tonight at ten — a royal wedding in the spring, as prince harry and the american actress, meghan markle, announce their engagement. after the announcement, the couple spoke to the bbc about the proposal, which happened in london earlier this month. it was so sweet and natural and very romantic. he got on one knee, was it an instant yes? yes! as a matter of fact i could barely let you finish proposing. i was like, "can i say yes?" she said, "can i say yes?" then there was hugs and i had the ring, and i was like, "can i give you the ring?" and she was like, "oh, yes — the ring!" wearing a ring designed by the prince, ms markle said she would continue to support campaigns on equality and fairness in her new role. very early out of the gate i think you realise once you have access with that comes a lot of responsibility. i'm at kensington palace, where the couple spoke to me about their story so far, and their hopes for the future.

we'll have more on the day's events in just a few moments. also tonight... we report on the plight of young rohingya girls forced into the sex industry, as refugees in bangladesh. in syria, government forces are pounding one of the last rebel held strongholds, with devastating consequences for the civilian population. two major pharmaceutical firms say they'll invest more than a billion pounds in the uk, creating nearly 2000 jobs. and in the ashes series, england trail australia following a heavy defeat in brisbane. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... it was andy murray's last year — but who will take home the crown for 2017? we look at this year's nominees for sports personality of the year. good evening.

prince harry and the american actress, meghan markle, have announced their engagement, and they'll be married in the spring. as fifth in line to the throne, prince harry had to obtain her majesty's permission to marry, and buckingham palace said today that the queen and the duke of edinburgh were "delighted with the news". ms markle, who's 36 and divorced, describes herself as a "strong, confident, mixed—raced woman", and a feminist. in their only broadcast interview today, harry and megan spoke to the bbc‘s mishal husain. so let'sjoin mishal at kensington palace tonight. this was the first time we had heard the couple speak together, and it was a first glimpse into their approach to life and what brought them together. the interview took place inside the palace, close to the cottage in the grounds that is their home. more of what they told me shortly. but first, this report from our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell finally, it's official.

they are engaged to be married. prince harry, fifth in line to the british throne, and meghan markle, an american, an actress, a divorcee and, as she has put it herself, a woman who is proud of her mixed—race heritage. seldom can a royal wedding have vindicated so clearly how times have changed. reporter: how are you both feeling? yeah, thrilled! i'm very glad it's not raining as well. harry was asked when he realised meghan was the one. the very first time we met. reporter: meghan, can you show us the ring, please? yes. ah, yes — the ring. designed, it turns out, by harry, and including two diamonds owned by his late mother. harry and meghan — he 33, she 36. a happy couple who met 18 months ago, and are now starting to plan a wedding which will take place next spring. later, in their engagement interview with the bbc, the couple talked about the moment earlier this

month when harry proposed. just an amazing surprise. it was so sweet and natural and very romantic. he got on one knee! of course. was it an instant yes from you? yes! as a matter of fact, i could barely let you finish proposing. i was like, "can i say yes now?" she didn't even let me finish. then there was hugs, and i had the ring in my finger. i said, "can i give you the ring?" she said, "oh yes, the ring!" so it was a really nice moment, it was just the two of us. i think i managed to catch her by surprise as well. yeah. harry spoke of the instant impact meghan had made on him. the fact that i fell in love with meghan so incredibly quickly was a sort of confirmation to me that everything, all the stars were aligned, everything was just perfect. this beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life, and i fell into her life. and the fact that she — i know the fact that she will be unbelievably good

at the job part of it as well, is obviously a huge relief to me, because she'll be able to do with everything else that with it. within the royal family there is, as you'd expect, great happiness at the news. the queen was delighted. as was harry's father, the prince of wales. we are thrilled, thank you very much. for both of them. i hope they'll be very happy indeed. that's all i can say. the duke and duchess of cambridge tweeted their excitement for the couple, saying it had been wonderful getting to know meghan and to see how happy the couple were together. so now, next spring, there will be a double royal celebration. another baby for william and catherine. and a wedding in a so far unidentified church for harry and his bride, meghan markle. nicholas witchell, bbc news. well, not long after the couple's first walkabout together — which took in the palace garden — i sat down with them for their first interview. meghan markle has moved here having

