four children are killed in a house fire in the middle of the night in stafford. the children were aged between three and eight and died at the scene. their mother and her baby managed to jump to safety along with her partner and are being treated in hospital. our fire investigation team are currently working with colleagues from west midlands fire service and staffordshire police, in order to find out how the fire started, and spread throughout the property. the tragedy has shocked the community. we'll bring you the latest from the scene. also tonight... liam neeson denies he's racist after his comments to promote his new film provoke a media storm. a warning about the impact of pollution on our children — the un says the uk has the highest number suffering from respiratory conditions in europe. theresa may tells business leaders in northern ireland she's confident she can strike a deal to improve the controversial irish backstop. and hmv rises again on the high street after it's bought by a canadian record company. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news,

jose mourinho has to pay £3 million to escape a jail sentence in spain, for tax offences. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. four children, aged between three and eight, have died in a house fire overnight in stafford. their motherjumped from a first floor window with her baby and her partner — their injuries are not life threatening. the local fire and crime commissioner paid tribute to the emergency services and described what's happened as heartbreaking. sima kotecha is in stafford for us now, this is just this isjust a desperate this is just a desperate tragedy, isn't it. well, tonight this community is grieving, the news that

four children died in that fire is understandably proving to be difficult to digest for many here, now the emergency services say they are doing all they can to find out exactly what happened, but for the family of those children, that is little consolation. windows shattered. the inside of the house blackened by the fire that ripped through the upstairs. it happened close to 3am in the highfields area of stafford. eyewitnesses say it sounded like an explosion. four children were killed. eight—year—old riley holt. six—year—old keegan unitt. four—year—old tilly rose unitt. and three—year—old olly unitt. firefighters were faced with very difficult conditions inside the property, due to the severity of the fire. our fire investigation team are currently working with colleagues from west midlands fire service and staffordshire police, in order to find out how the fire started and spread throughout the property. three people managed

to survive the blaze — the children's brother, two—year—old jack, their mother 24—year—old natalie unitt, and her partner, 28—year—old chris moulton. firefighters say they managed to escape byjumping out of an upstairs window. their injuries are not believed to be life—threatening. more than 15 firefighters scrambled to the house to put out the flames. neighbours described the loss of young lives as absolutely heartbreaking. i didn't know until now. i thought they'd all got out. the flames were intense, theyjust went that quick, into the roof. it was coming out the roof in seconds, weren't it. we nt went to the childrens school, across the road. it is devastating. hard to imagine. family members have been

laying flowers at the scene, desperately trying to hold back tea rs, desperately trying to hold back tears, four young lives gone, and a community left shaken, and devastated. the hollywood actor liam neeson has denied he's a racist after finding himself at the centre of a global media storm. in an interview to promote his latest film, he described how — a0 years ago — when someone close to him had been raped by a black man, he then set out to kill any innocent black man in revenge. he says he quickly came to his senses and was appalled by his behaviour and that it was not motivated by racism. this report from our new york correspondent nick bryant contains flashing images. after his explosive comments about rape, revenge and race... mr neeson, are you sorry for what you said? liam neeson arrived at this manhattan television studio, not to make an apology but to offer an explanation. i'm not racist. he admitted to setting out to kill an innocent black man nearly a0 years ago,

after someone close to him was allegedly raped by a black man. would you have had the same reaction if yourfriend had said it was a white man? definitely. if she had said an irish or a scot or a brit or a lithuanian, i know i would have had the same effect. i was trying to... show honour to my — stand up for my dear friend, in this terrible medieval fashion. and i'm a fairly intelligent guy, and that's why it kind of shocked me when i came down—to—earth after having these horrible feelings. luckily, no violence occurred, ever, thanks be to god. what makes you think you can kill a man? promoting his new movie, the theme of which is murderous revenge, the actor had given an interview, telling how he had sought retribution after hearing about the rape. what colour were they?

