this is bbc news. i'm reeta chakrabati. police charge conservative candidate for south thanet, craig mackinlay, over an alleged breach of election spending at the last general election. once again, it is bad judgment from theresa may. why on earth would you allow someone to go ahead as a general election candidate when this cloud was clearly hanging over him? the conservative party continues to believe that these allegations are unfounded. craig mackinlay is innocent until proven guilty, and remains our candidate. jeremy corbyn launches a stinging attack on theresa may for not joining european leaders in condemning donald trump for quitting the paris climate accord. i'm simon mccoy, live in york, david dimbleby will host a question time special later. jeremy corbyn and theresa may will face questions

from the toughest audience of all, the voters. police investigating the manchester bombing find a car they say may be "significant" to the inquiry into last week's attack. prince william visits manchester to talk to those who helped the victims on the night of the bombing. also in the next hour, a warning from the royal college of surgeons. new figures show the number of nhs patients waiting six months or more for surgery has increased threefold since 2013. and hospital visiting with a difference, a groundbreaking new study shows the benefits of pet therapy for patients. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the conservative candidate for south thanet in kent craig mackinlay

has been charged with offences relating to his election expenses in the run—up to the last general election. the crown prosecution service said mr mackinlay, who's standing again on june eight, and two other tory party workers will faces charges under the representation of the people act. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. craig mackinlay. it was one of the big conservative wins in the last general election, stopping nigel farage in south thanet. their candidate, craig mackinlay, won byjust under 3000 votes after talking during the campaign of all the support he had had from big name politicians. we have brought many powerful members of the government team down here to show that i am part of a very strong team. but today, craig mackinlay, who is standing for re—election, was charged with making a false declaration of the money he spent on his campaign. also charged was his agent, nathan grey, and marion little, a conservative party headquarters campaign specialist accused of aiding and abetting the other two.

this was the moment nigel farage found out about the charges as he was out campaigning this morning. you'rejoking? oh, my good lord. right, that is big news. craig mackinlay has just been charged. once again, it is bad judgment from theresa may. why on earth would you allow someone to go ahead as a general election candidate when this cloud was clearly hanging over him? there will be questions. it was not the big name politicians that all passed through south thanet two years ago that have led to this case. it was the thousands of pounds spent on hotels for party activists, disclosed by channel 4 news. these were picked up by the national party and put on their expenses return. but police have been investigating whether, in fact, they should've been entered on craig mackinlay‘s local campaign expenses.

an investigation has now led to him being charged. the conservative party continues to believe that these allegations are unfounded. craig mackinlay is innocent until proven guilty and he remains our candidate. craig mackinlay has said he will continue to fight for re—election. standing in this general election while accused of declaring false expenses in the last. daniel sandford, bbc news. 0ur correspondent charlie rose was in ramsgate earlier, and said it's unclear whether the cps's decision will affect the election. i've spent the morning here in south thanet. i went to the conservative party flat a few hundred yards from me here in ramsgate to look for craig mackinlay. i went to the conservative party office in broadstairs, but no sign of craig mackinlay in either of those two places, but he has now released a full statement. he describes the crown prosecution service's decision as shocking and says he has done nothing wrong. he says his candidature

in south thanet is entirely unaffected, and his campaign will continue as before. with the general election, though, in just a few days' time, we're yet to see how this will affect the vote down here in south thanet, if at all. the function of the election will be unaffected, though. we've contacted thanet district council and the electoral commission, and they say craig mackinlay‘s name will remain on the ballot paper. postal votes have already started. they say that being charged is not a ban on being a candidate. we've is a statement from the conservative party, they say that the allegations put before craig mackinlay, his agent nathan grey, and party activist marion little, are unfounded. that's our correspondence, charlie rose. breaking news to bring you, police in brussels have arrested a man in connection with the november,

2015, attacks in paris. prosecutors have named a 31—year—old man, giving no more detail as to how was related to the attack. mass shootings and bombings in paris in november, 2015, which killed 130 people, and injured hundreds more. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has launched a strong attack on theresa may over her decision not to sign a letter from european leaders protesting at president trump's decision to pull out of the paris climate accord. mr corbyn said it showed mrs may's "silence and subservience" towards the president. but downing street said she'd expressed her "disappointment," and a source said other major countries had refused to sign. meanwhile, in brussels, the eu and china have beenjoining forces, to send a message to the world that they stood by the paris agreement. from brussels, our correspondent damian grammaticas has sent this report. in the fight against global warming,

