this is bbc news. the headlines at 2:00pm: theresa may accused jeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. but he hits back saying the tories only represented the rich. mr speaker, the election on 8thjune isa mr speaker, the election on 8thjune is a choice... between a conservative government for the few, and a labour government that will stand up for all of our people. the choice is clear - every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for britain labour promises a pay increase for nhs staff — and no tuition fees for student nurses and midwives — if it wins the general election.

in the last few minutes corbyn cosh says he will not take part in an opposition leaders' debate. he says it is in response of theresa may's refusal to participate. west ham and newcastle united football clubs have been raided as part of a fraud investigation — a number of arrests have been made. surrey police are strongly criticised for returning shotguns to a man who went on to murder his partner and her daughter. almost a decade after madeleine mccann disappeared, detectives say they are still following a critical lead. also and in the next hour — both sides of the korean border have seen live firing exercises, as donald trump prepares to brief the us senate on heightened tensions in the area. and swipe left for an endangered animal — one rhino's search for a partner on the dating app tinder. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. there were angry exchanges in the commons today in what was the last prime ministers questions before parliament is dissolved next week. the prime minister said only the conservatives could provide strong and stable leadership. mr corbyn responded by saying the conservatives only represented the rich. our political correspondent iain watson reports. the speaker: questions to the prime minister. it is fair to say pmqs can bea minister. it is fair to say pmqs can be a rowdy affair but today it felt more like a political rally than a parliamentary occasion as election lines were drawn and the prime minister launched a pre—emptive strike before jeremy

minister launched a pre—emptive strike beforejeremy corbyn asked a question. he attacked the labour leaders' team on security. the plan to disband mi5, to disarm our police and scrap our nuclear deterrent was endorsed by the right honourable gentleman's policy chief and even by his shadow chancellor. and in a sign that they'll fight the campaign on jeremy corbyn‘s leadership, the conservative mps cheered when he told the commons how long he'd spent as labour leader when i became leader of the opposition 18 months ago. cheers this could be the last time that theresa may and jeremy corbyn class head—to—head before the election. she won't take part in tv debates so the labour leader wanted to denounce just about the entire record of her government today on health housing and pensions and road tested a few campaign slogans, too. here is one coming up many people feel, mr speaker the system is rigged against them. then it broadened t strong leadership is

about standing up for the many, not the few. but when it comes to the prime minister and the conservatives, they only look after the richest, not the rest. they are strong against the weak and weak against the strong. labour are determined that the election campaign shouldn't be conducted on the prime minister's terms. so you may have noticed there thatjeremy corbyn didn't mention brexit. theresa may unsurprisingly did the com plete theresa may unsurprisingly did the complete opposite. every vote for him isa complete opposite. every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for brexit. expect to hear a lot more of that over the next six weeks. meanwhile the snp's deputy leader chose to campaign on

the level of the state pension and accused the prime minister of dodging the issue. pensioners right across this land are right to conclude that this tory prime minister plans to ditch the triple lock on state pensions. and the lib dem leader also attacked his party's former coalition colleagues, the conservatives 20 years ago she berated the conservative party for being the nasty party, but her party has never been nastier. plus he saved some of his most stinging criticism for labour. the legacy of this parliament is the utter abject failure of her majesty's official opposition to effectively hold her government to account for any of it. this was the longest pmqs on record lasting the beggs part of an hour but politics is about to move away from westminster. it'll now be up to the voters to put the politicians on the voters to put the politicians on the spot. —— the best part of an hour. norm on smithjoins us from central

london a charged combative session which was only to be expected. here we are, what, the last pmqs before the general election campaign. of course it is going to be an argy bargy rough house. and it was, although i think we got a clear indication of how the parties want to pitch this election. quliertly the conservatives want to fight it on the issue of leadership. how many times did we hear that phrase about strong and stable leadership? i think the first tory mp to get up, michael fabricant mentioned it three times and he was asking a question. and whenjeremy corbyn got up to his feet and said — when he became leader leader i8 feet and said — when he became leader leader 18 months ago, the tory benches roared. as forjeremy corbyn, i think he wants to present himself almost as the underdog, the man taking on the expected winner, the powerful, representing those under pressure, those who use public services, going back to his old

tactic of reading out letters from people who've written to him, concerned, concerned today about conditions in the nhs, in schools, the inability it get on the housing ladder, the lack of pay increases and from the liberal democrats we heard there tim farron, i think they see this as an election, not only as an opportunity to try to regroup and build after their catastrophic result in the last election but they wa nt to result in the last election but they want to sort of position themselves as the effective opposition to theresa may following the difficulties that labour is having. so it was that sort of pmqs were eve ryo ne so it was that sort of pmqs were everyone was setting out their stall before the election. and setting out their stall on a wide variety of issues, considering brexit is looming largest? i saw an opinion poll by ipsos mori before pmqs which said that most voters, i can't remember the exact figure i think 45% , remember the exact figure i think 45%, that bricts is the biggest issue, second is the nhs. but it is

