this is bbc news. the headlines at apm: theresa may says she's not complacent about the result of the general election, telling supporters in wales that every vote would strengthen her hand in the brexit negotiations. give mea give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give mea give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to speak for britain, to fight for britain, and give mea britain, to fight for britain, and give me a mandate to deliver for britain. labour sets out its approach to brexit if it wins the general election, pledging to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens already in the uk a number of celebrities settle phone hacking claims on day one of a labour government we will guarantee that all eu nationals currently living in the uk will see no change in their legal status as a result of britain leaving the eu. a number of celebrities settle phone hacking claims with mirror group newspapers, with some pay—outs exceeding a £250,000.

in the next hour, president trump's daughter makes her first international trip since being given an official position in her father's administration. ivanka trump takes the stage alongside angela merkel in berlin, that she is met with groans as she defended her father's that she is met with groans as she defended herfather‘s record on women's rights. and why regular moderate exercise is the best way to keep your brain sharp if you're over 50. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. theresa may has said wales is important for britain as took her general election campaign to south wales, reaching some traditional labour heartlands.

speaking in bridgend, she said a vote for any other party would be a vote for a weak and failing jeremy corbyn. she also said that welsh votes would strengthen her negotiating position over brexit. it comes after last night's yougov poll for itv wales suggested a surge in support for the tories which could see them replace labour as the largest party in wales at the general election. our chief political correspondent has been telling us the message is clear, the conservatives believe there are no no—go areas in their campaign. if they were to end up with more seats than labour, it would be the first time since the 1850s, so it's no wonder that the tory strategists here and senior figures are saying, let's all kind calm down a bit, this was just one opinion poll. but certainly the issue of brexit, for one, i think makes them feel they can win over votes. wales was a country that

voted to leave the eu. she's making clear that she wants to deliver that brexit vote, and there's also a very sizeable ukip vote here, which they are very much hoping will turn to them. this is what theresa may had to say. we want to get votes and support here in wales because that will strengthen my hand in the brexit negotiations. applause every single vote for me and the local conservative candidate will be a vote for a stronger wales, for a stronger united kingdom, and, as i say, will strengthen my hand in those important brexit negotiations. and a vote for any other party would be a vote for a weak and failing jeremy corbyn, propped up by a coalition of chaos which would risk our national future. so leadership clearly going to be a key issue for the conservatives, talking about a weak

and failing jeremy corbyn. they don't think that his style of leadership will appeal to traditional labour voters. theresa may also has been very critical of labour's record here in government, saying that schools and hospitals and services have gone backwards here, but it is interesting how they are worried about complacency. they're clearly concerned that a load of polls that show them miles ahead will mean that people don't even bother to vote. so complacency is certainly something that theresa may is concerned about. and what we see from other parties is they want to undermine the task ahead. they've shown that they will do anything to disrupt the brexit negotiations, to stop us from leading britain into the future. and make no mistake, it could happen. remember, the opinion polls were wrong in the 2015 general election. they were wrong in the referendum last year. and jeremy corbyn himself has said he was a 200—1 outsider for the labour leadership

in 2015, and look where that one went. so we must not be complacent, and i am lost not complacent. i'm going to be out and about. i'm going to be campaigning and working for every single vote. there was a broader message, too. this wasn'tjust about brexit. she was talking, two, about campaigning and being in charge of notjust privileged people but for ordinary working families, too, a theme that she has talked about since she became prime minister, and she does feel that that kind of message will go down well in wales. joining me now from our cardiff studio is doctor sam blaxland, a political researcher at swansea university. good afternoon. is the time right for the conservatives to build on their support in wales?”

for the conservatives to build on their support in wales? i assume they think so and that is why theresa may is in cardiff at the moment. the thing about the conservatives in wales has always been that the type is often right for them. it is a strange situation for them. it is a strange situation for them. it is a strange situation for them in wales politics. they have a firm support base here, there was a recent poll which certainly shows they have extraordinary levels of support, or they might have, it is built on solid foundations. in 1983 margaret thatcher said she wa nted 1983 margaret thatcher said she wanted a welsh rugby team of conservative mps and she nearly got one. she got 1a. this time the conservative party might get that full rugby team with some reserves, so full rugby team with some reserves, so the pure political purposes, yes, this is the right time to go. how much convincing build the conservatives have to do on the issue of funding with voters in wales, because as we were hearing, wales, because as we were hearing, wales has benefited hugely from eu funding yet voted to leave, but will voters wa nt funding yet voted to leave, but will voters want to hear the conservatives say that they will

replicate that level of funding? perhaps. replicate that level of funding 7 perhaps. wales of course voted on the whole to leave the european union, so this one is an interesting question, like many of the questions are. of course, people whilst leaving doublet voting to lead the eu are still concerned about whether sperms that came from the eu will come from when we leave, —— whether funds that came from the eu. it is a very intriguing question because wales voted for brexit and it is difficult to know exactly what they wa nt difficult to know exactly what they want in return. they want the farming industry, and farming areas voted to leave in many parts of wales, but what will they get in return7 wales, but what will they get in return? i suspect may be now or in the medium term the prime minister will have to say to the welsh electorate that they will be covering some of those areas that

