the un security council struggles to agree on a ceasefire as bombardment continues of civilians trapped in syria. for the sixth day in a row syrian air strikes hit the rebel held enclave of eastern ghouta. dozens are reported to have been killed today, over 400 this week, with medical supplies running out. we'll bring you the latest from the security council as world leaders plea for the carnage to be stopped. also tonight.... eu leaders meet without theresa may and warn the uk can't cherry pick its terms and to think otherwise is an illusion. a review finds notjust girls but also vulnerable women are being sexually abused by grooming gangs in the north east of england. donald trump repeats his call to the party faithful that teachers should be armed in schools. the beauty is it's concealed. nobody would ever see it unless they needed it, and a teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened.

the family of two brothers, aged six and two, killed in a hit and run pay emotional tribute to their two lovely, happy boys. and in hiding and fear — the man who revealed russian doping tells the bbc russia shouldn't be allowed at the closing of the winter olympics. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, the third round of the six nations began this evening, with france and italy playing outside of paris for the first time in their history. good evening. members of the un security council are still struggling to reach agreement on the terms of a 30—day humanitarian ceasefire in syria. three times today an announcement has been expected and then delayed. there were more air strikes today

targeting the rebel—held area of eastern ghouta, near damascus, which has been under heavy bombardment since sunday. more than 400 people are reported to have been killed this week. we'll go live to the un in new york for the latest in a moment, but first our middle east editor jeremy bowen reports. this is what happened in eastern ghouta as diplomacy studied. —— studied. the enclave was pounded. 400,000 people spend most of the day underground. above them, russian jets, with their syrian allies, were in action. as the russians demanded guarantees that rebel fighters would respect any truce. in eastern ghouta, men from civil defence risked their lives to rescue civilians, even though the buildings could collapse and the planes could

come back. in the dust and confusion, these children were separated from their parents. the rescu e rs separated from their parents. the rescuers ignored the dangers. the eu condemned what it called brutal attacks. diplomacy is supposed to find words and deeds to stop this happening. they were rushed into underground hospitals. it is hard to end a war, or even underground hospitals. it is hard to end a war, oi’ even a underground hospitals. it is hard to end a war, or even a battle, with words. especially when one side, in syria, the regime and its allies, believes victory is close. in syria, military power, the capacity to inflict pain and death, sets the pace of events. treating the wounded is one—way for humanity to push back. another is to recreate small

pockets of normality, kindness and decency. this girl is 11 and, like most people in eastern ghouta, has been living in a basement. mothers and their children wait and hope. translation: has been two months since i went to school and saw my friends. we are here in the shelter because of the bombing. the rockets and missiles never end. i hope that the war will stop so we can go home. among syria's children, only teenagers remember peace. the world has failed a generation. these men waited for a lull in the bombing to try to bury a member of their family. they ran out of time. in syria, nobody can rest in peace. jeremy bowen, bbc news. joining me is nick bryant at the un

in new york. the security council members have been locked in talks for hours now. we keep expecting an announcement and not getting one. is there any sign of a breakthrough to end this bloodshed 7 there any sign of a breakthrough to end this bloodshed? all 15 members of the security council have been meeting behind closed doors in a conference room close to where i'm standing. in the last 15 seconds, the russian ambassador has walked past, i asked the russian ambassador has walked past, iasked if the russian ambassador has walked past, i asked if would be an agreement, he shrugged his shoulders and said we will see tomorrow. there is not going to be a vote today. three votes have been postponed already. the russians have been demanding changes to the draft resolution. many concessions had been made. according to negotiators, some of the problems are not over the substance of the revolution, they are over semantics, words, granular details. what western diplomats have been saying all along is that these are delaying tactics by the russians to give more time for the assad regime on the ground, in eastern ghouta, to continue its military offensive. the united nations is not just military offensive. the united nations is notjust a place where diplomats meet. it is a place where