and just hours after donald trump retreated, enter new leaders — the eu and china. apart from the us, these are the world's other two economic heavyweights, prompted by president trump to act in concert. what we're seeing here with this joint reaction to donald trump's statement is striking, not just for the swiftness, but also for the message it sends, at a time when the us under president trump is withdrawing from global leadership on climate change, instantly the eu and china are stepping in to take up that mantle. it's a striking global change which could herald a decline in us influence. so at this special summit in brussels, the eu and china are making a joint declaration, they will not abandon the paris agreement, the opposite. they're committed to it. china and the european union are aligned on the need for international solutions. nowhere is that more important

than in leading the global clean energy transition, and implementation, the full implementation with nuances of the paris climate agreement. when president trump announced his decision last night, he said paris was a bad deal for the us. but this deal—maker won't be able to re—negotiate, say eu countries, who have issued their own coordinated condemnation. a single statement signed by germany, france and italy. angela merkel today called the us decision "regrettable", and added she was holding back her real feelings. translation: the decision can and will not stop all of us dedicated to the protection of our planet earth, quite the opposite. we, in germany, in europe, and in the world, are more determined than ever to pull our strength to face one of the challenges of humankind. theresa may did not sign the joint

letter with europe's other g7 members, that prompted this scathing attack from jeremy corbyn today. given the chance to present a united front for our international partners, she has instead opted for silent, and once again, subservience to donald trump. it's a dereliction of both her duty to this country, and our duty to our planet. downing street says the prime minister did not act together with other european nations because she spoke directly to president trump last night to tell him she supports the paris deal. i've made the uk's position on the paris agreement very clear. we remain committed to the paris agreement, it's an important international agreement on climate change. i made the uk's position clear to president trump last week at the g7 meeting, as did the other g7 leaders, and i made the uk's position clear to president trump last night. canada and japan have not signed that letter, neither has the uk,

but we all have the same view that we remain committed to the paris agreement. in brussels, the eu and china have been prompted to take a stand because they share the belief that fighting climate change makes both environmental and economic sense. and the eu says it put it on the right side of history. damien grammaticas, bbc news, brussels. and for the view from washington, our correspondent laura bickerjoins us now. president trump has made a name for himself by being controversial, is it his most controversial move yet? it might be across the us and internationally, but he will see it as fulfilling a key campaign promise. he made a vow to those he calls we forgotten 0f promise. he made a vow to those he calls we forgotten of america. he made that promise in 0jai, pennsylvania, west virginia, and

when he made that promise, even though there are rumours of internal wrangling within the white house, there were a number of chief executive is over the last two weeks who have rushed to tell donald trump not to pull out the paris agreement. when you heard him from the rose garden yesterday, it looked unequivocal. it looked as if he had that decision made in his mind a long time ago. in fact, it looked back to campaign style donald trump when he was at that podium. he was very clear about what he wanted to do, and he said this is about defending america's interests. what happens now? the point has been made that this isn'tjust happens now? the point has been made that this isn't just about american jobs, it is about what happens to climate change, but it is also about american money that goes towards projects in developing countries to help them build up their rome climate defences. the 1 billion out of the 3 billion green climate

change fund has already been handed over by president 0bama. the two billion extra that would have gone into that, that will no longer go towards the green climate change fund. donald trump was also saying that he is under no obligation to fulfil the targets, which is to cut carbon emissions in the us by producing percent by 2025. what we are hearing is that there will be some dissent. we have democratic governors of new york, washington state, california, saying they will continue to work towards the climate change targets. 60 other mayers of us cities coming forward to say they will work towards that, including the mail of pittsburgh's. that is the mail of pittsburgh's. that is the city that donald trump said yesterday he represents the people of pittsburgh's, not paris. the may of pittsburgh's, not paris. the may of pittsburgh's, not paris. the may of pittsburgh's has said, "we will continue to work towards the climate change targets stop" he does have support from leading republicans, mitch mcconnell, the senate majority

leader, has said, i praise donald trump for leader, has said, i praise donald trumpfora leader, has said, i praise donald trump for a significant blow to the bomb administration's assault on domestic energy production and jobs —— a significant blow to the 0bama administration. while you have some within the country still working towards those climate change targets, you will have others who save we are targets, you will have others who save we are now under no targets, you will have others who save we are now under no obligation to fulfil or keep any regulations in the us. laura, thank you. theresa may and jeremy corbyn will be grilled later by the bbc question time audience in a special leaders programme on bbc one and here on the bbc news channel where we have full coverage from 8pm. the programme is taking place in york. let's cross to york where that debate is due to take place later and join my colleague simon mccoy. at the university of york, where as you say, the programme starts at