europe covered until now. so i labour mps going to suffer in the election because of the position of the party? it is backing brexit now, but in the lead up to the referendum, it was pro—remain. but in the lead up to the referendum, it was pro—remainm but in the lead up to the referendum, it was pro-remain. it is interesting. the bulwark of labour seats in wales are in the valleys in the old south wales coalfield. that was a strong the old south wales coalfield. that was a strong area the old south wales coalfield. that was a strong area for leaving the european union before brexit. but regardless of how bad their evening will be at the general election, they are safe in this place is at least because there are such stonking majorities in those parts of wales, they should be fine. it will be in other areas that labour has an extremely small majority. seats like the one on the isle of anglesey where the majority is tiny. will it be plaid cymru or the conservatives who have held the seat before7 conservatives who have held the seat before? they have both felt it

before. there are leadership points and this is notjust something that comes out of academic seminars. it talks out ofjust sitting in the pub in various places around wales. people are uncertain about the kind of leadership thatjeremy corbyn can offer. they liked some of his policies but it is the leadership element, which is why theresa may was emphasising that. thank you. labour says it will guarantee the rights of eu nationals living in the uk after brexit, if it wins the general election. setting out the party's proposals for negotiating britain's departure from the european union, the shadow brexit secretary, sir keir starmer, said labour would also prioritise jobs. he said he accepted that free movement of workers couldn't continue after brexit — but suggested eu nationals could still come to the uk if they have a guaranteed job offer. our political correspondent alex forsyth reports. on an issue so key, labour has

struggled to make its message clear. today, it set out its vision for brexit and promised it was different to the prime minister's. we do not accept that brexit has to mean whatever theresa may says it means. we do not accept that there has to be a reckless tory brexit. specifically, the party said a labour government would guarantee the rights of eu citizens living in the uk. it would legislate to keep things like employment rights and protections for consumers and the environment. and it would scrap the current negotiating strategy and instead focus on retaining the benefits of the single market and the customs union. the party said its focus would be on protecting jobs and the economy. immigration should not be the only red line or overaveraging priority.

freedom of movement has to go. it will have to change. but we must have immigration that works for our communities and our economy. that means there has to be movement of people to come and work in this country. how that's managed will have to be resolved. the last thing we want is for our businesses to go bankrupt. labour accepts the current membership of the single market which comes with the condition of free movement of people must end but suggests there could be a reformed membership of that and the customs union, and says the tories were wrong to rule out options so early in the negotiations. but the conservatives appear unconcerned saying their rivals' brexit message is still confused, chaotic and on trade, indistinct from theirs. we want to get access to the rest of the world's markets but maintain as much as possible, possibly all,

of the current markets we have. they are trying to rebrand our argument of the last nine months. even though they have resisted it for the last nine months. theresa may continues to campaign in labour seats. later today in wales. confident her message, a clear commitment to brexit and strong leadership, can win over brexiteers and labour voters. joining us now from westminster is the labour mp seema malhotra. she's a former member of the shadow cabinet and serves on the committee on exiting the european union. good afternoon. we have had sir keir starmer sitting at your party's position on brexit but we have also heard from theresa may this afternoon, describing that labour party position today as by her count the seventh position outlined by

labour on brexit. i think it's producer pricing to hear that from theresa may, from somebody who has so theresa may, from somebody who has so unclear about her direction on brexit and indeed she is trying to make the elected elbert —— election about brexit when we know it is not. it is about her spending on health, education, housing, public services, theissues education, housing, public services, the issues people did generally only —— genuinely vote on in the referendum. what is important about what keir starmer has said to date is to put the economy back in the debate about brexit. it has got to bea debate about brexit. it has got to be a brexit we work towards that is right for britain, that isn't going to make things worse for british businesses and families, and it's important to acknowledge that, particularly when cpi research comes out today saying investment retention by businesses are at their worst level for six years. you

didn't hear theresa may telling you that today. a couple of those specifics about what labour's brexit plan is. for example, saying that eu nationals living in the uk would have their right to remain here guaranteed on day one of a labour government. surely then you are just giving up britain's bargaining chip on the future of british people who live in europe? you will also know that this has been debated in parliament since day one after the referendum, and it's for this reason. those 3 million people who are eu nationals who have been living in the uk, mainly for many yea rs, living in the uk, mainly for many years, they are neighbours, the people working in a public services, our nurses, doctors, teachers, they are running businesses, they are paying taxes, their kids are at schools, and it's time to end this uncertainty. what do think is important british citizens, expat living in

