net migration into the uk falls sharply and it's mainly down to fewer people coming from the eu. the difference between the number of people coming to the uk and leaving has dropped by a third compared to the previous year. but the number is still far short of the tens of thousands pledged by the government. also tonight... the special relationship under strain as theresa may criticises donald trump after his tweets about the far right and about her. i'm very clear that retweeting from britain first was the wrong thing to do. one of the six british men wrongly jailed in india for four years tells of his joy at his new freedom. i'm on cloud nine. there's not a word in the english dictionary that can describe how i'm feeling at this minute. the eu offers a special deal to try to ensure roads and bridges here at the irish border remain completely open but could that threaten the dup

deal with the conservatives at westminster? and what's being hailed as an incredible new treatment that could dramatically reduce the agony of migraines. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, we're in moscow to look ahead to the world cup draw as england consider their best and worse case scenarios for next year's tournament. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. net migration in the uk — the difference between the numbers of people arriving and leaving — has fallen sharply in the year after the brexit referendum. new figures from the office of national statistics show it was 230,000 in the 12 months to the end ofjune. that's a drop of around a third compared to the previous year. and most of that drop is down to fewer people coming from the eu. our home affairs correspondent,

tom symonds, looks at why the numbers are going down and what it could mean for the economy. is this the start not of an exodus but of a brexodus? we are now getting some numbers. french business consultant cyril is planning to go, polish mathematician dominika czerniawska had already gone back to warsaw. london still is the best city of the european union but when it is not in the european union it loses so much appeal that the link on amsterdam, and for some people warsaw are far more attractive. investment has dried up andl attractive. investment has dried up and i work in financial services and my clients have started to move jobs and because i am their consultant, the jobs will be elsewhere. they are among thousands who have spent the

months since that night calculating their future is months since that night calculating theirfuture is in a post—brexit europe. positions which are reflected in the biggest to date. since the vote, 572,000 people have arrived to live in the uk but 342,000 have left. the difference is that crucial net migration figure, 230,000 more people living in the uk than a year ago. but following the brexit vote, that figure has fallen sharply by 106,000, the biggest fall since records began. many employers are deeply worried about the loss of potential workers but not ken beswick who runs a stationery firm in south wales. this has been a land of milk and honey. the people of great britain have suffered because of it forfar too great britain have suffered because of it for far too long and so the drop toa of it for far too long and so the drop to a quarter of a million we welcome but after having said that, cordoba million extra people is like another city are people being added

to the country and straining resources “— to the country and straining resources —— a quarter of a million. so some professional europeans in officejobs are so some professional europeans in office jobs are leaving and there has also been a fall in the number of people coming here looking for work but a brexodus, it is still the case that 107,000 more europeans came to britain in the last year than left. the numbers today are quite dramatic but you have to put them in perspective. we are only back to levels of net migration we saw in 2014 so it is not a historical anomaly and the vast majority of eu citizens in the uk are not going anywhere, they have been here for a long time and emigration does not qualify as a brexodus at this point. some businesses like hotels depend on foreign workers. francesca came from italy after the brexit vote.|j foreign workers. francesca came from italy after the brexit vote. i can see that as soon as i came here in london i applied for a job and had the chance to start work here and i think it is amazing and not all the

cities can give you this opportunity. as for the government, it wants to cut net migration by more than half again. tom symons, bbc news. our business editor, simon jack, is here. the conservatives have long said they want to get immigration down to the tens of thousands. it's not there but it has fallen. what's your assessment of the impact of this on the economy? the employers by its peak to say that 7% of the workforce is from the eu, in the low skilled sectors that goes up to 15% and 75% of all waiters in the uk are from the eu. there are some worries for employers about getting workers if the flow of labour stops. what businesses are saying is that it does not make sense to have hard targets. if the economy grows we might need more workers, we have ages to come heathrow, a million homes to build, other people say we can train our own and with unemployment atjust 4.3% it is not like there are loads of spare people around to trade up