8:30, 45 minutes each forjeremy corbyn and theresa may, in front of the toughest audience of all, the voters that decide on their fate. we will be on air from voters that decide on their fate. we will be on airfrom 8pm, and after that debate at 10pm, a special programme from the spin room to analyse how the two leaders did. there is a tight security cordon around the building now, but earlier, i had a look at the set. i had a sneak peek. as you can see here at the university of york, nothing has been left to chance. we have the microphones, jc main, jc spare, jeremy corbyn, of course. pm, two for her, and two for david dimbleby, who will stand at the lectern, putting the questions from the audience directly to the prime minister and to the leader of the labour party. they're going to be standing here at this lectern on this set, which as you can see, has yet to be unveiled. let's talk to rob hopkin, who's directing tonight's show. i call it a show, but you have got to be ready for anything, haven't you. yes, because it's live. and we have members of the public

here asking questions, and who knows what's going to be said, what's going to spark or ignite the clamour, the success or the failure of the night depends on the interaction between politicians. a quick word about the audience, how are they chosen? that's a very complex issue. it's very balanced. demographically and politically, it is representative of the area, that's our formula for question time. tonight itwill be even more focused on a national agenda. i know you have lots to do. thank you very much, rob. of course, all the cameras are going to be focused here, but in many ways, it's notjust the two people performing here that will be the focus, it will be the question from the audience. 150 people will be sitting here. as we've seen before, it's a question from a person sitting here, and a response to that which could be making

the headlines tomorrow. and at the moment, we have no idea what the questions will be. vicki young is with me now. that's always the risk, if you like, in taking pa rt the risk, if you like, in taking part in this, because no one is forewarned, and there could be tough questions ahead. i think so. two yea rs questions ahead. i think so. two years ago when they did this format, it was tricky. david cameron was asked difficult questions about cuts to welfare. ed miliband was asked if the last labour government had spent too much money, and struggled to answer. it is trickier than having six or seven leaders arguing with each other, because you don't get as much time doing that. you can give an answerand much time doing that. you can give an answer and they move on to somebody else. with this, it is different, partly because it is members of the public. they are sitting in front of you with questions and personal experiences, you can't fob them. they can come back with a second question. david

dimbleby often steps in and asks a follow u p dimbleby often steps in and asks a follow up is while. it is challenging, 45 minutes for each of the leaders, theresa may will go first, that was decided by drawing lots. as you say, anything can happen. difficult to prepare for, but both of them will have done so. is it really a case that you could lose a lot of support at an event by this, rather than gain it? it is tricky. theresa may has been under pressure and criticism because she did not show up at the leaders debate on wednesday. she decided not to ta ke debate on wednesday. she decided not to take part at the beginning of the campaign, because they felt they had too much to lose. that is what david cameron thought when it came to the referendum. he did one debate last time around two years ago, but did not do the others. there is a risk in all of that. eventually, you come here and defend your record. it is a lwa ys here and defend your record. it is always tricky for someone that has beenin always tricky for someone that has been in power, like theresa may, she has been home secretary with a

record to defend. forjeremy corbyn, it is about showing he is ready with six days to go to be next prime minster. there have been questions about his leadership, whether he could be the person to lead the country into brexit negotiations. that will be the challenge for him. but both of them, because it is so close to the general election, it is the last seppi ‘s event, that really ups the stakes a bit. i know you are not a betting woman, but presumably, we will look at climate change, possible deals with the snp the jeremy corbyn. some questions need to be asked. it is interesting but people decide to ask. it could be different from the stuff we will expect. brexit, theresa may has tried to make that a big issue here in this general election. it will be interesting to see how much the economy comes up, because interesting to see how much the economy comes up, because it hasn't been a feature in the same way it was in 2015, when the conservatives we re was in 2015, when the conservatives were relentlessly talking about the economy, because they felt they were more trusted than labour on it.

normally it comes up in the context of hospitals and schools. it is people's personal experiences which make this interesting. they will come forward and say this has happened to me, it is happening to my family, and it is hard to fob people off with a sound bite answer. you can't get away with that when a person is in front of you. in cambridge, seven people, difficult to get and argue at a cross, and a lot of shouting. this is very different, and much more difficult in some ways for the two people.|j think so. you have to give all the parties a say. some people like broader debates, because you get a range of views. parties are there that don't get the limelight most of the time. you get to hear what their view is. but this one is very much about who is going to be the next prime minister, realistically, eitherjeremy corbyn or theresa may will be prime minister next thursday. this is their chance, and

a chance for the public and the viewers at home, to look at them and see what they think, and hear what they had to say. i know you are not going away, you will be at my side for the evening. that programme is at 8:30 on bbc one and on the bbc news channel. and at 10pm, we will bring you a special programme to analyse what we have seen, talking to some of those in this bin room at the university of york, and getting the university of york, and getting the immediate reaction, looking at what may be on the front pages tomorrow morning. that is all from the university of york, back to you. and at 5:30 we'll be putting your questions to the shadow international trade, and also climate change minister barry gardiner. you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag, #bbcaskthis, or text your questions to 611211. you cab also email us at askthis@bbc.co.uk the headlines on bbc news: the conservative candidate for south thanet craig mackinlay,