she said it was a black person. i've been up and down areas with a cosh, hoping i'd by approached by someone. i'm ashamed to say that, and i did it for maybe a week, hoping black (bleep) would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so i could kill him. there's been outrage at those remarks, but not universal condemnation. i'm just shocked. i couldn't believe he would say something like that. i thought he was a good guy. it makes you have a little bit of fear, but we have to push through that and find the love. for liam neeson, today was supposed to be about promoting his new movie, but instead, he's trying to salvage his reputation. the 66—year—old has been one of hollywood's more bankable stars. will he face a backlash

at the box office? nick bryant, bbc news, new york. police officers searching for missing student daniel williams say they've found a body in a lake on the campus of reading university. 19—year—old daniel was last seen leaving a student union bar in the early hours of thursday morning. police say the death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. police in paris believe a fire that engulfed a block of flats during the night killing ten people and injuring at least 30 others was started deliberately. a woman who lives in the apartments — in the south west of the city — has been arrested. 200 firefighters spent more than five hours attempting to bring the fire under control. the prime minister has told an audience in belfast she wants the eu to agree changes to the so—called irish backstop, but suggested she is not seeking to remove it from her brexit

agreement with brussels. the backstop is the agreement to avoid border controls between ireland and northern ireland which some fear could lead to the uk being stuck with eu rules if a trade deal is not agreed. here's our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. it is complicated but you can make anything work, almost anything if you try hard enough. search for any opportunity. so why not a brexit deal? at this firm in belfast, they are saying uncertainty is bad for business, here, and across the uk. and leaving with no—deal could be much worse, especially in northern ireland. we have a lot of traffic goes up and down across the border, we have engineers that travel up and down, if customs are introduced inthat that will slow down our business and make our competitors more attractive. so today mrs may came with words of reassurance, there would be no return to stops and checks on the border, deal or no—deal. and checks on the border, deal or no-deal. northern ireland does not from the to rely on the irish

government or the european union, to prevent a return to borders of the past. the uk government will not let that happen. i will not let that happen. and then this, the prime minister's aim was to change the backstop her dup critics see as a threat to the union, not drop it.|j am not proposing to persuade people to a cce pt am not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesn't contain that insurance policy, for the future, what parliament has said, is they believe there should be changes made to the backstop, and it is in that vain, in that light we are working with politicians in across westminster, of course, across westminster, of course, across the house of commons, but also, will be working with others, with the irish government and the eu. that could mean trouble with brexiteers and the democratic unionist parties, their leader arlene foster looks affable but talks tough. her mps can prop up or vote down a brexit deal and her message get round the backstop or no

dup support. most people voted to remain in northern ireland. businesses, they would support the deal. are you playing a dangerous deal. are you playing a dangerous deal of who blinks first? it is not a game. it's a game of trying to find a long—term relationship with the european union, that works for the european union, that works for the whole of the united kingdom, and of course from a northern ireland point of view, one that doesn't separate us from our main market, which is gb. could britain leave without a deal? well, many believe it could happen. the eu could offer late concessions, some close to mrs may calculate if the brinkmanship goes on long enough rebels could fall into line. if this is a game of who blings first, no—one is blinking yet, the longer it goes on the more how to keep the border working as it does today. that is the problem, blocking a brexit deal. mrs may meets northern ireland's political leaders tomorrow, then, on to

brussels the next day. no clear route to agreement, so little time to find one. as we've heard the prime minister is heading back to brussels on thursday — let's get the latest from our europe editor katya adler. what kind of reception is she likely to get? well, the eu's determined to seem receptive, fiona, the message here from brussels is the prime minister is welcome here, and that the eu is in listening mode. but don't hold your breath for a huge breakthrough this week, because behind closed doors eu leaders are sceptical about this visit. that i worry mrs may will ask for changes to the backstop guarantee on the border she knows the eu will say no to because it said no before. senior sources are telling me they wish ahead of the visit that theresa may comes here, ina more visit that theresa may comes here, in a more realistic mood, that is how they put it. pointing out to what can be changed about this brexit deal that would be acceptable

