tonight at ten — the pilots were not to blame for the ethiopian air crash which claimed the lives of 157 people. the initial report says the pilots "repeatedly" followed procedures recommended by the manufacturers boeing, who said today they were working hard to resolve any issues. together we'll do everything possible to earn and re—earn that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the weeks and months ahead. we'll have details of the report and we'll be asking where it leaves boeing and its grounded fleet of 737 max 8 aircraft. also tonight... chancellor merkel in dublin talking brexit with the taioseach and saying she'll make every effort to avoid a no—deal brexit. britain's biggest employers have until midnight to report details of their gender pay gap, but it's already clear that women are still being paid

substantially less than men. our second special report on helping those new mothers who develop serious mental health issues. it's a really lovely part of the job to see someone get better. to save someone's life? and save someone's life, their relationships, their relationships with their children, relationships with their partners. and a look at the massive growth of the british gaming industry, now worth more than movies and music combined. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, a dramatic first day of the grand national meeting as supasundae beats two—time champion hurdle winner buveur d'air in the aintree hurdle.

good evening. the pilots were not to blame for the ethiopian airlines disaster which claimed the lives of 157 people last month. an initial report says they followed all procedures recommended by the plane's manufacturer, boeing. it was the second fatal crash involving the model the 737 max 8 in the space of six months, and boeing has grounded all of its max 8s worldwide. the company's chief executive said tonight that boeing would do all it could to re—earn the trust and confidence of the public. our transport correspondent tom burridge has the details. just seconds after take—off and this ethiopian airlines plane was repeatedly nosediving towards the ground. the pilots wrestled to pull up ground. the pilots wrestled to pull up butan ground. the pilots wrestled to pull up but an automatic anti—stall mechanism on the new boeing 737 max 8 was pushing the plane down. investigators say the crew followed a procedure outlined by boeing, but it didn't work. it then plunged

13000 feet in 32 seconds. the crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer, but was not able to control the aircraft. on board, 157 people. these arejust some of the victims. but five months earlier another 737 max 8 crashed off indonesia in a similar way, killing 189 people. it's the latest version of the popular 737. new heavier engines make it much more fuel efficient but inflate their weight and position force of the plane's nose up a bit. if the angle of flight becomes too highs a plane can of flight becomes too highs a plane ca n stall of flight becomes too highs a plane can stall and crash, so boeing designed a computer system on the max gold mcas, which automatically pushes the nose down. before the max was grounded that system relied on just one of two sensors at the front

of the aircraft, which calculate the angle at which the plane is flying. but in both crashes the data from that sensor was incorrect. so as we've shown up here, the computer system thought the plane was at a high angle of attack, when in fact it wasn't. look at what happens when the system kicks in. it was designed to do that, but instead, it wrongly caused the plane to nosedive. unaware of what was happening the pilots pulled up the system was designed to reactivate again and again stop and within minutes they lost control. she had leadership written all over her. she had compassion in an intellectually rigorous way. everybody loved her. ralph nader's great—niece was on the ethiopian airlines flight stop famous for battling and beating big multinationals over safety, a man who ran for the us presidency now plans to take boeing to court.

usually airlines and aircraft manufacturers get with a quick settlement, a little bit of a public relations problem. my message to boeing is don't think this is going to happen again. you can see the aircraft is now in quite a steep dive. that's the effect of mcas. captain chris brady has 18 years of experience flying 737s. that's the stall warning saying the aircraft is about to store. he face so many issues now need to be reviewed. the level of automation of the aircraft, the behind systems, the risk analysis processes gone throughout boeing, the oversight by the regulator, the conversion training, the level of training generally come with a manual flying skills of the cruise, the knowledge of these switches. all of it needs to be reviewed in the light of these accidents. changes are being made to the max. on—board a recent test flight the max. on—board a recent test flight boeing's chief executive. tonight in a carefully scripted video message a recognition that the aircraft had malfunctioned. it

promised a modified max would be among the safest planes have a fly. we know every person who stepped aboard one of our aeroplanes places their trust in us. together we'll do everything possible to earn and re—earn that trust and confidence from our re—earn that trust and confidence from oui’ customers re—earn that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the weeks and months ahead. but for now, hundreds are grounded, thousands of orders on hold, and multiple investigations will look at how the plane was signed off as safe to fly. tom burridge, bbc news. our correspondent nick bryant is at boeing's offices, just outside washington. we heard from the chief executive that they face some very challenging questions, don't make? they really do and they are saying tonight they are continuing to work on a fix, we know the fix includes updated software, it includes new guidelines for the pilots, and crucially it includes the addition of a new sensor includes the addition of a new sensor to guard against erroneous