and do these jobs so businesses are concerned but as tom said in the piece, 107,000 more people from you than left so nope brexodus. if there isa than left so nope brexodus. if there is a pinch point here, wages. to go up, at the moment they are going up less quickly than inflation and the bank of england think that will switch around next year and if there is an impact on the labour market, thatis is an impact on the labour market, that is where you will see it. britain's ambassador to the us has visited the white house to raise concerns about president trump's tweets concerning a british far right group and then about the prime minister herself. earlier today theresa may said donald trump was "wrong" to share the videos from an extremist group called britain first. but she rejected calls to cancel his state visit to the uk next year. more from our political correspondent, alex forsyth, who's been with the prime minister on a visit tojordan. this was a trip focused on building relationships around the world, but while theresa may was meeting kings and ministers injordan... yes, there are many challenges... ..a major diplomatic row

was brewing elsewhere. president trump had been personally rebuked by downing street for sharing far right videos online. his response to theresa may — on twitter, of course — "don't focus on me, focus on the destructive radical islamic terrorism that's taking place in the uk." her tour of the middle east suddenly required diplomacy of a different kind. the fact that we work together does not mean that we are afraid to say when we think the united states has got it wrong, and be very clear with them. and i'm very clear that retweeting from britain first was the wrong thing to do. he tweeted, effectively telling you to stay out of his business. is that acceptable behaviour from a supposed ally? it's an enduring relationship that's there because it's in both our national interests. so what of the much anticipated state visit to the uk by president trump?

an invitation for a state visit has been extended and has been accepted. we have yet to set a date. thank you. in her speech here, theresa may had little choice but to respond to this tweet. it was aimed directly at her. this, another test of her leadership, how to maintain authority, yet de—escalate a potential row with a friend. the us president forging friendships of his own... you have been a great friend and we appreciate it very much... ..has so far shown little regret for his original tweet sharing videos from the far right group britain first. thank you very much, everybody, thank you. the communities secretary said he'd endorsed the view of a vile, racist organisation and he'd refused to let it go and say nothing. and he wasn't the only politician to express a view. she should never have invited him within a few weeks of him being elected. every other american president has had to wait for years. they have to settle down and we've

had to be sure about who it is that we are inviting. it's very difficult to see how you can continue to rely on the goodwill of somebody who is fundamentally evil, racist, completely contrary to our own set of values. so while the prime minister practised diplomacy in the middle east, relations elsewhere were tested. theresa may, once again under scrutiny, notjust at home but around the globe. alex forsyth, bbc news, jordan. one of the so—called chennai six who was released from an indian prison on monday has spoken of his relief and delight at regaining his freedom after four years. nick dunn, a former soldier, was among six britons acquitted of weapons charges by an indian court. he said his family would now have the best christmas ever. he's been speaking to our india correspondent, sanjoy majumder. taking an innocent man's freedom away is the worst crime i believe that can be committed. former paratrooper nick dunn has just been released from an indian prison, one of six britons arrested

four years ago and charged with smuggling weapons. you have got to do a proper investigation. you have got to know that person is guilty. this wasn't like that. it was, "we don't care, you're guilty." he's now traded his cramped, squalid prison cell for a plush hotel room. his sister, lisa, has come out to india to take him back home. and he just can't wait. it's going to be like four christmases that i've missed rolled into one. it's going to be the best christmas my family could ever wish for. it's been a long, desperate wait for justice inside this chennai prison. nick and his mates were part of a crew of 35 on board an american ship seized off the indian coast. on monday, an indian court threw out all the charges. the men were finally free. i was out training, one

of the guys shouted us over. i could hear it in his voice, it was excitement. and he went, "full acquittal." and i... stopped in my tracks and it was like someone just slapped us, because it was like a shock, you know, and it was an amazing feeling. while they were in prison waiting to learn their fate, the men's families led a massive campaign back home to press for their release. knowing there are lovely people out there, lovely, amazing, supportive people, and i will never be able to thank them as much as what i'm trying to do now. his nightmare finally over, it's now time to go home. sanjoy majumder, bbc news, chennai. the care home market in the uk is not sustainable unless more money is put into it. that's the conclusion of the competition and markets authority which says