the defining big issue and we shouldn't be surprised because brexit intrudes on every other area of policy. we heard jeremy hunt this morning saying for the nhs to thrive, theresa may needs a good brexit deal, if she doesn't he said it would be "disastrous for the nhs" so it would be "disastrous for the nhs" so brexit trumps every other area of policy. it is such an emotive issue, people feel so passionately about it. just as did they going into the referendum and it seems to me also impossible for this not to be overarching and overshadowing this whole election. and maybe even after the election it'll still be the dominant issue, it isjust in the going to go away. and norman, not just theresa may who doesn't want it ta ke just theresa may who doesn't want it take part in a televised debate ye, we learned that jeremy take part in a televised debate ye, we learned thatjeremy corbyn is not going to take part in a television debate if theresa may is not going to ta ke debate if theresa may is not going to take part in a television debate. his people saying he will not take pa rt his people saying he will not take part in the opposition leaders'

debate so you will have the leader of the snp, the liberal democrats, the greens and so on and so forth. he won't go unless theresa may is there. and mrs may has said she's not going to be there, clearly and all the indications are she doesn't ca re if all the indications are she doesn't care if she is accused of being frit oi’ care if she is accused of being frit or running away, she is not going to do it. i think bluntly it is a risk, why risk it it? if opinion polls show her storming ahead, why give jeremy corbyn perhaps the chance to gain some momentum through a tv debate. he is now pulling out which i think for viewers is really quite sad ina i think for viewers is really quite sad in a way, because the it much v debates had massive audiences, they engaged people in politics and, you know, they informed the broader electorate about where people stood and, you know, a lot of people do follow politics closely, a lot don't, and those sort of it. v debates, it seemed to me, reached out to people who are not always atuned, listening to what you and i might be saying about politics, it

now seems not only will we not get a leaders' debate, it must be questionable whether we'll eneven get some sort of opposition leaders' debate. i'm not sure that frit is in the bbc style guide but we'll let you off with this vernacular. meanwhile, labour has announced plans to scrap the 1% cap on pay increases for nhs staff in england and to end tuition fees for student nurses and midwives. it will be partly funded through an increase to corporation tax but the plans wont be fully costed until labour's election manifesto is published. our health editor hugh pym has been looking at labour's plans. marches by student nurses and midwives in protest at plans in england to scrap state funded bursaries. from august nurses and midwives starting training will need to take out student loans, as with other courses. the government argues this will encourage universities to create a lot more places. but ucas figures show university

applications were nearly a quarter lower this year in england. labour says, if elected, it will restore the bursaries due to be scrapped in august. the party also wants to end the i% pay cap for health staff. it says its policies will be paid for by reversing corporation tax cuts. labour also plans to get regulators to draw up guidelines on safe staffing in hospitals and then legislate to make hospitals abide by them. we think it is deeply unfair that our nhs staff have had to suffer from a i% pay cap continually under this conservative government. we are saying we are going to scrap that cap, we're going to give our nhs staff the pay they deserve and we are going to ask the independent public sector pay bodies to look at the evidence again and come forward with a fair package for our nhs staff, because they deserve better than what they're getting under this conservative government. but the conservatives argue that labour's funding plans for the measures didn't stack up. there's always a case for paying nurses more,

they work extremely hard. but labour have already promised this money from corporation tax 12 times. they promised it for university tuition fees, for the schools budget. and if you don't really have that money, if you then lift that pay cap, what you end up having to do is to employ fewer nurses and that means less safe hospital wards. the liberal democrats said labour was not being honest with the public about the revenue raised to pay for the policies. hugh pym, bbc news. newcastle united and west ham united football clubs' grounds have been raided in a fraud investigation. hmrc said it deployed 180 officers across the uk and france, resulting in the arrests of several men working within professional football. it said investigators had seized business records, financial records, computers and mobile phones. west ham and newcastle united our sports correspondent natalie

pirks is at west ham's stadium we understand about 50 hrmc officers we re understand about 50 hrmc officers were here the at the tax—payer—funded stadium here. we saw about ten officers going back into the building around 1.40pm. so some five hours after they first came there were still some hrmc officers and police officers here. financial records and computers have been seized. we also know that newcastle united, the home of them,p st james' park was also newcastle united, the home of them,p stjames' park was also raided and their managing director was arrested, lee chanley. he has been with the club for several years and has been managing director since 2008. this is a terrible time for them, just days after they have been promoted back to the premier league. we now know that hrmc officers

