one of britain's most high—profile politicians for more than 30 years, alex salmond, has been charged with two attempted rapes and multiple sexual assaults. scotland's former first minister appeared in court this afternoon charged with m offences in total. he strenuously denied the allegations. i am innocent of any criminality whatsoever. we'll have the latest live from edinburgh. also on the programme tonight... a big rise in the number of violent crimes in england and wales over the past year. the boss of airbus calls the uncertainty over brexit a "disgrace" and says if the uk leaves without a deal airbus could move its factories out of britain. the sister of premier league footballer emiliano sala begs rescuers not to give up hope, as they call off the search for his plane — missing in the english channel. translation: i'm asking you, please, don't stop looking for them. it's been three days and i've still got hope that they're alive. and russia and america are drawn

in to venezuela's political crisis, amid widespread protests. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, england bowled out for 77 as an inspired west indies seize control of the first good evening. scotland's former first minister, alex salmond — a man who has dominated politics in scotland and the uk for decades — has today been charged with two attempted rapes, nine sexual assaults, two indecent assaults, and breach of the peace. mr salmond appeared in private at edinburgh sheriff court this afternoon. afterwards he strenuously denied the allegations, saying he was innocent of any criminality, and would defend

himself to the utmost in court. alex salmond, who's 64, was arrested yesterday by police, who've been investigating allegations against him since last september. our scotland editor sarah smith is in edinburgh. when alex salmond appeared here at this court this afternoon and the full list of charges against him was made public, people were really shocked. politicians and the public alike astonished that the man who with scotland's longest serving first minister could be appearing in court charged with such a lengthy list of serious sexual offences. alex salmond arrived at edinburgh sheriff court this afternoon to find some die—hard supporters ready to greet him. marching in straight through the front gate, he made no attempt to avoid the cameras or media questions. do you deny the charges, mr salmond? on his way to hear the formal criminal charges against him.

inside the court, in a private hearing which neither reporters nor the public were allowed to attend, mr salmond heard he is facing a total 01:14 criminal charges. that includes two charges of indecent assault, nine separate charges of sexual assault, and two charges of attempted rape. at this point in the proceedings mr salmond was not required to enter a plea so he didn't indicate to the court whether he intends to plead guilty or not guilty to those charges. half an hour later, he came out to declare his innocence publicly. so let me say at the outset, i am innocent of any criminality whatsoever. i refute absolutely these allegations of criminality, and i'll defend myself to the utmost in court. well, i know this will be

a shock to many people, criminal proceedings, and now more than ever it would be completely inappropriate for me, or anyone else for that matter, to comment in any detail. i think we won the election. alex salmond dominated scottish politics for decades. first ministerfor seven years, he led the country into an independence referendum which he didn't win, but which changed scottish politics completely. for the next few months, his battles will be in court, as he faces numerous serious criminal charges. you saw the alex salmond leaving court. he has been released on bail and he may not have to appear again here for several weeks. a full trial might not take place for up to a

year. now when that happens he of course says he will defend himself to the utmost. a year there was a long time to wait with these charges hanging over him. sarah smith in edinburgh, thank you. there's been a big increase in violent crime in england and wales. it's up i9% compared to the year before. figures from the office for national statistics show that the number of killings, including murder and manslaughter, has increased by 14%, making it the highest it's been since 2007. robbery went up by i7%, as did recorded sexual offences. the number of firearms offences hasn't changed drastically, but knife crime has. it's risen by 8%, with almost 40,000 victims of knife crime in 12 months. our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. keelan wilson was 15 when he was set upon and stabbed late at night near his home in wolverhampton. this was keelan with his mother, kelly. as he lay dying he said, "tell my mum i love her." kelly lost her oldest child as she was expecting her youngest.

four—month—old seren will never know her brother. a number of teenagers have been arrested since the murder eight months ago, but so far no one has been charged. every day it's torture, it's not a life worth living. every day, if i catch myself smiling with the babies, ifeel guilty, because keelan‘s not here, and i feel like i shouldn't be enjoying life at all, and i don't enjoy life. it's like a life sentence. and then you realise he's not coming home, and it's devastating. every single day something happens. there's no words, really. it's the west midlands force which is investigating the killing. crime here is up by 10%, so above the national average, and today the message from those running the force was "we need more money to tackle this rise in crime".

