this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. former scottish first minster alex salmond appears in court charged with a number of counts including attempted rape — he denies all charges. lam i am innocent of any criminality whatsoever. police in england and wales say there's been a steep rise in the number of violent crimes, including knife crime. translation: i'm asking you, please, don't stop looking for them. it has been three days and i still have hope they relied. —— they are alive. russia and america are drawn in to venezuela's political crisis, amid widespread protests against the president. the queen urges unity as she celebrates the centenary and fears that an entire sea in the

antarctic is being swallowed up by the atlantic ocean. as a result of climate change. and at 11.30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers asa bennett and nicola bartlett — stay with us for that. 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, 9 sexual assaults, 2 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 sent this report from edinburgh. 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 of iii 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. the first minister nicola sturgeon and the rest of the scottish political establishment are clearly rocked by the charges against a former first minister. well, i know this will be a shock to many people, but as police scotland have said today, these are now live 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.

for the nextieulmontbsl 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 homes 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 ifeel 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! 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, 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 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 witchell is here. nick, her comments will be seen by many as a veiled reference to the atmosphere surrounding brexit. yes and i think rightly so. you do

not use a construction of words such as that within the context of the political debate at the moment without knowing that it is bound to be interpreted as a reference to that brexit debate. that prompts you to wonder whether it hasn't been done deliberately. and i suspect bubbly it has. she was speaking, as you mentioned, to the sandringham branch of the women's institute which is celebrating its centenary. she attends a meeting their every january but this issue decided to make a speech and she spoke about how every generation faces a new challenge as we look for new a nswe i’s. challenge as we look for new answers. she said she prefers tried and tested recipes. that is all very rough and straightforward. then she says might like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view, an echo of error of her christmas broadcast. she went on... and also coming together to

seek out common ground and never losing sight of the bigger picture. these approaches are timeless and i commend them to everyone. now that isa commend them to everyone. now that is a weighty message to deliver to a local branch of the women's institute. which leads one to suspect, as i say, that this was intended for a much wider audience. 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. airbus have always been one of the loudest voices in this chorus of warning about the potential damage a no deal brexit could do. the outgoing chief executive was

ratcheting up the rhetoric today with words like disgrace. he spoke about brexit madness. he is not alone. jaguar land rover have also been vocal and today they said that they would bejoining bmw been vocal and today they said that they would be joining bmw and been vocal and today they said that they would bejoining bmw and honda who will shut down plants at the beginning of april, in case there is any brexit disruption. this is, we have heard this before and doesn't make any difference? we know the number 10 say they are perfectly relaxed about airbus making these comments and that chimes with what i am hearing from sources to tell me that there has been a light bulb moment in theresa may's mind when she finally understand some of the impact this will have on this finely tuned supply chain. liam fox has been out here this week saying do not get too complacent. no deal is still a possibility. but it is definitely true that most of the business leaders here this week, they think a chance of a no deal brexit is getting less and less likely. 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. this fifi 1951 m 1” 55 5551155 “55 55m '5 5555 555 the. prime. minister. frankly. ' ' ti 1;: 3:5: : ::;:i:—:::g:j, 7,721.2, 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. 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. 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 over 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 of her brother to continue. the days after he disappeared, she believes that emiliano and the pilot of the plane are still alive. —— three days.

"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 off 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 with 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. the headlines on bbc news: former scottish first minster alex salmond appears in court

charged with a number of counts including attempted rape. he denies all charges. police in england and wales say there's been a steep rise in the number of violent crimes, including knife crime. and the sister of premier league footballer emiliano sala has begged rescuers not to give up hope, as they call off the search for his plane missing in the english channel. 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 goverments to recognize the head of venezuela's opposition, juan guaido, as interim president instead. 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 freefall 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. 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 is 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 that population have left venezuela, such is the misery they are suffering. but in venezuela, defiance from the president. translation: various 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 intervened. translation: the dire consequences if the us intervened. translatiosz the dire consequences if the us intervened. translation: it is another flagrant interference into international affairs of a sovereign state. as you know that have been several attempts to oust maduro from power including attempts of his physical liquidation. the president's national security advisor was asked why single out venezuela when there are plenty of other brutal dictators that donald trump doesn't do anything about. the a nswer trump doesn't do anything about. the answer came that america has a responsibility, it is in their hemisphere and it is 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 has made his statement of intent. table including a military one. he has world his statement of intent. table including a military one. he has world ntgasstatement c see ant. table including a military one. he has world ntgasstatement c see how ‘ in ‘ follows 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 ten million per cent 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, that is normally followed by chaos on the streets. at least a dozen people were killed in anti—government protests yesterday. many more, likejesus, were injured. translation: 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, too,