visited chelsea' office this morning. they were not raided and they are not under investigation but they are not under investigation but the club's spokesman told the bbc "in connection with its wider investigation, hrmc has requested certain information that the club will provide." all west ham are saying at the moment is they will be cooperating fully. as you said hrmc confirmed it was part of a wider investigation involving 180 officers here and in france. and both clubs, newcastle and west ham have done deals in the past few years with french clubs. currently the french authorities are saying "no commented" but we hope to hear a little more later this afternoon. natalie has all of this come out of the blue, were we expecting this at all? no, this has come out of the blue. it's been a long ongoing thing that hrmc have been looking into, the tax affairs of several premier league clubs but this morning when it dropped around 10.00 am it was a big shock and looks like ongoing this could have, could have huge implications for premier league clu bs. implications for premier league clubs. all right, thank you very

much indeed. breaking news from a court case, a soldier has been found guilty of the murder of his former girlfriend. lance corporal dillon 26 who was based at barracks in edinburgh. he broke into alice ruggl‘s home in gateshead on 12th october last year and cut her throat repeatedly. the jury and cut her throat repeatedly. the jury of eight women and four men at newcastle crown court took around 90 minutes we are hearing to come to a unanimous verdict. they had heard that dillon, 26, had stalked alice in the weeks before she died and had been aggressive, controlling and manipulative throughout their short relationship. so that is just in, that soldier, lance corporal dillon aged 26, based at a barracks in

edinburgh, has been found guilty of the murder of his ex—girlfriend. the headlines: the last prime minister's questions before the general election and theresa may accuses jeremy corbyn general election and theresa may accusesjeremy corbyn of not being up accusesjeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. but he hit back saying the tories only represent the rich. firefighters in greater manchester are tackling a blaze at the world renowned christie hospital. the fire started in the cancer research wing earlier on today. several men working in professionalfootball have been arrested after newcastle and west ham united were raided in a fraud inquiry. and in sport, joey barton's football career appears over. the 34—year—old

burnley midfielder has been banned for 18 months after admitting an fa misconduct charge related to betting. reigning world sneak champion, mark selby has breezed into the semifinals after beating marko fu 13-3 with semifinals after beating marko fu 13—3 with a session to spare. and maria sharapova thank you very much. surrey police have been strongly criticised for returning a collection of shotguns to a man who went on to kill his partner and her daughter. 82—year—old john lowe shot christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in farnham in 2014. a report by the independent police complaints commission has found serious failings at the surrey force. here's duncan kennedy. the white—haired figure ofjohn lowe moments after he shot dead christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in surrey. christine, who was a partner, and her daughter lucy

were killed with a shotgun. this shotgun. that had been returned tojohn lowe by surrey police. john lowe, seen here at the police station, was jailed for life. today the independent police complaints commission said that surrey police had made a series of errors in handing the gun back to him. but there were lessons for all police forces. we found systematic failings for the local force and also we feel there are lessons to be learned nationally for police forces to ensure that their firearms licensing teams are up to the job. it was in march 2013 thatjohn lowe had his shotguns seized by surrey police after allegations that he had made threats to kill. that complaint was later withdrawn. injuly 2013, the shotguns and license were returned to him. seven months later christine and lucy lee were shot dead with one of the weapons. stacy banner, the daughter of christine and sister to lucy, said the police had been warned

aboutjohn lowe. i told the police how dangerous he was. i told the police that he would kill. and he did. surrey police have admitted mistakes were made in this case. they say the medical records ofjohn lowe were not properly investigated and that a full risk assessment was not carried out before the guns were given back to him. senior officers say they have apologised to the family of christine and lucy lee. do you accept that if the guns had not been returned then christine and lucy lee could still be alive? clearly he used those shotguns in a double murder, a horrific case, seven months after they were returned. i do not think we can ever be asked to see into the future, but clearly what should happen in this case is a better risk assessment should have been done and those guns should not have been returned.

one member of staff from surrey police was sacked over the case, another retired. the deaths of christine and lucy lee have traumatised the family patients at a cancer hospital in manchester have been moved after a huge fire broke out. the blaze started in a lab building at christie hospital this morning and there were fears that gas tanks on a roof could explode. the hospital says all patients and staff are safe, and some units — including all patient areas — have been evacuated. live now to our correspondentjudith moritz for the latest in manchester. a fillous, famous hospital, judith. tell us more what is happening?m is world renowned the christie. what has been happening is that greater manchester fire and rescue service have been flat out bringing this fire under control. we can still see smoke billowing out of the proof of the research building behind me. but it now seems to be much less than