along with his agent and a senior tory party official, have been charged with breaking electoral law, related to spending in the 2015 campaign. theresa may has been criticised by the opposition parties for failing to join the leaders of france, germany and italy in condemning president trump's withdrawal from the paris climate deal. police investigating the manchester suicide bombing have evacuated an area in the south of the city after finding a car which they say could be "significa nt to the investigation". and in sport: reigning champion novak djokovic is on court as he faces argentina's diego schwartzman in the third round. he lost the first set 7—5, before coming back to claim the second. in the third, it is 5—3 to schwartzman. after a promising start, using it has set australia total of 291. and tomorrow's champions league final at cardiff's principality

will be as safe as possible for fans according to uefa president aleksander ceferin. i'll be back with more on those stories. that is at 11:30. police investigating the attack at the manchester arena are continuing to track the movements of salman abedi between the 18th and 22nd of may. they've located a car in south manchester they believe may be significant to the investigation. two of the bomber‘s cousins have told the bbc they had no idea abedi was planning his murderous attack. the two cousins were questioned for a week, but have since been released without charge. police have released new cctv images, showing the killer shortly before he launched his bomb attack. this report from manchester, and our home affairs correspondent june kelly. a potentially significant development in this terrorist investigation say the police. they're focussing on a nissan micra found in rusholme in manchester. people have been moved out of the area, including

an accommodation block which is part of manchester royal infirmary. but a visit to the hospital by prince william has gone ahead. new images have been released of salman abedi as he moved around the city where he was preparing to attack. he was back in manchester for four days before he committed mass murder. he has been captured on cctv with his blue suitcase police are still searching for. two of his cousins have been released after being questioned a week. their younger brother is still being held. it's not easy being connected to 22 lost innocent lives. and the fact that the person that did this is related to us by blood is just something that will stay with me the rest of my life. looking at the relationship i had with salman, it was a pretty close relationship. for him to betray the image of family in that manner, it was out of order. involving 22 innocent people. traumatised by it, to be honest. it's shocking.

this barbershop was one of a number of addresses searched. salman abedi was here in february for a haircut. the brothers say they hadn't seen him since that time. earlier this week, the bomb squad was at a house in the area now cordoned off. they say abedi came to the house in the days before the attack. ten men remain in custody. a lot of arrests have been made and more are anticipated. we haven't finished yet. there is a long way to go. when it comes to warnings about abedi, police say they can find no record of calls to the anti—terrorist hotline. june kelly, bbc news, manchester. 0ur correspondent fiona trott is in south manchester. in the last hour or so, we have learned of a bomb disposal team arriving at the scene, what can you tell us about what is going on? that's right. they are searching

that white nissan micra, which we believe is behind the van at the end of the road, below the sign that says devil house. searches have been happening in south manchester for a while. in the past couple of days, police came here as part of an enquiry into whether or not abedi worked alone. they wanted to find out why he kept returning to this area of manchester. they are still appealing for information on that. today, also appealing for information about that white nissan micra, who drove it? who had access to it? where was it seemed? greater manchester police are appealing for information about that this afternoon, too. this 100 metre cord in here on the way home is attracting attention, lots of people standing by and watching what is happening. we are at the end of what is known as the curry mile in rusholme. it is a student area, too.

the students have been evacuated from their halls. some telling us that their passports are inside. they have had to delay flights home because they can't get hold of them. that is the latest from the scene here. bomb disposal experts arriving here. bomb disposal experts arriving here in rusholme, surrounding that car which police believe is significant to the investigation. we are also hearing that it is understood salman abedi twice visited a british libyan man in prison, who was jailed for terrorism offences. he made those visits back in march, we understand. they were known about by the prison authorities and counterterrorism police. they had the power to bar him from visiting, but chose not to. so developments here in south manchester. this afternoon, we are learning more about the bomber himself, too. fiona, many thanks. two astronauts who left the international space station

earlier today have safely landed back on earth in the soyuz space capsule. the capsule was un—docked from the space station this morning, and was positioned a few miles away before beginning its descent back to earth, with the capsule landing in kazakhstan a short while ago. the crew, 0leg novitskiy from russia and thomas pesquet from france, had spent almost 200 days aboard the iss. time for a look at the weather now. a lot happening in the sky across the uk. as far as the weekend goes, it will be a mix, sunshine and showers, but i think more sunshine and showers. in the last hour or so, it has been lively in south—eastern parts of the uk, we have had thunderstorms. lumps of cloud, sunnis belt and thunderstorms. 0ver the next hour or so, vicious downpours here, cloud and some rain

