this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at eight. the former football star oj simpson is granted early release after serving nine years in prison for armed robbery. recorded crime in england and wales sees its biggest annual rise in a decade — with violent crime up 18%. end of week two of the brexit talks — still no deal on eu citizen's rights and the divorce bill. the government is accused of betraying passengers, after it shelves plans to electrify major rail lines in wales, the midlands and the lake district. also in the next hour — a new leader for the liberal democrats. sir vince cable becomes the new leader of the party without a vote — at the age of 7a. and how a lucky couple, from coventry, hit a seven figure win on the euromillions. good evening and welcome to bbc news.

let's start briefly with the breaking news we havejust let's start briefly with the breaking news we have just had that the former american football star and actor, oj simpson, has been granted early release from prison, has been granted parole. he had served almost nine years in prison for armed robbery. you may remember that he was controversially acquitted previously to that, of charges of murdering his wife back in 1995. he has been injailfor armed robbery and he could walk free as early as october. four parole commissioners unanimously gave him pa role commissioners unanimously gave him parole a few minutes ago, and said he had deserved to be sent to prison, and the decision on this pa role

prison, and the decision on this parole was difficult, but fair and just. he had no prior conviction they said, to this armed robbery conviction, and he had complied with all the rules of the prison. a very grateful oj simpson there, hearing the news that he does have parole. moron that in few minutes. —— more on that in a few minutes. there's been a big increase in recorded crime in england and wales — according to the number of offences reported to the police. the number of recorded crimes rose by 10% in the year to march — the largest annual rise in a decade. violent offences increased by 18% and there was also more robbery and car crime. domestic burglary cases were up by 6%. part of the increase can be explained by better recording of crime, but as our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports, government experts are convinced now the overall trend is on the rise. jamel boyce, who in the few minutes of a frenzied knife attack last october was left in hospital blinded and with permanent brain damage. a victim of what appears

to be rising violence in england and wales, particularly in our cities. i see him every day. it's like every day i go to see him it is like i'm going to a funeral. that is not jamel, that is not how i knowjamel, it's not how i want to rememberjamel. it tears me up, rips me up, every day i see him. today's18% increase in violence is based on the crimes actually recorded by police, like this stabbing in manchester in january. it's been an unreliable measure, but nonetheless government statisticians think the fall in crime in recent years may be on the turn, even if the headline figure could be too high. a large part of that volume increase, in violence especially, is due to improved recording rather than a genuine rise in crime. having said that, there are some categories of violence at the more serious end of the spectrum like murder, attempted murder, knife crime and gun crime, where we think the rises are genuine and reflect an uptick

in violent crime. ministers concede there have been increases in some crimes but do not agree that it could be because of austerity or cuts to police budgets. i absolutely refuse to accept that there are economic reasons underpinning this, when it comes to funding, which i know people are concerned about. the fact are these — that we are investing around £8.5 billion worth of public money, taxpayers‘ money, into policing this year. for more than two decades, crime has basically been falling but now police forces are having to face the real possibility that certain crimes are on the rise again. and that includes burglary of people's homes. up here in east london, up 6% across england and wales. so what are officers doing about it? the first thing is we tackle those who we know are causing the most harm. that is our prolific burglars. the second thing is around our crime

prevention piece so we would encourage people to do the basics around crime prevention. so things like locking doors and windows at night is so important. crime figures are not easy to interpret. a separate survey of people's personal experiences still suggests crime overall is falling but the government's own statisticians think that may be out of date and at least some crimes are likely to be creeping up again. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are pippa crerar, political correspondent london evening standard and dave wooding, political editor of the sun on sunday. let's ta ke

let's take you back to the breaking news that the former american football and actor oj simpson has been granted parole. that is after a pa role been granted parole. that is after a parole hearing in the us state of nevada this evening. simpson has served almost nine years in prison for armed robbery. he was famously acquitted of murdering his wife back in 1995. he could now walk free as early as october. our la correspondentjames cook is following the story. the four parole commissioners were unanimous in the decision he should get parole and he looked very grateful and relieved when he heard that news. yes, he looked and sounded very grateful fame thank you, thank you, thank you. he took deep breaths, gestured his gratitude by clasping his hands together. and he was appearing via video link and