when we first arrived here a couple of hours ago at which point you could still see flames shooting from the top of the roof. to give you an idea of what happened here, this is a sight which has mixed uses. so the christie hospital treats 114,000 patients a year for christie hospital treats 114,000 patients a yearfor all christie hospital treats 114,000 patients a year for all kinds of cancer, but the building where this fire broke out is a research facility, which isjointly used by the university of manchester, by cancer research uk, and by the christie and it is a mixture of offices and lab facilities. now we are told that there's been extensive damage but we don't know exactly to which parts of the building and cancer research uk at the moment are yet to assess whether any of their research has been damaged and affected. in terms of the patients on sight, we are told that everyone's safe, been accounted for but because this is a research lab building which is connected to the greater hospital, if you like, there

are patients who were in the process of being prepared for treatment who we re of being prepared for treatment who were moved away from the areas where they were to be given that treatment. they are five patients prepared and ready to go for procedures of one kind or another, who, when the fire broke out, were taken away to other parts of the hospital so that their treatment could carry on and the christie havetold us that they remain open today for outpatients as well. that people should still come here for appointments if they have them, that other arrangements are being made, in some cases, so that treatment can carry on away from the affected area and at the moment, work carrying on just to bring things under control and to make sure that the building can be damped down so that investigators can go in and start to look at what might have caused this. distressing for those patients who are turning up for that sort of treatment. we mentioned in the introduction that there were gas

ta nks introduction that there were gas tanks at risk of exploding, has that 110w tanks at risk of exploding, has that now abated ? tanks at risk of exploding, has that now abated? you know, the fire service have told us that they are in the process, still, of bringing this blaze under control. i think you can see, if we move the camera in closer from you can see, if we move the camera in closerfrom behind me, that there is still the smoke pouring out there from the roof. we understand there was work going on, in the roof, you can see scaffolding, on the roof. we don't know if their work had anything to do with the cause of this fire but certainly at the moment, although people locally have been told to stay behind a cordon, there is a police and fire cordon here around the area and we are not being told at the moment that there is any risk from any gas canisters which remains at the moment. there was advice rearierfor which remains at the moment. there was advice rearier for people to keep windows and so on closed, i suppose whilst things were made safe and while the situation was assessed. there is still a lot of people going about their normal work here, be patients going into the hospital building. it is a big site t goes right across the other side

of the road. if rob the cameraman brings the camera across, you can see where the ambulance and fire engine is there, there is a large pa rt engine is there, there is a large part of this site functioning, the christie hospital still treating patients today. they were keen to make the point at such a stressful and difficult time for patients who may be coming in for procedures who may be coming in for procedures who may still come here, they may be taken to a different part of the site but that treatment should continue for all patients who are having it here today. thank you very much, judith. the us military has begun installing parts of an advanced missile defence system at a site in south korea, amid continuing high tensions with north korea over its missile and nuclear programmes. in washington the entire us senate will get a security briefing on north korea at the white house today, in what's a highly unusual move. from south korea, here's stephen evans. just a few miles south of north korea, 2,000 american

and south korean troops practise with real ammunition. they attack targets in the hills with fearsome weaponry. a true show of force. and a show of unity between the military of the two nations, all watched from the grandstand by south korean spectators, unfazed by the current war of words between washington and north korea. she says, as we see in these drills, kim jong un will know how strong the south korean military is. and i don't think he'd ever dare to attack us. he says, "i'm certainly more worried than before because of president trump's hardline policy. kim jong un is not the type of person to be pushed around." north korea says this

is a rehearsal for invasion. china doesn't like them either. it wants the exercises stopped and for north korea to stop testing missiles and nuclear devices. it thinks that kind of moratorium, a quid pro quo, could be the basis for a deal. it is not likely to happen. right in the south of the peninsula, under cover of darkness, the us deployed an anti—missile system called thad, designed to shoot down north korean attacks. there were protests. local people fear the system will be targeted. in north korea, there were also war exercises. north korea has thousands of big artillery guns capable of hitting the south korean capital seoul. and the 25 million people who live there. stephen evans, bbc news, south korea. next week will be the 10th

anniversary of the disappearance of madeleine mccann. detectives say they are still pursuing what they describe next week will be the 10th anniversary of the disappearance detectives say they are still pursuing what they describe as a "critical lead" in the case. the little girl was three when she vanished during a family holiday in portugal. her parents kate and gerry say the 10th anniversary is a "horrible marker of. . .stolen time". and they've promised never to give up looking for their daughter. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. ten years, no answers. tom symonds reports. a desperate search with the media following every step. what happened here? where is madeleine mccann? this is still a missing persons enquiry. despite 2014's extensive police searches in portugal, there is no definitive evidence she is dead. for six years, with government money, the metropolitan police have been reviewing everything from scratch. we have a significant line of inquiry which is worth pursuing. and because it is worth pursuing, it could provide an answer.