humanitarian and aid experts work. they have watched this with great and mounting frustration. they want to be organising a monitoring convoys to go into ghouta, they want to organise medical evacuations. they are waiting for a green light from the security council and, at the moment, the russians will not give it. it sounds like we will have to come back tomorrow to see if they can reach an agreement. thank you. the president of the european council has described as "pure illusion" any attempt by britain to pick and choose the terms of its future relationship with europe. donald tusk, speaking at a summit of eu leaders not attended by britain, said he hoped to get more clarity on exactly what britain's proposals were when he meets theresa may next week. from brussels, damian grammaticas reports. france, germany, italy. europe's leaders all in brussels today, all waiting to hear what the uk wants from its future ties. but if theresa may's plan is to seek special access to the single market for parts of the uk economy, it was immediately rebuffed.

it is not an a la carte. it is not possible to be aligned with the european union when it suits and not when it doesn't. that's not possible. the eu doesn't yet know what was decided by mrs may and her ministers at chequers yesterday but eu leaders have said before and they said again today that she cannot pick and choose only the bits of the single market she likes. i am glad that the uk government seems to be moving towards a more detailed position. however, if the media reports are correct, i'm afraid that the uk position today is based upon pure illusion. it looks like the cake philosophy is still alive. but the uk's exit poses problems for the eu, too. today its leaders were tackling perhaps the thorniest issue of all, the eu's looming budget problem. when uk payments to the eu cease,

the eu will face a shortfall of more than 10 billion euros a year, at least 10% of its annual spending. there's a hole in the budget, so is your country prepared to accept less and see cuts to spending? well, you know, if you listen to politicians there is usually a hole in the budget but finally things are financed. so if we want to finance more, we have to pay more. it's very simple. is your country prepared to pay more after brexit? no. if i would keep my answer short, i would say no. so, hints at divisions between eu countries, and that mightjust give the uk some leverage in the negotiations to come. and before he left the summit here tonight, donald tusk said he would be travelling to london on thursday next week to meet with theresa may. he said he is looking for more

detail on the uk position and he had a warning. he said that even if the uk is not ready, the eu will press ahead with its own preparations for the talks on the future relationship. fiona. thank you. a review into sexual exploitation in the north—east of england has concluded it is likely that notjust girls but also vulnerable women are being "extensively" abused across the uk. it follows operation sanctuary in august last year, which saw these 18 people jailed for the sexual abuse of young women and girls groomed in newcastle. a review of that case has concluded a number of gangs have abused more than 700 victims across the northumberland region. from newcastle, fiona trott reports. a city under scrutiny. on these streets, as many as 700 vulnerable girls and women were sexually exploited. some were trafficked from one house to another and abused by several men. vanessa — not her real name — was a victim of sexual exploitation. to protect her identity, we have used an actor's voice.

at first, nothing was expected. i would just meet them and sit and have a drink. as time went on, i would have to have sex with them. when you're in care, they say you need education. but what they seem to forget is that you can have the mental intelligence, but if you're not emotionally educated, it's pointless. that is why schools like this are teaching children about grooming. operation sanctuary happened on their doorstep. in newcastle, we have seen people being arrested. generally, it tends to be men. it makes you afraid to go out in case it happened to you or your friend. were you that worried? yeah. scared in case it happened to me and you don't know who to turn to, or who you could trust. both people in a relationship need to be comfortable and you need to be in a situation where they can open up and listen. today's report says it's not just children. for the first time, a focus on vulnerable adults and a warning to other towns and cities

across the uk. what i'd like the government to do is to have a really good look at the learning that's now available about abuse of adults with vulnerabilities, check the legislation, make sure the legislation that's in place is fit for purpose. in the meantime, this is how police are tackling the problem takeaway staff across newcastle are being trained on how to spot adult victims. they know the exploitation still exists in this city. i think it would be naive and wrong for me to suggest that because of sanctuary, and at the point that this report is published, that this has stopped. that we've solved the problem. we haven't. it continues. it carries on, i would suggest, in most, if not all towns and cities in the uk. most of the perpetrators who cruised these streets were from pakistani, bangladeshi and indian backgrounds.