on and off in the midlands, but better weather across scotland and northern ireland, with a fresh end to the day with a sprinkle or two of rain. this evening and overnight, blobs of rain about, not a com pletely blobs of rain about, not a completely dry night by any means. the best weather tonight in western areas, clear skies, but the best weather tonight in western areas, clearskies, but nippy the best weather tonight in western areas, clear skies, but nippy in the countryside. tomorrow may start grey, then the sun is out, and in the afternoon, shower was around, most showers in the north—west. this is where it will be freshest, around 17 or18, is where it will be freshest, around 17 or 18, still warm is where it will be freshest, around 17 or18, still warm in is where it will be freshest, around 17 or 18, still warm in london at 22. that's it from me. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: a conservative general election candidate has been charged with breaking electoral law. it's claimed that craig mackinlay breached spending limits in 2015 when he won the seat of south thanet in kent. 0pposition parties have criticised theresa may for refusing to sign

a protest letter from european leaders over president trump's withdrawal from the paris climate deal. for labour, jeremy corbyn said it demonstrated mrs may's "silence and subservience" towards the us president. i spoke to president trump last night and made it clear the uk wanted the united states to stay within the paris agreement and that we continue to support the paris agreement. police investigating the manchester suicide bombing say they've found a car which could be significant to the inquiry. a cordon has been placed around the vehicle, which is parked in the rusholme area of the city. the royal college of surgeons says its members are struggling to meet the "standards and timeliness of care" the public expects as the number of patients waiting six months or more for surgery has tripled over the past four years in england. and two astronauts, who spent 196 days on the international space station, have landed back on earth in the soyuz capsule, parachuting down in kazakhstan a sort time ago. let's get an update

on all the sport. we will start with the latest from the french open were defending champion novak djokovic has a bit of a fight on his hands in the third round. despite breaking his opponents serve early in the first set he was broken twice. but he bounced back to take the second set 6-3, but bounced back to take the second set 6—3, but the third has gone the way of his opponent, the world number 41. he of his opponent, the world number a1. he leads the defending champion 2-1, a1. he leads the defending champion 2—1, djokovic has taken the next set. rafa nadal had no trouble. he dropped only one game in the entire match, winning 6—0, 671, 6—0 inside

just 90 minutes, his 100th best—of—5 sets match on clay and 98th win. garbine muguruza won to make it to the next round, the match featured 11 breaks of serve in the 20 games played. chris woakes has been ruled out of the rest of the champions trophy due to a side strain picked up trophy due to a side strain picked up yesterday in the opening match of the tournament. he played two overs of the win against bangladesh before the injury. england are unlikely to replace his replacement until tomorrow afternoon. the new zealand side have set australia a total of 291 in the first match of the champions trophy, the black hats

will be disappointed, they made a great start after choosing to bat first, look ronchi made 65 and williamson a century before being run out. australia clawed their way back into it taking a flurry of late wickets, josh hazlewood taking six of them. new zealand bowled out inside a6 overs reduced because of rain. a disappointing end to a promising innings. another delay at the moment because of the weather, australia yet to start their chase. ryan giggs has played down rumours connecting him with the managerial va ca ncy connecting him with the managerial vacancy at sunderland. his lastjob at manchester united ended about a year ago when mourinho took over but as ryan giggs told us he is considering his options carefully. you get linked the time. as far as i am concerned it's just you get linked the time. as far as i am concerned it'sjust what you get linked the time. as far as i am concerned it's just what i you get linked the time. as far as i am concerned it'sjust what i have a lwa ys am concerned it'sjust what i have always said, waiting for the right club, waiting for the moment. could sunderland be the right club? again,

asa sunderland be the right club? again, as a footballer you get used to rumours and your name being linked and over last year i have been linked with a lot of clubs but it's just waiting for the right club and what you feel would be right for you especially for me being my first job. one in pending move on the cards, we understand former england international teddy sheringham is set to be named as new manager of swindon town. they were relegated to league two in april. the president of uefa says he's far more concerned over fa ns of uefa says he's far more concerned over fans safety given the recent terrorist attacks but that the sport is adapting to the current climate to ensure tomorrow's champions league final at the principality stadium in cardiff will be as safe as possible for fans. i don't know football is a target parts all the big events with big crowds are possibly targets. the problem is

that the stadiums are secured and they are safe but there are many people on the street so we have to be cautious about it. we have to be connected to the police, local police, intelligence agencies, and we are doing that. less than a week to go until the general election, with wales as one of the key battle grounds. labour won 25 of the a0 seats in 2015, with the conservatives in second on 11. let's get the latest on how voters are feeling and cross to newport — and speak to our correspondent tomos morgan. newport a target seat for the tories, targeting around ten labour seats across wales. this will be the third time the welsh public will be

