hello, i‘m ros atkins, this is outside source. venezuela‘s president maduro is closing the land border with brazil, as his rival heads this is bbc news. to the border with colombia the headlines at 8pm. to try to bring in foreign aid. a 16—year—old boy has been found guilty of the abduction, american actorjussie smollett rain and murder, of six—year—old alesha macphail on the isle is arrested for allegedly faking of bute last summer a homophobic and racist attack -- rain. — on himself. crimes such as this are extremely rare and i'm glad to have been able this announcement today recognises to get justice for alesha and her family. that the empire after take advantage a bbc investigation finds people having to wait six months for disability payments, of the pain and anger of racism to because assessors, are too tough. promote his career. leading conservative remainers are pope francis calls for action not called to downing street for talks — just words as a summit on child sex amid speculation more abuse by clerics begins could leave the party. more than 70 people have died at the vatican. in a fire that ripped through four apartment buildings in bangladesh's capital dhaka police arrest the american tv actorjussie smollet — who they claim pretended to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack

# oh, what can it mean? and peter tork, seen here on the right, singer and bassist with the monkees has died at the age of 77. a 16—year—old boy has been found guilty of the rape and murder of six—year—old alesha macphail, on the isle of bute lastjuly. he can't be identified because of his age, but the judge at the high court in glasgow, said he'd committed "some of the most wicked and evil crimes" the court had ever heard. the trial lasted nine days and the testimony was often harrowing, as details of alesha's death were revealed. the boy will be sentenced next month. our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon was at

the high court in glasgow. alesha's senseless and barbaric murder, shocked at the small community on bute. shocked people right across scotland. her mother wept in court as the unanimous verdict was read out. in a victim impact statement, herfather said day today life had become almost impossible since her murder. her teenage killer showed no emotions as he was put in handcuffs and led away. hey guys, it's alesha, today i'm going to show you... alesha macphail, a little girl who loved dancing and dreamed of being an internet star, but who was brutally murdered by a 16—year—old boy, who took her from her home while her family was sleeping. alesha's mother, seen here with her boyfriend, and alesha's father, were in court throughout. they heard harrowing evidence about what had happened to their child. police read a statement on their behalf. words cannot express just how devastated i am to have

lost my beautiful happy smiling wee girl. i am glad that the boy who did this has finally been brought to justice and that he would not be able to inflict that pain on another family that he has done to mine. last summer, shortly after school ended, alesha travelled to the isle of bute. her parents had split up shortly after she was born. she was going there to spend part of the holidays with her father and grandparents. bute was described in court as a safe place. a place where many people would leave their doors unlocked. on the night alesha went missing, her grandmother had left the key in the door to their home. that would not be unusual, the court heard, in this small island community. before going to bed, alesha's dad tucked her in saying he'd seen her the next morning. but that night, the teenager let himself into the family's flat. armed with a knife, he entered the little girl's room and carried her away.

he raped and killed her. she suffered brutal and catastrophic injuries. her 16—year—old murderer try to blame someone else for his depraved crimes, but cctv from the night showed him leaving his house repeatedly and a knife from his kitchen was recovered on a beach. fibres from his trousers were found on the clothing that alesha had been wearing. the teenager also sent a video of himself to friends with the message... in an earlier message, he claimed he might kill for the lifetime experience. and an internet search on his phone asked... his dna was found all over the little girl's body and clothing. it all added up to a mountain of evidence. on bute, people have been left struggling to understand. we have a community where everybody knows each other. and we've mourned it together, it's been in the air, people are supporting each other in all sorts of ways, just the simple human ways of being there for each other,

but it's been a terrible trauma for everybody. alesha's family said she had been a beautiful, beautiful happy girl. her mother's wish for her daughter, to be remembered for who she was, not her tragic death. two former government ministers are warning they will quit the conservative party if the uk leaves the european union without a deal — a day after three tory backbenchers left the party to join the newly formed independent group, now made up of former members of labour and the conservatives. the 11 defectors say they expect more to join them in the coming days. our chief political correspondent vicki young has more. there is a new team at westminster, and speculation that some more signings could be on the way. brexit is part of the reason mps have broken away from their own side to join an independent group in parliament. one former conservative cabinet minister said she could not stay in her party if there is a no—deal brexit.

we are becoming a single—issue party that's consumed by brexit. that's not a recipe for success. i think we need to wake up and smell the coffee now, because if we don't, then what we will be looking at is a postmortem on the conservative party. another colleague, also campaigning against brexit, has similar worries. i want to try to make my party act in the national interest, that's the thing on which i'm focused. if i were to get to a point where i felt my party was no longer doing that, then i would have to resign the whip. these three mps quit the tory party yesterday, accusing the prime minister of a dismal failure to stand up to eurosceptics. theresa may wrote to them today, rejecting their criticisms, and insisting she led a modern, open—hearted party. we are in a very serious time, as we try to reach the end of getting the right outcome for the united kingdom on leaving the european union, so i hope we will all be able to support the prime minister and get the deal through next week.