was heard to say, oh, god. he said, i have done my time and he also said i believe in thejury i have done my time and he also said i believe in the jury system which is an interesting comment of a man with some experience of it, dating back to his astonishing to many people, acquittal back in 1995, of his wife and her friend ron goldman. was this always on the cards that he would get parole? yes, it was. one would get parole? yes, it was. one would expect parole to be granted at this stage, unless there were aggravating factors which suggested it could not be. we heard from the pa role it could not be. we heard from the parole board commissioners saying you have complied with the rules of the prison, you have no prior criminal activity and you have support and stable release plans. after nine years for armed robbery, it would be expected that someone

would be considered for parole at this stage. he is 70 years of age 110w. this stage. he is 70 years of age now. he was such a familiar figure, such a famous, for some notorious figure really, and they did in the recent tv dramatisation of the whole saga and strange in a way to see him back on our screens? well, it takes us back on our screens? well, it takes us back to the 1990s almost, the televising of oj simpson in a court setting which was a sensation, this televised trial. for those who do not remember it and for viewers not born at the time, it captivated audiences across the united states, dividing this country in some respects along racial lines, and captivating audiences around the world. we see him back here now, all these years on, but interesting to note that while the country was pretty much split about whether or not he should have been convicted

backin not he should have been convicted back in 1995, a recent poll suggested that only 7% of americans thought he was not guilty of the two murders in 1994. he was laterfound responsible for them and ordered to payment in damages from a civil case. we will go to oj simpson's lawyer now. let's listen in. he came in and said what he said he would do when i talked to him on the phone over the course of a couple of weeks, where he said he would testify for simpson. if it would be -- if it testify for simpson. if it would be —— if it had been negatively... right now, he is there with mr simpson's family. they are all talking right now. mr simpson actually wanted to see him and he wa nted actually wanted to see him and he wanted to spend some time with mr

simpson. it is not being permitted at this time for various respected reasons from the nevada department of corrections. they were friends. this was a big mishap. i think this was very positive. inaudible in there? i don't think he said anything to me. he was very emotional if you look at the cameras. next question. is he worried about how he will be received by the public? not at all. he has been in the media spotlight since he was 19. if he did not explain it on camera, he explained it in private. he is always used to dealing with media attention. that has never been a problem for him at all. you know thatjeffrey felix is

all. you know thatjeffrey felix is a complete fraud. i was watching him earlier... that was oj simpson's lawyer there. sorry about a bit of strange camera work there. we got the gist of what he was saying that oj simpson, his client, was obviously very emotional. the four pa role obviously very emotional. the four parole commissioners said he had done his time, he had behaved himself in prison, there had not been any prison violations of any rules and he had no prior conviction for what he was in prison for which was that armed robbery. he can walk free, we are hearing, as early as october. the four commissioners, the four parole commissioners were unanimous in their decision, that he should get parole. james cook, our la correspondent, as he was —— as

you were outlining, he was such a controversial figure and i wonder what the reaction will be to the news that he got parole? incomplete fairness, i think if you look at just this case in isolation, that a lot of people recognise that this probably is an appropriate amount of time for what actually happened. perhaps to explain something to our viewers from the lawyer, he was talking about bruce fremont, one of the victims who was in the hotel when oj simpson pointed a gun at that gentleman. he appeared at the lovelock correctional facility and said he forgave him. but there is an elephant in the court room. when people consider whether or not whether oj simpson should be locked up, they are not really considering whether he was guilty for this crime, they are considering whether

he was guilty of the murders. but that could not have any bearing on the decision at all? exactly. they did not mention it, but they made clear that they were applying the rules. they said they thought they we re rules. they said they thought they were at their parole board and they would apply it to oj simpson as much as anyone else. he was asked himself by the commissioners, oj simpson was asked, how will you pay per with the media attention? he laughed and said he has had it since he was a teenager. he was such an enormous celebrity and he said he had numerous offers for the media. he talked about a couple of courses he had completed while he was inside. one on trying to resolve conflict nonviolently and the other was a computer course may leak so he could get in touch with his children, and he said it was easier these days