data. in that video statement boeing cao said it's our responsibility to eliminate this risk, we own it and we know how to fix it, and i think that confidence was reflected on wall street tonight, where boeing's share price actually ended almost 3% up. the expectation there is that this grounded fleet will soon be allowed to fly again. i think that expectation is shared here too. a spokesman telling me early at the time frame they have in mind is about three weeks. work on this fix actually began after the plane went down off indonesia, which begs the obvious questions, why wasn't more urgency attached to the project then? of course boeing's planes were grounded. why weren't pilots given more specific warnings? it's not just boeing that is under investigation. it's the air regulator as well. boeing once congratulated the federal aviation authority for streamlining the certification process, were safety

standards compromised as a result? nick bryant our correspondence at boeing's offices, outside washington. chancellor merkel of germany has been in dublin today for talks with the taioseach leo varadkar, about the brexit deadlock. mrs merkel said she would do all she could to avoid a no—deal brexit, while mr varadkar said that any request by mrs may for another delay would have to be made for credible reasons. our ireland correspondent emma vardy has the latest. through ireland's green fields, a key eu leader arrives. angela merkel‘s visit comes amid warnings the possibility of the uk leaving without any deal has increased. and there's growing speculation over whether ireland could be asked to budge. translation: we are more than aware of the fact that what is at stake, and what has to be solved, in particularly as regards ireland, what will be essential, what we need to do, what sort of assurances we have to give. and ireland, so exposed to the effects of brexit,

needs the eu's backing. whatever challenges we face, whether it's protecting the good friday agreement or maintaining the integrity of the single market, we'll approach those as shared challenges. there won't be anyone trying to force anything on anyone else. it's going to be very much a shared challenge on a european challenge and one that we are up to. officials have been keen to portray this visit asa have been keen to portray this visit as a show of support, not a sign that ireland is under pressure, but germany and other eu countries too will want concrete answers soon over how the irish border — the eu's new frontier — is going to work. food producers are looking at what's on the brexit horizon for the goods they sell. and this week, uk potato firms were told they could no longer export to the eu if there's no deal. new eu approval would be needed once we're outside the club. sleepless nights, er, wondering,

what are we going to do? contingency plans, we've some in place. but potentially, what could happen is, we would have to downsize the business. border communities have been gathering in recent days to mark their growing frustration and fear. ireland hasn't revealed how checks will be carried out while keeping an open border, the foundation of this island's relatively recent peace. i vividly remember what it was like. and i say, as a young fella, we would have spent most of our sundays filling in these roads that i'm talking about. the roads would be blown up. these people have genuine fears about this border reappearing again. one solution suggested by some as a customs union. that would mean no customs union. that would mean no customs checks on goods crossing the border, but they'd still need to be standards checks to meet eu rules, and a customs union could mean no

new trade deals could be struck by britain. thousands of potatoes from the uk are sent to ireland every week. i think we are all worn out with it because it's just, week. i think we are all worn out with it because it'sjust, it's week. i think we are all worn out with it because it's just, it's the chopping and changing. nobody has a clue. without a deal the eu has warned potatoes are just one of a number of british exports that could be disrupted overnight. well, while ireland continues to brace itself, tonight, talks in westminster to try tonight, talks in westminster to try to break the deadlock are being watched extremely closely, of course, by dublin. we are told there we re course, by dublin. we are told there were four and a half hours of discussions today between the conservatives and labour and the government said those discussions we re government said those discussions were detailed and productive. but there is some scepticism in labour circles at least as to whether the government is really prepared to compromise enough to win some labour

support. those talks will continue tomorrow. there's an expectation that it may become clear by tomorrow afternoon perhaps as to whether those discussions will really be able to deliver. emma vardy with the latest for us from dublin. let's go live to berlin and talk to our europe editor katya adler because let's talk a bit about the visit to dublin by chancellor merkel and what you made of the tone and the message that she offered in that news conference. well, i think what really struck me was a very stark contrast in tone from those gloomy, almost threatening statements we've been hearing from you ladies of late, no deal is all but inevitable 110w late, no deal is all but inevitable now if the prime minister asks us for a long extension there will be tough, tough conditions attached and there was a determinedly upbeat note in dublin with angela merkel saying where there is a will there is a way, and i think what we are seeing here is eu leaders peering into the a byss here is eu leaders peering into the abyss of no deal, thinking what it will mean for them, and also

