hello, this is bbc news. on the eve of the most important vote of her premiership, theresa may appeals to mps to support her brexit deal. eu leaders have released a letter making assurances that any implemention of the so—called irish backstop would be temporary, and something they don't want to do anyway. the assurances are aimed at allaying concerns over mrs may's deal before tomorrow's commons vote. another conservative mp has redesigned from government. government whip gareth johnson resigns, saying mrs may's deal would be detrimental to the nation's interests. environmentalists say the new clean

air plans are a missed opportunity. unusually heavy snow continues to blanket parts of europe, with at least five people killed as avalanches hit skiing areas, over the weekend. 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 looking at the government's clean air strategy — a plan to tackle air pollution in england — which is aimed at halving the number of people exposed to harmful particles by 2025. at 8:30pm we'll be bringing some of key moments from today's parliamentary debate on the government's brexit deal — which mps are voting on tomorrow. and dia chakravarty, the brexit editor at the telegraph, and the broadcaster and political commentator steve richards will review the papers, at 10:40 and 11:30 all ahead on bbc news. now it's sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'mjohn watson.

i'm john watson. the headlines tonight... is it goodbye for the final time? defeat for murray in melbourne. but he'll do all he can to return. defeat for kyle edmund too — just three brits remain in the singles draw. and i'm here at the etihad, where manchester city take on wolves as the race to the premier league title continues. meanwhile in a fight for survival, bottom of the table huddersfield part company with david wagner. andy murray says he will decide in the next week if he will undergo a second hip operation following defeat in the first round to roberta bautista agut.

he said he would do everything he can to play at the australian open again but would be happy if his dramatic five—set defeat was the final match of his career. andy swiss was watching. goodbye, perhaps, to a sporting great. but if this was andy murray's signing off, he did it in typically thrilling style. earlier his fans had flocked to melbourne, knowing they could be seeing the end of an extraordinary era. i'm just breaking my heart, and i have to be there to witness this event. fantastic player. the guy's brilliant. nobody has hit his level in british tennis before. it will be a real shame to see him bow out. by the time murray announced the sentimental support was deafening. could he defy the odds one more time? well, the early signs weren't encouraging. that troublesome hip was soon being giving the runaround — roberto bautista agut taking

the first two sets. this was getting painful. but boldly, brilliantly, murray began to drag himself back. his mum loved it, and so did most of melbourne. the third set went to a tie—break, and guess what? commentator: he's got it! suddenly it was like old times, and even better was to come — as murray edged another tie—break to make it 2—2. was this remarkable career in for another remarkable chapter? well, it wasn't to be, as his fitness finally faded and bautista agut triumphed. but murray was far better than most had expected, and as he tried to control his emotions, the question everyone was asking — is this the end? well, murray's been forced to concede he now faces two options — take four months off and prepare for a possible final appearance at wimbledon, or undergo surgery which will dramatically increase the quality of his life, but will run the risk of never being able to play professional tennis again. it is difficult because i always wanted to finish

playing at wimbledon. if tonight was my last match, that would be a great way to finish, amazing atmosphere, a really good match against a quality opponent. but then there is a bit of me that, i love playing, i want to keep playing tennis but i can't do it with the hip i have now, so the only option if i want to do that is to have the surgery but i know there's a strong possibility that i won't be able to get back after that, but it's my only option if i want to play again for longer than one event at wimbledon, so that's the decision i have to make. former british number two naomi cavadayjoins me now. naomi, what would you do now if you were murray? it's just such a difficult decision.

both options are pretty awful, he stuck between a rock and a hard place. he wants to finish wimbledon but that would mean he has no chance of ever returning to professional tennis and that would be his last event. his only chance of playing more long—term than one tournament would be to have the operation. it's difficult, he is putting off the operation trying to do everything else to get ready so he didn't have to have it but it's become inevitable. he will have to have the operation at some point, whether he said he had it before, it would take too long to recover. he wants to make it to wimbledon but if he doesn't have that operation, he cannot train as hard as he would like and he runs the risk of an