theresa may has another deadline looming. next week, some mps will try to seize control of the brexit process. they want to stop the uk leaving the eu without a deal. ministers have threatened to resign over the matter, so there is even more pressure on the government to bring back its deal to parliament as soon as possible. theresa may has been back in brussels this week, desperate to get changes to the withdrawal agreement that will satisfy mps back home. the labour leader has been making his case to eu negotiators too. the danger of a no—deal exit from the european union for britain is a very serious and present one. we from the labour party have made it very clear that we do not countenance a no—deal exit, because of the danger to jobs. senior european figures share those concerns. my efforts are in reality in a way that the worst can be avoided, but i am not very optimistic when it comes to this issue.

and was this a clue about the current mood in brussels? i have something like a brexit fatigue, you know? chuckling. in the coming days theresa may, will need the art of persuasion to convince the eu to budge, can the prime minister persuade you to stay? and her unhappy mps to stay. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. the government has confirmed that trade deals with japan and turkey — that match the european union's own preferential agreements — will not be signed in time for brexit day, set to take place at the end of march. the international trade secretary, liam fox, has been seeking to replicate around a0 free trade deals before britain's scheduled departure next month — having predicted in 2017 that this would be achieveable. so, with the march 29th deadline approaching, what can we expect over the next few weeks? this sunday — theresa may attends a summit of the eu and the league of arab states in sharm el—sheikh, egypt. brexit is not officially on the agenda but it's a chance

to speak to presidentjuncker again and to lobby eu leaders with one to one meetings on the fringes. if a revised brexit deal hasn't been agreed by tuesday the 26th, the prime minister will make a commons statement and table an amendable motion. the commons would then debate and vote on this motion on wednesday the 27th of february the labour mp, yvette cooper, says if there's no agreement, she will also table an amendment. the purpose of which is to rule out a "no deal brexit". at that point, the prime minister would have to decide whether to stick to her commitment to leaving on 29 march even if there is no deal, or ask to extend article 50 so that the uk stays inside the eu while negotiations continue. let's speak to our political correspondent nick eardley at westminster.

a lot to discuss, there is obviously lots of traffic in downing street andi lots of traffic in downing street and i lot through brussels, not like the you think on they keep things that have emerged today? the first one is that there are some conservatives who are pretty close to the brink when it comes to potentially quitting the party, that we have heard that from justine and philip they are not happy with the prospect of ending up in a few weeks' time, being close to no deal and in that situation, they might think about quitting. dominic is welcome another tori who is not happy with the direction of travel at that moment and warning he could be off if that happened but on the other side, that our labour mps who are other side, that our labour mps who a re really other side, that our labour mps who are really frustrated as well, that that leadership isn't moving quicker towards potentially backing another referendum. so we will be on resignation watch for a good few

days yet to come up maybe be napping admit tonight, who knows we'll wait to see if they catch us by surprise like before, but i suspect it'll be a few days of speculation at least on this so far and all of me it's leading up to the boats next week, whatever happens, as you say they will be important votes in parliament which could see some finally asking to say you need to decide now whether you want to vote to potentially get parliament the power to try and stop no deal. that will put pressure on government ministers, who did not want no deal, and are worried that government is still dangling the prospect and write a parliament, but it'll also put pressure on labour mps to want another referendum and as i say, are not happy with the leadership movement on it to maybe make their movement on it to maybe make their move as well. i mean, i won't press you right now what's happening in brussels because he had another guest to follow up with and we will

discuss with her, but the other thing i suppose that's emerged today is at the initially mentioned a ago, the fact that a trade deal with japan and turkey will not be ready by march 29, now obviously, one of the big cases for a brexit outside the big cases for a brexit outside the customs union and single market is this line that we negotiate our own trade deals, but is it proving difficult in a way that undermines the argument? yes, well, it's pretty ha rd to the argument? yes, well, it's pretty hard to all these countries to agree to guarantee that trade deals that they have it with europe and the uk, if there is no deal in a month time. some of those are not hugely surprising, because turkey is in a customs union with the eu, it's not particularly easy for it to negotiate a new trade deal with the uk. likewise with japan, it's taking a lot longer than i think some had

hoped to get it on the table. the government though, is going to use that to say well, if you want these agreements as they stand to roll over, you have to agree to our deals, and i spoke to the international trade secretary about it this afternoon and he says exactly that. if you want a guarantee of the deals ruling over for at least the transition period, then you need to vote with the government whenever it brings back the treat deal in the next few weeks. some will be worried about it, there is no doubt about it that some will say let's take note deal off the table because it removes uncertainty altogether, but to be honest i don't think it really changes the crux of the debate, that people who think no deal should be on bt book —— table because it im proves on bt book —— table because it improves negotiating leverage, but not change their minds, those who say take it off the table, because it's a potentially damaging prospects are not going to change their minds either. thank you very

