now on bbc news, it is time for newsnight. tonight, how many miscarriages ofjustice have there been? 47 sexual offences cases are stopped after prosecutors admit the scale of the failings. it's been going on for years. there is nothing new in this. everyjudge knew, every barrister, every solicitor. what we have got to do is show the police notjust to build the prosecution case. —— every judge knew. tonight, we hear from the former director of public prosecutions and from the barrister who saved her innocent client from jail. is the north of england stuck with a second class service on the rails? labour announce a major shift in their brexit position — a hardening or a softening? meanwhile, nick watt is in the irish sea as debate continues to rage about a brexit border. off the coast of northern ireland i am examining how a sea crossing within the uk may soon be at the heart of the brexit battle. and the iranian journalist — with the wind in her hair — tells us how she encouraged her

countrywomen to cast off their hijab. good evening. can we trust the crown prosecution service to get the right result on rape cases? today, they admitted that 47 had been thrown out. amongst them, problems with the withholding of evidence that could have helped defendants prove their innocence: interview transcripts, phone records, texts, emails and social media posts all could have raised a reasonable doubt about guilt. senior police chiefs have admitted they do ‘get it wrong in too many cases‘ — so how many people are currently suffering a miscarriage of justice in our jails? here's david grossman. crucial to our system ofjustice is disclosure. it means that the police and prosecutors have a clear legal

obligation to hand over to the defence any material that might be capable of undermining a prosecution or assisting the accused. but in too many cases, particularly those involving rape or serious sexual offences, something is going badly wrong. the case of william allen led to urgent calls to change the way prosecutions are handled. the 22—year—old law student was charged with 12 counts of rape and sexual assault, but crucial evidence in the form of phone messages, in which the complainant pestered him for casual slacks, were withheld by the prosecution. the case at croydon crown court collapsed. i started to suffer from panic attacks. it would bring the strongest person to their knees. the first thought when you wake up on the last thing before you sleep. you can't control what you dream about,

what you daydream about. any point when you are by yourself, it is the only thought that will be on my mind. just days after a similar case against isaac itieri was thrown out again, crucial evidence was withheld from his offence. oxford student oliver meares walked three when the defence was finally shown diary entries that undermined the prosecution case. this all led to the crown prosecution service launching a review of every active rape and serious sexual assault case in england and wales betweenjanuary and mid—february of this year and the results were published today. of the total of 3637 cases the review identified 47 that had to be dropped because vital evidence was withheld from the defence. in 14 cases defendants had to be released from custody.

i'm not really sure they understand what the problem is... jerry hayes was the prosecution barrister in the liam allan case. he got the case dropped when he discovered how much evidence had been withheld from the defence. he isn't surprised by today's report. it's been going on for years. there is nothing new in this. every judge knew knew about it, every barrister, every solicitor. we have to show the police that their job isn't just to build a prosecution case. it is to find evidence which may assist the defence, might undermine the prosecution, because that is their statutory duty. of the 47 cases abandoned because of problems with disclosure, nearly half, 23, were in london, just like the original liam allan case. does the metropolitan police have a particular problem? the director of public prosecutions

today faced the commons justice committee. she was explaining the report. she admitted they had in fact been too slow to respond to the challenges of technology. shouldn't this issue have been gripped quite a long time ago? i think the increase in technology, we have been too slow to respond to. when you look at the amount of cases where people know each other, it has taken us a long time, and it shouldn't have. prosecutors perhaps overcompensating for the failures of the past? there became a victim culture. understandably so. if you are a kid, or anybody accused of sexual offences, it is skewed against you. that has got to stop. the cps are addressing it.

the attorney general is addressing it. the police are addressing it. but until they get the resources you are going to get problems like this. the cps says it has changed its procedures to encourage disclosure at early stages. but today's report will worry anybody accused of a crime that the truth will never come out. we ask the minister ofjustice to join us today, as well as the cps and the police, nobody was available. joining me now is lord macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions. and julia smart, a criminal defence barrister who represented liam allan — he's the young man in david's film there who was accused of rape before his trial collapsed in december. if i could start with you, julia, you defended liam allan. we have heard about these text messages, but explain to us how they could prove guilt over innocents, or innocence over guilt, what did you actually find? this was a case when the issues were effectively whether the complainant and liam allan were in

an abusive relationship where sacks had been forced. he was facing six counts of rape. six counts of assault by penetration. when i was finally handed the disk of the complainant's download of her messages, which was partway through the trial, was about to cross examine the complainant, i took them home to look at them. we were then told by the prosecution that they were not disclosable and there was nothing that undermined their case and assisted our case. having taken that disc away and frankly stayed up all night with it i found the sort of messages which wholly undermined the complaina nt‘s position.