just tell me your name, because at the minute you're going to be arrested... and of course the police themselves can be victims. urgent assistance! argh! footage from one officer's body—worn camera shows how she suffered head injuries after she was attacked while trying to make an arrest. leave them! but the police and labour politicians have long been warning that losing 20,000 officers must affect the crime rate, and the government's response? don't make a link between fewer police officers and an increase in violent crime. the drivers of that are complex. you can't put it down to one thing. not at all? it's complicated. back in the west midlands, these birmingham residents became so frustrated at not seeing any police that they started carrying out their own patrols. we shouldn't be doing this. it's not up to us to do this, but rather than sitting at home and moaning about it,

we want to get out and do it and that's what we are trying to do. they don't blame their force. they say they know it's suffering from financial constraints. the government says it's responding to the demands on the police nationally with up to £970 million of extra money in the coming year. june kelly, bbc news. the aircraft maker, airbus, has given a stark warning about its future in the uk if there's a no—deal brexit. the firm's chief executive, tom enders, said airbus could move its wing—building operation out of the uk. he said it was a "disgrace" that businesses could still not plan for brexit. our business editor simon jack is at the world economic forum in davos, switzerland. certainly strong words from him today? yes, airbus have always been one of the loudest voices in this chorus of warning about the

potential damage a no—deal brexit could do and the outgoing chief executive, tom enders, really matched to the rhetoric today, using words like disgrace. he talked about brexit madness. he's not alone. jaguar land rover have also been pretty vocal and today, they said that they would be joining bmw and honda, who will be shutting down pla nts honda, who will be shutting down plants at the beginning of april in case there is any brexit disruption. the question is we've heard this before, does any of it make any difference? we know that number ten said they were perfectly relaxed about airbus making these comments and that chimes with what i'm hearing from senior government sources who told me that there's been a light bulb moment in theresa may's mind, where she finally gets some of the impact this could have on these finely tuned pan—european supply chains. i think the weather really has changed, liam fox has been out here this week saying don't get too complacent, no deal is still a possibility but it's definitely true that for most of the business leaders here in davos this week they

think the chance of a no—deal brexit is getting less and less likely. simonjack king is getting less and less likely. simon jack king switzerland, is getting less and less likely. simonjack king switzerland, thank you. the head of the trades union congress, frances o'grady, has told the prime minister to "stop playing to the bad boys at the back of the class" over brexit, and "start listening". theresa may is trying to find a compromise with union leaders after her brexit deal was voted down by mps last week. jeremy corbyn is still refusing to hold talks with the prime minister whilst the possibility of a no—deal brexit is on the table, but labour itself is struggling to contain its own divisions on the best way forward. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. look who's come to tea. what will you be saying to the prime minister, mr mccluskey? len mccluskey, union leader, who has never even met the tory theresa may before. but since her deal went down, number ten badly needs help. don't hold your breath. i'm not full of optimism, but is this just a pr stunt for you, for the media, and for you to say that you've consulted with trade union officials?

or is this a genuine attempt to see if we can talk about issues that matter to us? when does labour have to compromise? for me, it's really about the prime minister. she needs to take an initiative, demonstrating she's serious, and opening up proper discussions. number ten is trying to show the unions, mps and you they mean business. a new promise tonight of more protection for new parents they hope that will show the government's mind, as well as the door, is open, but... the prime minister, frankly, has to stop playing to the bad boys at the back of the class. he has a job on his hands, though, to keep labour in step on brexit. a tiny number ofjeremy corbyn‘s mps already back the prime minister's deal. a few more say privately they might in the end, but right now, while leaving without a deal is still a possibility, jeremy corbyn won't even talk to the prime minister about it. what we are calling

for is the government to take no—deal off the table, negotiate seriously with other parties, and with the european union, in order to move in the direction of an agreement, which gives us the customs union, the market access and protection of rights. even though they haven't got the numbers to make it happen, plenty of labour mps and members are on the street, trying to push for another referendum. wes streeting's the mp for ilford north, where the majority voted to leave. i voted to come out. i don't care what anyone says, that's how i feel. if there was another referendum, would you vote leave again? yes, but i hope there isn't, because why should we? do you vote twice for you to get in? i'd like another referendum please. and how did you vote in the last one? i voted out. i voted to leave, honestly, yes. and what would you do now if there was another vote? honestly, i would vote to stay in. i would rather put myjob at risk