europe, what about them? that is an important point, and this was a recommendation unanimous from the eu select committee for exiting the eu and that was for the leaders and remain as alike. the reason being that if you can guarantee those rights, it is exactly the right tone thatis rights, it is exactly the right tone that is set that i believe will go further until they guarantee the rights of those british nationals living in the eu. we should not be having people being used as pawns in this debate. we are bigger and better than that and future has to better than that and future has to be one of partnership, a strong, aduu be one of partnership, a strong, adult relationship and partnership with our european neighbours. i believe that is the right way to set about these negotiations, and when we're talking about negotiations on other issues, let's deal with other things we should be negotiating, and not people'slives. let's talk about labour's idea of possibly staying in the customs

union as sir keir starmer said, but that would mean we couldn't do trade deals with anybody else outside the eu. surely that would be suicidal7 well, i don't believe that would necessarily be the case. what is right is the idea that we seek to have some reforms of the rules and i have some reforms of the rules and i have personally argued this since lastjune have personally argued this since last june as well. have personally argued this since lastjune as well. that we should seek some reforms of the rules of freedom of movement to allow greater flexibility for countries that maybe more alined to their personal circumstances and i think that is a message that i've heard when i've been across europe as well, other nations actually acnobblinging that there potentially be and perhaps should be some greater flexibility around those rules. what we must do is not throw out the baby with the bath water. our european neighbours, there is a market there of 400 million people plus for goods that are made in britain. we shouldn't jeopardise something that's been could core to our prosperity. we shouldn't jeopardise what could core to our prosperity. we shouldn'tjeopardise what is core to prospects for young people to be able to live and work and study

abroad and have the same chances as young people in other european nations. let's be sensible about how we move forward and let's get a brexit that will work for britain and work for the rest of the european union. thank you for being with us on bbc news, thank you. we will be talking to nick clegg at 4.35pm on bbc news. some breaks news from the communication workers union which says more than 100,000 royal mail workers will be balloted for strikes if the company doesn't change plans to close its defined benefit pension scheme. so, not saying that they will be balloted for strikes, but the cwu, the communication workers union saying that royal mail workers, more than 100,000 of them will be, if the

company doesn't change plans to close its defined benefit pension scheme. that's just in to us. unions say the confectionary giant nestle is planning to cut almost 300 jobs in britain. production of its blue riband biscuits is being shifted to poland. nestle says the decision is to simplify operations at its site near newcastle, and isn't due to due to brexit. another of the firm's factories affected is in york. the headlines on bbc news: theresa may says every vote for the tories will "strengthen her hand" in the brexit negotiations, as she campaigns in labour heartlands in south wales. but labour's shadow brexit secretary says the tories are pursuing a "rigid and reckless brexit" and pledges to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens living in britain. mirror group newspapers settles phone hacking claims with a number of celebrities including jeffrey archer, patsy kensit and kevin keegan. in sport, england's women have been

drawn in the same qualifying group as wales for the 2019 women's world cup. northern ireland and the republic of ireland are also together. england announce their 15 man squad for the champions trophy injune. eoin morgan will captain the side and mark wood is back from injury. the quarterfinals of the world snooker championship, ronnie o'sullivan recovers from three frames down to end the first session 4-4. frames down to end the first session 4—4. i'll have more after 4.30pm for you. the family of a former royal navy officer who was killed after being hit by his own car in greater manchester while trying to stop thieves have paid tribute to him and are appealing for anyone with information to contact police. 35—year—old mike samwell died from his injuries on sunday. in a

statement released in the last half an hour, his family said he would do anything for anyone and was a generous family member and friend to so many. they say he was always smiling and sharing his amazing sense of humour. "we are so proud of all that mike was and had achieved. ." the all that mike was and had achieved. the statement says that the family have been blessed with the amount of support and condolences and prayers from those who loved him. they say it is an awful tragedy, but we want to remember mike as the kind and talented man that he was and not dwell on a senseless crime which has left us all so bereft. they say while his light may have been extinguished so cruelly and far too early, the light he shone will continue to travel with us always. the french president has called for unity in what he said would be a "long and difficult fight against terrorism". francois hollande made the remarks as he paid tribute to the police officer shot dead in paris last week. the french presidential candidates marine le pen and her rival emmanuel macron also attended

the ceremony in honour of xavierjugele. ms le pen has temporarily stood down as leader of the far—right national front, to try to broaden her support, in the run up to the final round of voting on 7th may. hugh schofield reports from paris. they were just faces among many others, because this was not a moment for campaigning. emmanuel macron and marine le pen were there as national figures to take part in the nation's tribute to police officer xavierjugele. after the coffin was brought into the courtyard of police headquarters, it was the officer's civil partner, etienne cardlels, who spoke first. translation: when the news came out that something serious had happened on the champs—elysees, and that a police officer had lost their life, a little voice told me it was you. and it reminded me of that wise quote, you "will not have my hate".