messages between herself and friends. in which it was quite clear that she missed him dreadfully. she enjoyed the sacks they had together. and this was nothing like the evidence she had given to the police within her pre—recorded interview. you are reading through these texts, this disc, you suddenly see these messages, does that tell you as a barrister he is completely innocent? it does. we don't really want to be in this position when the eureka moment is coming. with us it's the very last line of defence. because there is that worry that this investigation, having gone on for the best part of two years, has reached a stage where i was hours away from cross—examining the complainant, finding material that wholly undermined it the prosecute chin‘s case. had i not found it it would not have been found. —— prosecution's case. our viewers will not be able to understand this. is that withheld? is it legal to withhold that material? that disc was a download taken the very day the complainant walked into

the police station almost two years before our trial. it had been with the police. it was not recorded on the unused material schedule as they should have been. we even asked for it in writing, or asked for any messages or social media the police had. we were told there was nothing that would assist our case or undermine their case. that wasn't correct. did they lie, or did they not know? it is difficult to say. if you don't put the hours in you cannot say whether it exists or not. it came just before —— the brakes came just before the trial where they were relying on one exchange of messages. i asked where did it come from. i was told there was a download.

i got the judge to order it to be disclosed so i could see it. the police have said that as a result of this they have made mistakes. is this a one off? clearly not. no. how often do you think this happens? i'm afraid it is all too frequent. it's notjust in sex cases. i've had a similar case since then which was a bribery case within my own practice. this will be familiar to you, has this always been happening? i think there has been a deterioration in the situation in recent years, which has been for a number of reasons. the mass of evidence on social media is one reason it is very time—consuming to look at it. there is a vast amount of it. carelessness creeps in. resources is part of it. the cps lost a quarter of its budget during

the austerity years. eight, 900 of their lawyers they have lost. they are under enormous pressure. the police are under pressure. this is a shared problem, it is shared by the cps, the police, and also the government because it is a resources problem. but because of thatjustice isn't being served in this country. it is absolutely clear that the duty to disclose evidence of the defence is a foundational requirement of a case. if this evidence isn't supplied the result is innocent people will be convicted and sent to prison. but it goes the other way. ifjuries lose faith that's always a problem. we will not have the social media problem unless we use automated machines, speed things up... what will be done? we cannot have the police saying there was too much stuff to do, we didn't get around to it. it is a cultural question, a training question, a resources question. too often there is a view among these officers that disclosing material to the defence is not part of theirjob, that helping out defended as part of theirjob. helping out?

is it seem like that? sometimes it is. sometimes it is the view of the police and that's a training issue. is that a confirmation bias issue? it is an something that can only be questioned by serious training which takes resources. there is the duty placed on the prosecution to assess what they possess. if they sit on it the trial cannot be fair. do you think there are people injail now through these miscarriages ofjustice? there is no reason to think it is restricted to sex cases. i'm sure they're to be found across criminal cases. given what we have seen in this crown prosecution service review, it is inevitable that there are some innocent in people

because of failures. what sort of number? it is impossible to say. the numbers we heard today are relatively small, 45 out of a sample of over 3,000. 1 or 2% across the board. if that was a miscarriage ofjustice, that is hundreds of thousands of people. well, that is thousands of people. it is of the utmost importance that the crown prosecution service, the police and the government grip this. the government have some responsibility here as well. the level of cuts to the funding of the crown prosecution service have been intolerable. in the end this is not just a resource issue, you get what you pay for. if you cut a service to the bone, then the service it provides will suffer. the government needs to acknowledge that. you know what this job is like to know and that alison saunders has had a pretty rocky five years,

several controversy in her wake, do you feel confident that she leaves the crown prosecution service in robust health? alison saunders was dealt a much harder hand than me or my successor. she has managed a service that has suffered the cuts we talk about. she has had a hard press. that has not always been fair. often it has been unfair. i think she has been a good dpp and has been in a difficult period and i can't be blamed for these failures. it is a shared problem. it is not a crown prosecution service or police or government problem. is it a politicised problem, the police for a long time were taught believe the victim. you know, sort of the reportedly low number of prosecution in rape said to people said we have to believe the victim. that has overtaken an evidence—based understanding? i think it may have done. it is difficult to stay objective and carry out an investigation