by opposing brexit than vote to put my constituents' jobs at risk by supporting it. ask different parts of labour in different parts of the country what to do about brexit, and there are different answers. they are not split from top to bottom like the tories, but both our main parties struggle to stick to a single script. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. meanwhile the queen has spoken today about people coming together to seek out the common ground and never losing sight of the bigger picture. she made the comments at the centenary of the sandringham women's institute in norfolk. our royal correspondent nicholas witchelljoins me. these comments will be seen by many other veiled reference to atmosphere surrounding brexit. yes and i think probably so, actually. it's impossible to imagine that the head of state would have used a construction of words such as this without it being appreciated that they would be seen as a reference to

they would be seen as a reference to the current political debate. she was attending as you say the sandringham women's institute, a meeting that she attends every year celebrating 100 years of it. she said, every generation faces new challenges. as we look for new a nswe i’s challenges. as we look for new answers i preferred the tide and —— tried and tested recipes. then, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view, coming together to seek out the common ground and never losing sight of the bigger picture. these approaches are timeless and i commend them to everyone, she said. now, this of course they further echoed what she said in the christmas broadcast, when we remember that she talked about the need to respect each other‘s points of view. i think there can be little doubt that this is the head of state trying to send a message. nick witchell, thank you. the search has now ended for premier league footballer emiliano sala and his pilot david ibbotson after their plane

vanished over the english channel. the 28—year—old striker was being flown from nantes in france on monday evening to cardiff where he's just signed for the city's football team. but contact was lost off the coast in guernsey in the channel islands. despite an extensive search the plane has not been found. from cardiff, sian lloyd reports. romina sala traveled from argentina to south wales to plead for the search for her brother to continue. the days after he disappeared, she believes that emiliano and the pilot of the plane are still alive. "her brother would not give up," she said. translation: emiliano, my brother, he is a fighter. but within hours of her arrival, the search in the channel islands for the two men had been called off. that decision has been difficult, as you can imagine, not least because there are a huge number of people, both here in the uk, and in france, who have been involved in this search over the last three days. the 28—year—old striker had last spoken to his sister before

boarding the light aircraft from france to cardiff. he told her how much he was looking forward tojoining his new club. the search for your brother has just been called off, what is your message at this stage? translation: i'm asking you, please, don't stop looking for them. it's been three days, and i've still got hope that they're alive. it's terrible, it's desperate not knowing anything. we don't have certainty of anything. emiliano sala signed for cardiff city at the weekend, but has been missing since monday night, along with 59 —year—old david ibbotson, who was piloting the light aircraft. the single—engine plane disappeared off radar, and an extensive search for the coast of the channel islands has been carried out, but there have been no sightings. the argentinian had been a popular player at the french club nantes, where he had been based for four years.

today, the team's captain said that no one there was giving up hope. translation: we ask you to stand in solidarity with us, to be united, and to respect the family, who absolutely refuse to grieve, and continue to believe. the rescue effort may be over, but for romina sala, the search for answers continues. sian lloyd, bbc news, cardiff. the us secretary of state mike pompeo has described the government of venezuela's president nicolas maduro's as "illegitimate" and "undemocratic to the core". he urged latin american governments to recognize the head of venezuela's opposition as interim president instead. juan guaido declared himself acting leader yesterday, during widespread anti—government protests in caracas. but in a phone call to president maduro, russia's president vladimir putin expressed his support, calling for peaceful dialogue in the country. venezuela is in economic free—fall, with hyperinflation and shortages of basic items driving millions of people from the country.