embarrassing end to a fantastic career if he doesn't bow out in the fitting way to you once, he could suffer an embarrassing defeat. fitting way to you once, he could suffer an embarrassing defeatm fitting way to you once, he could suffer an embarrassing defeat. if he couldn't put it in a performance like he did today, that would be a shame. today he for and was superb. for me the one thing that struck me was so for me the one thing that struck me was so saying he doesn't know if he can wait until wimbledon only because ease in pain every day, getting out of bed and walking around, trying to play with his kids let alone get on a court, so wimbledon feels like a long way away and he has clearly had enough of that pain and wants to get rid of it. he said he is struggling to put his shoes and socks on at the moment but an performance nonetheless. thank you. eight brits made the first—round draw, and with the last of those, jo konta, playing

in the early hours of tomorrow morning, just two have made the second round today. patrick gearey has the latest on british hopes. every time kyle edmund walks onto court now she walks into a vacuum shaped by andy murray, a pressure filled space and team must acclimatise while dealing with the relentless tomas berdych, ranked 43 places allowed him but with know—how at every stroke. the czech took the first set. murray's ending turns up the pressure on kyle edmund but in the pressure on kyle edmund but in the second set he seemed engulfed in shadows. last year he made the semifinals in melbourne, this time he didn't last very bars and didn't seem fully fit. for me it shows where i'm at at the minute and my level and how much, where i have to

improve, sojust level and how much, where i have to improve, so just very much got to let the defeat settle and try to get back to work and look at work i am out with my game and try to get better. dan evans tends to prompt talk of fast issues more than future hopes. since he reached the fourth round here two years ago that he has been band for feeling a recreational drugs test bit he was evidence of a new 01’ drugs test bit he was evidence of a new or renewed man. he sort of japan's tatsuya ito, and his reward is to play roger federer next. katie boulter won her first grand is to play roger federer next. katie boulter won herfirst grand slam match at wimbledon last year but ekaterina makarova presented another challenge altogether. the british woman won the first set 6—0 and was leading the tie—break 6—4. with this

shot, she thought she was through but they have changed the rolls and its now first to ten. she tweeted later hopes that there may have been stronger words at the time. before long, katie boulter had the biggest wind of her career. she got there eventually. also coming up in the programme: ronnie rockets into the quarterfinals. and telling the real story of boxer rubin carter, and a crime he says he didn't commit. but before that, manchester city face wolves tonight as the race for the league title continues, liverpool's win on saturday extending the gap to seven points. city can trim that back to four. katie gornall is at the etihad. katie, with city chasing liverpool down, they can't afford any slip—ups. no, that's what a lot of the fans

arriving here will think about this game against wolves, at christmas they lost successive games to palace and leicester, it may be affected their confidence, but they have had a fantastic start to 2019, there have been ruthless in cup competitions, winning against rotherham and burton and then last time in the premier league they beat liverpool so they come into this with their tails up. wolves are no pushovers, having beaten tottenham and chelsea this season. they took points off city earlier this season. yes, they have a reputation for getting points, raising their game against big teams and they come into this having knocked liverpool out of the fa cup and they were the first

tea m the fa cup and they were the first team to the fa cup and they were the first tea m to ta ke the fa cup and they were the first team to take points off city this season, they draw earlier in the season season, they draw earlier in the season after the controversial handball goal was allowed to stand so handball goal was allowed to stand so they will be confident and their coast said that was the moment they really believed they could compete in the premier league and they come into this comfortably mid—table and hopeful of causing another upset.- the other end of the table we see the other end of the table we see the fourth managerial departure of the fourth managerial departure of the premier league season, david wagoner, at huddersfield tonight. yes, he has left by mutual consent so yes, he has left by mutual consent so when you look at huddersfield's record this season, they are bottom of the table, eight points adrift, it may not come as a surprise, a different manager with that record might not have lasted this long but

suchis might not have lasted this long but such is the high esteem that david wagoner holds, that is why he has stayed until now. he brought them into the premier league, got promoted against the odds with a tiny budget and kept them in the premier league and tonight the chairman of huddersfield released at lengthy statement praising david wagner and i will read a bit now, he says what wagner has done in his time at huddersfield was beyond the wildest expectations as a charming and fun, and he goes on to say, i had no intention of sacking david but david being the great man that he is, he came to us and said he needs a break from the rigours of football management, so the charm emphasising that this is a mutual decision and david wagner leaves the

