tonight at ten — yulia skripal, one of two victims of a chemical attack in salisbury, makes her first broadcast statement since the poisoning. she and her father survived an assassination attempt, blamed on russia, in early march this year. today, she spoke of the "devastating changes" they'd suffered when they were poisoned. translation: we are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing. but the russian authorities say yulia skripal is being held by the uk against her will. we'll have the latest. also tonight... the new customs system, favoured by some ministers, could cost business up to $20 billion a year, according to tax officials. we have had some very good discussions. claims that last year's meeting between president trump and the ukrainian leader was arranged after a big payment to mr trump's personal lawyer — we have an exclusive report. we meet one of the many

traumatised children who've lost parents in saudi airstrikes, in the worsening conflict in yemen. and the tributes to philip roth, widely seen as the best american writer of his generation, who's died at the age of 85. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, we hearfrom arsenal's new man — unai emery spells out his post—wenger vision at the club. good evening. yulia skripal — one of the two russians targeted in the salisbury chemical attack — has said she is "lucky to be alive". she and her father, sergei, were exposed to a nerve agent in early march, and spent

several weeks in hospital. in her first filmed public statement since the attack, ms skripal said she wanted to return to russia in the longer term, but rejected an offer of help from the russian embassy. tonight, the embassy demanded direct access to ms skripal, to make sure she was not being held against her will. daniel sandford has more details. after weeks of being at the centre ofa after weeks of being at the centre of a huge diplomatic crisis, suddenly there she was. julia skripal was poisoned with a nerve agent in salisbury on marked the fourth. but today, she was well enough to beat a prepared statement. —— march four. translation: i still find it difficult to come to terms with this attack. the fact a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. we are

so used to do this is shocking. we are so lucky we survived this attempted assassination. the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing. police believe she and her father were poisoned depressing. police believe she and herfather were poisoned by a novel choc agent. it led to store these scenes in salisbury as the police tried to control contamination. it was clear thatjulia tried to control contamination. it was clear that julia skripal tried to control contamination. it was clear thatjulia skripal has been left with a scar on her neck from a track your permit. translation: my life has been turned upside down as i try to come to terms with the devastating changes both physically and emotionally. i wa nt to both physically and emotionally. i want to help care for my father until his full recovery. in the longer term i hope to return home to my country. julia skripal prepared signed handwritten copies of her statement in russian and english, wanting to show there were her words. the russian ambassador has repeatedly suggested she might be

being held against her will, and demanded access to her. translation: i'm grateful for the officers —— offers of assistance from the russian embassy but at the moment i do not wish to avail myself of their services. also, i want to reiterate what i said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me oi’ statement, that no one speaks for me or my father but ourselves. while yulia skripal was in it, macro, dozens yulia skripal was in it, macro, d oze ns of yulia skripal was in it, macro, dozens of diplomats were expelled from the united states, russia and europe. she is a russian citizen who lived in russia where herfather is regarded as a traitor. and tonight, it is still not clear where they will live next. daniel is with me now. after that statement, as we referred, the russians have made their own statement, what have they said? julia skripal has been at the centre of an extraordinary war of words from the start. the russians

have denied being involved in the poisoning. they say she has effectively been kidnapped. russian television has broadcast tearful scenes of her grandmother appealing for her to be set free. this seems to be an attempt by her to set the record straight. the response from the russian embassy says that the video shown only strengthens their concerns of the conditions under which she is being held. the uk has denied attempts to speak to directly to make she is speaking of her own will. so far, they say, we have every reason to suspect the opposite. daniel sandford. the tax authorities have warned that a new customs system, favoured by some ministers, could cost business up to £20 billion a year. hmrc‘s chief executive told a parliamentary committee that the option — known as max fac — could take three years to implement. the other option being considered — called a customs partnership — would cost considerably less, but would still take years to implement. downing street says work on the two options is still continuing, as our business editor, simonjack, reports.