our north america editor jon sopel has this report. last night in caracas, and much like a lot of recent nights in the venezuelan capital, gunfire, violence, protests against the government. a cycle seemingly without end as the economy of this oil—rich country collapses. but there was one crucial difference. it came after mass rallies, as the leader of the national assembly, 35—year—old juan guaido, declared himself the interim president as thousands took to the streets. a move that brought immediate backing from the americans, and demands that nicolas maduro, who has presided over venezuela's economic collapse, steps aside. the regime of former president nicolas maduro is illegitimate. his regime is morally bankrupt. it's economically incompetent and it is profoundly corrupt. in light of these facts, we call on venezuela's security

forces to ensure the protection of interim president guaido's physical integrity and his safety. a number of other latin american countries have followed suit, so too canada. and britain as well, with the foreign secretary in washington today. this regime has done untold damage to the people of venezuela. 10% of the population have left venezuela, such is the misery they are suffering. but in venezuela, defiance from the president. translation: i think there is no doubt in the world that donald trump himself wants to impose a de facto government, unconstitutional, a coup d'etat in venezuela against the people and democracy. there is no doubt. russia, a long—standing ally and supplier of weaponry and economic assistance to the venezuelan government, has warned of the dire consequences if the us intervene. translation: it's another flagrant

interference in the international affairs of sovereign states. as you know there has been several attempts to oust maduro from power, including attempts on his physical liquidation. the president's national security adviser was asked why single out venezuela when there are plenty of other brutal dictators that donald trump doesn't do anything about. the answer came that america has a responsibility, it's in their hemisphere, and it's an issue that donald trump cares deeply about. new sanctions will be targeted at venezuela's oil industry. donald trump says no option is off the table, including a military one. he's made his statement of intent. the world now watches to see how america's commander—in—chief follows through. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. with its huge oil reserves, venezuela should be one of the richest countries in the world. but a collapse in oil prices and economic mismanagement has left much of the population desperately poor. the country's inflation is predicted

to reach 10,000,000% this year. basic goods and food are in short supply. our correspondent vladimir hernandez has been following the crisis in venezuela and has this report. the clean up the day after. when there is chaos at a political level, it is normally followed by chaos on the streets. at least a dozen people we re the streets. at least a dozen people were killed in anti—government protests yesterday. many more, like jesus, were injured. lie last night, a battle broke out between armed local boys on the security forces. they came into the slum and people started shouting at them, saying things like, do you not struggle to get food, too? translation: it was horrible, there were bullets fired, rubber bullets as well, waves of people coming and going. but what is

really going on in this country? i have been several times in the last few years to report on the gravity of the humanitarian crisis. i have met some of those that are the most vulnerable and seen how more and more people are living off the streets. sometimes even chasing rubbish trucks to find something to eat. the venezuelan government took almost full control of the food supply in the last two years. amid claims of mismanagement and a simultaneous crash in oil prices, most supermarkets were left like this. no food. in my last visit to venez, if you months ago, ifound something even more shocking. —— venez. rotten beef is sold here. it smells strong. it has flies all over it. how did it come to this? the government blames us sanctions, but they were imposed after the economy fell into recession. many believe this is the result of an influx of cash, a historic oil revenue, being

badly managed by the ruling party. this is why many venezuelan selected hugo chavez almost 20 years ago, as an alternative to the traditional, widely perceived as corrupt parties. but under him is when things may have started to unravel. today, with international pressure rising, the risk of a popular revolt against president delnext nicolas maduro has never been higher. the man who killed a woman in a speedboat crash on the river thames in 2015 and then fled the country will appear in court in the former soviet republic of georgia tomorrow for an extradition hearing. jack shepherd, from essex, was convicted injuly of the manslaughter of charlotte brown, and sentenced to six years in jail in his absence by a jury at the old bailey. steve rosenberg joins us from the georgian capital, tbilisi. tomorrow, jack shepherd will make his first court appearance in tbilisi. ajudge will

his first court appearance in tbilisi. a judge will decide whether he should remain behind bars. then attention will turn to possible extradition. that is a process that could take weeks, even months. after ten months on the run and 2500 miles from home, jack shepherd had handed himself into georgian police. he'll spend another night in this detention centre, in tbilisi. tomorrow, he's in court and could soon face extradition. his defence lawyer told me that jack shepherd had made a mistake fleeing britain. i'm not saying that somebody forced him to do that. i'm not saying that we have to blame the british justice system. i'm saying it was his decision, yes. but i believe that this was not the right decision. he knows that, he agrees with it. now he wants to do his best to collaborate with the judges. last year, shepherd was convicted of the manslaughter of charlotte brown, on the left, after his speedboat