clu b decision and david wagner leaves the club by mutual consent and now they search for a new manager. their next game is against manchester city. katie, thank you. apologies for a bit of break—up on the line with katie at the etihad. tottenham are investigating an allegation of racism against winger son heung—min by one of their own supporters during yesterday's game against manchester united at wembley. the claim was made during the game by a spurs fan on social media. it's understood tottenham have spoken to the fan who made the allegation. martin o'neill is expected to become the new nottingham forest manager. 0'neill had five years as manager of the republic of ireland and enjoyed great success at forest as a player. seen here scoring for the club, in the ‘70s, he won the league and the european cup. and the new england patriots will play in the afc championship game for the eighth consecutive season after they beat the la chargers on sunday. defending champions the philadelphia eagles lost to the new orleans saints. ronnie 0'sullivan is

into the quarterfinals of the masters, one of snooker‘s triple crown events, in a tournament which has seen notable shocks already, with defending champion mark allen and two time winner john higgins both out. no problem for the rocket, as hazel irvine at alexandra palace can tell us. 0na day on a day that could signal the end of sir andy murray's tennis career, another standard—bearer for excellence in sport, ronnie 0'sullivan, is going for an eighth masters title and it was our reasonably emphatic if a little subdued wind over stuart bingham. reasonably emphatic if a little subdued wind over stuart binghamlj think he did hisjob well enough, it was a messy start in the first frame which steward wants and you would expect the game to be level but ronnie moved up a couple of gears

and then stuart bingham collapsed and then stuart bingham collapsed and from then on it was plain sailing, a blip towards the end but he will be pleased. especially throwing breaks of 96 and back—to—back centuries. throwing breaks of 96 and back-to-back centuries. and the ways he finished off the match without break of 66, he will be very pleased with that. he may be disappointed with that. he may be disappointed with the scrappy frames and some of the misses, the misconstrued safeties, but overalljob done. the misses, the misconstrued safeties, but overall job done. and how will stuart bingham reflect on this? his form at the masters hasn't been great, sometimes it happens but ease back to winning ways overall and trying to climb the rankings, you just have to suffer it sometimes. he would have been disappointed not to produce something better. and ronnie will play ryan day in the quarterfinal and if you want more live snooker we

have the only debutant at this yea r‘s have the only debutant at this year's masters on the red button from 7pm. now, we're taking you back to 1967 and the conviction of former boxer reuben "hurricane" carter for a triple murder. he served over 20 years in an american prison for a crime he claimed he didn't commit. was he innocent? well, the bbc world service have investigated the murders as part of a new 18—episode podcast the first of which is out today. itaims to it aims to tell the real story of what went on. here's a clip. it one of the most heinous and brutal moors in the history of that state. the trial of the century. i would —— anybody anywhere. state. the trial of the century. i would -- anybody anywhere. he light to fight but she wasn't like bad

dark villain in a horror movie. they could not have committed the crime of murder for which they have been found guilty. carter and john artist we re found guilty. carter and john artist were found guilty of triple murder. 24 of 24 said i have no reasonable doubt that they murdered these people. it's hard to get around that. nobody wanted my findings to come out, not the prosecution and not the defence. that's a clip of what to expect and one of the makers is with me, steve crossman. what is it that made you think this is a story that needs to be told? the fact that it's never been told properly, these murdered happened 15 years ago. there's a

famous bob dylan song about this case and that denzel washington movie that one of those is eight minutes long and the other is 90 so it's difficult to tell the full story and that is what we have been able to do but it was discovering these 40 hours of rubin carter's cassettes because we have spoken to pretty much everyone involved. rubin carter passed away in 2014 so we couldn't talk to him but through these tapes he made in the years leading up to his death, when he was interviewed he was very flamboyant and excitable, but this is the real rubin carter and he is a proper antihero, a dark character, there are great sides to his personality and not such great and that's what fascinated me as we do on this journey. he spent a long time in

prison. when you set out to tell the story, was it with the aim of trying to prove he was wrongfully convicted 01’ to prove he was wrongfully convicted orjust to to prove he was wrongfully convicted or just to tell the story and leave that to the listeners? when i start i thought i was making an hour—long