using mobile phones and computers. who knows, maybe you will see a podcast or blog from me eventually. thank you for being with us, that is james cook our los angeles correspondent. four days of brexit talks in brussels ended today, with the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier saying that there are still "fundamental" disagreements about the rights after brexit of eu citizens living here — and uk citizens living on the continent. but britain's brexit secretary david davis described the talks as robust and insisted there was a lot to be positive about. our europe editor katya adler assesses how much progress — if any — the two men are making. europe's odd couple, negotiating brexit together, at opposite ends of the table. their goals — one for the uk, the other favouring the eu — dramatically different. they agree a brexit deal is possible, but after week two of negotiations, acknowledged it will be tough. the uk should clarify...

one... clarification. ..two... clarification. ..three, the eu's visibly exasperated chief brexit negotiator called a total of eight times here in english and french for clarification of the uk's brexit vision. without that, he said, negotiations could not progress. david davis was more sanguine. clearly there's a lot left to talk about and further work before we can resolve this. ultimately getting to a solution will require flexibility from both sides. what about concessions from the eu side? where will the eu show some give, perhaps as a trust—making exercise, isn't there any wiggle room? translation: negotiations have only just started. of course there are compromises to be made but it is too early to talk about them. we are not there yet. week two of brexit talks have now ended with no major breakthrough on some of the thorniest issues. the uk's so—called brexit bill, and the rights of eu citizens

in the uk, and british expats in the eu. key sticking points there, the uk wants to check the criminal record of all eu citizens wanting to stay, while the eu says uk expats would lose the right to move to other eu countries. there has been modest progress. this is a joint eu—uk paper on citizens' rights, colour—coded to show areas of agreement and disagreement. not every negotiating session can end in harmony but the uk is under time pressure to move on from divorce issues like this to talk of the future with the eu, our biggest trading partner. the uk's trade secretary was in geneva today to talk about global opportunities, but he admitted an inbetween stage may be needed after brexit to ease the uk into its new future. it won't happen overnight. frankly, i have been waiting to leave the european union for a very long time.

another two years, say, wouldn't be too much to ask. brussels is still hearing all sorts of voices in britain's brexit debate. the eu waits impatiently for that clarity while there is still time to negotiate. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. the headlines on bbc news: oj simpson has been granted parole after serving nine years in a nevada prison. there's been a 10% rise in recorded crime in england and wales — the largest annual increase for a decade. and brexit secretary david davis and the eu's michel barnier outline progress made in their latest round of talks. mr barnier says there remain ‘fundamental‘ disagreements" — and the uk must clarify its position

on a number of issues. let's bring you up—to—date with all the latest sports news. thank you. day one at the 146th open golf championship and a good one for some big american names with matt kuchar, brooks koepka and jordan speith all tied for the lead — karthi gnanasegaram has been at royal birkdale for us. well, conditions at royal birkdale have made a one interesting. it is the americans who have fared the best. at the top of the leaderboard on five under par we havejordan spieth, brooks capture and matt kuchar. behind them paul casey and ian porter on three under in the chasing pack. rory mcilroy com pletely chasing pack. rory mcilroy completely changed his day away —— around. he is on one over and may be looking for a change of fortune when the weather changes on friday. we

are expecting a lot of rain and wind. it will make conditions tomorrow unpredictable. an amazing start to this year's british open. it is something i did not expect sitting at home watching the guys play in the morning. anything under par would be a good score. as the day went on, it got nicer and nicer. a little easier to do 29 with only a par 34 but a great way to start the british open. i am proud of myself for hanging in there. i needed to stay as positive as i could and i wasn't very positive. my caddie jp wasn't very positive. my caddie jp was a big help today. he was trying to keep me as positive as possible out there and trying to remind me that i have won this before, don't feel any pressure, play your game and you will be ok. in the last 12 holes, that is what i did and thankfully, i am still in this golf