today's report is calling for research into their cultures to understand their motivation and what it calls an "arrogant persistence". fiona trott, bbc news, newcastle. president trump has repeated his call for teachers to be armed with guns so that they can, in his words, "shoot the hell out of any attackers". he was speaking as pressure grows for action after the shooting at a school in florida last week that left 14 students and three members of staff dead. meanwhile, the governor of florida has announced proposals to restrict the sale of guns and to raise the minimum age at which you can buy them to 21. jon sopel reports. staff and teachers return to the marjory stoneman douglas school today as a nation continues to grope for explanations of what happened. for some, it's all about guns. for others, it's mental health and societal breakdown. but today, a new culprit. scot peterson, a deputy sheriff who arrived outside the school 90 seconds after the shooting started. but for whatever reason, didn't act.

and he's taking a mighty kicking from the president. he was there for five minutes. five minutes. he heard it right at the beginning, so he certainly did a poorjob. that's the case, where somebody was outside. they were trained. they didn't react properly under pressure or they were cowards. speaking to conservative activists, the president also restated his belief that some teachers should be carrying concealed weapons in school. and the beauty is it's concealed, nobody would ever see it. unless they needed it. it's concealed! so this crazy man who walked in wouldn't even know who it is that has it, that's good. that's not bad, that's good. and a teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened. cheering and applause. and in florida, the governor has announced a range of measures to tighten security. the goal of this plan of action is to make massive changes

in protecting our schools. provide significantly more resources for mental health. and to do everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of those dealing with mental problems or threatening harm to themselves or others. the president hasjust told a news conference, "we're well on the way to solving that horrible problem of gun violence". but so far there have only been sketchy proposals and no class of weapon is being banned. well on the way? well, that might be wishful thinking. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the man who exposed the russian olympic doping scandal says his country's athletes should not be allowed to parade under their national flag at the closing ceremony of the winter games this weekend. two russian athletes have tested positive for banned drugs. dr grigory rodchenkov‘s revelations of state—sponsored doping saw the country banned from the olympics, its athletes forced to compete as neutrals. in fear of his life, dr rodchenkov went into hiding.

now in the united states, our sports editor dan roan travelled to interview him at a secret location. it's one of sport's greatest scandals. russian cheating reached its height at the last winter games in sochi. the mastermind, doctor grigory rodchenkov. in 2015, the former head of moscow's anti—doping lab turned whistle—blower, fleeing to the west. ever since, he's been in fbi witness protection. and we are on the way to meet him. for more than two years now, the man at the very heart of russia's doping scandal has been living in hiding, here somewhere in the united states. finally, he's agreed to speak to us, but such are the security concerns surrounding him, we've not even been told where we have to go. after hours on the road, we are taken to a location that we are told has to remain a secret, along with his new identity. if you had not left russia, where would you be now? you'd be dead?

rodchenkov‘s role in russia's remarkable doping programme became the subject of an oscar—nominated film. were you the mastermind that cheated the olympics? he said the conspiracy went right to the top, and that london 2012 was also targeted. so what does he say to british athletes whose games were tainted? the russian government says you are lying. you were cheating. it wasn't them, it was you. does british sport have a problem with cheating, do you think? rodchenkov says he may soon be

prepared to name names, and has vowed to reveal more information. despite russian claims he is part of a western conspiracy, his information led to a ban from the winter olympics. 168 of the country's athletes competed as neutrals, but they may now be allowed to march under their national flag at the closing ceremony. the olympic athletes of the russian team... only clean russians were meant to be in pyeongchang, but today a second of its athletes at these games, nadezhda sergeeva, failed a drugs test. moving forward from sport's biggest crisis is proving no easy task.

