instagram vows to remove all graphic images of self—harm following the death of a teenager who took her own life. 14—year—old molly russell killed herself after viewing images of suicide and self—harm on instagram. the company's boss says such images will now be taken down. we were not as focused as we should have been on the risks that came along with the connecting so many people. that's a lesson that i think we've learned over the last few years. we'll be asking how soon changes can be made. also on tonight's programme, no mobile phones at mealtimes or bedtime — parents are given the first official advice on limiting their children's screen time. the prime minister returns from brussels with the promise of more talks — but there's no brexit breakthrough in sight says the eu. the bank of england warns the uk economy will grow at its slowest rate for a decade blaming brexit uncertainty and a global slowdown. police investigating the disappearance of hull university student, libby squire, have arrested a man on suspicion of abduction. and all british horse racing

is cancelled for at least six days after an outbreak of equine flu. and coming up on bbc news — the premier league vows to do more to combat racism amid claims there's no coordination in football to eradicate the issue. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the boss of instagram says all graphic images of self—harm will be removed from the social media platform — following the death of 14—year—old molly russell. the teenager took her own life in 2017 after viewing images of suicide and self—harm. her parents told the bbc that instagram was partly to blame for their daughter's death.

today, adam mosseri admitted that the company was not where it needed to be on issues of self—harm and suicide but he said it would take some time to remove all such material. he's been talking to our correspondent angus crawford, who first highlighted molly's story. i've seen videos, i've seen pictures. nothing's blocked, nothing's blurred. i haven't seen anything blurred. meet grace, lucy, sharmie and julia. if you're searching, you are then suddenly guided to how to commit suicide, how to hang yourself, how to tie a noose. horrified by molly's story, and spurred into action, though their own families haven't been affected. this week, each set up a brand—new account. i suddenly started to get suggested accounts to follow. so, suddenly ijust followed one or two, and then instagram was saying, oh, you're interested in self—harm,

would you like to follow these accounts that are also about self—harm? they're putting in the newspapers that they're doing something about it, and yet actually they're not. and they have a message for the head of instagram. you can still go and read how to kill yourself successfully and you need to take a stand and you need to do something now. not look at it and leave it for months. you need to do something now because our children are dying and you have a moral responsibility. so, that's what a proportion of british society now feels about your platform. i mean, it's powerful, it's heavy stuff. i think we have an immense amount of responsibility. i think that it's clear we are not yet where we need to be on the issues of self—harm and suicide. because the concern from some of those mothers, and others, in effect, instagram, in the words of molly russell's father, has been monetising misery. we're not looking to monetise misery. we looking to connect people with their friends and their interests

that they love and care about. we think that we create a lot of good in the world and we were not as focused as we should have been on the risks that came along with connecting so many people. but, moving forward, we are going to change our policy to not allow any graphic images of self—harm, whether or not it is admission or promotion. so you're going to take all self—harm images off of instagram? graphic self—harm images, yes. so i might have an image of a scar where i say i'm 30 days clean, and that's an important way for me to show my story. that sort of content can still live on the site, but actually the next change is it won't show up in any recommendation services, so will be harder to find, it won't be in search, it won't be in hashtags, it won't be in recommendations. but graphic imagery we're going to take off instagram entirely. that's going to take some time, but we are committed to doing it. so in six months' time, if we go back to these mothers, get them to look again and they find similar content, will you resign? in six months' time,

if it's as easy for them to find problematic content as they have, then i will have done a poorjob at living up to my responsibility. and will you resign? i will certainly have a long thought about how well i'm doing in the role that i'm in. she said if i get over 2,000 likes, i will cut myself on a live feed. any success won't be measured in the boardroom or even parliament, but in homes and by families across the uk. angus crawford, bbc news. if you're upset about any of the issues raised in molly's story and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline or you can call for free at any time to hear recorded information 0800 066 066. well, the promise from instagram comes on the same day as the uk's most senior medical advisers issued their first official advice for parents about screentime. they say children should be stopped from using mobile phones at meal times and devices should be kept out of their bedrooms at night. children should also go