given up her acting career, with life in a different spotlight lying before her. she and prince harry told me about the warmth and support they had had from their families, but also the poignancy of his mother's absence. and i asked them about how they first met... we were introduced actually by a mutualfriend. we should protect her privacy and not reveal too much of that. protect her privacy, but it was literally through her, and then we met once and then twice, back—to—back, two dates in london lastjuly. yes. beginning ofjuly. and then it was i think about three or maybe four weeks later that i managed to persuade her to come and join me in botswana, and we camped out with each other under the stars, and we spent — she came and joined me for five days out there which was absolutely fantastic. so then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other.

but the friend who introduced you, was she trying to set you up? yes, so it was definitely a set—up! it was a blind date. it's interesting because we talk about it now, and even then, because i'm from the states you don't grow up with the same understanding of the royal family, and so while i now understand now very clearly there is a global interest there, i didn't know much about him, and so the only thing i asked her when she said she wanted to set us up was i had one question, was he nice? because if he wasn't kind, it just didn't seem like it would make sense. in the case of your relationship, unlike for most people, there's this whole layer of what it means to get involved with someone in the royal family. how much of a sense, meghan, did you have of the enormity of what you be getting into and what it might mean for your life? i think i can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve over the last year and a half, i did not have any understanding of what it would be like. i don't think either of us did,

but we both said that. no, i tried to warn you as much as possible, but i think both of us were totally surprised by the reaction after the first five or six months we had to ourselves of what actually happened from then. i think you can have as many conversations as you'd want and prepare as much as possible, but we were totally unprepared for what happened after that. the scrutiny? well, all sorts. i think also, there's a misconception that because i've worked in the entertainment industry that this would be something i would be familiar with, but even though i'd been on my show for six years at that point, and working before that, i've never been part of tabloid culture, pop culture, to that degree and lived a relatively quiet life, even though i focus so much on myjob. so that was a really stark difference out of the gate. and some of

that scrutiny, and you ended up making a public statement about it, some of the scrutiny was centred around your ethnicity, meghan. when you realised that, what did you think? of course it's disheartening. you know, it's a shame that that is the climate in this world, to focus that much on that, which would be discriminatory, in that sense, but at the end of the day i'm really proud of who i am and where i come from. and we have never put any focus on that — we've just focused on who we are as a couple. it is an immense change. you're getting a new country out of it and obviously a husband. getting a new country out of it and obviously a husbandlj getting a new country out of it and obviously a husband. i don't see it as giving anything up. it is a new chapter. and also keep in mind, i

have been working on my chauffeur yea rs. have been working on my chauffeur years. so we were very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on this series. 0nce be able to have that sort of longevity on this series. once we had the 100th episode mother, i thought, i have tick this box, i feel really proud of the work i have done. now it is time to work as a tea m done. now it is time to work as a team with you. and meghan, your parents, there were very happy for you obviously. do you think they are worried about the scale of what you are getting into? i'm sure at the onset of my parents and close friends were concerned because we got quickly swept up in a media storm. they also had never seen me so media storm. they also had never seen me so happy. and i think also once my friends, excuse me, were able to really meet harry and my mum, who we spend a lot of time with, it was so much fun. her mum is

amazing. it wasjust obvious with, it was so much fun. her mum is amazing. it was just obvious that with, it was so much fun. her mum is amazing. it wasjust obvious that no matter what we were being put through, it was just temporary. and that we were going to be able to get through that. everybody was really happy. if you talk to my dad, it has all been worth every effort. and you have met the queen?” all been worth every effort. and you have met the queen? i have khmers. what was that like? it's incredible. i think to be able to meet her through his lens, notjust with his honour and respect for her as a monarch, but the love he has further as his grandmother. all of those layers have been so important for me. so when i met her i had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. we've had a really... she's an incredible woman. and the corgis took to you straight away. that's true! the last 33 years of being barked at, this one walks in, absolutely nothing. just laying on my feet during tea, it was very sweet.