dan roan, bbc news. the family of two young brothers killed in a hit—and—run collision have paid tribute to them as "jolly, happy, lovely boys". corey and casper platt—may, aged six and two, were struck by a car yesterday afternoon in coventry. a 53—year—old man and a 41—year—old woman have been arrested. sima kotecha reports. casper and corey. one brother loved maths and football, the other enjoyed splashing in puddles. yesterday, on this road in coventry, they were hit by a car. today, bewilderment, confusion and shock. they were the most loving boys. they did nothing wrong. they were loved by so many people, and so cheeky and... corey was cheeky, artistic, mischievous. a right wrestler. casper followed his brothers, being a wrestler, being

mischievous and being cocky. just a normal little toddler. they didn't deserve this. it was around 2pm and the boys were on their way to the park with their mother when they were hit by a black ford focus. they were taken to hospital with severe injuries but neither of them survived. i feel really heartbroken, to be honest. i've known the dad almost all my life. and such a lovely family. why do bad things happen? my little one, she knows the older one, because she's six. he was really friendly. and kind. a 53—year—old man and a 41—year—old woman have been arrested on suspicion of drink—driving and causing death by dangerous driving. casper and corey's mother paid tribute to her sons on social media, calling them amazing, cheeky and fun. their grandfather had this to say.

the boys were lovely. they'd do anything. just very happy, jolly, lovely boys. and their lives have been taken away so young. it's unbelievable. i just don't know what to say, you know. it's just crazy. sima kotecha, bbc news, coventry. mabil‘s long—standing general secretary has quit. the resignation after seven yea rs secretary has quit. the resignation after seven years in the role follows continued claims that allies ofjeremy corbyn follows continued claims that allies of jeremy corbyn wanted ofjeremy corbyn wanted to oust him. ina ofjeremy corbyn wanted to oust him. in a statement, he said he was standing down to pursue new challengers. the head of royal bank of scotland says its return to profit, for the first time since it was bailed out by the government in 2008, is a "really symbolic moment". rbs, a majority of which is still owned by the taxpayer,

made an annual profit of £752 million in 2017 compared with a loss of nearly £7 billion the year before. our economics editor kamal ahmed reports. faced with one of the biggest crises since the second world war... a coordinated response to the financial crisis... for rbs, the government will take... it was an astonishing time, a global, risky bank on the verge of collapse, customers unsure if they could withdraw their own money, a rescue plan funded by the taxpayer to save the economy. a decade on, after years of losses, the man at the helm of a partially revived rbs said he believed the worst was behind them. this is actually very symbolic. i think not just for our colleagues at work but also for the uk, who did put a lot of money into this bank. and we've been restructuring it, taking losses through conduct and litigation issues. from the out of control rbs to the new, a focus on the simpler natwest, which rbs owns, and selling off the riskier bits of that old bad bank after past bad behaviour. a better day, a symbolic day

for this bank, but it's a bank that is not out of the woods. ahead is a huge fine from the american authorities over this bank's involvement in the mortgage crisis over there. here, there's the continuing fallout from the terrible treatment of many small businesses. yes, this year a profit, but the accumulated losses by this bank over the last decade, £58 billion. with profits coming in at last, is it now time for the government to sell its stake? will the taxpayer get their money back for bailing you out in the financial crisis? it will take a number of years to come through. the government has said they want to start that process in the fiscal year 18—19, and it will take probably about three to five years for them to get down to a much smaller percentage of their ownership. mr mcewan said costs still had

to be controlled and gave no guarantees on jobs, or that more bank branches would not be closed. the british public have invested in rbs and supported it supported it for the last ten years. we would like to see that support invested back into the local communities rbs serves. that starts with the bank branch closure programme, which we think should be slowed down and stopped. a more positive time for rbs, but challenges ahead and a clear message — the taxpayer will not be getting his or her money back any time soon. kamal ahmed, bbc news. at the winter olympics, britain lost to sweden in the semi—final of the women's curling, although there is still the chance of a bronze medal. elsewhere, a russian girl aged just 15 won gold in a stunning performance in the women's figure skating. andy swiss reports. so would it be another step towards the olympic title? the british team walked out to a mix of noise and nerves. the captain's face betraying just how much was at stake.