no more than two hours without taking a break from screen—based activities. our health editor hugh pym reports. on average, i spend around three hours a day online, looking at a mixture of social media, entertainment, watching tv or tv series, and also using it for my homework. about two hours, and i spend on snapchat, instagram and social media, looking at my friends' photos. i use maybe half—an—hour each day, maybe looking up stats or watching youtube. schoolkids tell us what they think about social media and using their screens. here, they're taking part in workshops on internet safety, including storytelling. he started clicking on everything that popped up on her screen. hoping for an upgrade, till it came to the point where she never read anything. just clicked 0k. we took two of the pupils at the conference to meet england's chief medical officer, to talk about the new guidelines. how do you advise families, putting

these recommendations into use? not taking your phone or smart device to the meal table is not a bad thing because then you've either got to talk about the food or something. so it's a way of improving interaction that helps development. no phones at bed time and regular screen breaks are also part of the new advice. the boy was curious and bored, and decided to create a social media account. he lied about his age, as he was only nine. however, he kept this a secret. ensuring that children don't lie about their age when they sign up for social media sites is essential according to the chief medical officer. she wants to see the technology companies invest whatever‘s needed to bar those who are under 13. i don't accept that age verification isn't possible. it may require some investment, in order to do it effectively. but they have to come up with a proposal and they have to fund it. so, what's the reaction

to all these guidelines? well, i think it is necessary but it will be difficult to enforce. unless you get the parents on board, so they are enforcing it within the household, it will be kind of a difficult thing to do. the report says the internet can do a lot of good for children when they're learning. the message is, precautions taken now will minimise risks in future. hugh pym, bbc news. the prime minister has been meeting senior eu officials in brussels as she tries to find a way forward for brexit. theresa may is seeking legally binding changes to the backstop — the insurance policy to avoid a return of border checks in ireland. she said she rebuked eu council president donald tusk over his "special place in hell" remark yesterday — aimed at those who backed brexit without a specific plan — calling those comments "not helpful". today he said there was no breakthrough in sight.

our political editor laura kuenssberg reports from brussels. the prime minister is well used to unexpected obstacles being thrown in her path. an anti—brexit protester, bundled away from her motorcade in brussels. after mps kicked out the deal she reached with the eu, her only choice is to try to keep going. here to plead with the eu for changes, knowing already they'd say no. we must secure legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement to deal with the concerns that parliament has over the backstop. and taking changes to the backstop together with the other work we're doing on workers' rights and other issues will deliver stable majority in parliament. the european union very firmly keeps saying no. donald tusk said some of your colleagues should be "sent to hell" in the end yesterday. aren't you stuck in some sort of purgatory? i've raised with president tusk the language he used yesterday, which was not helpful, and caused

widespread dismay in the united kingdom. the point i made to him is that we should both be working to ensure that we can deliver a close relationship between the united kingdom and the european union in the future, and that's what he should be focusing on. behind closed doors, of course, both sides hope there can be a deal. they want this to work. but look at how her expression changes, once in front of the public. as a cabinet minister said, this situation is grim. theresa may wants to change the deal they shook hands on before christmas because it can't get past mps. that's down to the so—called backstop, that guarantee against a hard border in ireland. brussels's top brass say no breakthrough. the eu 27 will not reopen the withdrawal agreement. the discussion was robust but constructive. despite the challenges, the two leaders agreed that their teams should hold talks. so, negotiations are back on. there'll be many more

handshakes and hellos. but if brexiteers at home believe there'll be a darewell to the backstop, well... mrs may today in the meeting assured us that there will be a backstop. but is the way out of the hole back at home? labour's infuriated many of its own side by showing willing, publishing five demands for the deal. legal promises on security, the single market, free trade area, customs and workers' rights. jeremy corbyn‘s not about to sign up for the deal. he too wants to talk. a lot of our manufacturing industries are very frightened and very worried at the moment that on the 29th of march, there'll be a cliff edge. there cannot be a cliff edge. we will do everything we can in parliament to prevent this cliff edge exit. so, now labour says it wants to compromise, the eu wants to keep talking.