much from westminster, nick. a spokesperson for the department for exiting the eu has said that talks between mr barnier and the brexit secretary stephen secretary stephen barclay and attorney general geoffrey cox today were "productive". catherine barnard is professor in european union law at the university of cambridge. thank you for talking to us. so, the plan seems to have changed, we are moving away from reopening the withdrawal agreement, that is something they face productive, could you outline the shape of what they are at. live one possibility is to have some sort of coded sale or legally binding addition to the which of the game —— agreement, but the question is what does it say. whatjeffrey cox the question is what does it say. what jeffrey cox wants the question is what does it say. whatjeffrey cox wants is he is the attorney general, he said he wants a possibility for the uk unilaterally on its own to be able to withdraw

from the backstop and the backstop as you will recall is be arrangement why northern ireland stays in the customs union and send the market for goods and the rest of the uk stays in the custom union only. he wants to lead that without the agreement of the eu. back though as i understand, that's, that would require i'm nit—picking that withdrawal agreement, would it not? well, article 20 at the backstop protocol makes it clear at the moment, that it's got to be a joint agreement that the two sides of the eu and uk, and that the backstop comes to an end. and if so, if there's going to be unilateral power of withdraw from the uk, of course going against the backstop that, that's why we go round in circles, because what uk wants is fundamentally incompatible with the doll agreement, and whether it's put ina doll agreement, and whether it's put in a coded sale or on planet mars it

will not make a difference. said this talk about parallel statement and interpreted instrument —— instrument, i suppose anything if they made many —— meaningful difference, the other members of the eu would have to have a say on agreeing to it. correct because it's being done under article 50 and that says two thirds of the states have to agree to it so as the european parliament. you have to remember that the eu 27 had acted very much as one throughout this process and they are determined to protect the interests of the republic of ireland, and the republic of ireland does not want to have a high border in northern ireland. hence the need for the backstop, and of christ to bearin for the backstop, and of christ to bear in mind, the smaller member states, like estonia might be and let are watching day carefully because if they see that eu in any way giving up on island, they think if they could do that than they can get up on us next, so they are being particularly jealous get up on us next, so they are being

particularlyjealous of get up on us next, so they are being particularly jealous of keeping get up on us next, so they are being particularlyjealous of keeping an eye on what the eu is up to. so i suppose from everything you said, would it be fair to conclude that there is not going to be a new agreement sorted out on all of this pa rt agreement sorted out on all of this part parliament to vote on next week. live it's very difficult to see how. the interesting politics of it is jeffrey's see how. the interesting politics of it isjeffrey's the one who sent out to negotiate this. he's a hiker brexit and he is going to get the opinion of the backstop in the past, so opinion of the backstop in the past, so he's understand a lot and clearly whatever he manages to secure from the eu, he willthen whatever he manages to secure from the eu, he will then have to defend, which impressed me this much less easy which impressed me this much less s which impressed me this much less easy easy for him to criticise what the eu and uk have come back with. now, it could be that he does not get much, because at the moment the eu is showing very little appetite and getting much, because it's not and getting much, because it's not and their interest to get any at the moment, why? because if they concede something now and in february, then

the hiker brexit may come back a second time saying well we conceded on this give us some other concessions as well. in the interested beat you to sit on his hands and say actually, we agreed that withdrawal agreement, you theresa may for great britain to stay, you made the bed you have to lie on it. thank you for your insight. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are writer and broadcaster, steve richards and deputy political editor of spectator, katy balls. the headlines on bbc news. a 16—year—old boy is found guilty of the abduction, rape and murder of six—year—old alesha macphail on the isle of bute last summer. delays of up to six months for some people waiting for disability payments — because assessors are too tough

pro—eu conservatives are invited to downing street for talks with the prime minister — amid speculation more could leave the party. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh. arsenal comfortably booked their place in the last 16 of the europa league with a routine 3—nil win over bate borisov at the emirates stadium. arsenal were trailing 1—nil after the first leg in belarus, but the advantage didn't last long... a cross from pieree emerick aubamayang was turned into bate's own net, inside four minutes. skodran mustafi scored their second in the first half, before sokratis put the result beyond any doubt after the break. celtic‘s hopes of overturning a 2—0 deficit against valencia were hit when jeremy toljan was sent off ten minutes before half time. up until then they'd been the better side, but the spaniards took advantage of the extra man with kevin gameiro

making it 1—0 on the night and 3—0 on aggregate to valencia. maurizio sarri's chelsea took a 2—1 lead from their first leg against malmo into tonight's match at stamford bridge. it's still goalless after around a quarter of an hour. a manchester city supporter has been left fighting for his life following an incident after their champions league win over schalke last night. he remains in a crictical condition. in a statement, gelsenkirken police said there was an incident between two supporters of schalke and manchester city. in the skirmish, a 32—year—old englishman received a blow from a fist which knocked him to the floor. in falling, he suffered a massive trauma to his skull and rain. after he had received medical first aid on the spot, an emergency vehicle took him for inpatient treatment in a local hospital. he remains in acute danger of his life at the present time. in rugby league, widnes vikings