looking at those reasonable lines of inquiry that points to a suspect or away from a suspect. when the terminology is of a victim and the police wanting to do justice to the person they see as their victim, when in fact a step should have been taken back in such a case as liam alan to see whether a crime had been committed. thank you. this time next week mps will be into the 11th hour of what is expected to be a mammoth session of crunch votes on amendments that could decide the shape of brexit. tonight the landscape shifted a little when details emerged of a new policy from labour — more of that in a few moments. but first, over the next week theresa may is also planning to publish details of how she intends to guarantee there won't be hard border in northern ireland regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. this is known as the backstop.

in brussels there are positive noises about how this might help britain make progress at an eu summit later this month. but newsnight has learned of a fundamental disagreement between the uk and the eu which goes to the heart of how the problem. our political editor nick watt is in northern ireland. a journey across the irish sea from scotland end at larne in northern ireland. these two parts of the uk have been intertwined for centuries and today this port could find itself at the heart of the brexit negotiations. larne is a uk port serving one uk destinations — cairnryan in scotland. the assumption that crossings from larne would be unchanged by brexit is being questioned again. the eu sees theresa may's proposals as only half a solution and it still has its eye on creating a single eu regulatory zone on the island of ireland. this change would turn this overwhelmingly unionist port town into an internal uk border post.

a step towards the break up of the uk in the eyes of theresa may and her dup allies. a border down the irish sea doesn't seem to bore brussels. we understand they dismissed to theresa may's face her original idea for the backstop. that is when it comes to north/south co—operation in ireland, the uk should align fully with the eu. downing street believes its new ideas largely supersede the december deal, but eu officials have told me that alignment is a live issue in ireland. downing street has been told that as long as the prime minister's brexit red lines remain in place,

full alignment can only take place between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. this account contested by the uk, would mean a border down the irish sea. if you talk of trouble along the border you would find the same, unionists would be saying we will not accept that we are part of united kingdom, yet we are restricted to travelling and doing trade with other parts of united kingdom and i think that the, this is one of the things that has not opinion focussed on so far. we hear about the opposition and protests that republican would launch against such boardser treatment. unionist wouldn't behave differently. except they wouldn't be threatening to blow up parts of their own country. but there would be opposition, i believe there would be physical opposition to it. i've spoke on the a senior unionist who said the eu would do well

to remember the history of this corner of northern ireland. an early attempt at power sharing in 1974 was brought down when loyalists walked out of northern ireland's largest power station, just over the harbour from larne. the phasing out of station was the most serious development. the loyalists showed they had the ability to fete get their own way in the 70s and they will show their resolve again if pressed. the dup, which supported the strike, is sticking with theresa may for the moment, because they are confident she will allow no divergence between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. but here is issue — checks are already in place for farm

machinery and livestock imported from britain. northern ireland is keen to ensure its agricultural industry is not contaminated from across the water. these agricultural vehicles came off a ferry in larne after crossing from scotland. as they were unlopeded loaded they were inspected to make sure they meet northern ireland's hygiene rules. if any vehicle failed that test, they are put on the first available boat back to great britain. unionists see no contradiction in demanding no border down the sea when checks already take place. those checks are agreed as a result of legislation within the united kingdom and movement of cattle for example to ensure that they're not carrying disease into northern ireland. that's part of uk legislation. it is not an international border. it is not introducing checks for another constitutional entity. but nationalists say unionists

are trying to have it both ways. they can't cherry pick around these things. there is already status for the north. the dup seem happy to have a special status for many issues, such as marriage equality and language rights. sinn fein don't want to see a hard border here. for centuries the history of ireland north and south has been shaped by the traffic on this sea. now this coastline is returning to the foreas these islands hammer out new relations in the age of brexit. these islands hammer out new relations in the age of brexit. and nick is still in

northern ireland — he joins us from belfast and has details of a change in direction on brexit tonight from the labour party. what have they announced? labour's policy on brexit evolving again. last summer they said the uk should be a member of a customs union. they have said they will seek to amend the bill to make sure the uk has full access to the eu internal market. they want ensure the uk has tariff—free access to the single market. they say they would preserve their demand that the uk can't be a rule taker, because they take parts in shared institutions and shared regulations. where does this leave things. remainers are not happy and others sayjez, you're the man. they both agree it will kill any hope of house of commons voting to keep the uk in the single market through membership