they roll on, they roll off. goods moving between the uk and the eu through dover, with no customs checks. the english channel no more significant a border than the mersey, the thames or the clyde. after brexit, things will change. the head of uk customs today told mps analysing the government two alternative customs options, was plenty of work. we have employed more than 1100 staff working on brexit now. i think two is enough. what are those two options? 0ption one is a streamlined customs process, or maximum facilitation — max fac for short. it uses new technology like numberplate recognition and clearance away from the border. regular and trusted traders accredited through customs could speed through. there would be exemptions for small businesses, resulting in minimal friction at the border. but not zero. hmrc said this would come with a massive price tag to be shared between uk and eu businesses.

you need to think about the highly streamlined customs arrangement costing businesses somewhere in the late teens, billions of pounds. i've started to lose count now of the number of billions! but you know, somewhere between 17 and 20 billion. wow! but that whopping estimate is disputed by pro—brexit economists. what is the second option? that is a new customs partnership. the uk would collect tariffs on goods arriving from outside the eu on its behalf. tariffs for goods headed to the eu would be handed over. for goods staying in the uk, we could offer refunds if we decided on a lower tariffs. the great advantage, no hard border between the uk and the eu. but it could take five years to implement, because it's complicated. in the new customs partnership, i think we're being clear with you that the dual tariffs would be there. and that a repayment mechanism would take a bit longer, because it requires some fairly significant further technology. and then, businesses

themselves need to decide if they are going to engage with that technology. they themselves may require some sort of further technology. let's be honest — outside this building very few people had even heard of the customs union a couple of years ago. but the mechanisms by which goods flow between the uk and the eu is critical for business, have become central to this negotiation. now both customs options on the table are untried and untested, could take years, and, with ten months to go until we officially leave the eu, businesses are still in the dark. businesses like this fizzy drinks maker, who export seven million cans to the eu every year. they don't know what to do. in terms of taking specific actions we haven't done anything, because we just don't know. there is no clarity. we could spend a lot of time developing solutions for a situation which is not going to arise. business lobbying groups are clear what the government should do. what we think this says is that, until we have a solution that can

eradicate this cost, the uk should remain in the customs union with the european union. downing street says the customs costs are estimates, and there is still much work to be done. but until a decision is made, brexit remains held up at customs. simon jack, bbc news. donald trump's personal lawyer, michael cohen, received a secret payment of at least $a00,000 to arrange talks between the ukrainian president and president trump. that is the claim made by those with direct knowledge of the process, who've spoken to the bbc. they say the money was sent to mr cohen by intermediaries, acting for the ukrainian leader, petro poroshenko. the ukrainian government has denied the claims. mr cohen, his partner felix sater and the two intermediaries, deny involvement, as our correspondent paul wood reports. donald trump's run for the us presidency was watched with alarm by ukraine's government,

dismayed by his apparently pro—russian rhetoric. then trump had a setback. his campaign manager, paul manafort, was forced to resign, accused of getting millions of dollars from russian interests in the ukraine. the leak that brought manafort down came from the very top of the ukrainian government, according to sources here and outside the ukraine. if that's true, the ukrainians badly miscalculated backing the losing side in the us election. so, in early 2017, president poroshenko was desperate to get talks with donald trump. he was being offered little more than a white house photo opp. according to a senior official here, who has direct knowledge of what happened, poroshenko instructed close associates to open a back channel. that back channel, our source says, was president trump's personal lawyer and trusted fixture, michael cohen.

—— fixer. the senior official says cohen was paid $400,000. a second source says it was more. there is no suggestion that trump knew of this. we are told that cohen got help from felix sater, a convicted former mobster once in business with trump. cohen is under investigation for paying hush money to porn actress stormy daniels on trump's behalf. her lawyers says cohen's bank records show he took money from us companies for access to the president. i think it's pretty obvious at this point that michael cohen took substantial amounts of money, and was selling access to the highest office in the land, namely to the us president. we have every reason to believe there are additional payments that have not been reported yet from those with ukrainian interests. poroshenko could not hide his delight at meeting trump, and before