are expected to enter administration this week and will receive a 12—point deduction in the championship. the vikings were relegated from super league last season after 7 years in the top flight. a proposed takeover fell through earlier this week and staff and players weren't paid yesterday. they've postponed this weekend's game against sheffield the mind games have resumed ahead of wales' six nations clash with england this weekend. wales wanted the roof shut. england wanted it open so it'll be open on saturday. on the pitch, wales have preferred gareth anscombe at fly half to dan biggar whilst england have named jack nowell and prop ben moon as their enforced changes. wales head coach warren gatland meanwhile has questioned england's decision to travel to cardiff tomorrow afternoon significant mistake by travelling tomorrow. coming through newport at five o'clock is not the best thing to be dealing. going through that

tunnel, i mean, yeah, it's a good chance he could be chakras and buses and their holding them up, so... it'll be for them. former world squash number one nick matthew has told bbc news that the olympics has moved away from its traditional ideals and is looking towards increasingly younger audiences. it comes as the sport was overlooked for inclusion at the paris olympics in 2024, with break dancing proposed for its first inclusion... breaking as it's now more commonly known — was included in the youth olympics last year with the ioc set to decide on its appearance by december next year. england's head of men's cricket ashley giles says he expects just one head coach to be appointed as trevor bayliss' successor — rather than dividing responsibility of the test, odi and t20 teams. bayliss will step down after the ashes in the autumn and giles doesn't think more than one replacement will be needed

it's a big workload, yes, but i do think for the importance of consistency of culture and voice in communication and reading on discipline and i think it's super important, andl discipline and i think it's super important, and i think it's how we use important, and i think it's how we use that flat structure at people and whether we swap in and a nonspecialist and different codes, and also the topic i have to take time off so it's an opportunity for one of the guys to step up and meet in different times, which is valuable. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in sportsday at half past ten. people who challenge rulings over their disability benefits, are having to wait longer to get the money they're entitled to. a bbc investigation into personal independence payments, has found some claimants in england, scotland and wales, are losing out on hundreds of pounds every month. on average it's taking around six months for a tribunal to hear a case, compared to less than three months, four years ago. and one in ten of those who appeal, have to wait more than ten

months for a decision... and despite the delays, nearly three quarters of claimants, win their case. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan, has the full story. we need to get these made up for mother's day. samjennings runs a pop—up florist in south london. multiple sclerosis limits her ability to work full—time. since my mobility has declined a bit, nicole helps me out as my arms and legs. balance problems including numerous falls led the ao—year—old to apply for personal independence payments in march 2017. the application included an assessment by a health care assistant, who concluded that sam had no mobility issues. despite the fact i had given evidence from multiple disciplines within my ms teens, so physiotherapist, occupational therapist, neurologist, all the different people involved in my treatment, somehow she was able to override that, despite not being an ms specialist. with little savings and her

deteriorating health increasingly locking her indoors, last summer sam was forced to crowdfund to raise £3,000 to pay for a mobility scooper. a few times when i've had the chair i have burst into happiness when i have done something and thought, my god, i haven't done this for ages. like going to aldi is not the most rock and roll thing to do but when i went there just to buy apples and didn't have to spend £40 and wait three days, it was emotional. sam's fight continues. a tribunal will hear her case next month, almost two years after she first applied for pip. the department for work and pensions say only a small number of claimants pursue their cases to court, and they are working to improve the system. but this welfare adviser who has won dozens of cases at tribunal says problems with the initial health assessments are creating a backlog. the number of cases that are turned down, and people are lodging appeals, and the system just can't

cope with the amount that are coming through, which is inevitably increasing the delays. this is what rejection by the dwp looks like. total, total lies. what she described there was not my daughter. sue campbell lost her daughter victoria lastjuly. the 33—year—old had agoraphobia and fibromyalgia, which left her body in constant pain. last march, she was assessed for pip and told she was not eligible. weeks later, she was admitted to hospital. it destroyed her, she gave up. she didn't fit into what you call normal society, but she was a human being. and she was my daughter. and she was my friend, and my world. the week after victoria died, a tribunal decided she was eligible for pip. sue has since successfully sued capita, who carried out the assessment on her daughter,

for maladministration, effectively making inaccurate statements. she has been awarded £10,000. i didn't do it for the money, i did it, i did it for them to try and admit they were wrong. to get some justice for my daughter. because she was ill, and she deserved the support to let her live? yes, i really do believe that if they haven't cut her pip off, my daughter would be still here. sue's memories of victoria are understandably clouded by what she considers to be an avoidable death. capita told us that procedural problems meant the court failed to consider their defence against the family's claim. michael buchanan, bbc news. i'm nowjoined byjournalist and disability rights campaigner, hollie brooks. some very painful stories in that piece, did they resonate for you?