but until we have gone through it, i will not know whether we're going to get there or not. and that is all the police are saying. this investigation was once pursued by up to 30 officers. now there are just four on the case and a handful of leads. but while there's still something to investigate, there is still hope. madeleine's parents have described the ten year anniversary as a horrible marker of stolen time. they've released a statement promising never to give up. there have been many challenges and low points along the way, they said, but the "warmth, encouragement and positivity we have experienced from the quiet majority has undoubtedly sustained us and maintained our faith in human goodness". this is how madeleine might have looked as she has grown up. her 14th birthday is the week after next. tom symonds, bbc news. the number of senior bbc managers

earning more than 150,000 pounds a year has risen — despite assurances that it would fall. the national audit office says the total went up from 89 to 98 during the past four years. but overall the number of managers fell from 540 to 319. burnley midfielderjoey barton has been banned from all football activity for 18 months after admitting a football association charge in relation to betting. an fa statement said: "it was alleged that between 26 march 2006 and 13 may 2016, he placed 1,260 bets on the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in, football matches or competitions in breach of fa rule e8." barton has also been fined £30,000 and warned as to his future conduct. we will pause and look at the later weather prospects. matt can tell us

how it is looking how weather prospects. matt can tell us how it is looking am a little chilly. a northerly air flow with us at the moment making it feel cooler. nice enough in the sunshine, coolness where you have the showers. let's look where the showers are. they are across mainly central and eastern parts of england. one or two dotted around elsewhere but for many of you, a drier day than yesterday but you can see it is across east midlands, east anglia towards the south—east, the darker the colours, indicating the heaviest of the showers. some rumbles of thunder here, hail, sleet and snow. and temperatures struggling. five in parts of norfolk at lunch time at best 9 as we finish the afternoon. some showers for the evening rush—hour. cater for them the afternoon. some showers for the evening rush—hour. caterfor them if you are heading out. isolated showers elsewhere. tonight cloud and less cold air pushing into scotland, northern ireland and northern england bringing a few spots in are inbut a drift in temperatures. away from city centres where the skies are from city centres where the skies a re clearest from city centres where the skies are clearest we could see a frost.

dry and cold to start thursday, further north cloudy with outbreaks of rain. it'll brighten up in the north, with temperatures lifting compared to today. this is bbc news, the headlines: in the last prime minister's questions before the general election, labour leader jeremy corbyn said the party would stand up for the many and not the few. but the prime minister said every vote for mr corbyn was a vote for a chaotic brexit. labour has announced plans to increase the pay of nhs staff in england, and end tuition fees for student nurses and midwives. the shadow health secretary said the policies would help address staffing shortages that had become a threat to patients. and jeremy corbyn says he will not take part in an opposition leaders debate, saying it is in response to theresa may's refusal to participate. west ham and newcastle united football clubs have been raided as part of an investigation into suspected income tax and national insurance fraud.

there have been a number of arrests. investigators say they've seized financial records. a women whose mother and sister were killed by an 82—year—old man has told the bbc she will sue surrey police. the force's firearms team returned a collection of shotguns tojohn lowe who went on to kill his partner and her daughter in 2014. time for sport, here is tim haig. j°ey joey barton has admitted an fa misconduct charge related to betting. between march and may last year the 34—year—old placed 1062 bets on football competitions in breach of fa rules. he was fined

£30,000 and warned about his future conduct. he plans to appeal against his 18 month suspension. david moyes has been charged by the fa about comments he made to a female reporter last month. he told her that she might get a slap after a post—match interview. he has until may the 3rd to respond to the charge. the new 20 mac that twenty20 cricket competition will take part in the summer. patrick gearey told me it was an historic day for english cricket. ever since victorian times the game has been based around counties, but now after this boat 38 members supported the change which will around non—county teams to take part in a new competition which stars in the summer of 2020. it will be aimed at young people and families, groups the ecb feels it is not currently reaching and who are imported for

the future of the game. the existing t20 the future of the game. the existing t 20 competition will continue, but the new competition will rival the likes of the ipl in india and the australian big bash, so an overwhelming change for english cricket. the surrey all-rounder zafar ansari has announced his retirement from the spot. he said he wa nted retirement from the spot. he said he wanted other ambitions to fulfil. he began playing with surrey at the age of eight and made his test debut for england last september. he has got a masters in history and he said he was exploring another career, potentially in law. mark selby is through to the semifinal of the world snooker championships having dominated his match against marco fu. he also added the highest break of the tournament, 143 on his way to the last four. john higgins is also through for the first time in six yea rs. through for the first time in six years. the four times champion began