tournament. so confirmation that spieth, koepka and kuchar lead the way on five under, one ahead of england's paul casey, former masters champion charl schwartzel. highlights now on bbc 2. with three stages to go, chris froome is still favourite to win the tour de france, but his lead has been cut by four seconds after finishing fourth on stage 18. warren barguil of france claimed the stage victory. he looks set to win the ‘king of the mountains' competition for the best climber. froome fought it out with his rival romann barday at the finish and the frenchman claimed four bonus seconds for finishing third. he's now 23 seconds behind froome in the standings, but the englishman is likely to be the stronger rider in saturday's time trial. in the women's race britain's lizzie deignan finished second on stage one of the two—day la course. diegnan ended up finishing second overall behind annemiek van vleuten — the dutch rider who suffered serious injuries in the road race at last year's rio olympics. the two—stage race finishes in marseille on saturday.

aberdeen are scotland's last hope in the europa league and they face bosnians siroki brijeg in tonight's second leg of their second qualifying round 1—1 from the first leg and the latest after half an hour. it is 0-0. india have beat defending champions australia to reach the women's world cup final — where they'll play england. harmanpreet kaur‘s unbeaten 171 set australia a mammoth 282 to win from 42 overs in derby. despite a valiant knock from alex blackwell, they fell 35 runs short. the final at lord's on sunday is a sell—out and a repeat of the first match of the tournament, won by india. great britain's missed out on the chance to add to their tally at the world aquatics championships in budapest. jack laugher was in bronze position

ahead of their final round but he finished in fifth just six points short of a medal position in the men's individual 3 metre springboard event whilst his compatriot ross haslam, who is making his world championship debut finished in 11th. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in sportsday at 10:30. thank you very much. now to some very sad news we have been reporting. the lead singer of the band linkin' park, chester bennington, has died at the age of 41. the coroner said apparently he had hanged himself. the band recently released their seventh album, 17 years after their hugely popular album hybrid theory in 2000.

with me is a reporterfrom radio one's newsbeat. some really shocking news. tell us about him and the band. chester bennington, the lead singer of linkin' park. if you grew up singer of linkin' park. if you grew up in the early 2000 or that is when you went to university, there is a whole generation who grew up with their album hybrid theory. what linkin park did is they used metal and hard rock sounds along with rap and hard rock sounds along with rap and hip—hop to create the sound of new metal. ever since then they have gone on to sell 60 million records around the world. they have been working ever since. for so many people they are a proper band for people they are a proper band for people growing up in their teens and early 20s. i think you met him a few

weeks ago? yes, they released an album and he came in to do some promotion of it. we sat down for 20 minutes. he spoke all about his past troubles. he has had drug and alcohol problems in the past but said he was in a really good place. he is warm, articulate and funny. he was into acting as well. music was his frontrunning thing. recently they had diversify and gone a bit more pop and worked with the uk artist stormzy. and the news from the coroner is that he had hanged himself. is there any theory as to why? not as yet, i would not want to speculate. he was very close to chris cornell, who was the lead

singer of soundgarden who died a couple of months ago. recently, chester wrote an open letter saying dear chris, you had talent unrivalled. your voice was joy and pain, angerand the unrivalled. your voice was joy and pain, anger and the deafness —— forgiveness wrapped up into one. today would have been chris's birthday. thank you. sir vince cable is the new leader of the liberal democrats. the former business secretary was elected to the job after no—one decided to run against him. the 74—year—old has replaced former leader tim farron, who stood down after the election. in his first speech as leader he called for an "exit from brexit". here's our political correspondent vicki young, her report contains flash photography. and our liberal democrat leader, vince cable. most would be relaxing into retirement at the age of 74

but not sir vince cable. he is still burning with ambition and fighting for britain to stay in the european union. what we now need is an exit from brexit. we must consult the british public at the end of the process, to put to them the choice — do you wish to accept what is coming down the track, jumping off a cliff and hoping there's a tree to catch you? or do we want to stay within the european union? but wasn't that pro—european message rejected by voters at the election? sir vince thinks the mood will change. there's quite a high possibility, i think, that brexit won't happen. what will emerge over the next two years, i suspect, is a significant deterioration in the economy. and i am very clear that the public did not vote to be poorer. so i think when you add all that together, you see a picture

