today at five. the metropolitan police loses a landmark appeal over its investigation into the serial sex attackerjohn worboys. the investigation into worboys was ‘seriously defective‘ — according tojudges — and his victims could now claim compensation. they had all the information there. they should have caught him. they could have caught him the very next day but they didn't, they chose to not believe me. and victims of other serious crimes might also be able to bring legal action against police — if the investigations were defective. the other main stories on bbc news at five. a letter from dozens of conservative mps urges theresa may to bring about a clean break with the eu — when brexit happens. syrians trapped in the rebel enclave of eastern ghouta say they have nowhere left to hide — as the ferocious government bombardment continues. billy graham — one of the most prominent christian preachers of the past century — has died at the age of 99. students in florida on the march — demanding changes to gun laws after the recent shooting

at their school. and the brit awards are later tonight — the british star dua lipa leads the pack with five nominations. it's 5 o'clock. our main story is that police forces could face new legal action by victims of serious crime, if the police investigations were found to be ‘seriously defective‘. judges at the supreme court gave the ruling, under human rights law, in a case brought by two women who say they were victims ofjohn worboys — the serial sex attacker. the police say the outcome means they must set aside more money to cover possible claims for compensation.

one lawyer said this was a ‘very bad day for the metropolitan police service, but a positive day for victims in their fight forjustice‘. our legal affairs correspondent clive coleman has more details. for years, john worboys cruised the streets of london in his black cab, looking for women to dupe, drug and sexually assault. this woman, known for legal reasons as dsd, was attacked by worboys in 2003, and was the first to report him to police. i put my trust in the police. i went to them for them to sort this out. i knew who had attacked me. i didn‘t know his name, but i knew who was responsible for this. they had all the information there. they should have caught him, they could have stopped him the very next day but they didn‘t. they chose to not believe me. if they had done theirjob in 2003, there would be one victim. i can deal with one victim. the metropolitan police fought them

to the supreme court. today, the court ruled in the women‘s favour. we have held that failures in the investigation of the crimes, of violent crime and the police who investigate it. if they seriously fail in an investigation,

they can face human rights actions by the victim, and have to pay out compensation. it‘s looking at things where perhaps article 3 isn‘t engaged. do we have to move resources from those sort of investigations, so things like fraud, into supporting more work around serious crime? crowd chants: domestic violence is a crime! today‘s judgment can‘t make up for the police errors in investigating john worboys. but it will put real pressure on them to ensure such mistakes don‘t happen again. clive coleman, bbc news. the uk‘s transition period after brexit could go beyond march 2021 — according to a draft government document that‘s been leaked. the paper says the duration would be determined

by how long it takes to implement new processes. and it proposes that britain will abide by eu laws during the transition. the paper emerged as a letter was sent by dozens of pro—brexit conservative mps to the prime minister — insisting the uk make a clean break with the eu and that trade deals should be negotiated with other countries once brexit has happened, as our political correspondent eleanor garnier reports. as the brexit secretary tours the eu‘s capitals meeting greek politicians today, stumbling blocks remain. brussels and the uk both agree the need for a temporary transition period after we leave the eu, to allow governments and businesses to get used to the new rules. but a leaked version of the government‘s latest position leaves some questions unanswered, including over the rights of eu citizens. 0ur starting point has been as the prime minister has set out, that we would allow people to come and go, and live out their lives and work in the uk during the implementation period

on the same basis as before. but we will need to have a conversation about how they will continue on after the implementation. the challenge for the prime minister, notjust in brussels... are you afraid of your brexiteers, prime minister? ..but in her own party too. as more than 60 eurosceptic tory mps have written to theresa may, urging her to stand firm in the negotiations. laying down their red lines on brexit. they are issues that need to be clarified because there are some people in the government and around the government who seem to contest these things. for example, that we might be in a customs union or that we might continue to be rule takers from the european union after we have left. but colleagues in the conservative party are certainly not all going in the same direction. they think they are helping the prime minister. the prime minister has said she wants to deliver this deep partnership. she said she wants to keep frictionless borders, orderly transitions.