there is a billion pound a year funding gap, and that care homes are being propped up by charging higher prices for people who fund themselves, while local authorities fail to pay enough. 0ur social affairs correspondent, alison holt, has more. would you like some popcorn? would you like a cookie? at the home of comfort in southsea in hampshire, they are settling down for an afternoon of old films. for more than 100 years, they have provided nursing care for older people, but that is no protection from the financial pressures outlined in today's report. gwen is 90 and moved in a few months ago with the help of her daughters. the girls felt i couldn't cope on my own. and i bowed to the inevitable. she's self—funded, because she had her own home and some savings, but it also means she pays more than someone eligible for council care. it doesn't seem fair that some people pay more

than others for the same care. but unfortunately, that's the way, that's the rules at the moment. as a charity, they don't have the same overheads as a commercial organisation. it helps them keep their fees down, but their administrator says there is still a big gap between actual costs and what councils pay. we are asking them for £725 week to provide nursing care and we don't get it. we get about £560. so the difference in those figures is quite astonishing, i think. there is a cross subsidy happening from people paying for their own care, to people who are supposed to be publicly funded. today's competitions and markets authority report says on average a care home place in the uk costs self—funders £44,000 a year. that is about £12,000 or 40% more than someone paid for by a council. this year—long study by the competition and markets authority paints a picture of a system under huge financial pressure.

and one which is often confusing, and unfairfor people who need it at a stressful time in their lives. we think it's urgent, we think the system is not in a great place and we think the pressure is mounting because you have both increasing demand because of demographic changes, but also we know that labour costs are responsible for a significant portion of the cost and those costs are increasing as well. as more people live longer, the cma warns investment in providing support for the future is essential, and without it, care homes will close. the government says it has put extra money into care and will publish a green paper on funding in the summer. alison holt, bbc news. pressures on social care have a direct impact on the health service. next year, health care will be rationed and waiting times will increase unless the nhs in england gets more money. that's the warning from health service leaders who have been meeting to discuss what level of service they can deliver. our health editor, hugh pym, is here.

we keep being told the nhs is under enormous strain. now a new stark warning that some treatments are not going to be available either at all or without a considerable wait. that is the case. the head of nhs england simon stevenson warned before the budget that without a significant increase in funding waiting lists for routine operations would rise rapidly. a week afterwards, the board of nhs england have set them to review the invocations of the money awarded by the chancellor, philip hammond, and they are saying that without significant cuts it is not enough to meet the waiting time targets for routine surgery, 18 weeks, or the 95% of patients being treated or assessed in a&e within four hours. the department of health says enough money has been given to allow the nhs to bring down waiting lists but stand by for a set of pretty fraught negotiations now between nhs england and the department of health over what can be delivered next year. if

these waiting time targets are not diluted in some way, many will save the key legal guarantees of care for patients are being fiercely undermined. thank you. the time has just gone a quarter past six. our top story this evening: net migration into the uk falls sharply and it's mainly down to fewer people coming from the eu. and still to come... howard chance meeting in a churchyard reunited these long—lost brothers. coming up in sportsday on bbc news: ben stokes returns to cricket down under, but not for the ashes. the england's all—rounder arrives in new zealand after signing to play for canterbury. the democratic unionist party has threatened to withdraw its support for theresa may's minority government if there is any kind of special deal between northern ireland and the eu. it's in response to efforts to try to break the deadlock over how to continue free movement between northern ireland

and the republic of ireland. at present thousands of people and millions of pounds of goods cross the border every day. with 16 months to go until brexit, our ireland correspondent chris buckler is at aughnacloy on the irish border, and so far this has been proving an intractable problem and time is running out to resolve it. yes, in the first phase of brexit negotiations, the irish border is proving the most difficult problem to solve and that is partly because of the scale of it. this is one of the 300 crossing points between the republic of ireland and northern ireland. bridges and roads that connect them together, but what do you do when all of a sudden one part is in the eu and the other is outside? the eu says northern ireland could stick to its trading rules even if the rest of the uk doesn't, perhaps even stay inside the customs union and the single