considering what they might be willing to do to try to avoid it. right now there is no unified eu position on this, but today, in berlin, i had a chance of a rare interview to talk to annegret kramp—karren, known as germany's chancellor in waiting and she gave us chancellor in waiting and she gave usa chancellor in waiting and she gave us a peek into what's going on behind—the—scenes. translation: we, the eu, negotiated in a fair way for a very long time. the fact that we are now so close to a no—deal scenario is down to the domestic situation in the uk. so, isn't it foolhardy to stay on these very tough red lines in negotiation, such as when it came to the famous backstop, that guarantee to keep the irish border open? wouldn't it have been more sensible just to say, yeah, ok, we'll put an end date on the backstop, we'll put it far enough in the future that, really, we never think it's going to get to that. i've heard, internally, that germany might have been open to that idea, but there was pushback from other member states, particularly ireland. is that correct? translation: it was clear from the start that all eu countries

wanted to work together, particularly listening to the point of view of ireland under the irish government, to try to avoid no—deal. but if the uk now came to us and said, let's spend five days negotiating nonstop on how to avoid the backstop, i can't imagine anyone in europe saying no. well, of course she is not a german chancellor, and as i say, there is no current official eu position on what to do next. atjust before i spoke to you, i spoke to a high—level eu official who says the current thinking now of donald tusk, the president of the european council, head of eu leaders brexit summit next wednesday, is to offer the prime minister what he is calling a flextention on a longer extension giving the uk to flexibility to come out of it, as

soon flexibility to come out of it, as soon as flexibility to come out of it, as soon as the parliament has ratified a deal. many thanks again for the latest in berlin. and you can hear more of katya's interview on the today programme on bbc radio 4 tomorrow morning. the uk's biggest employers have until midnight tonight to report details of their gender pay gap — the difference between what they pay their male and female staff. and already, with most of the data submitted, it's clear that women are still being paid substantially less than men. in fact, bbc analysis has revealed that more than half of the employers have failed to narrow the gap at all over the past year. here's our economics correspondent dharshini david. revealing gender pay gaps was meant to start a conversation about women's progression in the workplace. all big employers will have to file by midnight tonight. so far, more than 90% have done so, with an average pay gap of 9.7% — unchanged on last year. so, has it made any difference?

some of the worst offenders are here in the city. barclays investment banks, rbs, which is partly state—owned, they've got pay gaps of about a0%. that gap is measured by looking at all the salaries in a company and comparing that of the man in the middle with that of the woman in the middle. in some, such as easyjet, the gap is getting bigger, but there could be a good reason if, for example, it's recruiting more female pilots at entry level. but the pay gap really opens up when women have children. 74% of mothers return to work. but a recent survey found that one in three employers believe that they‘ re less interested in career progression. so, companies need to do more, be it tackling unconscious some say the government needs to get tougher. notjust naming and shaming, but actually penalising companies that don't improve.

there is no quick fix. but, over the course of their careers, the average woman will earn about £250,000 less than the average man. the stakes are high. hundreds of new mothers every year struggle with extreme mental health problems and last night we reported on the nhs centres providing them with specialist care. the nhs hopes that in future all new mothers will have access to similar services across the uk, when they need them. tonight, our correspondent jeremy cooke reports from devon, on the outreach teams supporting those mothers at home. one of the leading killers of women in the postnatal period is suicide, still. women have killed their children. meet amanda, bringing specialist life—saving mental health support out into the community.

to people like cat. he'sjust dropping all of his on the floor! who is mum to flo and to baby barney. i couldn't shut my eyes because it was like a rapid flicker book of sexual abuse of the kids, the kids being injured, the kids being ill, contamination, harming myself, killing myself. cat is talking about postpartum psychosis, which some mums get after having a baby. every time i pushed one thought away, a worse one came in and replaced it, and i was done. i was done with life. i was spent, i had nothing left. how are you doing today? last night we saw how some women like cat need specialist treatment in hospital wards called mother and baby units, but that's only part of the treatment. a woman shouldn't be disadvantaged by where they live, so that we should be bringing these services to them. amanda's job takes her

across south—west england. and to her first visit of the day. how are you doing? i'm a bit low. steph has baby twins and a toddler. is there anything in particular you're not coping with? ijust wake up in the morning and i think, how am i going to do another day? what does it mean that your brain goes? the voices creep in and tell me what a bad job i'm doing. sometimes i think someone else would be doing a betterjob than me. steph is getting stronger, almost ready to be discharged. this is a lady that we had referred to us... amanda is at the weekly meeting. she is having thoughts of throwing the baby across the room... the team of professionals deciding who can be helped in the community and who needs to come into the mother and baby unit. i spent the whole time on the unit trying to figure out ways that

