it is hit and miss. sunshine rain, it is hit and miss. sunshine for the rest of thursday. only one or two showers in the north. feeling fresher in the west and warmer in the east. by the weekend temperatures dropping into the teens.j that's all from the bbc news at six. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. making history with a handshake — president trump hails his talks with kim jong un as ‘tremendous'. the leaders signed an agreement committing themselves to de—nuclearisation on the korean peninsula. the government appears to have headed off a threatened commons revolt over brexit. ministers saw off a move to give mps the decisive say on what happens over brexit if they do not agree with the deal negotiated by the uk government. an alleged member of the banned neo—nazi group national action, has admitted plotting to murder the west lancashire mp rosie cooper. 23—year—old jack renshaw also admitted threatening to kill a police officer.

the businessman arron banks, who donated millions of pounds to the leave.eu campaign has told a committee of mps there's no evidence of any conspiracy with russia. and wage growth in the first part of this year has fallen unexpectedly — despite unemployment dropping to a record low. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we'll be covering the continuing debate and votes in the commons where the government is seeking to undo most of the changes to its eu withdrawal bill that were put forward by the lords. and in beyond 100 days we'll be finding out what politicians in washington make of president trump's meeting with the north korean leader, kim jong—un. and at 10:40 damejoan bakewell and baroness ros altmann, former pensions minister will be

here to review the papers. that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm holly hamilton. coming up on the programme. into the lions den. the england squad arrive in russia ahead of their world cup campaign, starting with tunisia on monday. 20 years on from his own heroics against tunisia, one former england captain has a message for this year's squad. this is an opportunity for someone to change their life, it be a knife changing opportunity for someone in the next three or four weeks and let's hope that someone is in the england squad. shake hands and make up? australia look to make amends with england ahead of their first series since the sandpaper scandal.

hello and welcome to sportsday. check your watches. it's nowjust 45 hours and 26 minutes to the start of world cup 2018 — in case you haven't marked it on your calendars. earlier today the england squad touched down in russia. they left brownian airport earlier today. arriving in st petersburg just a few hours ago before making the one hourjourney to the seaside resort of repino — located on the gulf of finland. a tiny rural village, just over 400 miles from the arctic circle — that will be england's world cup headquarters for the duration

of the tournament and our sports correspondent david ornstein is there for us this evening. us settling in but you have been joined by some important guests tonight. i'm sure that this village has seen nothing like this for. tonight. i'm sure that this village has seen nothing like this fonm isa has seen nothing like this fonm is a lovely evening here in repino and england as you say settling into the hotel behind me but earlier today they left from their base at st george's park where they had their official team photo in the morning and then they went to birmingham airport and took a charter flight to russia. birmingham airport and took a charterflight to russia. they left around midday getting your around half past three your time, half past five local time here in russia and you can see them coming after playing now in their tracksuits. all infairly high playing now in their tracksuits. all in fairly high spirits by the looks of it. they seem to be fairly relaxed. they behind — they played behind the doors closed friendly

yesterday just to tune behind the doors closed friendly yesterdayjust to tune up behind the doors closed friendly yesterday just to tune up for the tournament and then took the flight and funny the in st petersburg gareth southgate spoke to my colleague leslie perks. we like the town, we like st petersburg and we are hopeful that the players and their families will have the chance to go into st petersburg when we not working. we liked the fact that we can take the hoteljust for ourselves, i think that is good for the balance of working but also players being able to relax and have some time for themselves. so we're really pleased with the and looking forward to getting to meet the community there a bit more. so from the tarmac the team boarded the branded world cup bus and they made ali5 branded world cup bus and they made a 45 minute journey here to the forest mix. as you mentioned at the top it is a very quiet and understated location in the gulf of

finland, actually. and st petersburg city centre is not far from here so that could be an option for some recreational time because there is little to do around here. as the bus approached the gates there was a huge media turnout and some of the players and the staff were filming the media turnout and then they went inside and they will have plenty of entertainment and leisure facilities there. as for tomorrow after they got some sleep tonight england will train at 9:30am your time. at one of the local stadium training grounds and that will be open to the media and that will be open to the media and some local schoolchildren and dignitaries. and then the itinerary after that is that england will train on thursday and friday behind closed doors as they work on tactics, they will travel on sunday to volvograd where on monday evening they play their first match against tunisia. certainly seems like the

calm before the storm. thank you for the moment. now here on sportsday we will of course be bringing you all the action, the atmostphere and the excitement right from the heart of the tournament every evening. our very own man in moscow, olly foster, is in red square this evening. is it starting to feel at the world cup is happening now? yes, good evening from moscow, red square. it is damning, it is russia day today, a massive national holiday in the country but for the next four weeks it will be russia day every day and must go you just feel is a melting pot for fans of all 32 nations and certainly we've seen mexican, argentinians, peruvians, all congregating now for the big start on thursday when it gets under way between russia and saudi arabia.