which is very different from the one we fought in the general election. the liberal democrats are the fourth—largest party at westminster, but sir vince cable says politics is so volatile that it is impossible to predict what will happen in the next few months, let alone the next few years. he says no one should rule out a lib dem breakthrough, but is he the man to make that happen? sir vince does have a higher profile than his predecessor tim farron. his passion for dancing led to this christmas tv appearance, but he will be needing more than fancy footwork now. friends highlight his experience. he seemed to enjoy his brief stint as interim leader ten years ago. the house has noticed the prime minister's remarkable transformation in the last few weeks from stalin to mr bean. and he was one of the few politicians to predict the financial crisis. although naturally closer

to the labour party, sir vince accepted the role of business secretary during the conservative—lib dem coalition. vince cable says british politics is badly lacking common sense and moderation and that is what he is promising to provide. joining me now is polly mackenzie, who was a special advisor to nick clegg when he was deputy prime minister. thank you for being with us. so nobody else wanted the job?m thank you for being with us. so nobody else wanted the job? it is a shame there has not been a leadership election and i, like many others, would have liked jo swinson to feel ready and enthusiastic about putting herself forward, but actually, it is good that everybody can unite behind them. he has hit the ground running. he has come up

with a good line about mr bean ten yea rs with a good line about mr bean ten years ago, but he has got credentials, he is well—known and everybody can unite the hind him and i think that is a good opportunity for the lib dems at the moment. the party is not doing too well in the opinion polls. it did not do too well in the last general election. is he believed to create a breakthrough for the liberal democrat party electorally? well vince is better known than tim farron and any other liberal democrats. he does have the credentials and has had a tough time with problems with inflation and wages. i think he has credibility with the voters on that, but it is a massive uphill struggle for the lib dems to make it back from that crushing blow that was defeated in 2015, and i and many others bear responsibility for that. it is difficult to carp about other people

finding it difficult to make it back asa finding it difficult to make it back as a lot of damage was done during the coalition years. i think it is going to take a really long time. vince has got strength of character and of purpose, and consistency. he also knows how to have fun with politics which i think you need when you are a third party to have a chance of breaking through. but there are some people who will be saying he will be 79 at the time of the next scheduled general election, really he is a caretaker leader. the next scheduled general election, really he is a caretaker leaderlj would not write him offjust because he is 79 or is going to be 79. some of the greatest politicians do well. ken clarke, i have no idea exactly how old he is, but he's one of the smartest, most thoughtful and intelligent people in parliament. i think we assume that being older is a problem, buti think we assume that being older is a problem, but i think that is not vince's problem. he is, in my

experience, working with him, he has been good at listening to the voices of young people and women and not just being a boring old white man. he is not that guy. thank you. it is just it isjust gone it is just gone 8:30pm so we will ta ke it is just gone 8:30pm so we will take a look at the weather prospects. the weather has been turning much fresher over the last 24 hours and we have seen a mix of weather types. this is port talbot showing some cumulus clouds bringing a few showers. we continue to see showers moving into wales and the south—west but meanwhile rain clearing away from scotland, so mostly drive for central scotland, but for the west we have been heading in across

northern ireland and the south—west of wales as well. through the day tomorrow the focus will be on wales and the south—west of england, strong winds and heavy rain and could be some travel disruption with surface water and flooding. quite breezy and showery and for northern scotla nd breezy and showery and for northern scotland and the east coast towards the south—east, brighter with the temperature between 16 and 23 but it stays really unsettled through the weekend what the mix of heavy and blustery showers with sunshine in between. you're watching bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: former us football star and actor oj simpson is granted parole after serving nine years in a nevada prison for armed robbery. the government insists it's taking action to reduce violent crime after new figures showed it had increased by 18% in the year to march. after four days of brexit talks —

the eu's chief negotiator says there remain ‘fundamental‘ disagreements" — and the uk must clarify its position on a number of issues. sir vince cable is the new leader of the liberal democrats, with no other candidate having put themselves forward for the role. the government has scrapped plans to electrify major rail lines in wales and the midlands, and another line in the lake district. new hybrid trains which can also be powered by diesel will be introduced instead. the south wales mainline between cardiff and swansea. the oxenholme to windermere branch line in cumbria is also affected. ministers say developments in technology mean electrification