market. some say that would offer real opportunity for the economy here, but unionists are angry and say they will withdraw their support for the conservative government at westminster if they even consider it. 0n the island of ireland, culture does not recognise borders, and neither do people. uilleann pipes are one of the traditional sounds of this land, and in his workshop that sits just a mile from where northern ireland meets the republic, martin gallen makes the pipes. he's closely watching the slow negotiations to try to carve out a deal that will see the uk leave the eu, and he fears it will mean a return of checks on the irish border. they're promising that there would be no hardening of the border, but i honestly can't see how they're going to stand by that promise. the european union doesn't want a return of customs posts on the border, bridges and roads that connect northern ireland and the republic.

it's been offering the chance for northern ireland to stay inside the customs union and single market, even if the rest of the uk leaves. that's to the fury of unionists, whose support the conservatives rely on westminster. if there is any hint that, in order to placate dublin and the eu, they're prepared to have northern ireland treated differently than the rest of the united kingdom, then they can't rely on our vote because they have undertaken an agreement with us — our votes for their support for the union. that's a fear of a move towards a united ireland, and it would probably mean new checks for ships crossing the irish sea, effectively creating a border between two parts of the uk. this border business park was opened in 2013 using £6 million of public money. four years on, all 22

acres lie largely empty. last month, one firm did finally sign up to take a site here. and others might be more likely to follow after brexit, if being based here means you can trade either within the eu or as part of the uk. just as we have for our people, we can choose identity, whether it be british or irish, our products can be exactly the same. and if we take this opportunity, we become probably one of the most attractive and best locations anywhere in the world. attractive investment locations anywhere in the world. no—one wants new barriers in the cities and towns that sit all along this border, and the irish government are still prepared to stand in the path of trade talks to ensure that. this is an historic moment and we are not going to allow the re—emergence of a physical border on this island. and the european union will support us on that, so there's going to be no need to use a veto. that does sound, though, that if you had to use a veto, you would be prepared to use it.

the eu side, in my view, will not progress phase two unless we make sufficient progress in all three areas. and it's the border that's the sticking point? the border‘s the sticking point. ireland's uilleann pipes were once known as the union pipes, but no one is sure of the consequences once this island is at the edge of two unions, both the eu and the uk. chris buckler, bbc news, at the irish border. migraines affect one in seven people across the world, they can cause agonising symptoms for sufferers, sometimes lasting several days. now a new approach in treatment has shown the number and severity of attacks can be significantly cut and is being hailed as an incredibly important step forward. it's estimated 190,000 people get migraine attacks every day in the uk, with women more susceptible than men. and it's thought 25 million days

a year are taken off school or work by people who get them. in two clinical trials, injections of antibodies have been used to neutralise the chemical in the brain which causes the pain associated with a migraine. our health correspondent james gallagher has the story. tania dutton was just 11 when she started having devastating migraines. they interfere with her passion for music, causing immense pain for days, speech problems and blackouts. tania has to wear special glasses even indoors, as bright light can trigger an attack. they can be debilitating. for me, it feels like someone is taking a knife and stabbing my head repeatedly. the pain is so bad that you can't open your eyes, you can't move, you can't speak. migraines are complex and poorly understood. but discovering what is changing in the brain is leading to new treatments. scientists at kings college london have been investigating

one chemical in the brain. it's been implicated in both the pain and sensitivity to light in migraine. now antibodies have been developed that neutralises that chemical to prevent an attack. trials on two new antibodies have been published. the first was on nearly 1,000 people. 50% of patients given the therapy had their migraines cut in half. a second antibody was tested on more than 1100 people. it helped 41% of people halve their migraines. it is hoped the drugs could give some patients their lives back. these treatments are the first migraine—specific preventive ever. for the most substantial neurological cause of disability on the planet, that is a huge advance for all of us. for tania, that could mean freedom from the constant worry of a migraine attack. to have a medication or a treatment that's specifically designed