let‘s give her the flexibility to do that. it is the timing of the intervention that is so significant. this pressure from a faction of tory mps who are key to the survival of theresa may and her government, comes just as the prime minister prepares for tomorrow‘s crunch meeting of her most senior ministers to thrash out an agreed position on what the government wants from brexit. the road to brexit not always straightforward. tricky times notjust for this campaign bus but for the prime minister, too. a tough task to keep both sides of her party onside. it seems some will end up disappointed. eleanor garnier, bbc news. we can speak to our political correspondent ben wright. this paper, what kind of status does have and is this some kind of

clarity around the transition period? at the moment the status is missing, we have been waiting for it all day and relying from a leaked document that emerge. the government insists we will receive that statement spelling out but the government position is. i think its position is that it is negotiating paper, in response to the proposal put out a couple of weeks ago by the eu setting out how they would approach to negotiations on the fine detail of the transition agreement. and this is the uk government response. much about the detail of this has been known for some time. whataiming for this has been known for some time. what aiming for the transition period of around two years which pretty much is a snapshot of what there is now, a standstill agreement where in economic terms much continues as it has done, effectively still in the single market and customs union, free movement. but differences do need to be hammered out and one is precisely how long the transition period will

last. we do not think the document today from the uk will sell out our speu today from the uk will sell out our spell out an end date, it will talk about the period lasting for around two years about the period lasting for around two yea rs browse about the period lasting for around two years browse the eu has said they visited last 18 months. so that needs to be sorted out. although prime minister, her spokesman said that there would be an end date set in stone when the negotiations have wrapped up. there could also be tensions around the price —— the precise status of eu nationals arriving in the uk once the transition period has begun. and on the timings is possible it could go beyond march 2021 and if so how would that be managed politically by theresa may given the state of opinion on conservative backbenches? it could quickly become an century if there was any sense of this slipping beyond that march 2020 date. and the mood from government at the moment is that they do not imagine that happening, there will bea imagine that happening, there will be a fixed date and itjust cannot drag on. and that is the eu position

as well. so you‘re right and that is as well. so you‘re right and that is a political consideration of the heart of all discussions going on now, intensely, within the cabinet not only about the terms of transition but what kind of long—term future relationship the uk will be asking for in the next few weeks. this is now a critical period in brexit negotiations and the government needs for uk businesses demanding clarity, they need this transition to be sorted and agreed by the end of march. joining us is the conservative mp and former minister david jones — one of those who signed the letter to theresa may. can we offer any element of clarity on the transition? i have seen the document that is being spoken about and of course it is a leaked document but it indicates the government is aiming for a transition period of about two yea rs. transition period of about two years. my own preference would be not to extend beyond the end of 2020

because of course that is the end of the current eu budget period and if we went into the next budget period of course we would be subject to payment is that we would have had no role in shaping. so i think the end of 2020 is about right. but the possibility of going beyond that if the processes, implementation procedures had not been completed to a satisfactory level, do you think that that is realistic? i don't think so and i don‘t think that is what the government intends. in the document they talk about a period of around two years. but also there is provision for a fixed date to be inserted in the document and i have no doubt ultimately there will be a fixed date so we will get that degree of clarity. you think that will happen in the next few days?” think that probably something that will have to be resolved at the march council, the 22nd 23rd march. asi

march council, the 22nd 23rd march. as i say my preference is no later than the end of 2020.|j as i say my preference is no later than the end of 2020. i met among cabinet members really? yes of course, well those discussions have been going on for some time. and we do need to get some clarity as to what the british position is because at the moment there is a lack of clarity. i understand there is a variety of opinion within the cabinet. but we have now arrived at the point where something has got to be achieved and i think that has got to be agreement of the terms of the british position for negotiation. just to spell it out clearly, you are saying, and i assume dozens of your colleagues would agree, that anything beyond the period you mentioned would not be politically acceptable. i do not think it would be acceptable, we do need to see an end to this process. the transition period of course puts the uk in a

wea k period of course puts the uk in a weak position, it becomes a rule taker and does not make any rules. we need to get out of that and be in a position to strike free trade agreements and get on with the kind of that free countries do. think anything that went beyond the end of twe nty20 anything that went beyond the end of twenty20 would be rather worrying. i‘m just been told the government has in the last few seconds published the draft document we have been discussing so clearly i will be able to tell viewers about that when it comes out. we‘ve been talking about one leaked document, the other today was a letter to the prime minister. can i ask what the aim of that was? it aimed to show support for the prime minister, it declares those who signed the letter are supportive of the position that she set out in the lancaster house speech in january last year. set out in the lancaster house speech injanuary last year. and it is there to encourage her to adhere to that agenda as i hope she will. of course others have a different reading even in your own party that it is not to do with encouraging the

prime minister but it is a warning telling her she must do as you wish. i think it would be quite wrong to read it that way. i think it sets out what our view is, it says explicitly that we support her, we support the position she set out at lancaster house and i do not think any war should be read into it than that. but if the notion of a clean break with the eu is not possible after brexit where does that leave you. let's see what happens. we have got a long way to go. i would be wanting to read the document that has been published today but of course the negotiation will not be com plete course the negotiation will not be complete on the terms of withdrawal until next month. quite a way to go yet. we shall see, thank you. the united nations has said the situation in a rebel—held suburb of damascus in syria, which has suffered intense air strikes by government forces for the past three days, is ‘beyond imagination‘.