the final set needing two frames for victory and it did not take him long to get them. he will play either barry hawkins or stephen maguire. world number one andy murray is through to the third round of the barcelona open after his opponent bernard tomic withdrew with a back injury. we will find that on may the 16th whether maria sharapova will be offered a wild card into qualifying for the french open. she makes her return to tennis today following a 15 month doping suspension. she is a wild card at the stuttgart grand prix and her first opponent was not pleased about it. she is, of course, a great player. personally, i don't have nothing against her but she made her mistakes, for sure. less, but she paid, and i think she can return to play but without any wild cards, any help. elsewhere in stuttgart, british

number one johanna konta is elsewhere in stuttgart, british number onejohanna konta is on court just now and is set up against a japanese qualifier. but she is 5—3 down in the second set. more in the next hour. tim, sorry to leave you hanging there. that was the latest spot. i was enra ptu red spot. i was enraptured by every word. mps have criticised the system for providing school places in england describing it as "incoherent" and "poor value for money". the public accounts committee is concerned that free schools are sometimes opened in areas without a shortage of places, and where other schools are struggling to make ends meet. here's our education correspondent, gillian hargreaves. ministers believe free schools are key to meeting demand for more school places and they plan to open 500 by 2020. they are state funded,

but independently run by charities or groups of parents. the public accounts committee says that while free schools are needed in some areas in england, in others, they're creating as much as 20% spare capacity and wasting public money. there is an ageing stock of buildings and at the same time the government is rushing to fund new free schools, but it's not putting them in good buildings. often they are old office buildings, long—standing temporary accommodation, buildings without playgrounds, buildings without sports facilities. we don't think this is a long—term, sustainable approach to the future education of our children. the mps' investigation builds on a national audit office report in february which highlighted how billions were being spent on free schools while existing school buildings were old and deteriorating. this new report notes that last year the dfe provided £4.5 billion to maintain and improve schools, but it still faces significant challenges over the next few years as buildings continue to deteriorate.

the department for education says free schools are popular with parents and provide excellent value for money. a former health secretary has said a ‘criminal cover—up on an industrial scale' took place over the use of nhs contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. more than 2000 deaths have been linked to the scandal in which haemophiliacs and others were infected with hepatitis c and hiv from imported blood. speaking in the commons last night, andy burnham said the victims were treated like "guinea pigs". united airlines is investigating the death of a giant rabbit which was being transported on one of its planes. the 90cm—long bunny called simon, similar to this one, was found dead in the cargo hold when the flight arrived at chicago's o'hare airport from london heathrow. united said it was "saddened" by simon's death. a rhino called sudan is looking

for love on the dating app tinder. his keepers in kenya have posted his details on the site, hoping the 43—year old animal will find a female rhino to help protect the species, as tim allman reports. #je t‘aime # oui, je t‘aime # meet sudan. he is literally one—of—a—kind, the last male northern white rhino on earth. and what do you do if you are feeling lonely these days? go online. tindr is going to broadcast for our rhino, sudan. it will be broadcast in 190 countries in 40 languages. it is really the first time that tinder has done something like that, to that scale.

sudan claims to perform well under pressure and says he likes to eat grass and chill in the mud, and admits to being six foot tall and weighing 5,000lbs. that's more than 2,000 kilos. sudan is not really looking to hook up online. this is all about raising around $9 million needed for fertility treatment. sudan having failed to breed successfully the old—fashioned way with these two female northern white rhinos, but there are thousands of southern white rhinos who might be able to help. this is something that will have to be replicated and done at scale. we're going to have a breeding programme in kenya to continue to build the number of northern whites so that eventually we have sufficient numbers ultimately to be able to reintroduce them back into the national park. the whole project could take ten or even 15 years and sudan is 43.

that's almost 100 in rhino years. so, swipe right while you can! joining us from kenya is the ceo of ol pejeta conservancy, richard vigne. richard, thank you very much for joining us. where did this idea of using the tender app come from? this was an idea that was put together by ogilvy africa, a communications agency with a worldwide presence. i cannot claim any credit for it. they we re cannot claim any credit for it. they were able to come forward together with tinder to help us with this programme and save the northern white rhino as a species. so not

just one offspring, but many eventually. i am the boss of the biggest black rhino sanctuary in eastern africa, but all the minor species across the planet are heavily threatened by poachers because of the value of their horn. the northern white rhino is the most threatened because there are only three left. it is not good enough to simply produce one or two or even ten through ivf, we will need to produce a viable breeding herd which can be reintroduced back into those parts of central africa where they originated from. given the pressures on the species in terms of habitat and poaching, how realistic is it that you can save the species from extinction in the wild? look, it is already extinct in the wild, so the only three remaining northern whites are in captivity, or semi—captivity with us. how realistic is it? the