but the truth is, theresa may at the moment won't budge to make the opposition. the eu shows little sign of moving to meet her. so, as the clock goes down, the pressure on the prime minister goes up and up. and although just keeping going doesn't sound a cunning strategy, right now, perhaps, it's the only one she's got. all along, this has been a process of small, tricky, forward moves. a grand finale could be a long wait yet. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels. did anything change today? not in terms of substance, both sides took up terms of substance, both sides took up their well rehearsed entrenched positions. the prime minister's main declared aim today was to get legally binding changes to the backstop guarantee on the irish border and the eu once again said no, that the withdrawal agreement,

signed off by the prime minister in november, which contains the text on the backstop, could not and would not be reopened. and an eu official close to today's talks told me the prime minister didn't put any concrete proposal on the table today as to how she saw agreement going forward. and in stark contrast, there was extreme excitement in the eu side about a proposal put forward byjeremy corbyn to try and find cross— party byjeremy corbyn to try and find cross—party support in westminster for a softer brexit, no surprise there. the prime minister's plan may be to try and run down the clock in order to get some last minute concessions. a new round of negotiations have been announced at the end of the month, kicking the can down the road. but if anyone is looking for concessions it's the eu too. europe editor, katya adler, thank you. the bank of england has warned that it expects the uk economy to grow at its slowest rate for a decade.

it revised its growth forecast for this year from 1.7 to i.2%. the bank's governor mark carney blamed uncertainty over the uk's departure from the eu, what he called the fog of brexit, as well as a global slowdown. here's our economics correspondent darshini david. tell us why you came back to birmingham. i have a lot of history here, to be honest. livvie is one of the record 32.5 million people in work. but, like many, she's not having easy time. not having an easy time. i don't even make 12 grand a year. i do have tips, which obviously helps. but without sounding dramatic, it's exhausting. it is. i constantly count my pennies, constantly trying to work out... it's really hard work. she is hoping for a betterfuture. but the governor of the bank of england doesn't have good news. the outlook for growth and inflation also depends heavily on the extent to which brexit uncertainties evolve.

uncertainty about the outcome of negotiations obviously has intensified since november, and it's now weighing more heavily on activity, predominantly through lower business investment and tighter financial conditions. when you look at the heightened uncertainty, it does suggest potentially quite a big knock on growth this year and next. how could that impact on households too? that uncertainty is affecting the economy at present. we see it across—the—board in businesses. we are starting to see it creep into the housing market, and we're seeing it in household spending. since the dip of the financial crisis, the economy has been expanding at a pretty decent rate. now, the bank says even if a brexit deal is struck, 2019 could see the weakest growth in a decade, before a pick—up. ten years ago this week, the bank of england cut interest rates to just 1%, to deal with the financial crisis. the fact they haven't been back above that level since is a sign of how fragile prosperity has been.

now, the bank says growth could be slowing even further, thanks to prolonged uncertainty over brexit, and weaker demand from places like europe. in fact, it thinks there is a one in four chance the economy could actually shrink by the autumn. brexit is only part of the story. so, we are operating in a global economic environment where china is slowing down, where the us has been soft on interest rate policy. so has australia, so has canada, so has india. and there are a lot of uncertainties out there. but a disruptive brexit could be the biggest headache for business and the bank of england. it may have to choose between raising interest rates to keep a lid on prices or cutting them to protect spending and jobs. dharshini david, bbc news. the time is 6.17pm. our top story this evening. instagram vows to remove all graphic images of self—harm following the death of teenager

molly russell who took her own life. and still to come, why energy bills for 15 million households will rise this april. coming up on sportsday on bbc news — more on the suspension of horse racing in great britain. we'll find out more about equine flu and what it could mean for cheltenham festival and the sport in general. british horse racing has been cancelled for at least six days, after an outbreak of equine flu. three vaccinated racehorses at a training yard in cheshire have tested positive for the disease. there are fears the highly contagious virus — which is not life threatening — may have spread after some of the horses raced yesterday. now there are concerns about the impact it could have on next month's cheltenham festival as our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. it was supposed to be race day here at doncaster, but not a horse, not a punter