of the european economic area, the only way that vote could be covered really is if the labour front bench voted for it and they have now got their milder amendment and they will not be voting for that eea one next week. thank you. whatever your week has been like so far, thank your lucky stars you're not chris grayling. unless you are chris grayling, in which case please feel free, chris, to call in to the programme. yesterday, northern rail was called a company that had ‘declared war on its passengers and staff'. the blame was laid squarely at the transport secretary's feet — by both the opposition and his own party. today, 25 local newspapers from towns and cities across the north united

to call for the government to grip the crisis. meanwhile, back in parliament we moved from trains to planes. chris grayling was tasked with telling the commons that heathrow airport would be expanded "in the national interest". a move that simultaneously managed to anger some in the south living nearby and others in the north who are too far to benefit. so what should we make of all of this? and what is the truth about whether spending on transport has been unfairly concentrated in the south? helen thomas looks at the numbers. when it comes to transport investment, is the north having a rough ride? this is one think—tank's analysis of planned transport spending. yorkshire and the north—east are stuck in the sidings with the lowest investment per head. but other regions including the south—east don't fare much better, while the north—west and west midlands are earmarked to get well over the average. it's london that's getting the first class treatment — with planned spending over twice the northern average. not so much south versus north then,

but london versus everywhere else. how can that be justified? one argument might be that it's planning for the future. london, at least back in 2016, was expected to outstrip the rest of the country in terms of population growth. and the three regions in the north were bringing up the rear. when it comes to economic output, london also stands out. the capital's output per head is nearly double that of nearly any other region. but that smacks of a self—fulfilling prophecy — investment in infrastructure has positive spillover effects for economic growth. shovelling money towards london risksjust imbedding its economic sway. some regions like the north—west have growth rates to rival london. perhaps decision—makers need to think more about potential

and not just the economic status quo. i'm joined now byjennifer williams, political and social affairs editor at the manchester evening news — one of the papers which launched that campaign today. she's in salford. joining me here isjohn dickie, director of strategy and policy at london first, which represents businesses in the capital. what are your readers telling you jennifer about how awful things have been these past weeks? i think the chaos on the rail ways itself has translated into chaos in people's live. they can't get to work or hospital appointments, they are having to pay for taxis. they are on crowded platforms that haven't been replaced and they were on crammed on to trains. it has become so much worse since northern started cancelling hundreds of trains a day. even after it brought in the emergency time table yesterday, they're still cancelling dozens of trains, even within that emergency time table.

one reason people are so angry is they don't feel that their voices are being listened to and they're getting excuses and they're still standing on platforms and listening to the excuses. clearly important to say that these have been horrific lot of circumstances, that are specific to northern rail, but it feels as if they have played into a bigger sense of grievance. certainly when you look at the headlines in the yorkshire post or the liverpool echo that seem to be about a sense of perhaps resentment that they have been sort of forgotten in the whole big infrastructure problem, or strategy of the government? i think that is true. you know, george osborne promised a lot when he talked of the northern power house.

while people didn't take him at his word, they haven't forgotten that that has been pledged and we have seen a number of projects shelved since george osborne has left the treasury and we have seen government support for cross rail two and it is important to know this last two weeks has been the straw that broke the camel's back. we have been talking about this for longer and so has the yorkshire post and others. this is the one that has catapulted it to the top of the agenda. john, i want is hard to justify ten times more spending on transport per head in london, according to the i. ppr. how does london get away with that inequality? there are different ways to calculate the numbers, for example the £2,000 i spend on my tube pass counts as public and not private expenditure.

but the truth is. but it works and you get around and it exists as infrastructure. we spent more in the last ten or 15 years in london than other parts of the country, but we have had decades of underinvestment and the truth is there are 500,000 people coming intro—london each day and many are standing. it is not as if the transport system in london is perfect. this should not be about one region getting into a fight with another. does it feel like that to you? when you hear the descriptions of the crowded tubes and the railcard and all of the rest of it, does it feel like london has all of the good stuff, or doesn't have too many people and too much going on? you could make a reverse