absolutely, these are stories i hear every single day from people who follow me on social media. if you think i'm going through the process myself and that he struggles that in the hoops we have to go through just to almost prove that we are disabled and unfortunately, well, that's happening and people are left penniless and sometimes they die, but yeah, we are seeing is not fit enough or ill enough. but yeah, we are seeing is not fit enough or ill enoughlj but yeah, we are seeing is not fit enough or ill enough. i suppose some viewers would say well it's public money we need to be sure that people do need it, so what would you say to those people? that i truly understand but at the same time if that massive problem with the system, there is a problem where i have had people say to me, you are make up every day for example it makes you feel better when you're ella, they've gone and without makeup because they feel like it they go in looking what is seen as well, then they won't be granted money that they rightly deserve. we

are ina money that they rightly deserve. we are in a point where basically we are in a point where basically we are fighting because we are scared people think we are not well and after we are faking it, and when you're ina after we are faking it, and when you're in a wheelchair like i am or any other sort of disability whether visible or not, there absolutely no way to prove to any member of the public that we are so ill we need government help. obviously one of the big problems with the weights operating at the moment is at that time things are taking, do you think thatis time things are taking, do you think that is almost an effort to discourage people from appealing or challenging by making it long and challenging by making it long and complex? i would hate to think that that's on purpose but it's absolutely the case i know again, there are people who are not applying because the whole process seems incredibly stressful, the whole appeal process is incredibly stressful so they don't appeal when actually three quarters orjust under that of the appeals are successful. the whole thing and fortu nately successful. the whole thing and fortunately nick's people even more airthan fortunately nick's people even more air than they were before they started the process because of

stress obviously makes people with chronic fatigue syndrome makes you more air in long—term. chronic fatigue syndrome makes you more air in long-term. say you're having, tell us about your own journey through the system. you have, tell us about your condition is what you have to prove to get payments and how it worked out. so, like a lot of people who apply for iti like a lot of people who apply for it i became disabled overnight, i had meningitis which left me unable to walk and then later i was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome also known as an e, you call and wait two weeks for paperwork to arrive and then it comes then and then they ask you to send more paperwork and the initial kick—off process particularly if you are ina kick—off process particularly if you are in a situation where you have had to give up yourjob for example, they quickly, is so lengthy to the point that i can never understand why it can'tjust be done digitally or over the phone. you then have to go to an assessment, where essentially you're interviewed about your condition. the questions they ask you are painful, they ask

questions that are kind of taking away any sort of identity that you have. because they ask can you dress yourself, can you go to the toilet you're stopping in my case the a nswer you're stopping in my case the answer is now and i understand why assess questions but even the process in general is really upsetting, and makes a real century, just how much of a struggle every day like this, but you feel like you're constantly on the back burner, you then go to the process of answering all those questions that could be a home assessment, where someone that could be a home assessment, where someone comes to your that could be a home assessment, where someone comes to your home to see what you can actually do, and again, it feels like you're having to prove to them now i cannot make my own cup of tea, i know someone who had a home assessment and because she could poured herself a water from the tap, dave united to her. so, they denied it. so what's the message you want to send to them and what you want different? it's an absolute nasa needs to be sorted and the thing i would like to be done differently is some sort of

training, so the people who are working with the system understand what visible disability looks like and what invisible disability looks like and itjust how undermining the whole process could be and also i think we need to look at a different way of sorting out paperwork as well because the length of time it takes is leaving people without a penny. thank you very much for coming in. peter tork, member of rock acting quartet the monkees, has died aged 77. the fair—haired keyboardist also played the bass in the popular tv group, which achieved widespread fame in the 1960s. peter tork was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. we can speak now to the comedian, broadcaster and monkees fan, iain lee, whojoins us on the phone from birmingham. tell us about your memories of him.

like lots of kids growing up in the 70s and 80s, the monkeys were designed on every single school holiday, after break they would have it on in the morning, and i think that's part of the reason that we are making you know, the death at the bass player from a tv pop group from the 60 years ago, as they talked about which is why the monkees has sustained a lot longer than some of the other groups in the area, batch erica made the signs are incredible because they were written by people like carol king and jill diamond, but also the tv show, it was integral and it's keeping the popular that's how i got into it. and peter tork himself was a serious musician, he wasn'tjust a made for tv come along and do on the day. now, he was a folky, and worked with at the folk clubs and was friends

with many kinds of other people, and he was the most talented musician in the grip, he could play piano, bass, lead guitar, french wine, and mainly —— french horn, namely the monkees we re —— french horn, namely the monkees were made as a spin off for the beatles, it was never meant to be a real group, but henn and nesbitt pushed to record their own exons and had them written and included, and he ended up going on tours and you know, like pinocchio becoming a real boy, they became a real bandit. know, like pinocchio becoming a real boy, they became a real banditlj get, it didn't last very long, am i correct in thinking he got really frustrated with other members of the group not taking it seriously as he did? the first two albums, the group didn't play on any of the records but that third album, it's a proper rock and roll band, the four of them hardly anyone else, making a record

and after that when they made the record, a kind of went into different directions and each would go on recording their own songs and that disappointed peter i think i may say the happiest time in that group was when they were recording that third album together and a proper rock and roll band when they go in the studio and record together, i note that did not last long, i mean, double monkees original run was only like two years it wasn't long at all. and very quickly, it wasn't the end of his career though because he dan did to play with other musicians including george harrison banjo i think. he did play the banjo and the beatles had lots of respect for the monkees, in the 70s are kind of bleak, but that 86 there was a huge monkees reunion, went on tour and more popular than ever and played 40,000 seated stadiums. well, lovely to talk to you about them and to talk