for president hollande, this is not his first ceremony to remember police officers killed by terrorism. the level of violence which police and gendarme had to face kept getting worse, he said. in xavierjugele, france had lost one of the bravest of its sons, an everyday hero. this morning's ceremony for xavierjugele and this small makeshift memorial on the champs—elysees on the spot where he died are a reminder of how terrorism and security are a central theme in these elections. marine le pen in particular is telling the country that with her tougher line on deportations, and sentencing, on immigration, then attacks like this would be much harder to carry out. she's the outsider in the race, so marine le pen is coming out fighting, accusing emmanuel macron of not having the guts to defend the french. translation: i'm no longer president of the front national. i'm the candidate for the presidency. the candidate who hopes to gather

everyone behind a vision of hope, prosperity and security. emmanuel macron is biding his time, but he knows that he can't of hope, but he knows that he can't leave his rival to make the running alone on so vital an issue as the terrorist threat. a thai man filmed himself killing his baby daughter on facebook live, before taking his own life, thai police say. the 21—year—old hanged his daughter and then himself, at a deserted hotel in phuket on monday, reportedly after an argument with his wife. facebook sent condolences to the family for the "appalling" incident and said that the content had now been removed. it comes just days after a man in the us murdered someone on the live streaming service. tensions have increased on the korean peninsula, as the north carried out a massive artillery exercise to mark the anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. in the south, a us submarine has docked, adding to the build up of forces there.

envoys from south korea, the us and japan are holding talks in tokyo. our correspondent wyre davies has the latest. an american submarine glides into the port of busan. it has been called a routine visit. but as tensions rise in the korean peninsula the sub is being joined by a much larger group of warships, led by the aircraft carrier. it's the latest in a series of developments that shows how seriously washington is taking north korea's expanding nuclear programme. this is donald trump's toughest foreign policy challenge by far. his predecessors strategic patience with pyongyang clearly over. mrtrump is demanding tougher un action or else. the council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on north korean nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

this is a real threat to the world. whether we want to talk about it or not. in a rare move, he has summoned all 100 members of the senate for a special white house briefing on korea. the question is, what comes next? as it marks as the 85th anniversary of the founding of its army, the north korean regime has reacted with furious words, if not yet actions, to the us naval manoeuvres and a special security council meeting on the region. the foreign ministry's response was almost blood curdling. translation: now that the us has pulled out its sword to kill us, we will also pull out our grand sword ofjustice and fight until the end and we will kill the us imperialists with our strong and revolutionary power. our nuclear forces stand at the core. the rhetoric and the images are alarming, but while there are concerns north korea maybe planning for missile tests, observers in the south say no unusual developments

have been detected. china, the north‘s only major ally, has urged the us not to act without un approval and called on both sides to show restraint. trying to second—guess two very different, but two unpredictable leaders in kim jong—un and donald trump is not proving easy. president trump's daughter, ivanka has defended his record on women's rights at a women's summit in berlin. she said her father had always encouraged her and enabled her to thrive. ivanka is an influential adviser to the us president, but there's been criticism about the nature of her role in the white house. richard galpin reports. ivanka trump, here on the left, taking the stage in berlin for a women's summit. alongside her, globalfigures including the german chancellor, angela merkel. for the daughter of the us

president, these are unprecedented steps. an official foreign visit and this before the president himself has made his first trip abroad. she's openly pushing the policy agenda back home. sadly the united states is one of the only countries in the world, the only developed country, that does not have a paid leave policy for the benefit of families. some attitudes towards women. your father has displayed in former times might leave one questioning whether he is such an empowerment for women. how do you relate to that? i know from personal experience and i think the thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades, when he was in the private sector, are a testament to his belief and solid conviction and the potential of women. already an influential adviser

to herfather with her own office in the white house, ivanka trump now seems to be working to improve relations between the us and germany. when donald trump met the german leader angela merkel in washington last month, it didn't appear to go well. but at one of the meetings, ivanka trump was placed next to the chancellor and they seemed to strike up a relationship, leading to the invitation to attend today's summit in berlin. i definitely think that for angela merkel, it's a diplomatic move, its very strategic, going via ivanka trump to improve relationships with the us. while that benefits angela merkel, it also pushes ivanka trump even more into the limelight, raising further questions about the role of the president's family in the white house. richard galpin, bbc news. a host of celebrities have been

awarded undisclosed damages and an apology after settling phone—hacking claims against mirror group newspapers, the publishers of the mirror, a host of celebrities have been awarded undisclosed damages sunday mirror and sunday people. among the cases resolved include those of the author and former conservative mp lord jeffrey archer, the actress patsy kensit and footballer kevin keegan. it is understood that some of the settlements exceed the £260,250 record damages awarded to actress and businesswoman sadie frost following a high court trial in 2015. let's talk to our legal correspondent clive coleman, he's at the high court for us. clive, does this draw a line under all of this phone hacking scandal or is there more to come? no, it doesn't draw a line under it. in fa ct doesn't draw a line under it. in fact mirror group newspapers are facing another 50 claims in the