economic argument. the cost of living and housing is going up. people having to move further and further out in order to get into london to go to work. they are getting onto those trains which are not in a great state, either. surely you need to invest in the north first in order to attract potential investment, those people and those jobs. and i would argue institutions that have dragged their feet previously, including government departments about relocating to the north. but you need to make that function as an economic area. in fairness to george osborne that is the point he was trying to make. would you accept we have reached almost peak london now in terms of infrastructure? we have tried to meet demand but we have created demand and become this magnet which has pulled more people into the south rather than investing all over? london's population has grown rapidly in the last 20 years and is continuing to grow. london is the most productive region of the eu. it is a crucial part. when you say it has grown,

it has maybe grown as a result of having all of this extra infrastructure, all of this connectivity. so there is an absolute imperative in britain that we put more money when you say it has grown, it has maybe grown as a result of having all of this extra infrastructure, all of this connectivity. so there is an absolute imperative in britain that we put more money into transport the north. but we need to get out of this mindset. we are the fifth richest country in the world. we don't have to do one scheme at a time in a queue, we have to invest on a scale other parts of the country have done. especially post—brexit. thank you very much. firms involved in refurbishing grenfell tower faced a barrage of criticism at the public inquiry today as it was claimed "corporate silence" could endanger lives in future. several sub—contractors who worked

on parts of the refit said they wouldn't be able to comment fully on their work until they had a full disclosure of documents. survivors lawyer stephanie ba rwise said the move was "inhumane". the work carried out on grenfell tower was criticised in withering terms by lawyers speaking on behalf of those affected. chris cook was watching today's hearings and is here now. what was said today? the most striking thing is about buckpassing. one of the critical questions about grenfell tower was how that combustible aluminium cladding got onto the tower. the company who made the panels said, we are a manufacturer, it was up to them to decide how to use it. one of those companies it supplied it to was a company called cep. they said that they don't want to comment until the review is finished. the overall contract which ran the reef it said we don't think it is appropriate to comment now at this stage in the enquiry. kctmo, the company who ran the building, they said they asked

a separate company about their view on it. and that company has told us consistently when they were asked to consult on grenfell tower the plan was not that any cladding on it. they were not showing those designs no resolution and an enormous amount of buckpassing. what did you hear from the survivors? the qc gave a statement which was pretty clear about their views on how companies have been behaving, which we can show you now. the corporate silence deprives the families of the degree of resolution and understanding to which they are entitled and has only served to increase their pain and uncertainty. it is inhumane to remain silent when so many seek understanding and answers — answers which are within the corporate's gift. we should be pretty clear,

there will be cross examination. all of these people will have their answer is checked against one another. we are eventually going to get answers. i can understand anger and frustration that they are not being brought forward more quickly. thank you. since her adolescence, masih alinejad has been a thorn in the side of the ayatollahs who rule iran. when she was 19 she was arrested for anti—government activity by the morality police, held in prison without charge and eventually told by a judge that he had enough evidence to have her executed.

he decided to let her go. in recent years she's complained, challenged, protested and boycotted all those who support the compulsory wearing of the hijab. masih now lives in exile, but has remained just as vocal — or possibly more so from the outside — gaining a huge online following. from the age of seven, masih alinejad wore the hijab even in the family home — according to the wishes of her traditional family. but she says she always felt the discomfort. she started to remove it in private when herfather was not around. five years ago, she posted a photo of herself without a hijab whilst driving in lebanon. she described the simple freedom of feeling the wind in her hair for the first time, which later became the name of her book. this photo sparked a social media liberation movement, inspiring women throughout iran to remove their hijabs publicly and post it online. the online movement, "my selfie freedom" has gained millions of followers worldwide. white wednesdays invite women to protest the compulsory hijab law. but the move was not without its complications — she insists she's not against the hijab, but rather in favour of choice, not law for iranian women. and masih alinejad joins

us now from new york. nice to have you on the show. you said the hijab felt wrong from an early age, i am wondering what that sense was, where it came from? from the age of seven, millions of girls in iran have to wear headscarves when they start school. if you don't then you will not be able to get an education. for me it was a personal experience to wear a hijab, even inside the house because i grew up in a traditionalfamily. but it became a political issue in iran. after the revolution the islamic republic of iran said we had to carry the most visible symbol on our bodies. if you say no to the compulsory hijab you won't be able to go to university, get a job, live in your own country. for me, first, i started to take...