your ring. tell us about the ring. oh, yes. the ring is obviously yellow gold, her favourite. and the main stone itself i sourced from botswana, and the little diamonds either side are from my mother's jewellery collection. to make sure she's with us on this crazy journey together. it's beautiful, and he designed it. it's incredible. yeah. make sure it stays on that finger. of course! what does it mean to you, meghan, to have those stones on your finger that once belonged to princess diana ? i think everything about harry's thoughtfulness and the inclusion of that, and obviously not being able to meet his mom, it's so important for me to know that she's a part of this with us. what do you think your mother would have thought of meghan or said about her?

they'd be thick as thieves, without question! she'd be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me. but then, would've probably been best friends with meghan. it is days like today when i really miss her being around and being able to share her the happy news, but with the ring and everything else going on i'm sure she is... she is with us. i'm sure she's with us andjumping up and down somewhere else. prince harry, meghan markle, thank you both very much. thank you so much. meghan markle has spent the last seven years appearing in the american television series, suits, but is now preparing for an entirely new role. as well as her career, she's also used her profile for charitable and women's causes. daniella relph has been finding out more about meghan markle, speaking to those who know her. have you heard? there is breaking news out of london this morning. drum roll, please.

prince harry and american actress meghan markle are engaged — yay! congratulations, harry and meghan. we don't know you, but congratulations! but we will all get to know meghan markle much better over the next few months. she is no ordinary royal fiancee. her early acting career was made up of small television and film parts and adverts. there was also a stint opening the boxes on the tv programme deal or no deal. it's meghan markle! wow, you're pretty. good, you've hit on me. we can get it out of the way that i am not interested. no, i'm sorry... before her big break in the legal drama suits. but she sometimes took issue with the way her character, rachel zane, was portrayed. this season, every script seemed to begin with "rachel enters wearing a towel." and i said, "nope, not doing it any more. not doing it." and i called the creator and i was like, "it's just gratuitous."

meghan markle will bring something different to the british royalfamily. born and brought up here in united states, she is a proud american. but she's also a campaigner with strong opinions and, if possible, she won't want her marriage to limit that side her life. her humanitarian work has taken her around the world, here in rwanda. she's focused on gender equality. particularly as an advocate for united nations women. it's really hands—on, being part of this, clean water being here for everyone. it feels really nice. ithink her passion for other people and wanting to create social change is something that again, with that platform, can only be a positive thing. but she'll be fine. she'll be great, in fact! meghan markle grew up in this affluent neighbourhood of los angeles. her parents split up when she was two, and later divorced. she attended this private

catholic school in la. her mother is a yoga teacher, and herfather, a respected tv and film lighting director. meghan markle has always spoken openly of her mixed—race background. but in the early months of her relationship, prince harry issued a statement, criticising some of the media coverage for its racial undertones. it definitely felt very coded and very racist to me, and very much like there was an attempt to make her seem like an other, like an outsider. so, yeah, that was pretty startling. this will be a whole new world for meghan markle. swapping the small screen for a far bigger stage. daniella relph, bbc news. we're likely to have details of meghan markle and prince harry's wedding tomorrow. and perhaps in the coming weeks we'll also start to learn about what kind of royal she will be