about peter tork, thank you for joining us this evening please take care. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, more unusually warm weather to come over the next three days, but overnight tonight where the wind is light across parts of england and wales, you can see what's happening. lots of low cloud developing, and we will see mist and fog too. further north, clear spells continuing, bit of cloud coming into northern ireland and western parts of scotland. not going to be as cold in scotland as last night, partly because of all the warmth that we had earlier today. tomorrow, that mist and fog and low cloud gradually gets broken up across england and wales, retreating back to some coastal areas with sunshine developing widely. again, across northern ireland na d western scotland where there is a stronger breeze, there may be a little rain or drizzle at times. temperatures 13 or 14, and i think we can add a few degrees onto that. bit more cloud over the midlands and yorkshire and lincolnshire for a while, on saturday. weak weather front bringing rain across northern ireland into western scotland and over the irish sea, but ahead of it, temperatures still above average for this

time of year, 14 or 15. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. a 16—year—old boy has been found guilty of the abduction, rape and murder, of six—year—old alesha macphail on the isle of bute last summer a bbc investigation finds people having to wait six months for disability payments, because assessors, are too tough. leading conservative remainers are called to downing street for talks — amid speculation more could leave the party. more than seventy people have died in a fire that ripped through four apartment buildings in bangladesh's capital dhaka police arrest the american tv actorjussie smollet — who they claim pretended to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. and peter tork — singer and bassist with the monkees has

died at the age of 77. a huge fire has swept through an historic part of dhaka, in bangladesh, with 78 people now thought to have been killed. the blaze started in a residential building which had chemicals stored on its ground floor, and quickly spread to other apartment buildings. our correspondent ak—bar hussein has sent this report from the scene. a crowded apartment block in a district of a city engulfed by flames. the fire spread rapidly while people are sleeping. it spread also to three other buildings nearby including a community centre. many were trapped, unable to escape. guests in a restaurant were also among the dead. it's not clear what

caused the blaze. but chemicals stored in a warehouse underneath the flats are thought to have contributed to the fire's ferocity. it took nine hours for the fire to be brought under control. attempts to put out the blaze were hampered by poor water supplies and constant explosions. access to this densely populated district also slowed down rescue efforts. narrow streets and residential buildings only inches apart. this is the main building where the fire originated last night in an old part of the city. this building is four—storeyed and the fire broke out first in the ground floor where there is a chemical warehouse and then it quickly spread up to the fourth floor. in the upstairs, there are some family houses where people used to live and the fire quickly spread through three other buildings. there is a restaurant and when the fire broke out, and this is where people were having dinner. at least seven dead bodies

are recovered from this restaurant. on the other side, there is another building where the fire quickly spread through. the tragedy has echoes of a similar fire in the city in 2010 when 120 people lost their lives. grieving relatives are desperate for information but they know that the number of victims is expected to rise, as the search of the damaged buildings continues. the american actor jussie smollett, has been arrested in chicago, after being charged with filing a false police report. the star of the tv series empire, had claimed he'd been the victim of a homophobic and racist attack by two men last month. but chicago's chief of police says the actor may have staged it all, because he was dissatisfied with his salary. aleem maqbool is in chicago for us.... it is a humiliating fall from grace.

used to appearances on the red carpet, actorjussie smollett has now been snapped for his mugshot, arrested for concocting a fake hate crime against him. he is best known to us audiences for playing jamal lyon, a sensitive, slightly troubled r&b singer in the tv series, empire. this is exactly where jussie smollett says he was attacked in the early hours of the morning when he had gone out to get food. he says two men punched him, subjected him to racist and homophobic abuse, even at one point shouting at him that this was make america great again country, suggesting they had been trump supporters. my manager was still on the phone, so i picked up the phone and i said, brandon, and he's like, what's going on? and i said, i wasjustjumped. and then i looked down and i saw there's a rope around my neck. the president himself was among the many who came out

to condemn the attack. i think that's horrible. it doesn't get worse. but police now say two brothers, seen here buying ski masks ahead of the incident, were paid by smollett himself to stage the attack, because, they say, he was unhappy with his salary. empire actorjussie smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. i'm left hanging my head and asking why. why would anyone, especially an african—american man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? hate crimes have seen a dramatic increase in the us of late, but the police and rights advocates alike have talked of their dismay at the harm jussie smollett has done to those who really have suffered.