crashed in the thames. he continues to insist it was a tragic accident. he's been found guilty and convicted of manslaughter. how can someone continue now, still, to be in denial about their reckless actions? a british court had sentenced jack shepherd to six years in prison. now it's the courts in georgia that will decide if he'll be sent home to facejustice. steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the health secretary matt hancock says the rise of drug resistant superbugs is as big a global threat as climate change. under new government plans, the number of prescriptions for antibiotic drugs is to be cut by 15% over the next 5 years. and drug companies are to be given financial incentives to discover new antibiotics. a court injapan has rejected a bail request by the former boss of car giant nissan. carlos ghosn has been in detention since november following allegations of financial misconduct.

lawyers say he could be in custody for months. mr ghosn denies any wrongdoing. the new president of the democratic republic of congo, felix tshisekedi, says he'll free political prisoners and usher in an era of greater freedom. he's succeeded joseph kabila, whose 18 years in office were marked by attacks on opposition supporters. mr tshisekedi had to briefly break off his inaugural address after being taken ill. his spokesman later said his bullet proof vest had been too tight. the mother ofjames bulger — the toddler who was murdered by two ten—year—olds in liverpool in 1993 — says she is disgusted by a new oscar—nominated film about the boys who killed her son. she wants its director vincent lambe to withdraw from the oscars, after his film detainment was nominated for best live action short film. he insists he never intended any disrespect to the family, but won't pull out of the oscars.

colin paterson reports. do you know why we want to talk to you, jon? detainment is a 30—minute drama about the murder of the two—year—old james bulger in liverpool in 1993. it uses the actual transcripts of the police interviews with the two boys who killed him — ten—year—olds robert thompson and jon venables. this week, it was nominated for an oscar. the film's irish director believes it's an important work. the public opinion at the moment now is that those two boys were simply evil, and anybody who says anything different, or gives an alternate reason as to why they did it, or tries to understand why they did it, they get criticised for it. i think we've got a responsibility to try and make sense of what happened. why didn't you tell the bulger family you are making the film? i mean, it's something that we did think long and hard about, and i wanted to meet with them to try to explain, you know, why we made it... this is afterwards?

afterwards, yeah, and also why we didn't get in touch. this was long after it was at screenings and film festivals? yeah, yeah... was that a mistake? so, i do regret not telling them about it sooner. more than 130,000 people have signed a petition, calling for the film to be withdrawn from the oscars. james bulger‘s mother, denise, says the nomination has left her family distraught. seeing the images of actors playing, especiallyjames, it'sjust... it's horrendous. ijust can't get that image out of my head again of him being led away. i think it shouldn't get the oscar. and if he feels that strong about hurting the family, then i think he should pull it himself. the director says that won't be happening. i wouldn't withdraw it from the oscars. it's like saying, you know, should we burn every copy of it, you know? i think it would defeat the purpose of making the film. and whose idea was it to take him?

the controversy has now even started to make headlines in hollywood, where in exactly a months time it could be named an oscar winner. colin paterson, bbc news, dublin. football now, and chelsea will meet manchester city in the english football league cup final at wembley next month. their semifinal game against tottenham ended 2—2 on aggregate and went to penalties. david luiz scoring the decisive kick as chelsea won the penalty shoot out 4—2. artes mundi — it's one of the world's biggest contemporary arts prizes that takes place in cardiff every other year. five artists were shortlisted for the award, which is worth £110,000. and tonight the winner was announced. our arts editor will gompertz reports. the artes mundi prize gives us a snapshot of what's happening in international contemporary art. much of the work is focused on the major issues facing the world today. but does it connect with the audience who are going to have to solve those problems? namely, young people, students such as you guys.

hello. let's go and have a look. ok, then. so, what's the verdict? they are all brilliant pieces of art, and they all bring their own thing to the field. but my favourite was anna boghiguian, hands down. it was just amazing. i really like immersive artwork. anything where you're... you feel more in the middle of it. i thought everyone would vaguely agree on which ones were the ones they got most out of. and actually i found out straightaway from coming in that everyone had a quite strong feelings that were not the same as mine, and definitely not the same as each other's. i liked apichatpong. that work, there was something about that that was sort of subtle and beautiful. very accessible.