pipeline, but today, they have settle the biggest tranche of claims that they've yet settled. it is not the first time they've settled claims. in 2015 eight people had claims. in 2015 eight people had claims settled including sadie frost who received £260,000, that was the highest settlement figure until today. last year, some 21 public figures also settled claims including the actor nigel havers, but the court proceedings is still continuing. up to 40 claims and the bbc understands that some of those settle m e nt bbc understands that some of those settlement figures are considerably in excess of that £260,000 that sadie frost received and well in excess of £300,000 the now, what this means for mirror group newspapers is that the amount of these claims seems to be going up and up and indeed, the legal costs around these claims are enormous. mirrorgroup around these claims are enormous. mirror group newspapers, the publishers of the daily mirror and the sunday mirror and the people put

aside £26 million to meet these claims. but if the scale and we don't know the scale of the phone hacking at those titles, the full—scale, but if the scale is anything like it was at the news of the world, then there could be a lot, lot more to come. the news of the world, news international settled something in the region of 1,000 claims and that went ran into hundreds of millions of pounds. so that figure that mirror group newspapers put aside of £26 million may well have to be reviewed and reviewed upwards dramatically. as i say, proceedings are still ongoing in court, but we have seen today really the breadth of the hacking. we've, a former home secretary, an england football manager, a host of actresses, actors, other public figures and relatives, people who are simply the relatives of those public figures, all hacked by journalist at the mirror group. clive, thank you. it isa

it is a cold and particularly for late april. in the highlands of scotland, some lying snow, not particularly in usual but not all that welcome. you can see how the showers are moving south. a mixture of snow on the higher ground and maybe hail as well. showers tend to become confined to more central and is to areas overnight tonight. in the west we have clear skies. a widespread frost. a bright start for many western areas. more cloud in the east and further showers again. a real west— east split tomorrow. decent day for the west side of the uk. single digit temperatures for most of scotland and northern ireland but by thursday it creeps up a notch or two there. hello. you're watching bbc news.

the prime minister is campaigning in south wales today ahead of the general election — saying she can offer ‘strong and stable leadership'. give mea give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to lead britain. give mea give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a land day —— mandate to fight for britain and to deliver written. meanwhile labour pledges to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens living in the uk after brexit — if it wins the election if theresa may gets another five yea rs if theresa may gets another five years in power, she will take it as a green light to sideline parliament, ignore opposition and drive through a reckless, tory

brexit. a rigid brexit. a number of well—known names, including jeffrey archer and kevin keegan settle phone—hacking claims against mirror group newspapers. the family of mike samwell, who was run over by his own car as it was stolen from outside his home on sunday, have paid tribute to him, saying he was "the most wonderful husband, brother and son". donald trump's daughter ivanka defends her father's attitude towards women at a conference on women's empowerment in berlin. time for sport. england's women have been drawn in the same group as wales for the 2019 women's world cup qualifiers. northern ireland and the republic of ireland are also together, in a group including norway and the netherlands, while scotland are in group two alongside switzerland. you can see the full draw on the bbc sport website it is twice now. the previous world

cup campaign went to cardiff. we look forward to games against wales but we can't rest against the likes of russia. two of the difficult trips as well. durham fast bowler mark wood has been recalled by england for their one day matches with ireland and south africa, as well as the subsequent icc champions trophy. wood has had three ankle operations. ben stokes will miss the two games against ireland to stay in the indian premier league. stokes was in great form for rising pune supergiant yesterday. helping them to a narrow win against the mumbai indians. stokes, along withjos buttler and chris woakes will be back for england's match against south africa onwards. the experience of games from there, playing in and around world—class players, playing in those sorts of stadiums, they will come back with positives. obviously one has played more games than the others but generally what they do is come back

and spread their experiences and knowledge to the players in the england team who haven't got that experience. so we think it is a good thing but at the same time, we have to make sure we are putting a very strong team out to win the series as well. adam peaty headlines a 29—strong british swimming team for this summer's world championships in budapest. the olympic 100m breaststroke champion gained a spot in the squad automatically by winning his event at the british championships last week. olympic medallists jazz carlin, siobhan—marie o'connor, james guy, duncan scott, stephen milne and chris walker—hebborn also made the squad. ronnie o'sullivan has had to battle back from behind to keep his world snooker quarter final level after one session against china's ding junhui. ding took the first three frames before o'sullivan won the next three to get back to all square. ding knocked in a re—spotted black to edge ahead again but the five time champion hit back once more to take the last frame to make it 4—4. john higgins leads kyren wilson 5—3 in the other last eight match that was under way this morning. it's the first to 13. that is to reach the semifinals.