four years ago in sochi, the british women lost in the semifinals. so for eve muirhead and her team this is a chance to put that disappointment behind them and to guarantee themselves an olympic medal. what followed proved predictably tense. sweden went ahead early but britain fought back. commentator: has eve muirhead played a cracker here? a spot of muirhead magic to level things up. well done, eve muirhead. but their hopes suddenly slipped away. an error by the captain giving the swedes three shots. the expression said it all. from there, there was no way back. sweden wrapped up an emphatic win. britain will now play off for bronze, but their golden hopes have gone. absolutely gutted. i guess we've trained hard for the last three or four years to be in that position and unfortunately today we were just outplayed. but if that was one—sided, the other semifinal delivered astonishing drama.

in extra time, south korea had the final stone and a nation willing it on. commentator: they are going to get it. they have. what a fantastic shot! victory over japan sparking wild celebrations. the hosts in the final and utter jubilation. they are into the gold medal match. but perhaps the day's greatest achievement belonged to a 15—year—old, the remarkable alina zagitova winning a first gold medalfor the olympic athletes from russia. her country is banned from these games so, come the presentation, no national flag and a neutral anthem. an unusual ceremony for an extraordinary teenage talent. andy swiss, bbc news, pyeongchang. that's it. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. welcome to sportsday, the headlines,

a first six nations win of 2018 for france and our first with the match played outside paris. demonstrations at hull city in the championship, we will have more. and great britain's women miss out on olympic in gold but they will compete for the bronze tomorrow. the third round of the six nations championship is under way and france beating italy in marseille this evening. the first time they have played a six nations home game away from paris and they have the perfect start at the stade velodrome in marseille. france off the mark with an early try through paul gabriella is butt ugly responded with a penalty try of their own which saw

them take the lead. this was a rare moment of free—flowing rugby with hugo bonneval strengthening belief in france. both had come into the third round of matches with two defeats from two. ireland have a number of injuries ahead of their match with wales, with concerns over fly half jonny sexton who sat out part of training today with a back problem. his drop kick against france helping them to two wins from two as they top the table. warren gatland all too aware of the trheat he brings if he is fit to play against wales. this is a must win game for us in dublin against a team that are difficult to get the ball from, they are comfortable playing through lots of phases. good kicking game and the combination of nine and ten, one of the best in world rugby. we have a

job to do to try and shut them down. also unbidden, england face scotland in the calcutta cup tomorrow afternoon with a sell—out crowd expected. captain john afternoon with a sell—out crowd expected. captainjohn barclay all too aware of the threat posed by eddiejones' side, too aware of the threat posed by eddie jones' side, aiming too aware of the threat posed by eddiejones' side, aiming to become the first team to win three outright six nations titles. they are one of the best teams in the world, their record is fantastic and they come here as massive favourites in my opinion so they are quality side with quality players throughout, british lions throughout so this is a big challenge for us. for us to stop them. scotland are playing pretty well and they are dangerous side and we know defensively we have to be honoured. in attack we know we need to take chances because they are pretty good side. again, this is are pretty good side. again, this is a game we looking forward to, the calcutta cup is up for grabs, which

extra spice to the game. there will be real intensity at murrayfield, this is how the line—up looks. and you can watch scotland against england live on bbc one tomorrow afternoon, kick—off is at 4:45pm. the women's six nations championship ru ns the women's six nations championship runs alongside and england are still on course for a second successive six nations grand slam, confidently beating scotland tonight 43—8, the red roses made it three from three, running in seven tries in total at scotstou n, running in seven tries in total at scotstoun, this from ellie kildunne. securing england the bonus point. in rugby league, warrington wolves ended the unbeaten start to wigan to the season with a 16—10 victory at home, tries from tom lehman and atkins helping warrington take the lead early on against wigan side playing their first game since returning from down under, despite a late fightback from wigan with a

last—minute try, it was too late to rescue the match. warrington went on to play for victory.