is no longer needed. labour says passengers have been "taken for a ride" and passenger groups and businesses say they are being denied the faster, greener trains they'd been promised almost a decade ago. in response the welsh government called the news ‘a bitter blow.‘ our bbc wales business correspondent brian meechan has the latest. the future of travel along the railway lines of south wales. these trains use the electrified line and switched to diesel for the rest of the way and the plan is to beat south wales by the autumn cutting 15 minutes of the journey time. this bridge in a residential lady is being raised by just bridge in a residential lady is being raised byjust under one metre in order to let the new pass under. as pa rt of in order to let the new pass under. as part of a huge amount of work thatis as part of a huge amount of work that is already underway to make sure the lines between london and cardiff are electrified by the end of 2018. speaking to wales today in

2013 the then prime minister david cameron emphasised his commitment to the work. it is this government that is putting the money into the electric edition of the railway line all the way up to swansea. despite the pledge today the uk government announced it was halting plans to electrify the line past cardiff. northern ireland gets £1 billion, england gets hs2 and wales gets the scrapping of the manifesto promise. it's the latest technology in three and is designed on the japanese bullet train. instead of the major disruption from raising bridges and so on disruption from raising bridges and so on the new technology allows us to get to swansea with a 15 minute saving to ensure swansea gets the most modern trains available in the autumn rather than waiting several years. the cost of electrification has increased significantly and it

includes the cardiff — swansea line. in 2013 it was expected to cost 225 -- 285 in 2013 it was expected to cost 225 —— 285 million, and by last year it had risen to 433, an increase of 4796. had risen to 433, an increase of 47%. it may be expensive but every modern city today should have an electrified rail infrastructure to and from it. we should have cities connected to one another. swansea will now miss out on that and it is totally u na cce pta ble. how will now miss out on that and it is totally unacceptable. how much will be cut off the journey time is still unclear. businesses and swansea have lobbied hard for the investment in electrification. we don't see why cardiff should just take all the spoils. swansea is fantastic. we have assets they can't compete with. i know the city centre is much larger than ours but we have so much to offer and i don't think swansea should be thought of as the poor

relation. transport experts say continuing electrification on is expensive but stopping and starting again ata expensive but stopping and starting again at a later date will cost even more. the these authors will be deployed elsewhere so the machines will be sent to other parts to be used and other infrastructure projects, but probably a bigger challenges the loss of the human resource, that expertise that can travel not just in resource, that expertise that can travel notjust in the uk but potentially to europe and the rest of the world. electrification to swa nsea of the world. electrification to swansea has been a stop and go project for a number of years but the brakes on family again. the uk government will see the benefits are faster speeds to london anyway with new trends that will carry more passengers. businesses across the region will question whether that goes far enough. the summer holidays can be an expensive time of year for working parents and it‘s

getting more so. the family and childcare trust says the average cost of a week‘s child care in the holidays is now a record £124. that‘s an increase of 4% since last year. here‘s simon gompertz. paddle boarding and kayaking, the sort of holiday childcare at leicester outdoor pursuits that a lot of parents want for their kids. but it comes at a price — £155 per week. for nina it means putting herself in to debt to make sure her 13—year—old kyle can come here while she‘s working full—time. i personally don‘t have the funds altogether to have it. so how do you do it? well, it goes on the credit card, or some years i have put money aside each month. it takes planning. i have to think in advance. there is more affordable care in leicester city centre. alison, a maternity nurse, is paying just £75 a week each for her boys because this, the belgrave playhouse, is supported by the council.

it makes the difference between being able to work or not. i wouldn‘t be able to do the job that i did because i wouldn‘t be able to fit the childcare around the hours that i do. it‘s as tough as that? it‘s as tough as that, i just wouldn‘t be able to go to work. unsurprisingly, the playhouse is oversubscribed because parents across the country are having to pay a record amount. this year it‘s... up4%“. to £124... ..a week on average. the shortage of places doesn‘t help. for four to seven—year—olds, only 29% of english councils say there‘s enough provision in their areas. what might make a big difference to pa rents is if their employers did more to help. now, we can request flexible working and millions are already managing to do that. but some employers are going even further. how about this, for instance? a chute in the office.