meanwhile reigning champion mark selby is currently playing marco eu in their quarterfinal. one way traffic so far. selby 5—0 up after more than 250 points unanswered. marco fu played neal robertson last night, so perhaps something of a hangoverfor him. night, so perhaps something of a hangover for him. on night, so perhaps something of a hangoverfor him. on the night, so perhaps something of a hangover for him. on the other table, barry hawkins is leading stephen maguire 3—1. cyclist lizzie armitstead says some extremely difficult personal circumstances led to her missing a drugs test last summer. it was her third missed test in a 12—month period — an offence that could have led to a four—year ban. the court of arbitration for sport decided that the authorities were to blame for the first missed test. and so armitstead went on to compete at the rio olympics on to compete at the rio olympics. i'm entitled to a personal life and a private life, and the circumstances surrounding my third

strike were very personal, very traumatic family experience and i don't feel necessary to share it with people. i hope people respect that. the first strike that was taken away was uk doping's fault, and the second one was my responsibility. sometimes life happens and i think it is important that i am open and honest. the former heavyweight champion tyson fury has announced he's targeting a return to boxing in july. the 28—year—old had his licence revoked in october as he dealt with mental health problems. more on that on the bbc sport website. more sport in the next hour. back to the general election. labour says it will unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu nationals living in the uk after brexit, if it wins the general election. setting out the party's proposals for negotiating britain's departure we are going to hear more now on the

liberal democrats' position. yes, we have heard from the snp and the conservatives. what did the liberal democrats make of labour's stance on brexit? i am joined democrats make of labour's stance on brexit? iamjoined by democrats make of labour's stance on brexit? i am joined by former leader nick clegg. what do they mean by a soft brexit? trying to make sense of the very messy labour position on europe but it amounts to something which is too little, too late and too muddled. i'm still not clear whether labour believes we should be in or out of the single market. they fatefully voted for the government's negotiating strategy. they say they wa nt to negotiating strategy. they say they want to help the eu citizens within the united kingdom and yet they didn't lift a finger to do this when they were in parliament. it is a

terrible muddle. ideal with this day in, day out, and i still don't understand where labour stance. we are where we are, set aside the point scoring about who voted for what. isn't the labour position the reality position, we are leaving the eu and so they seek to secure the best possible position, which means being as close as possible to the single market? nobody is going to disagree that we should have as much trade as possible. but motherhood and apple pie is no surrenderfor a properly thought through strategy on what is the best thing for britain, and the best thing for britain in these circumstances, for instance, is not to yank ourselves out of the single market, created at the time by margaret thatcher. yet the labour party still can't get those words passed its lips, that it believes we should stay in the single market. the liberal democrats believe we should stay in. forjobs, for wages,

for the prosperity of our country. but the labour party is still weighing down its revocation about the single market with all sorts of caveats and particularly the general election time, in the white heat of a campaign, we need greater clarity than we presently have from the principal party of opposition. but isn't the clarity the recognition that voters decided they wanted to end freedom of movement in the referendum, and for that reason, it is indeed not possible to remain in the single market? for a start, there are countries that are participants in the single market, like norway, who want not members of the european union. so it is a mist ascription of the facts to somehow claim we can't participate in the single market and have to join the rest of the european union hook, line and sinker, but setting that aside, what the labour party cannot hide is that they had an opportunity to say to the government what they are now saying, that they don't agree with the admin's negotiating

strategy, when it counted, when the labour party could have voted against heart brexit. instead, they trooped through the lobbies with the government, with the single ukip mp and so on, and it is not good enough. too little, too late, too muddled, for keir starmer to doubt say, we didn't actually mean it, we mean some thing different. that isn't your strategy in treat an attempt to fight the referendum again by saying, actually, we are going to have to put any deal to the british people, and you are and reconciled to the fact that people have voted to lead the european union? no, it is not some sort of exotic lib dem plan to ask the british people to be the masters and the decision makers in all this. after all, it was david davies, john redwood and other notable new risk chicks who first wrote the lengthy essays, i remember reading them yea rs essays, i remember reading them years ago “— essays, i remember reading them years ago —— other notable people.

then finding what brexit means in com plete then finding what brexit means in complete terms rather than the utopia we have heard from boris johnson and so on. when people finally know what it means for themselves, that their families, finally know what it means for themselves, that theirfamilies, the communities, the public services, when we see what the brexit squeeze will entail for the public services and pay packets, surely it is right to give the british people a say on the final deal. we have said that, conservative eurosceptics have said that, and this is the position we are taking, which is much clearer than this extraordinary muddled that persists when it comes to labour's position. it is a compact and difficult issue but it is crucial in this selection campaign, particularly for labour, if they are to move the agenda on from europe, to move the agenda on from europe, to shift the focus onto more favourable to rein about austerity and public services but unless they

can assure voters over and public services but unless they can assure voters over brexit, that will be very hard to do. thank you. the founder of wikipedia is launching an online news service to help combat fake news. jimmy wales says that wikitribune will use both professional journalists and what he's described as community contributors to produce fact—checked articles. the site will be free to use, but will accept donations from supporters. here's our media editor amol rajan. fake news has gone global. whether deliberate distortions dressed up as real news or clandestine political advertising that targets you on social media, voters in america, germany and france have been hit. the question now is — could this new form of campaigning online be coming to britain ahead of the general election? if political messages are broadcast during an election campaign, they are subject to regulation. but what about messages that are published online? i rang up the law commission. they said to try the electoral commission. i rang up the electoral commission.