onside. all fixtures off after it emerged that three runners yesterday at ayr and ludlow had tested positive for the equine flu. leaving a worried sport searching for a nswe i’s. a worried sport searching for answers. we have it as an absolute priority to ensure we are focusing on the long—term consequences of any outbreak, and that is why we have acted so swiftly today to mitigate the risk of this having knock—on effects over the coming days, weeks and so on. today's cancellations, though, arejust and so on. today's cancellations, though, are just the start. the authorities say there will be no racing until at least wednesday next week, one of britain's biggest sports forced into shutdown. and next month, remember, is its

showpiece, the cheltenham festival, worth millions to the industry, so containing this disease is also a race against time. the coughing makes it very infectious, so it's going to spread rapidly between horses. so we're looking for that combination of signs. high—temperature, coughing, runny noses, much like the human flu vaccine, it is helpful but not 100% effective u nfortu nately. vaccine, it is helpful but not 100% effective unfortunately. for now, then, this most unpredictable of sports is facing its own uncertain future. andy swiss, bbc news, doncaster. police investigating the disappearance of the hull university student, libby squire, have arrested a 24—year—old man on suspicion of abduction. libby squire, who's 21, has been missing since last friday. our correspondent danny savage is in hull this evening. what more can you tell us? sophie, libby squire was last seen a week ago tonight, sitting on a bench by the roadsidejust ago tonight, sitting on a bench by the roadside just the other side of that traffic light junction behind me. a motorist stopped to check on

her because they were concerned about her welfare at the time. she was last seen about 11:40pm thursday night last, and then vanished at about ten past midnight. so a week on, this electronic billboard behind me will be driven around the area in a bid tojog people's memories. leaflets will be handed out as well. one other development, that 24—year—old man who was arrested at a house about half a mile from here from where libby was last seen, is still being questioned by detectives. she has been arrested on —— he has been arrested on suspicion of abduction in connection with this enquiry. police have until tonight to ask extra question time —— to ask for a return to question him. police officers are still searching parks, a river bank and a pond as well. this is still a very broad investigation but a week on, still no sign of libby squire. millions of households will see a 10% rise

in energy bills from april, after the energy regulator, ofgem, raised the cap on what suppliers are allowed to charge. the increase comes only a month after the cap on their most expensive rates was brought in. the typical customer will pay an extra £117 a year, with the blame being put on rising wholesale prices. here's our personal finance correspondent, simon gompertz. cooking, lighting, heating. you can't avoid paying for it, butjackie, from south manchester, thought the price cap on standard variable tariffs would protect her from increases. now, she finds, it doesn't. in my mind, if somebodyjust says to me we are capping your price, i would think, well, that's great, i don't have to worry about it, i don't have to think about it. but it isn't, is it? it's untrue. the danger in a price cap is that it creates a false sense of security. it does stop the worst increases, but prices can still go up, and that leaves millions, like jackie, facing a surprise hike in their bills. the maximum annual bill for the average energy user will go

up to £1,254 a year, that's for people on the standard rate. it's an increase of £117, causing worries in this area about coping with higher prices. it's ridiculous, theyjust keep on and on with this. it'sjust crazy, you know? and this changing your supplier all the time, we shouldn't have to be doing that. we spend a ridiculous amount, to the point where we were struggling at one point, we couldn't even afford it, could we? no... ..because of that, but i don't think they should put it up. they ask, are they having to pay more to protect the profits of the big suppliers? we are not protecting suppliers. the cost is driven by an increase in the wholesale price of energy, which, i'm afraid, we have to pass through. i know no customer likes a price rise, but i can assure them that there is no profiteering by any company. so how to get the costs down? ofgem says savings of £200 a year are for the taking, if you shop around, which jackie