to help migraine is going to help a lot of people. the drugs could be available next year if they are approved. james gallagher, bbc news. when roy aspinall spotted a man who looked down on his luck as he walked through a churchyard in wigan, he decided to stop and chat to him. after a few minutes, he realised — to his astonishment — that the stranger was in fact his brother who he had last seen as a child over 20 years ago. judith moritz has the story. this is warm and mac, or, former infantryman this is warm and mac, or, former infa ntryman with the this is warm and mac, or, former infantryman with the queen's regiment and this is billy white, until recently sleeping rough on the streets of wigan. they were strangers until on remembrance day they found themselves in the same churchyard. billy was sitting outside on the wall when roy approached him. i saw a gentleman

over there in the corner. he seemed like he was on the streets. over there in the corner. he seemed like he was on the streetslj over there in the corner. he seemed like he was on the streets. i was hanging about here in the churchyard because this is where i slept sometimes. he looked very familiar, the facial features were similar to mine. when he got over to me, he started asking loads of questions, what's my name, who is my sister. he turned round and said i am roy aspinall, and i am your brother. roy grew up without knowing his siblings, billy knew he had a brother but didn't know where to find him. after they met, they compared birth certificates. roy says knowing his brother has made him feel complete. like a massive jigsaw, best to put it, but i couldn't find that one piece to make a pretty picture. and it feels like i have found that peace again. life changing? life changing completely,

yes. billy is no longer homeless, just in time for christmas he's moved in with his big brother. parts of england have been blanketed in snow as forecasters warned of possible disruption and plunging temperatures. this was the scene earlier today in bridlington on the east yorkshire coast. and the snow kept falling just a few miles away in garton on the wolds. heavy snow has also fallen in the north east of scotland, which has led to some school closures. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. i know we get snow most years but it's unusual to get so much in so many parts of the country this early in the year, isn't it? this is pretty good and the snow has fallen right down to the beach as well so it shows how cold the air has been. there are years when we don't get any snow right until january really in major built—up areas. so pretty good for the time of year. tonight there is more snow

on the way across eastern parts of the country. you can see some snow showers there moving into yorkshire, parts of the east midlands, into east anglia as well and there could be snow falling across parts of the chilterns, possibly in london as well but the price is the major risk from eastern scotland all the way down to the south—east. the temperatures dipping down to well below freezing outside of city centres so watch out for those slippery surfaces. some of the snow that fell during the day will have melted during the course of the afternoon and then it could refreeze overnight. tomorrow we have a lot of fine weather around, some of these snow showers could still be wintry in the morning but there will be a tendency for those to die away as we go through the course of the afternoon and temperatures will reach 5 degrees for most of us. through the course of the weekend, things will turn a little bit less cold. this high pressure will be

rolling in some mild air in our direction, and i save my older, not necessarily that my old because there's a lot of cloud streaming in there's a lot of cloud streaming in the atlantic with a bit of drizzle as well —— i say milder, not necessarily mild. double figures in the south—west won't feel my old at all but the thinking is, as we head towards the end of next week, it looks like the cold weather could be back again. a reminder of our main story... a sharp fall in immigration since britain voted to leave the eu, as net migration drops by almost a third. and that's all from the bbc news at six. it's am hello. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines: theresa may says donald trump

was "wrong" to retweet posts from a british far—right group, but the president rejects the criticism. net migration fell by more than 100,000 in the year tojune — the largest annual decrease on record. one of the so—called chennai six — who was released from an indian prison on monday — has spoken of his relief and light at regaining his freedom. and hope for some of the eight million migraine sufferers in the uk, after trials of a new treatment show dramatic results. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news... donald trump rejects theresa may's criticism of his retweeting videos posted by a far right group — we'll be asking what this means for the special relationship. we'll explain why the issue of the irish border has become such a hot topic in the brexit negotiations. and at 10.30 we'll take a look at tomorrow's papers withjohn rentoul, chief political commentator

at the independent, and political strategist jo tanner. that's all ahead on bbc news. now it's time for sportsday.