come on down! this tech business has entertainments on hand for staff, and it‘s letting them bring their children in to enjoy it over the holidays, as long as they get their work done. so, if everyone brought their kids in, could you cope with that? well, we probably would struggle if everybody brought their kids in, but realistically it‘s the people who really need the help during the summer period that‘s really important. i think businesses need to wake up. i think if people don‘t start doing this then people will go through the same routines of losing staff. parents would welcome any help to stop their finances falling over because of the rise in cost of holiday childcare. simon gompertz, bbc news. for years, bill mullarkey has told his wife cath "one day i‘ll win the lottery." well, his prediction has finally came true and the lucky couple, from coventry, have scooped a million pounds on the euromillions. the pair work together as chefs, but today it was their turn to be served up with a champagne breakfast

to celebrate their win. bob hockenhull reports. the majesty of the abbey near coventry, the perfect backdrop for the city‘s new millionaires to celebrate. bill and cath mullarkey returned for a holiday in cath‘s native saint lucia to discover they had won a million on the euro millions which the couple play online every week. they are still struggling to contain their excitement. hurray! words cannot express it. it is life changing. i always said it is not a case of if but when and now it has actually happened. you always said one day i will win. i said no. you have to be in it to win it. the couple both work as chefs at a call centre. they plan to give some of their winnings to cath‘s four children and 11 and grandchildren and are particularly keen to help her nephew masiah who has

recently been paralysed after a motorbike accident in saint lucie. we can go a long way to helping him in his life and he will be able to continue some of his goals and aspirations. only three weeks ago one lucky uk resident won a staggering £87.5 million on the euro millions. but bill and cath say £1 million will suit them just fine. we are not ones for luxury, we are down to earth and i don‘t think that will change too much. are you sure? bill and catj want to build a little holiday home in saint lucia and clear their debts, but they are determined their new—found riches will not change them too much. the duke and duchess of cambridge renewed their sporting rivalry this afternoon,

during their three—day tour of germany. they took to the river in heidelberg — which is twinned with cambridge — to cox rival rowing crews from the two cities. our royal correspondent peter hunt reports. they have been called brexit ambassadors, but few ambassadors become quite so involved. though in the case of the future king it is as well he is not looking for alternative employment. william and kate are here delivering one message about britain‘s ties to germany and presenting a united front. mutual affection was replaced by mutual rivalry once on water. a queen in waiting in one boat, her husband, the most elongated cox you will ever meet, in the other. this was not a rerun of 1966 on water. the teams were mixed from cambridge and heidelberg, men and women, no gender gap here. for two sports obsessed royals it was not the taking part that

mattered, it was the winning and it was william‘s team that crossed the line first. unstuffy royals getting stuck in and having fun is a passing distraction for two countries involved in a brexit divorce and helpful for the ancient institution of monarchy that does not want to appear too remote. dedicated rowers and jobbing regal coxes on the podium. one day william will wear a crown. for now he has got a medal. he kept looking over and saying, we are gaining on them and we have got this lead and making sure we were keeping ahead. you got the sense he was keen to beat his wife? absolutely, he said, we are going to win today. then at a heidelberg beer festival barrels do not remain sealed for long. this friendship race ended well, bonhomie in brexit times. peter hunt in heidelberg. later today the spanish surrealist

artist salvador dali will be controversially exhumed — to settle a paternity claim made by a catalonian tarot card reader. our arts editor will gompertz has been to visit the crypt at dali‘s theatre museum in figurers, where the artist been buried since his death in 1989. in the mid—1960s this was an abandoned theatre that salvador dali, a local artist, identified as the perfect place to show off all his artworks. but notjust that, to create the ultimate dali experience, a dali world which he ended up liking so much that he decided to be buried here. so when he died in 1989 his body was embalmed, placed in a coffin and he was buried here in this crypt in his theatre—museum,