— where she will put her time and energy. she and prince harry talked today about work that needed to be done, the team that they plan to be, the commonwealth — a hint perhaps of their commitment to public life, as well as their private bond. thank you very much for the latest there tonight at kensington palace. more than 600,000 rohingya muslims have now fled to bangladesh, from their homes in neighbouring myanmar, because of the violence there. but for many, it has not been the escape to safety they'd hoped for. they are extremely vulnerable, many have no possessions, and some are becoming victims of sexual exploitation. reeta chakra barti is in bangladesh and we canjoin her now. well, the rohingya refugees have been camped here for around three months now. in the camps the basic

problems over food and shelter continue. but we have uncovered here away from the camps a troubling issue of rohingya girls and women being forced into the sex trade with few apparent means of escape. this is cox's bazar. famous for being the world's longest sandy beach, and the town that is nearest the refugee camps. it looks idyllic. but as day turns to night, a seedier side emerges. a huge and desperate new population nearby provides fresh opportunities for exploitation. and we've spoken to some young female refugees who are in real danger. rohingya girls alone and in their teens are being traded by their own people and local bangladeshis. they are sold for sex. and in the case of one 17—year—old girl, kept in a hotel by rohingya men and treated like a slave. i asked her if she gets paid for any

of the work she does. nothing? incredible, isn't it? she is just a slave. another girl who was just 15 told us she escaped by boat from myanmar after her mother was shot dead by the military. she used her only possessions to pay the boatman, who then attacked her. once she got to bangladesh, a local woman who she thought would help

her, took her home. she had nowhere else to go. and now the woman forces her to sleep with several men a night. do the men pay you when they have sex with you? these two girls are now being helped by a local group, but there are many more in this town suffering the same fate. they all came to escape the violence at home. and now find themselves in a different kind of hell. well it's hard to know how many women and girls are involved in this. one estimate puts it at around 6,000. but this is an exploitation thatis 6,000. but this is an exploitation that is by its nature hidden. the

two girls in that report were never registered with the authorities. they were never taken to the camps, the boatmen brought them here to the town and delivered them to the network. these networks are being run by local bangladeshis but also by rohingya themselves who came in a previous wave. depressing aspect to this ongoing crisis. 0n the crisis of course we have been reporting on it for months, this is your second visit there. i am wondering what changes have you seen since your previous visit? well, on the surface things have changed. the camps appear more organised than before. you don't see people sleeping by the roadside in the way idid on sleeping by the roadside in the way i did on my last visit. you go to the camps and conditions are still very poor. there is a real lack of food, the shelters are very flimsy. the sanitation is poor. these are conditions in which health problems are rife and experts are having to deal with the psychological issues

people have come with and tomorrow night i will be reporting on how doctors and counsellors are dealing with people who are severely traumatised. thank you very much. two major pharmaceutical firms have announced they are investing more than a billion pounds in the uk, creating nearly 2,000 jobs in london and manchester. the news came on the day the government unveiled its industrial strategy, designed to boost productivity and attract investment in areas such as artificial intelligence, driverless cars and clean energy. simonjack has the story. investing in new drugs isjust the kind of medicine the economy needs after the bleak diagnosis of slowing growth and poor productivity it received last week. the government's plan to incentivise investment arrives at a time when businesses are wary of brexit uncertainty. we are the place that is going to be able to take a lead in these new industries of the future.

at a time when companies are making investments and in the context of brexit, to set that out with a clarity that we have i think is all the more important. the way it's supposed to work is basically this. the government invests money in research and development. academic institutions work in partnership with business to provide skills and know—how. the government provides test beds for new products like faster trials of new drugs or public roads for driverless cars, then hey presto, private companies invest. this gene therapy company in oxford likes the approach. this new strategy is very important for business like ours. it allows us to look at what we can work on in the future, look at the grants we can get to help us expand the business and make our processes better to keep us at the leading edge of our science. it's perhaps no surprise the government chose life sciences to be the poster child for its new industrial strategy. these are highly skilled, highly productivejobs in an industry which seems to have no problem attracting investment. most of the uk economy is not like this.

