. francis to wonder state of emergency and has been extended five times. the longest period france has been under a state

of emergency since the algerian war in the 1960s. with this drip, drip, drip of attacks, the constant number of attacks we have seen in france, you would say it would have to be quite a brave new president that would lift the state of emergency at the moment. christian, thank you. francois hollande the president is speaking now and he has said he is convinced the attack in paris was terrorist related. we will go back to the story later in the programme. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories. a mother and father who tried to cover up their baby's death by pretending she suddenly became ill while on a bus in london, have been convicted of causing or allowing the death of their child. jeffrey wiltshire and rosalin baker were cleared of murder. the old bailey heard that li—month—old imani suffered multiple injuries. the pair will be sentenced next month. public safety is at risk because police officers in england and wales are being forced to fill gaps in mental health services, according to the chief inspector of constabulary. sir tom winsor says officers are being used as a service of first resort, when ambulances and beds aren't available.

it's been described as ‘potentially a major step forward'. scientists have found a way of halting dementia and parkinson's disease in mice. the drugs used are already given to patients for other conditions including depression. as our medical correspondent fergus walsh reports, the next step is to begin trials on humans. this research mouse has a degenerative brain disease which is destroying its coordination. look how it drags its rear legs. this second mouse has the same condition, but is being treated with a drug that has kept it healthy. the lead scientist says patient trials could begin in a year, with the aim of halting alzheimer's and parkinson's disease in humans. halting is an incredibly important goal here, because i do do dementia clinics, and if i could halt disease when people come to see me, then you could maintain a meaningful quality of life,

independence, and freedom from institutionalisation, which would be an extraordinary achievement. so we're not talking about a cure for dementia, but drugs that might nonetheless slow alzheimer's and parkinson's disease. these neurodegenerative conditions involve the loss of healthy neurons in the brain. that starts with the build—up of faulty proteins, which triggers a natural defence response. this makes the cells starve, and eventually die. the drugs prevent the defence mechanism kicking in, and so halt brain cell death. these medical research council laboratories in leicester have found two drugs which work in mice, and are safe in humans. one of the drugs is already used as an antidepressant. butjoy watson is not getting her hopes up, because so many other alzheimer's trials have failed. she was diagnosed on her 55th birthday, and now even a simple task

like reading can be a problem. you want to believe that it's going to be, you know, a fantastic thing that it's reported to be. but i don't allow myself to get that enthusiastic any more. you know, i'd rather wait until more substantial evidence is there for the taking really. this is the antidepressant which halted neurodegenerative disease in mice. trazodone. but what works in rodents may not in humans. the patient trial results will be eagerly awaited. fergus walsh, bbc news. after six years of wars syrians faced the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. bwin says children have paid the heaviest

price in the conflict. —— the un says children have paid the heaviest price. almost half have of syria's children had to flee their homes. millions are dependent on humanitarian aid. last year we brought you the stories of two children from syria, 12 months on our correspondent caroline hawley has been to see how they're getting on. to see her play, you'd have no idea what she's been through. her family fled a chemical attack near damascus which killed hundreds of people. her mother had only a nappy soaked in vinegar to protect her. rouaa's been in this camp now for nearly half her life. and the playground is the best thing about it by far. imagine never being able to shower. rouaa shows me the shared toilets. it's fine by day, but at night, she says, she is terrified. this makeshift school wasn't here when we met her last. but the education she gets is basic at best. rouaa wants to be a maths teacher when she grows up. no wonder herfather lies awake at night worrying what chance she'll have.

mustapha left syria for safety and medical treatment but syria's war will never leave him. it's lodged in his brain in the form of shrapnel from a barrel bombs. mustapha is partially paralysed down his left hand side. his classmates have all lost their fathers. mustapha and his little sister lost their mother too in an airstrike. three times a week, faithfully, she takes mustafa to physiotherapy. mustafa wants to be a dentist when he grows up.

for that he'll need the use of both his hands. but don't doubt this little boy's determination. caroline hawley, bbc news, amman. back to paris now, a city facing a major terror alert following the shooting dead of a police officer in the city centre just over two hours ago. the gunman opened fire on the champs—elysees killing the officer and seriously wounding two others and seriously wounding two others and he was then shot dead by police. it comesjust and he was then shot dead by police. it comes just three days before the first round of the country's presidential elections. europe editor katya adlerjoins us from paris. president hollande has been speaking while we have been on air about the attack. what did he say? that's right, he spokejust about the attack. what did he say? that's right, he spoke just after holding an emergency meeting with security advisers and confirmed tonight one police officer has been shot dead on the champs—elysees, two remain severely injured, he said

they were convinced it was indeed a terrorist attack. he called it a cowardly assassination. he said that france's security services would remain highly vigilant he said over the next few days around the france presidential election, he sought to reassure french citizens who tonight are extremely scared, he said they have been protected and will continue to be protected. the attack took place just as the 11 presidential candidates for sunday's collection were taking part in the last televised debate. a number of those candidates have been tweeting their condolences tonight to the family of the policeman who was murdered. a number of the candidates have said that they would not be campaigning tomorrow, friday, which is the last day of campaigning before sunday's election. of course, some of those candidates are more ha rd some of those candidates are more hard line on security than others but it's very hard at this point to

say how tonight's attacks will affect france's presidential campaign. europe editor katya adler in france, thank you. chrissy and fraser is on the champs—elysees. christian, once again, a large part of paris in lockdown and very