it has called on global leaders to demand that syrian government forces immediately stop bombing eastern ghouta. activists say at least 250 people have been killed there since sunday night. there are some disturbing images in tom burridge‘s report. this is the intensity of the bombing of eastern ghouta, by syrian forces who have russia‘s and iran‘s support. explosions. crying. the result is hard to watch. and hear. but those who survive the air strikes know that the nightmare is not over. the un has again called on the syrian regime to stop its assault. but while we spoke to one woman, the missiles were still falling. assad has brought his forces to destroy ghouta and its families,

adults and children. so that is 48 hours ago, hundreds of attacks by warplanes, rockets. oh, my god. explosion. oh my god! more planes attack us now. after years of siege, the rebels have in this sprawling suburb of damascus a network of underground hospitals, but basic commodities are scarce, and there is only rudimentary care. the suffering of civilians left there is clear. one un official described it as unimaginable, but missing from the videos, filmed by activists, are the rebel soldiers. a complicated alliance of islamist groups, labelled as terrorists by the assad regime. washington‘s influence in syria has,

over the years, waned. the state department says only the syrian regime and its backers can de—escalate the violence. the horrors of east aleppo are being repeated in east ghouta, russia must end its support of the assad regime and its allies. they are responsible for the attacks, and the dire humanitarian situation in east ghouta and for the horrendous civilian death toll. outside actors, and there are many, have turned syria into a theatre for regional power struggles. eastern ghouta, now in a deadly phase, isjust the latest tragic chapter. tom burridge, bbc news. for more on this we‘re joined via webcam by thomas white — he‘s the norwegian refugee council‘s response director for syria and he is in amman in neighbouring jordan. thank you forjoining us. the images

speakfor thank you forjoining us. the images speak for themselves and clearly terrible suffering there. what are your people on the ground telling your people on the ground telling you about the way in which people can be looked after in one sense medically, we‘ve seen many children suffering as well. what is the assessment? over recent months there has been significant fighting in eastern ghouta and i have seen aid organisations providing basic assistance to people. it is becoming untenable to provide that aid. there isa untenable to provide that aid. there is a lack of supply, people cannot be medically evacuated out of the territory. the reality is the aid workers are now being hit with the same ordnance that is affecting the rest of the population. so the m essa 9 es rest of the population. so the messages that humanitarian response

in eastern ghouta now is exceptionally strained. for us were also looking ahead and we are very concerned that if this conflict in eastern territory escalates into a major ground offensive we‘re talking about two sides fighting for their survival, in a densely packed, urban environment. it will be very bloody. we are very concerned that we have seen levels of violence already which have cost hundreds of lives. if this escalates into a major ground offensive we‘re going to see thousands of people who are going to be casualties of this conflict and potentially hundreds of thousands of people who would be displaced from eastern ghouta. lots has been mentioned about the parallels with the light between this and what happened in aleppo were of course that very long siege led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. is that

comparison a valid one? i think many people have made that comparison. we would be, we i very concerned people have made that comparison. we would b the e i very concerned people have made that comparison. we would b the size very concerned people have made that comparison. we would bi the size v eastern erned gm , 7,7, to :‘3': w are su- -orti\ie of some kind of very supportive of some kind of

humanitarian ceasefire. which would allow organisations to get access to people in need. but most importantly hopefully cooler heads will prevail and we do not find herself in a situation where thousands of lives are at risk and potentially hundreds of thousands of people could be displaced. you have expressed clearly 57: is the tell. about how 5:in ieie iii—5211 sii'iiiliéizééieze' 112525 pressure ”f" ’ is 5:in ieie iii—5211 sii'iiiliéizééieze' 112525 pressure on, if" ’ is 5:in ieie iii—5211 sii'iiiliéizééieze' 112525 pressure on, you is 5:in ieie iii—5211 sii'iiiliéizééieze' 112525 pressure on, you know, is 5:in ieie iii—5211 sii'iiiliéizééieze' 112525 pressure on, you know, to find much pressure on, you know, to find some way to negotiate a settlement to this. it cost we can see the consequences of this turning into a major conflict as i said in a heavily populated suburb of damascus. thank you very much for