the government's challenge will be to increase productivity in areas of the economy where workers are more likely to drive white vans than wear white coats. most people work in what sometimes we call the everyday economy — shops, care homes, public services as well and we think in order to boost their earning power, which is what the secretary of state said he wanted to do, we need a strategy that takes them into account. government intervention in industry has a chequered history with memories of money poured into failing companies like british leyland. the labour party supports government intervention and doesn't think the conservatives are intervening enough. it seems to be a repackaging of existing policies and commitment and it doesn't go to the extent we would have liked it to, to really rebuild our economy and give businesses the support they need. will the plan work? of the two companies who announced investments today, one told the bbc it would have done it with or without the strategy and the second said it hadn't finalised the size of its investment but the life sciences industry broadly welcomed it.

there have been industrial strategies before and you haven't heard the last of this one. simon jack, bbc news. in syria, one of the last remaining rebel—held strongholds has come under renewed attack from syrian government forces, according to aid agencies and human rights groups on the ground. russia has called for a ceasefire there for the next two days. medecins sans frontieres says dozens of people have been killed in eastern ghouta, near damascus, and that continued bombardment is stretching medical facilities to the limit. this report from our diplomatic correspondent james landale contains some distressing images. if you thought the war in syria was over, think again. this is ghouta, east of damascus, one of the last rebel held strongholds — and in recent days the target of some of the heaviest government air strikes in months. aid agencies and uk—based observers said more than a0 people have been

killed since yesterday alone. in theory, russia, turkey and iran have designated this area a non—escalation zone. in truth, it is exactly the opposite. ghouta may have been under siege and underfire forfour years now, but in recent days it's been subject to wave after wave of strikes by warplanes and artillery. the united nations special envoy to syria could not hide his fears. i want to register at the moment my concern, serious concern, at the tremendous escalation of violence in eastern ghouta in these last weeks. at least 45 people have been reported wounded in the last couple of days, adding to the many hundreds have been taken to hospital since the new offensive began two weeks ago. including, inevitably, many children. more than 350,000 people are packed into this besieged area

outside syria's capital, and this means that casualties are high, but it also means there is an acute lack of food and medical supplies. in apparent retaliation, rebel groups fired mortars from here into government held areas. the un this week will try to reopen peace talks in geneva, but there are few hopes of progress. james landale, bbc news. six former british soldiers who've been in prison in india for more than four years are to be released. the men, known as the chennai six, were arrested along with 29 others on weapons charges in 2013. they'd been working as security guards on ships in the indian ocean. the group, who were acquitted by an appeals court, have always maintained their innocence. west yorkshire police say five people killed when a stolen car hit a tree in leeds on saturday night were all in the vehicle when it crashed.

two men and three boys died. the youngest victim was 12 years old. a 15—year—old boy is being held on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. another teenager, who wasn't in the car, has been released pending further inquiries. more than 100,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes after warnings that the mount agung volcano on the island of bali could erupt at any moment. columns of thick grey smoke have been billowing from the volcano since last week. bali's main airport has been closed, leaving thousands of tourists stranded. cricket, and england have lost the first ashes test in brisbane by ten wickets. australia needed just 56 runs to win and reached that target in a little more than an hour, to complete a bad couple of days for england on and off the field, as andy swiss reports from brisbane. head—to—head on the pitch, and it seems off it. as australia cruised to victory the focus was onjonny bairstow behind the stumps and cameron bancroft in front.

what did happen between them in a bar in perth four weeks ago? well, after hitting the winning runs, bancroft revealed bairstow‘s rather bizarre greeting. he just greeted me with — yeah, just a headbutt kind of thing. so, i was expecting a handshake. as for bairstow himself, well, he insisted the incident had been blown out of all proportion. there's no intent, no malice about anything during the evening. as you could see out there today, there's no animosity between myself, cameron, any of the other australian players. well, england say there'll be no disciplinary action about players‘ behaviour. after the incident involving ben stokes in bristol, and now this, the ecb say they'll be reminding the squad of their responsibilities. we can't be naive. we need to be smart, we need to be measured.

we need to understand what we can and can't do, while at the same time trying to enjoy one of the great tours you could ever go on as an england cricketer. but for now this tour seems far from great. england's ashes has begun in defeat and controversy. andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.