to both sides, the eu and the uk. and finally, there is a credibility issue, because the eu doesn't belief that the prime minister has a co mforta ble that the prime minister has a comfortable secure majority in parliament back home, so they fear if they give her something right now, she could be back here again in brussels in two weeks' time asking for more, in order to maintain support among mps. they want to avoid that, so in the eu's opinion, this is not the final countdown, this is not the final countdown, this is not in their eyes the moment to budge. "the uk is home to more children suffering from respiratory conditions than anywhere else in europe. the impact of toxic air is undeniable." the verdict of un children's agency who together with the royal college of paediatrics have investigated the effect of air pollution on children in the uk. they've found agreed air pollution limits are persistently breached and that's left children in the grip of what they're calling a public health emergency. our environment correspondent claire marshall has the details.

iam i am worried about the fumes. this is the school run for ella and her children. through the centre of bristol. jay's seizures began three months after he started school and had to start making this journey. he has been to hospital seven times over the last three years. joining them on the walk, ella told me it mostly happens after he has been breathing polluted air, that there is a connection. you could suffocate. lily's chest infections are so suffocate. lily's chest infections are so bad she is having to have chest x—rays. ella feels their situation now has to change. my two children are reacting seriously to this. this is like not a messing about matter. just sort it out. our

children are suffocating. and i can't cope with it much longer. in today's report, leading health professionals urge the government to put children's health at the heart of its anti—pollution strategy. put children's health at the heart of its anti-pollution strategy. we are very concerned. air pollution for these young children is a public health disaster, it affects their lung growth, causes asthma, all of these things have implications in childhood but going through to adult life. ella's death has brought a face to the horror of pollution, she lived beside one of busiest roads in london. she died after a spike in illegal levels of pollution. she could be the first person to have pollution listed as a cause of death. it is still very hard to make a direct link between exhaust fumes and a specific health problem, there

isa and a specific health problem, there is a disconnect, and according to the report the public aren't being told enough about the dangers, some schools are taking matters into their own hands. this primary is on a busy road. it got a grant to put up a busy road. it got a grant to put up screens a busy road. it got a grant to put up screens and it is running events. while doing pe you need to get outside to get fresh air, if there is pollution round you where are you going to get it. if everyone in the country used the public transport more, then, iwould have a big impact on the amount of air pollution going into schools play grounds. the government says it is doing all it can, while bristol city council set itself ambitious targets and says more funding is needed. the time is 6:15pm. our top story this evening. four children have been killed in a house fire overnight in stafford. still to come... amid concerns about cuts to key services, mps are to vote tonight on funding for england's councils.

and coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news, a six nations setback for england. maro itoje is going to be missing for their next two matches because of a knee injury. more than a week since the collapse of a dam in brazil, the death toll stands at 134 with 199 people still missing. those who survived are trying to piece together what happened to their loved ones. our south america correspondent katy watson has been to the site of the disaster in brumadinho, south—eastern brazil to talk to one woman who's lost six members of her family and another who had the narrowest of escapes. when the dam broke there was little hope for those in the path of the deluge that followed. panic, as drivers struggle to save themselves.

les was driving one of the trucks that day. it sounded like an explosion, but he soon realised what had happened. translation: we saw the water coming and we said run, the water coming and we said run, the dam has burst. you can see my truck moving from one side to the other on the video. there was no way out. we asked god to protect us, even though it was staring us in the face. they survived on this was the aftermath. his pick—up was like a grain of sand tossed about in the chaos, he told us. this is one derley searching for his brothers. this is their overturned truck. translation: my world has ended. this is their overturned truck. translation: my world has endedlj know translation: my world has ended.” know i won't find him here, but if we are not on top of the search the authorities. looking. but in this light the recovery effort is slow. there has been lots of rain in the

last 2a hours on these firefighters are returning to areas, hoping with the extra waters it might have displaced the mode and they can recover more bodies. —— the mud. every so often they find something. a body bag is flown back to waiting families. the events of this past week are still hard to process for this woman. she was to become a grandmother. when the dam collapsed, the dream ended. her daughter, son and pregnant daughter—in—law were killed when a wall of sludge slammed into the hotel they were staying in. her ex—husband and his wife died with them. she spells out the initials of her children, relatives and unborn baby, lorenzo. translation: and they were