truth of the matter is rhino are pressured everywhere, in some places more than others. but we have got to look ahead 30 or 40 or even more yea rs look ahead 30 or 40 or even more years than that because if we are going to recover some of those wilderness areas in central africa where they have been excavated and rhinos are extinct, we have got to have a long—term view. this cannot just happen in the next few years. that is the long—term approach that we are taking. you have also got to raise a lot of money. how fast have you got to do it given that sudan in human years is 100 years old? we have got to be quick. sudan being near 100 means he is incapable of making now and even if he were capable, his sperm is probably not

viable. furthermore, the two remaining females are both infertile, so this is a species com pletely infertile, so this is a species completely on the brink of extinction. the real crux of this will be to develop the technologies and protocols that are necessary to remove eggs from the remaining females, fertilise them with stored semen from around the world were northern white rhinos have been kept in captivity for the last 20 years to make embryos which can then theoretically be implanted into a surrogate southern white rhino female for the production of purebred northern white rhino cubs. it isa purebred northern white rhino cubs. it is a complicated process. it is done commonly in humans and domestic livestock. but it has never been donein livestock. but it has never been done in rhinos before, so the challenge is to get to the point where we can do it before the females die. then we can use sudan's semen to make the embryos that are necessary. if it is successful, it

could be applied to other species and if you are successful with the rhino, how well equipped by the african governments to ensure they are well protected in the future? yes, it is a good question. kenya has been incredibly successful at protecting rhinos and our populations are growing. in other parts of africa it is not the case. in south africa there has been an enormous amount of poaching on is rhino populations in the last few yea rs. rhino populations in the last few years. the northern white rhinos came from parts of africa which are very insecure and where they cannot exist in a wild situation. but we are not exist in a wild situation. but we a re not really exist in a wild situation. but we are not really looking at the immediate term. what we need to do first and foremost is create a viable breeding population of the species in kenya and then maybe in 15, 20 or 30 years' species in kenya and then maybe in 15,20 or 30 years' time we species in kenya and then maybe in 15, 20 or 30 years' time we will have the basis for a reintroduction programme back into those parts of

africa where the species originated in the hope that those areas become much more stable and secure than they currently are. we wish you well with the project. thank you very much. thank you very much. one of the best ways to prevent disasters at sea and in the air is to find out what causes accidents in the first place. britain has some of the most experienced crash investigators in the world their work has already saved countless lives. now, the bbc‘s been given exclusive access to film their latest weapon in the battle to find out why ships and planes crash. richard westcott reports. a fireball after an executive jet overshot a runway and crashed into a busy hampshire car park. four people died, including members of osama bin laden's family. this 3—d photo, taken by investigators using a special drone, helped them solve the crash. the quality‘s so good, they can move around the scene, zooming in, checking for tell—tale clues.

now the bbc‘s been given exclusive access to film investigators on a drone—training exercise. it's becoming essential to help get to the bottom of accidents. we're looking for ground marks, which tells us how the aircraft hit the ground, whether it was in a bank, whether it was a steep nosedive. propeller slash marks can give us an indication of propeller speed. then we're looking around the accident site to see if we're missing any bits, have we captured all four corners or has an important part actually broken off in flight, which would be a clue as to the cause of the accident? they also use the drone to give a pilot's eye view. with one accident, someone had hit some power lines and from the ground, they were really easy to see, but they realised that when viewed from the cockpit, those same lines were virtually invisible, they blended into the ground. so they were actually able to see what the pilot was seeing. they don'tjust use drones to investigate air accidents, they use them to look

at accidents at sea, as well. we would then fly along the side of the wreck. at another training exercise, investigators tell me the simplest things can be a real giveaway. could be a door or a porthole left open, it could be that somebody‘s actually opened or closed a valve incorrectly, that's then let water feed into the cooling system and the engine. it could be that somebody‘s left freshwater or a hosepipe running on the upper deck and it could be a fishing boat, washing down the upper decks with water that was being pumped over the side and they've left it over and it's filled up one of the tanks and the free water effectjust made the fishing boat tip over. and this is how vital drone footage can be. a fatal crack in the middle of a ship's hull. shot a few years ago, this is the wreck of the cargo ship swanland. 80 metres down off the welsh coast.

six people died as the vessel snapped in heavy seas. these images helped find early answers. rogue drones in the wrong hands can cause terrible accidents, but in the right hands, they can help prevent them, too. richard wescott, bbc news. an annual survey of people treated in accident and emergency units after being assaulted suggests there's been a significant fall in violence across england and wales. 188,000 people attended a&e in 2016 — 10 % down on the previous year. but the results are at odds with police statistics which show an increase in violent crime. as our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. across the police, there's huge concern about levels of violent crime. in some areas like london, stabbings and shootings are on the increase. while the most recent set of figures for england and wales showed an overall rise in violence of 22%. but a survey of casualty units

and clinics, which treat victims of violence, paints a very different picture. it suggests that fewer people are suffering violent assaults. according to the survey, 188,000 people attended hospital last yearfor injuries caused by violence. that's10% down on the figure for 2015. and is the lowest number since the survey began, 15 years ago, figures sharply at odds with the police statistics. for all kinds of reasons, police records are an unreliable measure of violence. the most accurate way of measuring violence is either through the crime survey for england and wales or the a&e injury statistics. the only age category which registered an increase in violent injury cases was of children aged under 11. but researchers say that may be a blip because of the small sample size in that grouping. danny shaw, bbc news.