russia's vladimir putin. how many minutes he would get was still being negotiated as he flew from kiev. but this was more than just a photo opp. after poroshenko went home, ukraine's enquiry into trump's former campaign manager, paul manafort, was steadily wound down. "there was never a direct order to stop the manafort enquiry," a special prosecutor in kiev tells me. "but," he says, "from the way the investigation progressed, it was clear that our superiors were trying to create obstacles. " did president trump's lawyer ask the ukrainians to stall their enquiry? perhaps he didn't need to. poroshenko that to do otherwise, said one source, would be like spitting in trump's face. the us is continuing its own investigation into paul manafort and russian influence in

the american election. but without help from ukraine. president poroshenko's of refused to respond . ,. . . president poroshenko's of refused to respond to ,. . . j that report. they allegations in that report. they haveissued allegations in that report. they have issued a furious statement the reports fake news and an calling the reports fake news and an attempt to undermine american 51153111 21; uggélg§§ ggglgg relations. 51153111 11 ”egglggg ggglgg relations. it is ukrainian relations. it is to look at how those interesting to look at how those relations have changed since an election when our sources say the ukrainians tried to help president trump's opponent, to today, when the us has promised to send 210 anti—tank missiles to ukraine, something never done under president 0bama. that, sources insist, is part ofa 0bama. that, sources insist, is part of a process that began with the opening of a back channel to the trump administration through the president's lawyer. paul woodward that exclusive story

in washington. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories. berlinah wallace, who left her former boyfriend with horrific injuries after attacking him with acid, has been jailed for life. a judge at bristol crown court that her actions were "pure evil". the victim, mark van dongen, later sought help to end his life, saying he could no longer stand the pain of his injuries. inflation dropped to 2.4% in april, its lowest level for over a year. the fall, from 2.5% in march, will ease the pressure on households. but analysts say it could prove short—lived, with petrol prices climbing to their highest level for more than three years. marks & spencer has suffered a big fall in annual profits, following a costly plan to close stores. annual pre—tax profits fell by almost two—thirds as sales of food, clothing and homeware all declined. but it's the reform of the business, and the expense of closing up to 100 stores by 2020, that's most damaged profits. the new home secretary, sajid javid, has told police that he stands with them

on the front line, and will give them "the tools, the powers and the back—up", to get the job done. in his first speech to the police federation of england and wales, mrjavid said he wanted to reset the relationship between officers and the government, and police funding would be his "priority" in next year's spending review. a warning that this report from our correspondent sarah campbell contains a racially—offensive term. a raid just after dawn this morning, by london's new violent crime task force. the capital has been reeling from a sharp upturn in murders, shootings and stabbings, as have other cities. against that backdrop and a severe threat from terrorism, the new home secretary came to birmingham knowing he needs the police on his side. sajid javid's brother baz is a serving officer, something he reminded the conference of, recalling in his speech the extremely racially offensive language he witnessed when hejoined his brother in a patrol car.

teenagers giving them the middle finger, swearing and spitting. and worst of all, at one point, when his car approached lights and slowed down, one teenager leaned over and yelled at my brother, you paki bastard. he promised the rank—and—file officers that he would prioritise police funding and conceded the lack of resources can have an impact on crime. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i'll give you the tools, the powers and the back—up that you need to get the job. that funding promise re—opened the wounds of the past. three years ago theresa may accused us of crying wolf. we were accused of scaremongering over the effects of budget cuts to policing. 0ur warnings that cutting police officer numbers would see an increase in the number of victims of crime were dismissed. the labour party says sajid javid

is in denial about the impact cuts have had on policing and the level of crime. his first set piece speech does seem to signal a change in tone from theresa may's time in the home office and her infamous battles with the police federation. mrjavid highlighted that black people are more likely to be murder victims than other ethnic groups. whereas theresa may restricted stop and search, is sajid javid said today if it saves lives, it has to be right. sarah campbell, bbc news. britain will provide "additional support" to saudi arabia to help deal with the fighting in neighbouring yemen. more than 250 people have been killed in april and may this year. and more than 10,000 have died, since the war started four years ago, with millions displaced, sparking what the un has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. the current conflict started when houthi rebels took control of parts of the country. a coalition, led by saudi arabia