thrown, i don't know where. they died from cranial trauma and asphyxia. that was the coroner's verdict. i do not know if it was a slower rate quick death. the family's morning is made harder because they have not found all of the body yet. in the distance, the search goes on. katie watson, bbc news, brumadinho. work has begun to bring the wreckage of the light aircraft which had been carrying the footballer emiliano sala and pilot david ibbotson off the seabed and up to the surface. the fuselage, which was discovered on sunday, is at a depth or more than 60 metres. sian lloyd is in guernsey, from where the search has been conducted. air accident investigators have been using underwater vehicles to survey the wreckage today. yesterday, they confirmed that their cameras had identified that there is a body within the fuselage, and this is a very sensitive operation and the

families of the two men have been consulted before any of this recovery work began. the team are planning on recovering the body first before attempting to move the wreckage of the plane. it's a complex operation and could take a matter of days because they have only a narrow window, really, in which to work because of the tides, currents, and the weather conditions out at sea. if they are successful and they are able to bring the wreckage to the surface, they will ta ke wreckage to the surface, they will take it to a uk port and from then, onto a base where it will be thoroughly examined as part of this ongoing investigation. sian, thank you. the home secretary has apologised to a woman who told the bbc she was denied the right to work, despite living in the uk for 35 years. willow sims, who's originally from the united states, said she was wrongly turned away from the windrush scheme, which is supposed to help people prove their status. sajid javid says she is now getting the help she needs. jose mourinho has been sentenced to

a year in prison for tax fraud in spain, but will not serve prison time. he accepted the deal into a widespread investigation into tax evasion by authorities and to top footballers. he will pay £i.7 million as a fine. mps are due to vote this evening on the amount of money councils in england receive from central government. ministers say an extra £i.3 ministers say an extra £1.3 billion will be available to spend on social ca re will be available to spend on social care and roads, but the government association says there is a funding gap of almost £3 billion. many councils say they are having to cut key services as a result. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been to see the impact in surrey. first thing in farnham and its school time for qian, and he has autism and adhd and is attending a

special school. can you get your shoes on? getting enough support has been a battle for his mother eliseu and now she is part of a group of pa rents and now she is part of a group of parents involved in a legal challenge over the surrey county council plan to cut millions from its budget for special educational needs. it's not asking for violin lessons, this is asking for speech and language to enable them to communicate and that is fundamental. ifa communicate and that is fundamental. if a child cannot communicate they are not part of society. not far away, in reigate, another group of mothers is fighting for a different service. 31 children centres in surrey are due to close, places these parents have relied on. we've re ce ntly these parents have relied on. we've recently had a bereavement and it was her twin brother that died, and it was very difficult for us, and because it was such an inclusive and warm and comfortable environment and the staff was so amazing, they made me feel comfortable and i could start getting out and about more, which meant i was a better mother.

having somewhere you can go and talk to other people who are going through the same struggles are due. i don't know what i would have done without it. in surrey, the county councils says it has to make hard choices. local authorities across england, the granta gets from government has reduced in recent yea rs government has reduced in recent years but demand for crucial services has grown —— the grant it gets. the government has given council some extra money particularly with health and social care, and some are allowed to keep more of what they collect in business rates and many are putting up business rates and many are putting up council tax by as much as they are allowed, but most say a long—term funding solution is needed. it is something the government is looking at. we said at the conservative conference last year that austerity is coming to an end because of some of those really tough calls councils had to make, and we should look more positively towards the new spending review. we provide support, advice, parenting. backin provide support, advice, parenting. back in surrey, any future spending