over here and there, waves of people coming and going. but what is really going on in this country? i have been several times in the last two 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. but amidst claims of mismanagement and a simultaneous crash in oil prices, most supermarkets were left like this. no food. in my last visit to venezuela a few months ago, i found something even more shocking. rotten beef is also sold here in this market. it smells strong. it has got 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 instead that this is the result of an influx of cash, a historic oil revenue, being badly

managed by the ruling party. this is why many venezuelans elected hugo chavez almost 20 years ago as an alternative to the traditional but 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 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 sent this report from the georgian capital tbilisi. after ten months on the run, and 2,500 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 just 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 face justice. scientists meeting in norway are warning that climate change is redrawing the map of the arctic. in what researchers claim is the first sign of a major modern climatic shift, they say the barents sea, which has been part of the arctic ocean for 12,000 years, is being swallowed by the atlantic. from the norwegian arctic, our environment analyst roger harrabin reports. sea ice, formed in the high arctic, it helps create a cold, fresh surface layer that acts as a cap on warm, salty waters beneath. but with climate change there is less sea ice getting to norway's barrett c. the

north barents sea has been dominated for 12,000 years by sea ice flowing down from the high arctic. but now that flow is diminishing and the character of the sea is changing fast. soon researchers say the region will have no sea ice at all. so it will no longer be part of the arctic. we have had arctic here the last 4000 years, we are probably witnessing the first modern advance of rapid climate change where the arctic shrinks in response to global warning. scientists say the barents sea could have actively become part of the atlantic in as little as a decade. let's imagine this is the north barents sea. this blue layer represents the cold, fresh water flowing in from the high arctic. it is forming a cap on this layer of clear, warm, salty water coming in from the atlantic. but now the high

arctic is changing, look is what is happening. we are going to use this to give you a very simplistic demonstration. that, in a sense, is what's happening. and it is having a profound effect. research from ships over 50 years in the barents sea shows that the cold surface layer has been steadily mixing with the warmer layer beneath. the more it mixes, the warmer it gets. and the warmer it gets, the more it mixes. but what does the warming mean for creatures that live in the barents sea? lisjorgensen says species like this brittle star could struggle to survive in warmer waters. these creatures may also be sensitive to warmth. it is a snail giving a piggy back to an anemone. this sea slug loves cold water, too. so does this remarkable squid. if too many species are lost to the ecosystem, no—one knows what will happen.

everything is depending on each other. so, if you pop the ecosystem in one place, there will be a cascade of effect all through the ecosystem. this is a special part of the world where the sun is just returning after a two—month absence. the profound changes here may be influencing the uk's weather. scientists can't be sure yet. but they say they are struggling to keep up with the human impact on the planet. now it's time for the weather with nick miller. hello. after what has been the cold est hello. after what has been the coldest week of winter so far we are going to end it with a mild blip that takes us into the start of the weekend as the air coming into the uk actually a originates from the south of us around an area of high pressure, so temperatures are going to be heading up. now i could just

leave it like that, but i am going to be cruel and move this little further forward, the second to be cruel and move this little furtherforward, the second half to be cruel and move this little further forward, the second half of the weekend noticed these winds changing once again. we are back down to a north — north—westerly, it will feel much colder again by sunday. this is we start friday and actually overnight temperatures have risen and it is a mild feel to start the day. the best of any sunny spells will be down the eastern side of scotla nd spells will be down the eastern side of scotland and eastern england. for most it is a cloudy day with some patchy rain but away from northern scotland, look how temperatures have bounced back into double figures. we haven't had that so widely for quite awhile. as we go on through friday evening and night it looks like rain peps up evening and night it looks like rain peps up across northern scotland, cloud around, patchy rain elsewhere, and temperatures not going down too far. so most of us will avoid a frost, a mild night saturday morning. and then on saturday we are waiting for something were to come our way. it is in northern scotland in fact with cold air in the north of scotla nd in fact with cold air in the north of scotland likely to see some snow may be not just of scotland likely to see some snow may be notjust on hills, whereas

elsewhere some rain moves across northern ireland, slowly reaching western scotland, wales, westernmost england, to the east of that increasing cloud and staying dry. it is another mild day away from northern scotland. as we saw earlier thatis northern scotland. as we saw earlier that is all about to change going into pa rt that is all about to change going into part two of the weekend. low pressure will move across the uk, sweeping that rain east on saturday night. on sunday it is still close by so it's still going to be showery. as we change the wind direction to a northerly some of the showers will be wintry, that means there will be some snow, maybe not just on hills, scotland, northern ireland, northern england, maybe feeding further southwards as we go into sunday night. so that is the cold wind direction, gusts are going to be stronger by the way as well, so it is a windy day on sunday. this is what it will say on