there are concerns, the organisers are convinced that they are going to deliver a successful and save tournament but obviously there are concerns about hooliganism perhaps, discrimination certainly that seems to be on the rise in russian football but a little bit earlier i spoke to the former england captain alan shearer and he assured me that he hopes upon hope that living up to all these major championships that there are always the horror stories and the warnings but he hopes that nothing comes of those. i asked them about england, this young and inexperienced team, and his hopes for gareth gates and his team. inexperienced team, and his hopes for gareth gates and his teamlj inexperienced team, and his hopes for gareth gates and his team. i do not think there has been any expectation on england for a time, i'io expectation on england for a time, 110 one expectation on england for a time, no one expected us to win it. having said that we expected to beat iceland in the last european championships, but we have to do better and that should not be difficult. ijust better and that should not be difficult. i just want better and that should not be difficult. ijust want to see the players enjoying it, they may never

again play in a world cup so enjoy it and if they do not win, then at least if you go home saying you know what, we tried, we gave everything and that as i ink what the english fans want. i think gareth has made all the right decisions and done everything in a sensible way. it has been cool and calm the way he had to leave out wayne rooney, the way he named his squad quickly the way he has named his formation so as said everything is going really well in preparation for top now it is over to the games and we know that that can change but let's keep our fingers crossed that at least we can have something to shout about. some of the players have been speaking about what to take with them to alleviate the boredom between the matches. is that a factor? boredom ina matches. is that a factor? boredom in a world cup? it should be the best three or four weeks of your life. but there has been criticism in the past. forget the boredom, you get everything done for you, you do not have to pack your socks, you get every single thing laid out for you.

for four weeks of your life you cannot afford to get bored. you get given games, books, whatever you wa nt given games, books, whatever you want is provided on a plate for you. this is an opportunity for someone to change their life. it really could be a life changing opportunity for someone and let's hope that someone for someone and let's hope that someone is in the england squad. alan shearer they're someone is in the england squad. alan shea rer they‘ re speaking someone is in the england squad. alan shearer they're speaking to be earlier. let's hope england are here in 3a weeks those three group games lasting ten days. you just feel everything is building up here and everything is building up here and every single evening we will be here looking ahead to the action and looking ahead to the action and looking back at it as well and on thursday night for the opening ceremony, the opening match between russia and saudi arabia, we will be coming live from the 80,000 capacity stadium when it all gets under way. how long england last is anyone's guess. hoping to keep that positive

dickering anyway. and he will be with us every night throughout the tournament. one other piece of world cup news today — spain coachjulen lopetegui has been named as the new man in charge of champions league winners real madrid. the 51—year—old took over at the spanish national team in july 2016. real has been on the lookout for a new boss since zinedine zidane announced his departure after beating liverpool in the champions league final. lopetegui will take up the position after the world cup. this weekend will see something of david and goliath matchup as australia take on france to start their respective world cup runs. for the aussies — this will be their fourth consecutive world cup in a row — however the socceroos have actually only made it through the group stages once before — so how will they fare this time around? joe lynskey has been taking a look.

well this is the fourth world cup final ina well this is the fourth world cup final in a row for australia and they went 30 years without qualifying before that and their players have travelled more miles than anyone else for international fixtures. one australian player who could join an exclusive club in russia is this man tim cahill. he scored in all three of the socceroos world cup campaigns this century including the stunning volley against the netherlands and brazil. only three players have ever scored infour only three players have ever scored in four world cup finals and one of them is the brazilian great, palais. well the socceroos go to russia on something of a salvage mission for a string of awards, this has been a chastening year for the cricket team with three of their star players receiving a ban from the sport for the ball tampering scandal back in march. it showed just how much that sport means to australia but how does the football world cup fit into