i say i started my own revolution from my own kitchen. then i started to take off my black long hijab, i was taking it off every time the police wasn't around, every time my father wasn't around in iran. why do you think it is such an important rule in iran? when the regime is that it's more relaxed women start to show theirfringe. at its most rigid the hijab comes further down onto the forehead. why do you think this has become such a symbol of authority? i strongly believe that the three pillars is really important for islamic republic of iran to keep them. one is death to america, the other one is death to israel, the third is hijab. nowadays, for islamic republic of iran, the women in saudi arabia are the biggest threat. this is the tool they have. they can control the whole society. not only women.

compulsory hijab is only a rule, the first step. beyond that, when you and they'll then you can get flashes. sometimes you cannot get a job because of it. the government of iran it is a bigger threat than america and israel. because if you are not wearing a hijab you should go to prison. you have been outspoken. you have started your own revolution. you have posted photos online.

you have started white wednesdays. what's the tipping point now? you are not against the hijab you are against the law enforcement of it. what would be the tipping point to give enough iranian women the bravery, i guess, to overturn it? as i told you, this is actually the government trying to make men go against women. using men to oppress women. nowadays, through social media, women found themselves powerful. they are doing a punishable crime in public to say no to compulsory hijab and men are joining them. as i told you, in my campaign women got arrested just because they were protesting against compulsory hijab laws. 29 women got arrested. after that, when they got released on bail, those brave women went inside the court and took off their headscarf and said we are not going to be silent even when you are threatening me. you don't think you're fighting against something that women actually choose to do as a powerful and important part of their own iranian culture? let me make it clear. my sisters and my mother where the hijab. sharia laws is what

this comes down to. according to islamic law i am not allowed to sing solo. i'm not allowed to show my hair. i'm not allowed to dance. i'm not allowed to bejudged. i'm not allowed to get custody of my child. i'm not allowed to do anything like travelling abroad without the permission of my husband or my father. we are not against women who choose to wear the hijab. but all islamic laws are against me and millions of iranians women. people in the west might say that this is causing islamophobia, but these laws are causing it. ourcampaign and ourgoal is to invite all of the western feminists, especially female politicians, to challenge compulsory hijab laws when they go inside iran. ourcampaign and ourgoal is to invite all of the western

feminists, especially female politicians, to challenge compulsory hijab laws when they go inside iran. great to talk to you. that is all we have time for tonight. from all of us here, a very good evening. mark is here tomorrow. good night. no great rush to change things across the british isles, i'm sure you have noticed that. a number of people got there in the end. there was a consolation in the sheffield area. where there was some clouded

sky, it caught the eye of our weather watchers. this is the way that things are shaping up for wednesday. we have high that pressure from the north. it will come close as you will see. this is the way that we start wednesday, with a fair the way that we start wednesday, withafairamount the way that we start wednesday, with a fair amount of cloud again across northern and eastern parts. the coolidge sort of feel. temperatures down in single figures. as we get on through the day, away from those eastern shores, pleasa ntly from those eastern shores, pleasantly warm. similar sort of figures a bit further south but i'm afraid it's not all hearts and flowers. also pretty kind to northern ireland. a decent evening if you are out and about. but the low cloud just comes back in. the old spotted drizzle to start

thursday. just the chance of one or two more meaningful showers getting into the channel because the low pressure i was talking about in france lifts a little bit further north, doesn't become ours as such but what it does is extend influence across the channel area so we will find increasing chance from the thickening cloud of there being the odd showery burst of rain. still wa nt to odd showery burst of rain. still want to showers perhaps close by to northern ireland border with donegal but to many, it still and try and find scenario. the temperature is tempered by the lack of sunshine. the high rather than 25 as we should hit on wednesday. this is friday. not a great deal of difference. spinning this instability in the atmosphere. i don't think it's going to be as organised as that. it will just enhance that chance across southern and western parts as you move towards the weekend of seeing

one to showers and that is probably the extent of it. many of you will have a dry, fine, settled weekend and if you have a plan to the weekend, i don't think the weather is going to get in the way for most of you. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: children are forced to hide from military aircraft in myanmar, as the army is accused of targeting civilians in a fresh offensive. translation: on april 11, translation: on april“, four fighterjets translation: on april“, four fighter jets fired on translation: on april“, four fighterjets fired on the village. we also heard the army rape women and tortured old people nearby so we left. shock in the american fashion world as designer kate spade is found dead in new york. police believe she killed herself. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: a carpet of plastic

smothers a beach in mumbai. the un says 11 million plastic bags are used around the world every minute of every day. and the venue is confirmed for next week's summit between donald trump