and backed by britain, is trying to dislodge them, using air strikes and a blockade. the bbc‘s nawal al—maghafi has secured footage from some of those whose lives have been shattered by the conflict. a warning that this report does contain harrowing scenes of suffering. a day ofjoy and happiness. music and dancing to celebrate a very traditional wedding of a young local man. ali, here on the floor, made a living drumming for parties like this. his three brothers and his young son samir in the green t—shirt came along to join the festivities. and filming these pictures was the groom's uncle. translation: people

we re groom's uncle. translation: people were dancing and celebrating, more than 150 people, dancing and playing games. following the yemenis celebration traditions. and then the strike hit and turned the celebration into a bloodbath. was a saudi air strike. 22 were killed insta ntly, saudi air strike. 22 were killed instantly, including ali and two of his brothers. his son samir escaped. the pictures you are about to see oui’ the pictures you are about to see our distressing. his reaction, incredibly harrowing, unable to comprehend the loss, five—year—old samirwill comprehend the loss, five—year—old samir will not leave his father. he sums up the sheer hopelessness of yemen's war. he stayed clung to his

father until morning. a month later, and samir is still in shock. his uncle and samir is still in shock. his u ncle tells and samir is still in shock. his uncle tells us, the only thing he keeps repeating is his father was killed by an aeroplane. yet another victim in this brutal war. his mother went into labour when she heard the shock news. ali's broken drum hangs as the memory. robbed of an income, the family fears for their future. the war in yemen is now in its fourth year, and in the last month, the fighting has intensified. this is an attack by the saudi coalition on what is now the saudi coalition on what is now the houthi presidential palace, in the houthi presidential palace, in the heart of a residential area. as rescu e rs the heart of a residential area. as rescuers entered to help the wounded, another strike. run, get out, the residents green,

terrified yet another strike may follow. —— the residents scream. two air strikes on the same target with air strikes on the same target with a gap of minutes between them is known as a double tap. this can be classified as a war crime. thousands of civilians have been killed in this war. millions have lost their homes and there is still no end in sight. nawal is with me now. some of those pictures underline the suffering in the conflict. yes, some of those pictures are the most harrowing i have seen. we must remember that these are pictures of one strike which was on a wedding, a civilian setting. this is the tragic

human cost. the last three years have been brutal for human cost. the last three years have been brutalfor yemenis. now the war is evolving. it is no longer a civil conflict, it is turning into a civil conflict, it is turning into a more regional one. the saudi priority is no longer about reinstating the illegitimate yemeni government, but it is about protecting their own borders and domestic security from the houthis who are receiving support from iran. the british government is involved as well. we are providing billions of pounds of arms and we have headquarters in riyadh. the government have said the personnel or only there to help the coalition investigate attacks after they have happened, and they urge the saudi coalition to investigate the attack on the wedding. but today boris johnson the foreign minister announced the uk government would be providing more support to help the coalition protect itself, to help saudi arabia protect itself from the risk the houthis pose. 0n the course

of the last three years we have seen about 160 listed missiles launched by the houthis into saudi arabia. but we have also seen in the same time frame, over 17,000 air raids being dropped into yemen, and it does not look as if it will end any time soon. thank you, nawal al—maghafi our correspondent. president mattarella of italy has approved the appointment of a political novice as prime minister, paving the way for the two populist parties to form a government. giuseppe conte, a law professor from florence, was chosen by the anti—establishment five star movement, and right—wing league, in a move to end 11 weeks of political deadlock. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in rome. what is your reading of this current situation and where is it likely to leave ? situation and where is it likely to leave? italy is in the centre of a

political whirlwind. there is a sense of nervousness and anticipation about what could happen next. they have a sluggish economy, the migration crisis which washed up on italy's shores, they have voted themselves in a nationalist populist eurosceptic antiestablishment government which promises to the need and priorities of ordinary italians first. today we heard from italy's new prime minister, that is pending a confidence vote in parliament. he said by trade i am a lawyer, now i will be the defender of italian interest on the european and world stage. what that does not mean if italy about to leave the european union. but if this government gets its ways, its policies which include smashing eu budget regulations would put it on a collision course with brussels. never mind the italian government, big