their agenda? we've been to visit one of the australian sports on the rise here in the uk, the huddersfield rams won several british teams playing rules football. we went to catch up with the australian community that and find out how this bought found a home on the other side of the world. my home on the other side of the world. my name is carl hake, and the founder and president of the aussie rules football clu b. founder and president of the aussie rules football club. we all come from rugby league rugby union work soccer background and so we all know how to kick and catch the ball. just naturally being english. ijust wa nted naturally being english. ijust wanted to try something a bit different and it keeps you fit out of season. my name is matthew whiteley, and the england captain. the sport is similar to football, by the sport is similar to football, rugby and basketball, the element of jumping, then the contact side and that physicality of going and winning the ball and then there is the football, you catch it and look to move along quickly. i never

thought i would play aussie rules. but i came down to get some fitness and from there that is where it took off. and did my first year i was playing in gb and playing in england. we have come down to huddersfield and pretty much it is my dream. i'm a brilliant middlesbrough fan, my grandparents are from there. it started in the 2006 world cup. that is what got you into the sport and thursday it has grown at a steady rate but still nowhere near where it needs to be. if they can make it through the group stages of the world cup they might stand a chance of getting further advances in the sport at home. we started with three teams and now we have over 40 in the country so it has taken off. internationally it has grown, at the last european cup we had 50 men's teams and the growth in the women's game is massive. it isjust getting

these guys to spread the word and hopefully it will keep growing. one, two, three. thanks to the huddersfield rams for that. australia have only made it through the group stages of the world cup finals once before and that is when we had that star quality back in 2006. they do not have the standout players this time around but they carry the hopes of a nation seeking sporting redemption. cricket now and england captain eoin morgan says his side will be happy to shake hands with australia's players before the start of the one day series tomorrow. it's the first time the visitors have played a series since the ball tampering scandal in march — but morgan says it will be business as usual. from the oval, here'sjoe wilson. australia's first series after the

sandpaper scandal but here the captain tim payne is checking if own morgan is happy to shake hands before the game. all part of australia's attempt to be nicer. talk is cheap of course, morgan says, but he gets the idea. talk is cheap of course, morgan says, but he gets the ideal understand i suppose the bashing that their board has gone through over the last six months and it is important for the game to have a strong australian side. and we're more than happy to shake hands before the game if that means it creates a different image for other people put up own morgan says he still expects a tough battle, this training squad here may be missing some key batsmen through suspension and key fast bowlers to injury but it is still australia. a former captain is here to advise, ricky ponting, panting. the old australia has not disappeared. it is not so much creating a brand—new culture

but just living the much creating a brand—new culture butjust living the culture that we expect and that has always been there, we know how to behave as men. just at times we let ourselves down. one thing is clear, 400 miles south of england must be better here than in edinburgh but in one—day cricket they do not have many bad days. these days. joe wilson, bbc news. meanwhile england's women have set south africa 332 to win the second one day international at hove, with centuries from tammy beaumont and sarah taylor helping the home side to 331 for 6 from their 50 overs. but in reply, an unbeaten century from opener lizelle lee has helped south africa to 160 for 2 after 30 overs. and fresh from their historic victory over england on sunday scotland are chasing 205 to beat pakistan in their t20 international in edinburgh. pakistan reached 204 for 4 from their 20 overs, with captain sarfraz ahmed top scoring with 89 from only 49 balls.

a few moments ago, scotland were 97 for 4 after 15 overs. back to football and it was a 100th cap to remember for scotland women's captain rachel corsie. scotland came back from two—nil down to win their world cup qualifier against poland 3—2. the victory keeps them just three points behind group leaders switzerland, who they'll play next at home. only the top team in each group will gain automatic qualification for the 2019 world cup in france. wales will look to go back top of their group when they host russia in around ten minutes time which you can watch live on bbc two wales and the bbc sport website. super league is set to scrap the current super 8s format from next season and move towards a "one up, one down" system. that's according to the new chief executive robert elstone who has set out his vision for the sport.

he described the current format as "well intended" but says it's created too much uncertainty as david woods reports. robert elston is a lifelong rob really fine but spent the past 20 yea rs really fine but spent the past 20 years on the financial side of the door most recently as chief executive at everton. he comes into rock the sport which need direction and the healing of a few riffs. so what is his vision? we are accessible, community—based, it is an exciting product with tremendous players. we have real good positive strength, a sense of value and purpose of what we are all about and wonderful heritage. if we can ca ptu re all wonderful heritage. if we can capture all that