joining us today. students from the florida high school, where pupils were shot dead last week, are in the state capital tallahassee to demand stricter controls on gun sales. the students insist the rally is not about party politics — but about people being able to send their children to school, confident they will come home alive. they say they hope their march inspires others across the us. let‘s listen to one student speaking. if you are so strung up over your second amendment rights, respect our first amendment rights! we have seen so many senseless deaths in this country due to the

inaction of many. we have a majority choosing not to act for whatever reason, i will not try to fathom. we need to act ourselves, on their part. because once we are able to vote them out of office it is our turn to be put into office. and on behalf of everyone i implore you, you need to continue to fight for this. this will take years if it has two but we cannot give up our determination because who knows how many more students will lose their lives in the time it takes for the bill to be past, for our voices to be heard. i have been given so many opportunities in life that i cannot get anywhere else other than this country and i‘m so grateful so i‘m

taking this opportunity to give one back. the opportunity for people to choose life of these weapons of mass destruction. this is a student at the high school in florida who survived the dreadful attack that took place when 17 people were killed in that gun attack last week. so she‘s addressing the crowd there. well barbara plett usher is in the florida state capital tallahassee. we‘ve heard the strongest possible wording from just one student there and really conveying the passion in terms of wanting change to the law. do you sense that there is a change in terms of what legislators are prepared to do, or not? legislators who have resisted any kind of further restrictions on gun control are talking about tightening

restrictions somewhat. nothing close to what the students are asking for but especially saying here in florida were without controlled in the legislature by republicans, they have tended to expand access to guns rather than restrict them so that is a change was so the state level you may see a change but federal level i think will take longer. it is very polarised —— polarised bear and the gun lobby is very strong. but she made an interesting point saying some of us can made an interesting point saying some of us can vote made an interesting point saying some of us can vote in the next election, this is a generation, they call it the mass shooting generation and they grew up with mass shootings almost a common thing. and now some will be able to vote in the midterms later this year. that is something clearly they are looking to now, not only to lobby legislators and two march and organise on social media but at the end of the day it is about the votes. the point is while the organisers were saying that this rally was not about party politics,

it is very difficult not to drift into that sphere when we talk about legislation and political change. you‘re quite right but in terms of the message, i think they‘re trying to keep the message apolitical, not saying we are for or against guns but that we want to go to school and not feel afraid. we want to be in school and be safe. mothers here are chanting, save our kids so that the cull of bipartisan thing to emphasise in these rallies and campaigns, hoping to get some kind of agreement between the parties at least on that. but when it comes to voting of course it is very much the democrats who support tougher gun legislation and the republicans who oppose it. so if these students come out in large numbers that could change things. thank you very much.

one of the most influential christian preachers of the past century — billy graham — has died at the age of 99 after a career spanning seven decades. he‘d suffered from parkinson‘s disease and cancer. billy graham gave up work as a salesman to devote his life to selling the christian message. and he became known throughout the world as major force in christian preaching — pioneering the use of television to reach many millions worldwide. and he was spiritual adviser to every us president from harry truman to barack obama. our religion editor martin bashir looks back at his life. there are problems that face us tonight that will never be solved unless we bring them to the lord jesus christ. i gave my son to die for you. charismatic in every sense, billy graham‘s message was simple. people should turn tojesus. find the door. come through that door! he had a remarkable effect on a sometimes disinterested public. god loves you.

and if there‘s one thing you get out of these days we‘re going to be in edinburgh, it is this, god loves you. in 1954 london first experienced the force of the billy graham brand of evangelism. we have come here at the invitation of these churches to help lead you in a crusade to win men tojesus christ. as his reputation grew so did the crowds. from new york to nigeria. he was god, he was also man. i want you to get out of your seat right now and say i want my sin forgiven. it was at a billy graham rally in earl‘s court in 1966 that cliff richard publicly declared his christianity. the pairjoined up on billy graham‘s television ministry. beamed into churches and homes. and reaching hundreds of millions.