jeremy corbyn has attacked the government for its decision to strip shamima begum, the british teenager who joined so called islamic state, of her british citizenship. the labour leader described it as a ‘very extreme manoeuve.‘ speaking to itv news mr corbyn also called for the 19 year old, who recently gave birth, to ‘receive some support.‘ our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford sent us this update from the home office. jeremy corbyn‘s argument was that she was born in britain and therefore she should be allowed to return to britain and fetesjustice. he said it is obviously clear that she would need some help when she gets back and the radicalisation, and some difficult questions she will have to answer. but it would be an extreme manoeuvre to take away her british citizenship when she is someone her british citizenship when she is someone who was born here and was lived all of her life here. insisted

that he take senior advice from lawyers and from officials before he made the very dramatic decision to ta ke made the very dramatic decision to take away her citizenship but he is not running into just political trouble but legal trouble as well, with some human rights saying that just because she has the right to bangladesh citizenship, she actually does not have it now and so depriving her of her british citizenship he has effectively leading —— leaving her nationless. the mother of a young boy who was allegedly crushed to death behind a car seat has been found guilty of child cruelty, but cleared of his manslaughter. alfie lamb, who was three, died while sitting in the rear footwell of a car. his mother, adrian hoare, had been accused of manslaughter by gross negligence. it was alleged her boyfriend stephen waterson crushed alfie behind his seat, but the jury couldn t reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge. west midlands police have launched

a murder investigation after a teenager died in birmingham. officers were called to the small heath area of the city at around eight o‘clock last night. a sixteen year old boy had suffered stab wounds and died at the scene. a 15 year old boy was treated for minor injuries. for the first time in the history of the catholic church, bishops from around the world are meeting at the vatican, to confront the issue of the sexual abuse of children by the clergy. pope francis convened the four day summit, saying the world expects "concrete measures" to be taken, to tackle the continuing scandal. our religion editor martin bashir is in vatican city, martin. a sombre rendition of morning prayer marked the opening of this gathering of bishops, where the agenda has not been set by scripture, but by scandal. before any speeches, synod hall fell silent to acknowledge the suffering

of those abused. pope francis outlined the purpose of this summit. translation: we must listen to the shout of the little ones that demand justice. may the virgin mary illuminate us to try to heal the serious wounds of the scandal of paedophilia. all eyes are on the vatican, as pope francis seeks to develop protocols and practises that could be applied across continents, and in a church that numbers more than 1.2 billion. but one survivor, who was abused by a predator priest in chile, says any new safeguarding policies could still be obstructed by local clergy. the bishops are the ones that are messing this up for everybody, because they go to their dioceses, they go to their countries, and they tell a different story. they nod their heads in front of the pope and say, yes, your holiness, we'll do this, but then they go back to their countries and they do quite the opposite, they keep covering up,

they keep this culture of abuse and cover—up, so it's really, frankly, terrible. back in the hall, those same bishops heard from senior clerics, confessing, sometimes tearfully, to the failings of the church. the wounds of the risen christ carry the memory of innocent suffering... but they also carry the memory of our weakness and sinfulness. pope francis has given the bishops 21 points to help guide their discussions. he wants the church to replace silence and secrecy with disclosure and transparency. but cultural change in a multicultural institution may be the biggest challenge of all. the headlines on bbc news...

a 16—year—old boy is found guilty of the abduction, rape and murder of six year old alesha macphail on the isle of bute last summer. delays of up to six months for some people waiting for disability payments — because assessors are too tough pro—eu conservatives are invited to downing street for talks with the prime minister — amid speculation more could leave the party advisors to the government on climate change, say gas boilers and cookers should be banned in new homes, within six years. the committee on climate change says the move is crucial to the uk meeting legally binding targets, on carbon dioxide emissions. so, what can we do to change or adapt our homes in the battle against climate change? our correspondent, emma vardy, has been finding out. this is extremely energy efficient. these are very high quality windows.

keeping things snug is the key to making the energy we do use go so much further. in future, developers could be forbidden from connecting homes to the gas grid entirely. electric has the advantage that it can be produced sustainably — wind turbines, pv cells, photovoltaic cells. paul designed this house to use very little energy at all. there are extra upfront costs, but payback longer term. that‘s to do with the fabric of the building, the materials, the windows, the doors. what about for social housing and housing associations in future? it lends itself perfectly to social housing. the good thing about it is, it is using so little energy, that the idea of fuel poverty is completely gone. the report says all homes would need to produce zero emissions by 2050. that means making new builds well insulated and airtight with triple glazed windows and ensuring water efficiency with low flow showers and taps.

it also means using eco—friendly construction techniques, like timber frames, instead of concrete or steel. meanwhile, there is also a lot you can do to improve existing homes, such as putting in better insulation, installing low—carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, and replacing existing appliances with energy efficient ones. and, like the new—builds, you can conserve water using devices to reduce the flow on showers and taps. the home builders federation believes banning gas in new homes is unrealistic, because alternative energy sources have their limitations. those recommending the more drastic measures say the government should also reinstate incentives for the simple things homeowners can do, like insulating your loft. the government needs to put in place the kind of policies actually that used to exist, and you need to be firm about making them a permanent feature, so that the market responds, and so that householders know what to do. the government‘s pledge to phase out