taken to the polling booths in the last year, as well as the eu referendum last year they also voted in the assembly elections and with so in the assembly elections and with so many key policy areas now devolved to cardiff bay, what will help the people of wales decide and what will impact them onjune eight? i have been gauging opinion in newport, in the urban and a rule, asking what's important to them. on a sunny day, newport in pembrokeshire could be described as one of the most picturesque places in the country. it is a rural county, where 23% of the population are over 65 years old. given that so many key issues such as health and education are devolved, which issues are most important to the people in this seaside town in this general election? i think getting a good deal with brexit, definitely. somebody has to be strong enough to get us through different times,

but policies are what stand strongest for me, i think. pembrokeshire is an agricultural heartland in a sector like several others in wales, and benefits from european funding. political parties have said they would replace the shortfall when we leave, but there are worries about what could happen if the money isn't replaced. it would be very damaging to the red meat sector, to the beef and sheep sector, because without, the statistics shows without the support payment, they would be losing a lot of money, and you'd see them disappear. even though last year, both newports in wales voted to leave the eu. politically, in a general election, they have voted differently. in modern times, this seaside village has almost always voted conservative. but the city, with its two constituencies, bar one term, has been labour. here, what is most important and what will win the vote come 8th ofjune. the leaders will change the vote, i think.

my biggest concern is that wales gets the money that we would've been paying the eu, and to help people in britain. because i know, in newport, we did well from the eu. business rates are another devolved issue, however decisions on and financing large—scale projects aren't. which infrastructure would benefit the economy in newport in south east wales the most? certainly, the electric occasion, given that it would run straight through newport is a key enabler. it means that newport is brought closer to london, market in the south—eastern england are crucial and lucrative for welsh businesses. from the sunny beaches to the urban landscape, both newports have their own voting agenda come 8th ofjune. will the vote be based on brexit, the leadership battle or will something else to swing the vote in newport on polling day. labour on 25 seats, the

conservatives on 11, plaid cymru on three, the lib dems have one. ukip gained seven seats in cardiff bay but from what i have been speaking to the pundits, there is an expectation they will not make any ground, the ukip vote could be spread between all the other parties which could make for an interesting outcome. but will labour lose seats as many people have predicted, it seems the opinion polls that labour will hold in wales and keep the majority but it remains to be seen how much of a majority that will be, we'll find out week. leading surgeons say the number of patients waiting more than six

months for treatment in england has nearly tripled over four years. the royal college of surgeons has analysed data since march 2013 — a time when targets were being met. our health editor hugh pym has more. the target for waiting times for routine surgery and treatment in england is 18 weeks. the head of nhs england, simon stephens, recently said that performance would be allowed to slip because of other urgent health service priorities. but the royal college of surgeons argue this will mean increasing numbers of patients enduring long delays. the college, using nhs england data, says around 126,000 people had waited more than 26 weeks for non—urgent treatment in march, up 180% on march 2013, a time when targets were being hit. the biggest increases were for dermatology, ear, nose and throat and urology patients. patients are waiting pain. they are anxious about when they are going to have operations done and in some cases delaying the surgery may actually

interfere with the outcome of their surgical procedure. hospitals have been running at close to full capacity, with demand for emergency treatment rising, so that leaves fewer beds for non—urgent procedures and operations and those patients have to wait longer. we are seeing a tremendous pressure on accessing those beds because emergency admissions are rising so sharply and because at the same time you have a finite budget to afford to pay for the surgical treatments. lynn, from cornwall, who is 65, had to wait nine months for herfirst hip replacement and then had another long wait for the second. she says it was a painful ordeal. in the end it only happened because i pushed and pushed and pushed and rang the secretary and made a fuss. by which time, i could hardly walk, really. the second one, it was supposed to be done within three months and it actually took six and a half months. again, i had to keep ringing the secretary and pushing for it. labour said it would increase nhs funding and restore the 18—week

treatment target to bring people off the waiting list. the conservatives said there had been a sharp drop in the numbers waiting more than a year for treatment, and only their plans to grow the economy would support the nhs. hugh pym, bbc news. prince william has been meeting officers from greater manchester police who were among the first to respond to the may 22 attack at the arena. he spoke to one police constable who was off duty at the time and at the concert waiting for his daughter when the bomber struck. this report from our correspondent frankie mccamley. arriving at greater manchester police headquarters. the force at the centre of the investigation into the terror attack. prince william meeting officers who were some of the first on the scene to hear about the incredible work they carried out. 11 of us got into a carrier that seated nine to get as many