will do, before the higher price cap comes in. simon gompertz, bbc news, manchester. a body seen in the wreckage of the plane carrying an inquest has found that neglect by a mental health charity contribute to the death of a 19—year—old woman. sophie bennett who had identified 16 failures by the charity which ran lancaster lodge in surrey. an 80—year—old man with motor neurone disease, who took his own life at the swiss clinic dignitas this morning, has left an open letter to mps calling for a change in the law. in his final days, geoff whaley spoke of his devastation after his wife ann was questioned by police and told she could be prosecuted for helping him travel to switzerland. the couple had been married for more than 50 years. before they set off yesterday morning, they spoke to our home editor mark easton. assisting the suicide

of another person is a crime, punishable by up to 1a years in prison. 80—year—old geoff whaley‘s advanced motor neurone disease made it impossible for him to make the final arrangements for his long planned journey to the swiss clinic dignitas. and so his wife ann has helped him take his own life. if he said, ring this hotel, ring this airline, which is what he did, of course i did it for him. because you are assisting geoff, obviously the police have taken an interest. i believe you had a visit from them. yes, literally they said they'd had the notification at 12 o'clock and by four o'clock they were knocking on our door. i became completely terrified that the control was going to be taken away from me. i've never seen geoff cry in 52 years of married life. but i found him with his head in his hand and he wasjust sobbing.

the 1961 suicide act needs urgent revision. geoff and ann say there were so shocked at being treated like criminals that they've devoted the last few weeks of geoff's life to try to get the law changed, taking their campaign to parliament. in 2015, mps voted decisively against legalising assisted dying, as demonstrators on both sides of the argument protested outside. among the crowd that day was nikki kenward, a christian campaigner who was once completely paralysed. the bottom line is it's too dangerous. they know from experience in other countries how badly it's going to affect other vulnerable people, because it does. shortly before losing control of his legs, geoff marched in the armistice parade in whitehall. he had always been active, in control of his life.

for the whaleys the issue was about helping him keep control of his death. when you've got a husband as brave as mine, you have to. hold it together. you have to support him. he's the one who is being strong for me. hold it together. he really is. yes, i will. i wouldn't put an animal through what he would go through if he went to the end, and ijust wish the law would allow me to have him for a little bit longer. i really do. the police have said they're not considering charges at the moment, but have warned ann that if further evidence of assistance comes to light, the case may be reopened. this morning, in his wife's arms, geoffrey whaley took his life. mark easton, bbc news. the uk—assembled rover that will be sent to mars in 2020 will bear the name of the scientist rosalind franklin.

she played a key role in the discovery of dna. the six—wheeled vehicle will be equipped with instruments and a drill to search for evidence of past or present life on the red planet. time for a look at the weather, here's lucy martin. some wet and windy weather in the forecast, and some of us saw that today. this photo sent in earlier by a weather watcher in dorset. we have seen some wet and windy weather courtesy of this earlier area of low pressure clearing towards the east. the next area of low pressure hot on its heels has been named storm eric. it will bring some wet and windy conditions through friday and saturday. some clear spells to begin for eastern areas but we see cloud and outbreaks of rain pushing in from the west as we go through the night to night. the winds picking up as well. these are the temperatures

overnight, not falling too far, so not looking at a frost but it will bea not looking at a frost but it will be a wet and windy start to the day tomorrow. heaviest bursts in the west, that heavy rain working its way east as we move through the day. could be a bit of thunder and lightning with that heavy rain as we work its way east. the rain more persistent for over scotland, the potential for some localised flooding but a windy day, looking at gusts of 45 to 55 mph inland, up to 70 mph for western coastal areas, temperatures in double figures but not feeling particularly warm when you add in the wind and rain. as we go through into saturday, that area of low pressure continues to push east. we hold onto those tightly packed isobars, so we are looking at further strong winds. saturday, outbreaks of rain in the north, could be wintry over high ground, a bright start further south though, but it will turn claudio with outbreaks of rain pushing into the south and west uth cloudier. as we go through into tomorrow and

saturday, there is the potentialfor some strong winds, and with that some strong winds, and with that some disruption, so make sure you stay across the forecasts. 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. the hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the head of instagram pledges to removal graphic images of self—harm from the social media platform. i think we have an immense amount of responsibility and i think it is clear we are not where