they said, "that certainly would not be us." i rang the advertising standards agency and ofcom too. they both said it falls outside of their remit. the question remains — who polices this stuff? wikitribune is a new site with a new model for the news... perhaps this website is one answer. wikitribune will ask for monthly subscriptions from a community of users who help to verify and shape online news themselves. it was launched this morning by the founder of wikipedia, jimmy wales. he argues that we need a sharp press at all layers of society. the rise of hateful politics, i think, is a direct result of this lack of quality in terms of giving people facts. if big internet companies won't take responsibility for what appears on their platforms and regulation has not kept pace with technology, it may fall to us to police fake news ourselves. amol rajan, bbc news.

sir eltonjohn has cancelled a series of shows in the us afterfalling ill with what's been described as a potentially deadly bacterial infection. the singer, who is 70, spent two nights in intensive care, after contracting the illness while on tour in chile earlier this month. his management team says he is now recovering at home. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. the 70—year—old is one of music's hardest—working acts, touring all over the world, and still giving energetic performances at what for many would be retirement age. during the recent series of concerts in south america, he contracted what his medical team has called a potentially deadly bacterial infection, becoming ill on his way back to the uk. in a statement, sir elton's management said: sir elton himself added:

# it's a little bit funny # the illness has meant that sir elton has had to cancel planned concerts in april and may in california and las vegas. he's expected to return to the concert stage injune in london. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: theresa may says every vote

for the tories will "strengthen her hand" in the brexit negotiations, as she campaigns in labour heartlands in south wales. but labour's shadow brexit secretary says the tories are pursuing a "rigid and reckless brexit" and pledges to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens living in britain. mirror group newspapers settles phone hacking claims with a number of celebrities including jeffrey archer, patsy kensit and kevin keegan. hello. now a look at how the markets in europe have ended the trading session. so the market rally continues across europe. the gains won yesterday after first round of the french presidential election are still being felt across the board. meanwhile, in the us the dowjones industrial average and broader s&p 500 both opened higher.

the nasdaq crossed the 6,000 level for the first time ever. stocks in the us were boosted by lots of strong company earnings. well, back in europe, france's richest man has made a £10 billion move to combine the christian diorfashion house and luxury goods firm lvmh under the same ownership. now, if you're familiar with lvmh, then it might be because you have rather deep pockets because it owns the likes of louis vuitton and moet champagne. under this proposed deal, the arnault family will offer to buy the rest of dior that it doesn't already own. shares in christian diorjumped about 12% and lvmh shares rose 4%. whitbread, the owner of costa coffee and premier inn hotels, reported profits up over 6%. the boss of the company reckons there is room for more hotel rooms in the uk, but 20% of their staff are from the eu. she has called for an open and flexible labour source with reference to concerns around brexit. carpetright has also expressed

concern about the year ahead. both companies shares are down. nestle is planning to cut almost 300 jobs, mainly in york and newcastle. its also going to move production of the blue riband chocolate biscuit to one of its factories in poland. there's going to be cuts at their halifax and girvan sites as well, but the company hopes to cutjobs through voluntary redundancies. nestle said it was trying to make the business more efficient. the gmb and unite unions have expressed their anger at the decision. joining us now is lawrence gosling, editor in chief, of investment week. laurence, let's start off with nestle. 300 jobs in the whole grand scheme of things probably doesn't seem hugely significant, but you have got that factory to go to polandment they‘ re saying have got that factory to go to polandment they're saying it's not because of brexit. what is the reason? well, it is interesting, isn't it? it is a couple of hundred

jobs out of 8,000 jobs that nestle employ and they are aiming to do it over two years with largely volu nta ry over two years with largely voluntary redundancies. you can't help, but feel they are moving production to poland because it is cheaper. 0k, cheaper. ok, moving on to a company that is citing concerns of brexit and that's whitbread and also, potentially carpet right as well. whitbread are saying they're worried about 20% of its workforce are from the eu, worried about their rights prost brexit. is that why share prices are down because their profits were good today, 6% up? down because their profits were good today, 696 up? yeah, profits were very good. revenues were up 8%, £3.1 billion. it is a cracking business, but it's right, if it has to replace 20% of its workforce sometime in the next couple of years, there isn't enough kind of, what you might call

uk labourcoming into enough kind of, what you might call uk labour coming into the market. people born in the uk to replace that. so that's a problem. but i think it is another example of the market over reacting to the longer term uncertainty about the potential brexit negotiations. something that investors d id brexit negotiations. something that investors did like today, was christian dior and lvmh coming as one. why do they like that? a, it's going to solve a complex sort of series of company structures within france, but you've got a couple of the most iconic world brands and the thing that investors like through thick and thin, whatever the economic outlook, people carry on drinking moet champagne. these are robust businesses and that's why investors like it. thank you very much, laurence.