and he was courted by american presidents. from nixon to clinton, though he never took sides. i‘m looking forward to death, i want to go into that glorious new world that i believe everyone who believes injesus christ is going to go. and i‘m going to have all the answers that i would like to have answers to now. i said daddy, what do you want on your tomb stone? he said, just "preacher". that‘s it? that's it. despite cancer and parkinson‘s disease, billy graham was just that. a preacher. into old age. and thousands still flocked to hear him. billy graham who has died at the age of 99. the headlines in just

the headlines injust a moment and the sport as well. in the meantime the weather forecast. some big changes on the way in the next couple of weeks. the weather itself becoming quite settled as high pressure builds. but with the building but we start to bring in some very cold air which has been sourced from siberia. so that means we‘re talking about sub zero temperatures by day and by night by the latter part of the weekend. so the latter part of the weekend. so the theme really is turning dramatically colder. a slow change over the next 48 hours. this is the high pressure holding the weather fronts at bay out of the west. tonight the cloud dissolves away, some patches of mist and freezing fog forming across the north of

england. and a widespread frost. decent sunshine first thing on thursday despite that chilly start. but we see the cloud building as the hours go by. the sunshine turning increasingly hazy. and keep your eye on those temperatures, already starting to slide away by a couple of degrees. and we have a strengthening easterly wind which adds to that cold feeling. but by the start of next week temperatures will be subzero and the wind much stronger. this is bbc news. the headlines... victims of the serial sex attacker john worboys win a landmark case against police afterjudges at the supreme court ruled scotland yard was liable forfailures in its investigation. a brexit negotiation document suggests the length of the brexit transition period could be extended — as dozens of tory mps

write to theresa may to insist the uk makes a clean break with the eu. the un says the situation in a rebel—held suburb of damascus in syria, which is enduring intense government air strikes, is "beyond imagination". hundreds have died since sunday. the american evangelist, billy graham, has died at the age of 99 after battling parkinson‘s disease for several years. he devoted his life to spreading the christian message. stu d e nts students from florida and the school saw a mass shooting last week have marched to the state capital demanding stricter gun controls. new charges have been filed against the former trump adviser, paul mine for, by the investigating alleged links between the troubled campaign and russia. and singer ali and —— ariana grande... moron the brit awards as

the stars arrive later. —— we will have more on the brit awards. let‘s catch up with the sports news andjoin let‘s catch up with the sports news and joinjohn. it was one of the stories before the winter olympics and looks set to be one of the big talking points of the games sulphide as well. they had theirfunding cut, the bobsleigh team, but have produced their best everfinish at the team, but have produced their best ever finish at the olympics. driver misha mcneill and mica moore used crowdfunding and donations from the public to get them to the start line, and finished eighth overall. we were told that we were not medal potential, but it was nice to show that we could do it. we will be back again and you will see us. is it going to be an interesting conversation between yourselves and the performance director between now and beijing 2022? i hope so. we

don‘t have to ask the people, we wa nt don‘t have to ask the people, we want them to watch us and enjoy it and not have to help us out again. you wonder what they might achieve if they hadn‘t have had the funding cut. gb skip eve muirhead and her curling team are into the semi finals at the winter olympics. she was instrumental in getting them there. against the defending champions canada, they came from 11—2 down to snatch the win, two points coming on the final end, as they finished 6—5 winners. the holders canada are out having failed to reach the semi—finals for the first time. team gb will now play sweden on friday morning. will it be an all family affair in the semifinals? eve‘s brother is part of the men‘s team, who lost to usa 10—11. that means gb have to go through a play—off against switzerland to see if they can reach the last four and keep their medal hopes alive. that game is just after midnight

tonight. england‘s zak hardaker has had his contract terminated by rugby league side castleford tigers. he was previously suspended by the club after failing a drugs test in the weeks leading up to the 2017?super league grand final, and is awaiting the outcome of his case with uk anti—doping. gregor townsend has unveiled a unchanged line—up for the next match for scotland. there is a recall for the prop who is not played since a member after breaking his arm. paul pogba has been left out of manchester united boss backstabbing line—up —— jose mourinho‘s starting line—up —— jose mourinho‘s starting line—up for the champions league match against sevilla tonight. tony bellew and david haye went

face to face again ahead of their heavyweight rematch in may. the fight will take place a year after bellew defeated haye with an 11th—round stoppage. the original december date was postponed because of an injury to haye. he‘s a fantastic athlete. when you can push your body and the things he can push your body and the things he can do, which i am sure off the richter scale for what he can do, he‘s gone to sustain injuries. i hope the wrap him up in cotton wool for this camp and singing silly rhymes every night. ijust need him to turn up on me the fifth. i have a lot riding on it, simple as that. i have had more time working with my coach to work in certain combinations. i believe i will be better. i can't wait for people to

see it. this time round, ifeel like a done a lot more that needs to be done. in terms of mindset, i've am not focusing on animosity but positivity. i believe that gets the best out of me. atocha started. -- the talk has started. that‘s all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. more for you in sportsday at half past six. let‘s talk about the difficult situation of ireland, where there has been no government and executive for over a year. leading politicians from northern ireland have been meeting the prime minister in a bid to try and get power—sharing talks back on track. the democratic unionist party leader arlene foster said she was "hopeful" the uk government would set a budget for northern ireland "in weeks".