officers down there. even on the way down, driving down stockport road, we had a feeling it would be a hoax and we would turn around and go back to longsight. as more and more calls came in, you realised it is what it is. next stop, manchester cathedral, talking to people from the community who went above and beyond to help those injured. his royal highness attending a service and signing the book of condolence to show his support to those affected. and here, crowds are gathering as his royal highness is meeting ten children seriously wounded in the attack and who are still being treated. metres away, parts of the hospital have been evacuated as the investigation continues and a police search

is going on nearby. it is just one week after the queen's visit, meeting others affected by the attack. another royal boost to a place dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy that killed dozens and injured many more. the biggest party in ireland's ruling coalition will announce its new leader today. the winner is expected to take over as prime minister in the next few weeks. the strong favourite is leo varadkar the son of an indian immigrant who is ireland's first openly gay senior politician. a little earlier i spoke to our ireland correspondent chris page who gave this update. lee override court, if as expected is collected leader of fine gael and therefore the next taoiseach will break the mould in a number of ways,

you will be the first openly gay prime minister and the first of asian extraction, he is the son of an indian immigrant, there is another contender, simon coveney, but he fell behind in the opening days of the leadership contest because leo varadkar won the most votes. 21,000 members of the party have been voting as well, those votes are being counted now here in central dublin, we expect the result sometime after five o'clock, it is interesting when you look at the way this contest has been reported international, if you put leo varadkar‘s name into any international search engine you get a lot of international news sites as your results and a lot of them have focused on the fact he is gay and half indian but whenever leo

varadkar came out two years ago he said he did not want that tore his best mother's day to define him and that has proved the case i think, the campaign has not focused on those things but it has focused on economic issues, he would be seen as socially liberal but economic claymore conservative and his opponent here has suggested leo varadkar will pull the opponent here has suggested leo va radkar will pull the party opponent here has suggested leo varadkar will pull the party more to the right but it seems like the majority of the members of the party have decided he is the man to lead them in the future and to succeed enda kenny. expect the leader to be ratified in parliament in a vote in the next fortnight or so. the challenge is coming up will be how to build on the economic recovery after the financial disaster and the challenge presented by the decision of the uk to leave the european union. in a moment a look at how

the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: the conservative candidate for south thanet craig mackinlay — along with his agent and a senior tory party official — have been charged with breaking electoral law, related to spending in the 2015 campaign. theresa may has been criticised by the opposition parties for failing to join the leaders of france, germany and italy in condemning president trump's withdrawal from the paris climate deal. police investigating the manchester suicide bombing have evacuated an area in the south of the city after finding a car which they say could be "significa nt to the investigation". time for a look at the big business stories of the week, and joe lynam is here to take us through them. let's start with british airways, they've had a tough week dealing with the fallout of the systems failure at the weekend but that does

not seem to put off investors. the latin term for horrible week could possibly apply here, the shares have not collapsed, the iag shares are up 396 not collapsed, the iag shares are up 3% on the week and up 1% today alone so 3% on the week and up 1% today alone so investors obviously think there will be no long—term repercussions. we all thought that the start of the week the reputational damage would play very badly but it's not been the case. let's move on to the ftse 100, a pretty big week, record highs earlier today, what's going on? 100, a pretty big week, record highs earlier today, what's going 0mm spiked at the start but then fell back a little bit, what is happening is related to the currency. if you area big is related to the currency. if you are a big ftse100 company you are not just focused on are a big ftse100 company you are notjust focused on the united kingdom you are a global player and

if you are earning and a hard currency than sterling, euros or dollars, you are bringing back that ha rd dollars, you are bringing back that hard currency when you put your accou nts hard currency when you put your accounts together which means earning more money without necessarily having to sell more so it's about big companies bringing back profits and harder companies and that makes the share price go like that. the construction industry also ina like that. the construction industry also in a strong position? yes, people thought it had died a death but it adds an 18 month high now, house—building going through a mini boom over the last year or so but also the commercial industry has had also the commercial industry has had a good week, a lot of people surprised at that. let's start with iag, are you surprised shares have risen in iag as opposed to falling? there has been a lot of negative headlines as you pointed out, on the

day they started trading this week there was a big reaction, but it's re cove red there was a big reaction, but it's recovered its poise and i think although the big issue is that there's been a pr disaster and that may have long—term consequences particularly because british airways sell premium brands and reputational damage may follow exactly unquantifiable. if you look at the bottom line, is this it outage going to stop people travelling on british airways f it a route they want to travel at a price they want the answer is probably no. the ftse hitting another record today. answer is probably no. the ftse hitting another record todaym fell back towards the latter half of the day, another record, is that about currency position or is something else in play? quite a lot of things in play, the currency in terms of movement we have seen, also