f—g gg ? fi 23; 2m presidential elections which lead to markets breathing a sigh of relief. also as we've been talking about — whitbread, which owns costa coffee and premier inn, has reported a 6% rise in profit to just over £560 million. but the share price is down. that's all from me. there is a round—up of all the other top business stories on our website: bbc.co.uk/business thank you. taking moderate exercise several times a week is the best way for people over the age of 50 to keep their brain in good working order. that's according to a new report which says a combination of aerobic activity such as swimming, cycling or jogging with muscle strengthening exercise is most effective. jon kay has been finding out more. rock. back—step. .. tuesday lunchtime, and it's

the over—50s dance class at henbury community centre. but it's not just their feet that are being exercised. researchers say their mental powers are also being stretched, by getting more blood pumping to the brain. and these dancers agree. so i used to do rock'n'roll and then i stopped, and i felt really sluggish. but like now this sort of brings it back. so, yeah, i feel great. i think it's wonderful. it keeps you young! laughter. does it keep you sharp, do you think? oh, i'm very sharp. no, iam. i'm very good at quizzes on telly. we've known for a long time that exercise is good for both our physical and mental health as we get older. but this research pulls together 39 international reports and says aerobic activity improves our ability to think, learn, plan and remember. physical exercise can really help your brain function, your learning memory function. and that's really a very important motivator for people.

because everybody cares about how well they age from the point of view of their mental functions. the research found thatjust half—an—hour of moderate exercise every week was beneficial. but that the more exercise you have beyond was even better. of course, physical exercise isn't the only way to keep our minds active. and mental health charities say other factors, such as what we eat and drink, and keeping our brains stimulated, are all equally important. the actor tom hardy has helped to foil a crime and the police are appealing for pictures and witnesses. police in richmond say that mr hardy detained one of two people who went through a red light on a stolen moped and crashed into another vehicle. he stopped the suspect after he'd fled the scene. both suspects were eventually taken to hospital with minor injuries. a runner who broke his hip

during the last few miles of the london marathon, two years ago, got some extra cheers from the crowd on sunday, as his girlfriend proposed to him. marie collinson got down on one knee to pop the question to her partnerjohn. so far marie, who gave up smoking and started running in 2015, has raised £1,000 for charity. congratulations to them. now the weather with jay wynne. at the moment, it's really cold out there. look at this the highlands of scotland, lying snow. it has been blowing around over the higher ground. we have seen snow in staffordshire. it is not lying on the roads, but it is on the cars and

the roads, but it is on the cars and the bushes. down the road in dudley, we have got rain showers. so a real mix of weather out there. you can see how we started off well further south, but the showers further north have spread further south and there has been a mix of, rain, sleet and hailand has been a mix of, rain, sleet and hail and snow. yes, it's cold out there. it will be another frosty night and we have got wintery showers to contend. quite a rash of showers to contend. quite a rash of showers out there and there is a cold wind blowing down from the north as well. it is in the western side of the uk where the showers are expected to fade away the the skies will be clearing and the temperatures dropping away. we are only one or two degrees above freezing. a fairly widespread frost to start the day, but there should bea to start the day, but there should be a good deal of sunshine across england and wales. maybe a shower or two clipping into the tip of cornwall and into the tip of pembrokeshire, but mostly fine and sunny, but cold. cold nurt east. notice the showers are hugging the coast. the north—west of england and

northern ireland, southern scotland, eastern scotland too getting off to a bright start, but it will be cold in spite of sunshine. more in the way of cloud towards the north—west of scotla nd way of cloud towards the north—west of scotland and it will bring a shower or two with it. for the eastern side of the uk, it will be another showery day. again, there could be rumble of thunder and hail mixed inment very few showers for the western side of england and wales. a reasonable day with spells of sunshine. 11 or 12 celsius for cardiff and london. for scotland and northern ireland, we are in single figuresment eight or nine for glasgow and belfast. tomorrow evening, still showers across central and eastern areas, but those tend to become fewer and further between. a bit of rain gets into the north and the west of scotland. that is the sign of a little bit of a change. we're going to see this cloud and rain slip its way south, but behind that, there is less cold air spreading its way in across scotla nd air spreading its way in across scotland and northern ireland in particular. we see temperatures rise bya particular. we see temperatures rise by a few degrees. across england and wales temperatures may creep up by a notch or two. there will be cloud

and rain. the rain is never too heavy on thursday, but it will be cloudy skies with rain and we will see the temperatures in glasgow and belfast back up into double ficks at 11 or 12 celsius. bye for now. today at 5pm... theresa may takes the conservative campaign into labour's traditional heartlands in south wales. the prime minister urges welsh voters to drop what she calls tribal politics and to back the conservatives ahead of the brexit talks. a vote for any other party would be a vote for a weak and failing jeremy corbyn, propped up by a coalition of chaos which would risk our national future. we'll have the latest on the prime minister's visit. and we'll be talking to the first minister of wales, labour's ca rwyn jones. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm... on brexit, labour spells out its policy guaranteeing the rights of eu citizens living in the uk if labour wins power. the liberal democrat

leader tim farron answers questions about his attitude towards homosexuality. i don't believe gay sex is a sin.