we‘ve had a number of meetings with the government today, not least of course with the prime minister. and we wanted to impress upon her the need and indeed urgency to have a budget in place for the people of northern ireland in the very near future. and i think she heard that very loud and clear. we are hopeful thatis very loud and clear. we are hopeful that is going to happen in the near future, so you keep up the dialogue with the government in relation to that, as you would expect, because the people of northern ireland deserve to have a budget in place as soon as deserve to have a budget in place as soon as possible. arlene foster of the dup speaking briefly outside parliament after the talks. speaking a short time ago, the sinn fein president mary lou mcdonald said... the government of westminster did not appear to have a plan to restore

power—sharing at the moment. i have to tell you that we can only surmise from the meeting with the british prime minister that the government year doesn‘t have a plan. doesn‘t have a plan, a viable plan for carving a pathway to the restoration of the institutions. with disappointed the government seems wedded to what we are calling a reflection period. the opening up of any political vacuum is extreme and dangerous. that was the statement earlier. and we saw the vice president of sinn fein in that clip. she joins we saw the vice president of sinn fein in that clip. shejoins us now. thanks for coming in. when you said they didn‘t have a plan, you mean any type of plan? good evening. we came today in the backdrop of a long, protracted box process were ourselves, the two governments and

the other previous partners in government, the dup, has spent a large amount of time trying to find a solution to the current impasse. despite months of work, painstaking work that took a lot of effort, i believed we had an accommodation that would have led to the resolution and kim —— halted the impasse. however, the dup leader last week said very firmly they would not support the deal which they had indeed negotiated with ourselves in good faith will stop that leaves us in a very difficult political situation and be here today to talk to the leader of the opposition, jeremy corbyn... we also had a series of meetings with the british government, british secretary of state, karen bradley, and theresa may, the prime minister. on the back of those conversations,

we set out how we see the current situation. disappointed would be a mild word, to say the british government do not have a plan for the way forward. what we have is pandering to this situation, whether people have not had the government for 1h months. it is an acceptable. the conversations and talks been had. progress under way was made and the dup renege on a position we arrived at together. remember what theissues arrived at together. remember what the issues are at the heart of the current political impasse. what to implement previous agreement is made. it is about marriage rights, language rights and legacy inquest rights. it‘s about trying to crate a rights. it‘s about trying to crate a rights —based society. we need to resolve these things to get institutions up and running. very clearly today and the back of the conversation we had with the prime minister, we saw they do not have a plan for the way forward. they‘re

talking about periods of reflection, which isn‘t the space we need to be in. just to pick you up about a rights —based society... are people rights —based society... are people right to say, you know, in different parts of the political spectrum, people write to say that your insistence on language rights is the main stumbling block? is that right or not? the main issues i havejust highlighted arab and language rights, marriage equality, legacy inquest rights. but fundamentally, it would be useful to explain that the irish language act is so important because if you roll back 20 years ago to the good friday agreement, at the heart of it was about how we worked together. unionists and nationalists. how we power—sharing mutually respect each other and govern together. we have had a rollback on those commitments. the dup never embraced those commitments and agreements. the

disrespect of irish identity is clear and asked ten years. they know what the —— may no longer wanted the government to look after certain sections of society. we had arrogance shown towards some sections of society and particularly towards irish national identity that did not make a good government. it isafar did not make a good government. it is a far cry from the good friday agreement and the peace agreement that was so hard won. what we have set out to do in the past 13, 1a months is to find a way forward. we wa nt to months is to find a way forward. we want to be in government and picked government departments. we want to fight the fight against brexit, which the majority of people in northern ireland voted against. we wa nt to northern ireland voted against. we want to fight austerity. despite the challenges, we still want to be in government but we can‘t make it work if we don‘t have a partner to work with us. i using the attacker today‘s talks, no progress at all has been made towards restoring the

administration in northern ireland? yes, that is what i‘m saying. but i believe there is a way forward. and the way forward is, let‘s get back to the good friday agreement, establishing a british— irish cooperation. the two governments, british and irish lions, have a joint stewardship of our peace process. they need to work together to resolve outstanding issues and allow for the restoration of these issues. it‘s very reasonable. we wa nt to issues. it‘s very reasonable. we want to be in government and make it work but we need the partners to do it. sinn fein‘s vice president after the talks today at westminster. the time is quarter to six on bbc news. these other headlines... the supreme court rules in favour of victims of the serial sex attackerjohn worboys, calling the police investigation "seriously defective". a brexit document suggests ministers want the transition period after brexit to last