arise in terms of the prospects for the commodity centre because of the rise in the oil price we have seen that's all helping. it's quite strange we have not seen any wobbles in the market despite what's going on and terms of the polls closing for uk election, i think it's because of the international focus of the ftse 100, a lot of those companies it's a fairly peripheral issue. if you look at what is available in terms of returned from cash and bronze, they are not returning much so it's not a huge surprise to see people committing money to the stock market. not a big bronze investor but good to know there's not many returns. another positive reading from the uk economy, this comes on the back of positive manufacturing data which we got yesterday and also possible retail sales data which build up to

a picture of the uk economy doing relatively well on the face of it in the second quarter of this year after a bad quarter in the first three months. 0n after a bad quarter in the first three months. on monday we get the all—important services sector three months. on monday we get the all—importa nt services sector data, that accounts for 80% of the economy so that accounts for 80% of the economy so that's going to have a big influence on proceedings. thanks for joining us. let's have a quick look at the markets, we can't, yes we can, there we go, they started the day well but look at the ftse100, finished where it started basically. 0ther finished where it started basically. other market up as well but only marginally, the dax having a very good day. just before we let you go, breaking news on british airways? yes, sources at the press association saying that british airways cabin crew are to stage a four day strike from june 16 in the long—running dispute over pay. this is the mixed fleet cabin crew which

are is the mixed fleet cabin crew which a re often is the mixed fleet cabin crew which are often on short—haul flights to europe, not necessarily a long haul flights, this has been going on for months, it's not directly related to the changing of the it provider which the gmb union has said was at the heart of the it catastrophe, this is a strike by the unite membership over how workers are paid, they say they are workers in the cabin crew are paid considerably less tha n the cabin crew are paid considerably less than people doing the same job in that crew. much obliged. five dogs who visit sick children in hospital are the subject of a ground breaking new study into the effects of pet therapy. if it's proved to be medically successful, the voluntary scheme at southampton's children's hospital could be rolled out across the uk. elisa mitchell reports. leo the golden retriever is a familiar visitor at southampton children's hospital, and he's a popular one as well. five dogs like

him come here four days a week as pa rt him come here four days a week as part of a pet therapy programme for young patients. their faces light up especially if they have pets at home they cannot see. some of the children are here for such a long time, to be able to see leo and the other dogs is amazing. tomorrow hopefully when archie comes in i will be in my wheelchair or on my crutches and i will be allowed to walk archie down the corridor so hopefully that gives me the motivation to want to get up. it's worth it. owner lindsay knows first—hand how beneficial these visits can be and now her work will be the subject of a ground—breaking study with the humana more trust. we feel we see a difference, medicine is surrounded by science and what we need to do is see if actually the pa rents need to do is see if actually the parents believe it's making a difference and the staff believe it's making a difference, over 12

months it will analyse if the pa rents months it will analyse if the parents feel it has made a clinical deference to the outcome of her child. the aim is to find out if an emotional bond can have a positive at the packed on the health and well—being of children. if successful it could mean more visits for a leo and he's not complaining. let's get a look at the weather. promising for most of us this weekend, not perfect because there might bea weekend, not perfect because there might be a bit of rain around and some of us might have to run for cover, low— pressure low—pressure responsible for sending the atlantic air in our direction, right now a fair bit of cloud across the uk as the weather front crosses the uk as the weather front crosses the country, warmth and humidity,

temperatures could get up to around 25, flashes of lightning, potential for one or two thunderstorms, i'd north and west a different story, scattered by the occasional showers, about 15—18d, little we head into this evening, still maybe one or two storms, very noticeable tonight it will be a lot fresher in some areas temperatures dipping down to single figures, still warm in the south—east and east anglia, still clinging on to some of that continental warmth and timidity which may lingerfor a continental warmth and timidity which may linger for a time continental warmth and timidity which may lingerfor a time but for most of us it's a bright day if not sunny, occasionally interrupted by those showers which are most likely to fall across these western and

north—western areas. temperatures 17-20. i think north—western areas. temperatures 17—20. i think for most of us a fine evening on the way tomorrow if you are prepared to catch one or two showers. sunday asamoah picture, dry weather with scattered showers, the best of the weather across the east and south, no monday, changing gear, change on the way, looks quite dramatic, and settled. we are watching this bait smack pressure which will fall, wet and windy weather, unusual for this time of year, little too early to say how wet and windy, suffice to say the weekend not looking bad but watch out for the rain and wind on monday. today at 5, we're in york, where theresa may and jeremy corbyn will face questions from an audience this evening —— with 6 days to polling day. it happens on the day

a conservative candidate, craig mackinlay and two party workers, are charged over expenses claimed during the 2015 campaign. the conservative party continues to believe that these allegations are unfounded, he's innocent until proven gulity and remains our candidate. shows bad judgement from theresa may, why would you let this candidate go ahead with this cloud hanging over him. we'll be back in york shortly. the other main stories on bbc news at 5.