we're famous for being a nation of keen gardeners but there are warnings that our immaculate green lawns could become a thing of the past because of climate change. the royal horticultural society says drier summers and more frequent days of "extreme rainfall" in the winter could also threaten gardens with new plant pests and diseases. their report also suggests the whole country will experience rising temperatures, but in terms of rainfall there will be a north—south divide as john maguire reports. climate change is having a massive impact on our planet and on so many aspects of our daily lives. gardens act as a good measure of what's happening. and now research by the royal horticultural society says the pace of change has been rapid and will continue, creating a north—south divide in ourflora and fauna. we found as you might expect that under climate change, the temperature will be getting warmer

both in summer and winter. most interestingly, it has found a greater variability in the climate, so there will be more downpours both in the summer and winter, and in the summer there will be more heatwaves, more frequent droughts and more intense droughts. already, there are plants surviving today that 20 years ago would have been killed off by winter frosts. the rhs says there are pros and cons for gardeners. there will be more work to do, weeding, mowing and pruning. there will be a greater variety of plants living across the uk, but there will also be more pests, especially things like slugs, thriving in the warm, wet winters. you get several very wet days, and then you just get one sunny day, and then you're back to rain again. certainly, you can tell there's less rain each year. so you put different plants in to compensate for it. horticulturalists say the way

we plan our planting and gardens will also need to change in the future. really, you want to look for plants that are going to be quite tough, quite resilient. here, we have this lovely solomon's seal or polygonatum. that prefers a much more moist soil, but equally is quite resilient, so it will cope with a bit of sun. equally, we then have this lovely black lily turf. this is great because it has got these root nodules. this enables it to store water and nutrients and make it able to cope with drier, tougher conditions. and here at the rhs gardens at wisley, a centrepiece sculpture that seems more pertinent today in these changing times and climes than ever before. john maguire, bbc news, surrey. well, then, how is your garden

looking? beautiful, immaculate. even the long? nope. mine has gone all yellow. is there any rain on the way? it is not just it is notjust about it is not just about the it is notjust about the rainfall, it is the colder conditions that has been a challenge for some gardeners. this afternoon it was 5 degrees in kings lynn. the reason is because of the high pressured to the west and we are on the wrong side of it. some of that milder air will push towards us in the next 24 hours. temperature will rise into the bank holiday weekend and into next week. in that cold northerly air mass that we have we have been seeing clouds and some welcome showers in some parts of the south. the heaviest are on eastern

coastal counties and all the way down towards ken. we have seen some develop in the midlands as well. fewer showers than we saw yesterday across many parts of the uk. a bit dry out there, the winds are not so strong, so not feeling quite so chilly, but the showers are on the heavy side with thunder, hail, sleet and snow mixed in. in the west the odd shower, a bit of cloud here and there, but it will be a lot drier. it has been a fine day so far out of the breeze and in scotland and northern ireland very few showers to ta ke northern ireland very few showers to take us into the evening rush hour. in the hebrides and in orkney and shetland the cloud increases. that will introduce slightly milder conditions that are in iceland at the moment. temperatures will rise with some patchy rain. clearer and

colder conditions further south. whilst we are frost free in the northern part of the uk. in the south we could see temperatures down to minus three. a chilly start, but a bright start to thursday. clouding over through the day and a threat of rain. quitea over through the day and a threat of rain. quite a breezy day and that will take most of the morning cloud and rain away from england. still a few showers into the afternoon. in scotla nd few showers into the afternoon. in scotland it will be positively balmy compared to recent days. a few mist and fog patches, but most will have and fog patches, but most will have a dry day on friday. a few showers, but the breeze will be easing off. as we go towards the bank holiday weekend we start on a fine no, but low pressure pushes its way in. but it will be milder and much more breezy, but there will be a little bit of rain in the forecast. the south—west of england is most prone

to that. goodbye for now. this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 3pm: theresa may accusesjeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. but he has hit back saying the tories only represent the rich. the election on 8thjune is a choice between a conservative... yes, between a conservative... yes, between a conservative government for the few and a labour government that will stand up for all of our people. the choice is clear — every vote for him isa the choice is clear — every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for britain. labour promises a pay increase for nhs staff —

and no tuition fees for student nurses and midwives —