business or investors. what we cannot forget is italy is the third largest economy in the resent. russell said it is and economy too big to fail. katya adler, thank you, with the latest details in rome. —— brussels said it was too big and economy to fail. in two days' time, voters in ireland will go to the polls to decide whether to overturn the country's strict ban on abortion. currently, terminations are only allowed if there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother. each year, thousands of irish women travel to the uk, to access abortion services here. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has been meeting those on both sides of the debate. the idea of ending the natural process of pregnancy before its time was just not something i could comprehend doing. this is one of ireland's most contentious issues. here, women make choices in the face of a deep moral divide. i knew i could not continue with the pregnancy for another 19 weeks and watch this baby and feel this baby grow stronger. laura was told at 22 weeks that her unborn baby would not survive after birth. the next step for us and the choice that we made was to travel.

mentally, we just make that decision, "0k, this is going to happen, our baby's going to die one way or another, regardless. we can't change that fact that we can't fix that fact". it was either prolong the agony and wait the a0 weeks and go through all of that, or decide to terminate but then we could draw a line in the sand and hopefully move on from it. she flew to a hospital in liverpool for a procedure that would have been illegal at home. in ireland, the 8th amendment of the country's constitution gives an equal right to live for both mother and baby and this lady is fighting to keep it that way. he lived for 17 minutes and for all his 17 minutes he was held... ireland's protection of the unborn, she says, gave her strength to continue a pregnancy knowing her baby had a condition he couldn't survive. and he was told how loved he was. it was an incredibly rewarding experience. why do you believe it would be wrong to offer women at least the choice? it's a choice about ending the life,

notjust potentially harming, but deliberately ending the life of another. i don't think that's ever the right solution. more than 3000 women from ireland travel abroad and pay privately for abortions every year. many come here to liverpool, where it is dr rachel foggin treats irish women each day. quite often they might be alone. they may not have told anybody, they may have had to arrange childcare and time off work in secret. why do you yourself believe that women should have access to abortions? i just think for so many different reasons women find themselves in situations, either it's an abnormal pregnancy, it's just not the right time... it should be talked about. it's a normal part of health care. back in ireland, campaigners have toured the country to get their message across. this referendum stirs strong emotions on both sides. you're an absolute

disgrace to yourselves. this amendment... why would i want that? you're full of it, you're all full of it and you women should be utterly ashamed of yourselves! we try and explain this as logically as possible, that it's never 0k to end the life of any innocent human being. if we're to build a humane society, we need to respect the right to life. and this vote is about what kind of society ireland wants to be. the declining influence of the catholic church means social attitudes are changing. in 2015, ireland voted by a large majority to legalise same—sex marriage, but in this referendum, both sides believe the vote could be much tighter. on friday, voters will decide whether ireland should offer women a new choice. access to abortion — a deeply private issue, now rests on the outcome of a very public debate. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin.

philip roth, regarded by many as the greatest american writer of his generation, has died at the age of 85. born in newjersey to immigrant parents, roth's first collection of short stories was published in 1959, and he went on to win countless awards. 0ur arts editor will gompertz looks back at his life and achievements. three generations, all of them growing, the working, the saving, the success. and extract from philip roth's 1997 the success. and extract from philip roth's1997 pulitzer prize—winning novel. the themes and subjects, the sta ple novel. the themes and subjects, the staple of the writer, our american life, jewish values and the blurred line between fact and fiction. as a

writer, i must be free to have a perspective larger, deeper, darker than that of a son, a husband, a relative or a friend. philip roth hit the literary big—time in 1969, with his bestselling fourth book, comic, irreverent bold novel which was very taken up with exploring male sexuality. so you like this girl? i like a lot of girls. she likes the jews? one, me. i grew up with tremendous freedom, we will not afraid to say things. there was great curiosity about sex and with the great