installations of the most un—environmentally friendly types of heating by the 2020s, and has said it will consider the recommendations, which are urging them to go much further. a japanese spacecraft has begun its descent towards an asteroid — after a three—and—a—half—year journey from earth. the hayabusa—2 will try to collect rocks from the surface of the asteroid in the first mission of its kind. samples collected by the probe will reveal whether asteroids brought water and the building blocks of life to earth. our science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. like a diamond in the sky, not a star but an asteroid. these pictures were taken by the japanese spacecraft. hayabusa 2 engineers at mission control in tokyo are guiding it the surface. it will collect rocks

and bring them back to earth. the asteroid is less a kilometre across and relatively close to the earth. the spacecraft has been circling it since last summer and has already dropped a land, and two rovers onto the surface. it will soon touch the asteroid and then hoovered them up. and later this year, the spacecraft will fire a missile at it. this will create a large crater and reveal what lies underneath the asteroid‘s surface. the sample collector is really a heavy duty hoover. here in stevenage, engineers are developing a sample collector forfuture missions. it is important to bring them back as we can do in—depth analysis. we can use instruments the size of this room, rather than a miniature instrument. asteroids are thought to be the basic building blocks from which planets are made.

samples collected will reveal whether the brought water and the key components needed for life to earth. other bits of asteroids fell to earth, the are too burnt from entry into the earth‘s atmosphere to answer these questions. here is a meteorite, similar to what will return. we know when asteroids formed, the formed from fluffy dust they formed from fluffy dust material. something has happened to this along the way that has made it a hard rock. that is what we are interested in, collecting the fluffy material that records information. asteroids are rich in gold, platinum and the rare elements needed for electronic devices. some estimate that it contains £140 billion worth of precious metals. many private companies have made promotional videos like this one to raise money

to fund asteroid mining operations, plans which could begin within five years. now, should this be an olympic sport, breakdancing. the international olympic committee is to consider including it at the paris 2024 games, with the organising committee saying breakdancing would make the olympics "more urban" and "more artistic". our sports correspondent richard conway has more. it is enough to make your head spin. break dancing, or breaking, as it‘s more commonly known, has risen from the basements and streets of new york in the 1970s and is now headed to the dizzying heights of the paris games in 2024. breaking has come from such a small thing and in such a small amount of time, it came from just people in the bronxjustjamming and stuff, and it‘s come up to this huge thing, and people are going to see it in the olympics and be inspired,

like, you know, i want to do this. but while it requires strength, agility and dedication, is it really worthy of a place at an olympics? this dance is so focused on competition. for the last 20, 25 years, we have seen people choreographing and dancing as though their moves are weapons. for me, it makes sense, you know what i mean, there's no reason why it shouldn't go up to that level. breaking is going from the streets to the stadium, and it will get its chance to shine in paris in 2024. whether it can remain on the podium at the olympics, that remains to be seen. big respect for each of them. breaking featured at the youth olympics in buenos aires last october, and pulled in the crowds. more traditional sports, such as karate and squash, appear to have lost out for 2024 and that, it seems, is all part of an effort by officials to keep the games relevant to a younger audience. now the decision to include breaking in paris has given b—boys and b—girls across the country

golden ambitions for the future. when you saw like usain bolt or mo farah, and they run and win, they get that medal, and they stand up on those things, that‘s what i want to feel like. i want to be like them, but in breaking kind of style. the olympics is welcoming a new generation to its age—old ethos of faster, higher, stronger. as the world turns, so, too, must the games. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, more unusually warm weather to come over the next three days, earlier on today the temperature was just other 18 celsius, beating the previous february record set way backin previous february record set way back in the 19th century. two reasons for that warmth is coming from a long way south and it is also

travelling over the mountains where the air descends the other side of the air descends the other side of the mountain, there is additional warming known as the fern effect. you can find out more about that online. in scotland not as cold as it was, western areas but across this part of the uk, the winds are light and going to misty, some low cloud and some patchy fog as well. shouldn‘t be too cold overnight for 5 degrees being fairly typical. but if you‘re going to be travelling overnight, particularly into the rush—hour, kind of murky out there was a patches of fog all the way towards the west country into the welsh marches and towards lincolnshire as well. gradually through the morning, that low cloud and mistand through the morning, that low cloud and mist and fog will break up in some pockets of low cloud lingering across east anglia otherwise the sunshine comes through. area of cloud running across northern ireland with a strong wind, a few spots of rain and drizzle but on the whole it is going to be a trade day.

—— dry day. a few degrees higher than that. still to the east of us, whether front approaching from the atlantic, southerly winds as a result, some still some warm air headed our way as you move into saturday. a chilly start again, this area of cloud can be stubborn to the midlands in yorkshire, but a thick band of cloud into northern ireland in western scotland over the irish seed. that whether front, temperatures up to 15 degrees. there may be a bit more mist and low cloud and some of that cloud could linger into the afternoon, but there will be some spells of sunshine around, probably not as warm either, temperatures near 13 degrees or so, still mild for the time of year. into the early part of next week, still high—pressure dominating, one by date, chilli by night but again in the mornings, there could be some mist and fog.