longer than the 21 months suggested by brussels. new charges have been filed against former trump adviser paul manna fought by the man investigating alleged link between the trump campaign and russia. an update on the market numbers for you — here‘s how london‘s and frankfurt ended the day. trading is still under way in the us. the dowjones and nasdaq figures there for you. average wages rose slightly in the final three months of last year, rising by 2.5%. that‘s according to the latest figures from the office for national statistics, which also show that the amount each worker produces, known as productivity, has increased. but there was also a slight rise in unemployment from a record low. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. this maker of upmarket switches

and sockets has been growing its business and soon it should the exporting to china. but at its manufacturing plant near hastings, workers here have at last won a pay rise that matches inflation without a fight. staff have been on the same salary effectively for the past three orfour years. they have been working hard, the company doing well, so we felt it was time to reward them accordingly. the firm can afford to pay more because it has invested £200,000 in a robot enabling each worker to produce more top—quality switches and sockets per hour. exactly the kind of boost to productivity that the economy has been crying out for. the robot will polish components to a much greater accuracy than a human. and the spin off is it does it in half the time.

not every worker has done as well as these employees. unemployment has risen to 4.4%, the average pay rise was 2.5%, still less than inflation, but between october and december the amount that we produce per hour rose by 1.8%. the amount that we produce per hour rose by 0.8%. if that keeps improving, and that is an if, inflation beating pay rises should become more affordable. there will come a moment when people realise they have more power in the labour market than they used to because we‘re losing a lot of immigrant labour in key sectors so wages are likely to go up in those sectors. today‘s figures show a change in who was joining the workforce. in 2017, the number of uk nationals working in the uk went up by nearly 300,000. the number of eu nationals working here went up by around 100,000. but the number of non—eu nationals, people from the rest of the world, went down by 68,000.

the squeeze on living standards has loosened its grip. but it‘s still uncomfortably tight. only further improvements in pay and productivity can bring that to an end. andy verity, bbc news. organisers of tonight‘s brit awards have confirmed this year‘s ceremony will include a tribute to those killed and injured in the manchester arena terror attack. the ceremony takes place at london‘s o2 arena and is hosted by comedian jack whitehall. 22—year—old londoner, dua lipa, is leading the way with five nominations. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba has more and a warning his report does contain some flash photography. her global hit new rules has been viewed on youtube more than a billion times. the youngest female artist ever to achieve that goal. the popularity of the 22—year—old londoner has helped her to lead the way with five nominations. dua for the moment at least

is bigger than beyonce, taylor swift, rihanna. and she has what all of those huge american artists have. she‘s not work—shy, she will turn up, she will do the interviews, she will do the promo. she will spend 2a hours doing the video and extreme focus, 2a/7. she faces strong competition in best video and the prestigious best album award from ed sheeran. the most successful male artist of the last 12 months. he dominated the singles charts for much of the year. and his album divide spent months at number one, although huge commercial success doesn‘t always necessarily lead to winning at the brits. he won half a dozen awards with oasis, this year liam gallagher gets his first solo nomination for best male. but in typical fashion has

fallen out with the brits, accusing them of being too scared to ask him to perform at the show. one liam who will be performing on stage is former one directioner liam payne. he is up for two awards, best video and best single, for strip that down. unlike last weekend at the baftas where actors were asked to wear black, people attending tonight‘s awards are being asked to wear a white rose pin to show support for the anti—harassment movement. lizo mzimba, bbc news. and lizo is on the red carpet at the o2 arena. what are you expecting? in the last few hours, we have seen some of the biggest names in the music industry. this is the music

industry‘s big night out and only comes once a year. we have had previous winners like paloma faith, ragan born man —— rag and bone man... leading the way is 22—year—old londoner dua lipa. i asked her, how with five nominations at her first brits, what a nurse was going through her head?” at her first brits, what a nurse was going through her head? i am so excited to be here and it is going to bea excited to be here and it is going to be a really fun night. is been an incredible 12 months for you. you‘re the youngest female artist to get a billion streams on youtube for your hit single. what has been the secret to your success this year?|j hit single. what has been the secret to your success this year? i think my fans have been holding down the fort for me so much and i am so grateful to them and they do for me. it has all been such a whirlwind and an alderman. why do you think your songs connect emotionally with so many people? it‘s very relatable.