sees far off for any services struggling now and the conservative council says its targeting support where it is most needed, but even this children centre where it is staying open says it will face pressures . staying open says it will face pressures. we are bursting at the seams in this one building. if we have more families to look after, we are have more families to look after, we a re really have more families to look after, we are really struggling to know how we will meet the need. meeting need and balancing budgets has been a challenge for councils across the country. many are hoping the extra funding they have got from government this year signals a change of tune. alex forsyth, bbc news, surrey. the music chain hmv, which collapsed in december, has been saved by a canadian record company. sunrise records says hmv has a bright future and will buy 100 stores but 27 will close including the flagship store in london's oxford street. the new owners say they'll be listening to what their customers want including including a greater selection of vinyl records. lizo mzimba has the details. lunchtime, a quick dip in the record

shop. for decades, hmv stores have been a huge part of life for music fa ns been a huge part of life for music fans and for some of music's biggest artists. now, while 100 fans and for some of music's biggest artists. now, while100 stores have been saved, 27 are being shut down, including the one where it all started almost 100 years ago in london's oxford street. the perhaps inevitable consonant —— consequence ofa inevitable consonant —— consequence of a music loving public who like shopping in person, but also embrace consuming music online.” shopping in person, but also embrace consuming music online. i do occasionally look online and if something is way cheaper i will get it there probably, but i prefer to go intoa it there probably, but i prefer to go into a shop. people ordering online and streaming, really there are still a crowd of people who want to come and browse. we rely on so many other pink —— things, we stream films and music, and they have to find a business model to survive. enter doug putnam, owner of canadian

retailer, sunrise records, hmv‘s new owners. we took over 80 odd stores in canada almost two and a half yea rs in canada almost two and a half years ago and they are doing strong, doing well, profitable and we see hmv continuing on in the uk for a long time. the challenges are significant. hmv once made its money from huge sales of cds and games, all of which have been plummeting, year on year. at the same time, like so many high street stores, they say they are being hit by unsustainable rent levels. but, even though many stores including perhaps this one, their flagship, stores including perhaps this one, theirflagship, are closing, they are still confident that hmv can exist up and down the country through to its centenary in 2021 and beyond. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. we have some mild but unsettled weather through the rest of the week

and for many parts of the country todayit and for many parts of the country today it was quite a poor day, starting with frost then fog around and staying grey and gloomy all day. and there has been some rain around as well. more recently in the north—east of england where temperatures were only three or 4 degrees under mild air took time to reach the eastern side of the uk. we have this cloud streaming in from the atlantic which has brought rain many parts of the country and there is more to come this evening. still some heavy bursts across northern areas but that will push southeast for a while and we have clear skies following behind and a few showers towards the north—west. enough of a breeze, despite clearing skies, to keep temperatures falling to low, but close to freezing in rural scotla nd but close to freezing in rural scotland and it will be mild across southern england and east anglia stop there will be more cloud overnight and it will be close by on wednesday and it threatens to bring in more rain in the south—east during the afternoon. at the same time we will see bands of showers

into northern ireland and western scotland, which could be heavy, but in between sunshine and temperatures are in between sunshine and temperatures a re pretty in between sunshine and temperatures are pretty good, certainly better than today across eastern scotland and much of eastern england as well. these area starting with cloud and rain on thursday. it should move away out into the north sea followed by sunny spells. there will be showers pushing on the westerly wind, heavy, thundery ones in western scotland, but sunny spells and dry in the afternoon in eastern scotland, the midlands and eastern england, but perhaps cooler heading into thursday. beyond that, things getting wilder. we have an area of low pressure steaming towards the uk and it is deepening, so the winds will be strengthening. as we head towards the end of the week it will be mild, but much windier. the strongest winds are likely to be across england and wales. the higher gusts of more across western parts of england and wales, but for all of us of england and wales, but for all of us there will be rain at times. a reminder of our top story. four children have been killed in a

house fire overnight in stafford. an investigation is under way into what caused the fire. that's all from the bbc news at six , so it's goodbye from me , and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, our headlines. for children have died in a house fire in stafford. tributes to the young victims have been posted on social media. a police described the scene as heartbreaking. the prime minister pledges to secure a brexit deal that ensures no hard border between northern ireland and the republic.