songs connect emotionally with so many people? it's very relatable. my songs are about friends sticking together and looking after each other and we need that more than ever. ahead of your performance tonight, how do you feel? exciting. nervous, but very exciting. just behind dua lipa with four nominations is musical water not, ed sheeran. i spoke to him a few minutes ago about how he was feeling. he is no stranger to the brit awards. good. it's a fun event. you get to see everyone you have been listening to the radio all year and meet them. you have had an amazing 12 months. dominated the singles chart. the album was a number one it seems like forever. how does this fit into the last year that you‘ve had? how does this fit into the last year that you've had? i don't know. it feels like a cap of it. the end of a campaign, but we'rejust feels like a cap of it. the end of a campaign, but we're just about to go on tour again. it's kind of like

midway through. it feels good. a nice little respite. ed sheeran, like so many of the people on the red carpet, was wearing the white rose pin. that is in support of anti—discrimination and harassment initiatives going on in all industries at the moment. there may well be attributing the ceremony to the manchester terror attack victims last summer. ariana grande was due to feature in that, but under doctor ‘s orders, she has had to withdraw. many thanks. the majority of small and medium—sized companies are still paying male employees more than their female colleagues, according to the latest government figures. companies have six weeks left to report their gender pay gap. so far, almost a thousand businesses have responded of the 9,000 asked. our business and consumer correspondent nina warhurst has more.

it‘s time to answer the question. what does every man and woman in your company get paid? and if you lined up all their salaries, what is the figure in the middle for each sex? what is the gap between those two figures? for 74% of companies, this figure was higher for men. in 15%, it was higherfor women. what this data doesn‘t look at is any difference in salaries between men and women who are doing the samejob. but what it does show is while there are lots of women in lower paid jobs, women are not earning those big salaries in the same way as men. at clydesdale yorkshire bank, men earn 37% more than women. there are almost four times as many women in lower paid jobs, but only three women on the board. it has certainly been lonely at times! i regularly find myself in positions where there‘s not nearly as many women.

we have set ourselves a target, so by 2020 we want to make sure there‘s 40% of women in our most senior roles. so i think that is quite bold and i think that everybody in financial services should be making those types of commitments and progressing towards them. but with just six weeks to go, around 8000 firms have yet report. then come the bigger questions. after that, what can and should be done? i will be back later at ten of all the latest news and events. in the meantime, here is the weather. big changes coming in the next few days. not too dramatic to start because high pressure is building and weather patterns will settle down quite a lot. the most notable change, the way things will feel,

especially at the start of next week with some very cold weather on the way. pretty quiet at the moment. high pressure here. you will probably get bored of seeing the high pressure charts in the coming days. high pressure with us for the foreseeable period, holding weather in the atlantic, allowing for a clear spells overnight and i i can do pretty widespread frost to develop. freezing fog and in parts of northern england in the midlands. overnight lows of —1 and —2. we start on a cold zero on thursday but boilesen brightness and sunshine. the cloud will tend to thicken, maybe some drizzle out of the cloud in northern ireland and scotland. temperatures sliding away, just for celsius in birmingham. an easterly breeze starting to pick up. if anything, that a stronger on friday. we should see more sunshine but that easterly wind should feeds cloud

into some counties in england. again, it will feel chillierfor all of us. temperatures at best in the mid—range of single figures. high pressure still with us as we move into the weekend. —— high—pressure. it is about subtle gingers coming through. through the weekend, the weather pattern is quite quiet. but as the height reorients, we will have biting cold and a risk of snow. first sunday, there could be a widespread frost when in areas through the day. years monday. we can see some white on the chart. there is a risk of snow in the british isles as the eastern wind strengthens and the high extends to siberia, billingham called air right from the heart of europe to the british isles. some uncertainty as to how raw it will field. if it

blasts its way towards us, it will really be a seven—year spell of cold weather on the way for the british isles. —— it will really be a severe spell. bexley, it will be cold, chance of snow, widespread frost through the day. accompanied by biting easterly winds. two victims of the black cab rapistjohn worboys win a landmark legal battle against the metropolitan police. the women, who were attacked by worboys in 2003 and 2007, reported his crimes but were not believed. they had all the information there. they should have caught him. they could have stopped him the very next day, but they didn‘t, they chose to not believe me. we‘ll be examining the implications of the ruling for future police investigations. also tonight. new figures show the strongest six months of growth in economic productivity since the recession of 2008. the government‘s plans to tackle air pollution are ruled unlawful — for a third time.

ina in a student at last week‘s school shooting have beenjoined by