i could hurt myself, so i ended up being sectioned. it got so low that i found myself trying to hang myself whilst he was asleep in the cot. and it was at that point that i think something inside of me flipped. cat is on the mend. back home, but still a patient. you have worked so hard on your recovery. . . now she wants to tell her story to help other mums believe that they too can get better. amanda has met all of my family, so my parents and partner, she knows the children. i had a slight relapse about four weeks ago, amanda was here for three hours sat holding my hand whilst i was in bed, by my side. it's a really lovely part of the job to see someone get better. to save someone's life. and save someone's life, their relationship, relationships with their children,

relationships with their partners. being a mum is hard. being a mum when you have got mental health difficulties is really hard. and if you haven't got somebody that you can talk to who doesn'tjudge you, who has got your back, who holds that hope for you, when you have none at all, it would be impossible. you don't want my help? campaigners describe the expansion of nhs care for people like cat as a game changer. convinced that more mums in crisis will regain their health, their hope, theirfuture. it saved my life. if it wasn't for them, i don't think i would be here now.

and the kids? they might not have a mum. that was cat, ending that report byjeremy cooke. and you can find details of organisations which offer help, advice and support with pregnancy related issues at bbc.co.uk/actionline. let's take a look at some of today's other news. a man has appeared in court in new zealand in connection with the mosque attacks in christchurch. brenton tarrant faces 50 counts of murder and 39 of attempted murder. he appeared via video link. meanwhile the australian parliament has passed new laws which could see media executives jailed if they fail to remove violent content from their networks quickly enough. voting has been taking place in the parliamentary by—election in newport west, where labour is defending a majority of over 5000 votes.

it was caused by the death of the veteran labour mp paul flynn in february. the result is expected in a few hours' time. amid all the political turmoil in the commons, another unexpected event today — when mps were forced to suspend their sitting after water began flooding into the chamber from a leak in the roof. there's no news yet on when the chamber is due to re—open. the opposition in sudan has called for big demonstrations this weekend to remove the government of president omar al—bashir. he's ruled the african nation since taking power in a military coup 30 years ago. dozens have been killed and thousands have been detained in protests which began after bread prices rose sharply earlier this year. many of those at the forefront are young women fighting to create a new society, as our africa editor fergal keane reports. the women of al—ahfad university, facing the regime's police.

the men with guns drive past repeatedly. but the women stand firm. and that kind of courage is everywhere these days. assil diab is a celebrated sudanese artist. but she's using her talent to protest, painting the faces of the detained on the walls of khartoum. translation: this art reaches many people, whether they're walking or driving. all of them look. they can see the character, and if they don't know who it is, they ask, so people keep talking about it. women have faced severe repression under the regime's version of islamic law. now as many as two thirds of demonstrators are female. this woman, hurling tear gas back at the police. for others, like wifag qureshi, who started as a student activist six years ago,

the aim isn'tjust to remove the regime but the entire politics of patriarchy. translation: there are certain ideas that we need to fix, like that girls should stay at home while men protect and provide for them. or that men should go out on the streets, but we should not. this was one of the things i protested for, and i think it is changing a lot now. the road to change was opened by economic crisis. after 30 years in power, the bashir regime has failed to deliverjobs or prosperity. and soaring inflation alienated the middle classes, whose children took to the streets. the economic situation is so bad that even people from the middle class, even affluent families, found it hard to maintain their daily bread. and so when they reach that level of desperation, they became equal with the poor and the working classes, and had nothing to lose. with bashir still firmly in control

of the security forces, it doesn't look as if the new sudan will be born anytime soon. but what is significant is that the experience of brutality, of witnessing what is happening to others, has traumatised, but also deepened the determination of the protesters. translation: this is something truly sad. if you don't believe truly in what you do, it is hard to go on. if you don't believe, then you will feel it is ok to just stand by and watch them beat people. when you see a man is being beaten, i don't think you would cross your arms and just watch. whether or not they remove the regime soon, the women of sudan have already achieved fundamental change — in how their society sees them, in how they see themselves. fergal keane, bbc news.

it's the most prestigious night of the year for the british gaming industry, which according to the trade body is now worth a record £5.7 billion. the industry has become more lucrative than movies and music combined. bbc newsbeat‘s steffan powell was at the bafta game awards tonight, and sent this report. good evening, ladies and gentlemen. and welcome to the british academy games awards. tonight's a chance for the uk gaming industry to get together and celebrate the successes of the last 12 months. since the 1980s, the uk has made some of the world's most successful games, and recent tax breaks for companies here have helped the sector grow rapidly, with mass appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. but in order to keep that momentum up, there are a number of issues that the gaming world must address. from addiction to gambling, and concerns over representation of race and gender — something one of the nominees for best performer is worried about.

when news first came out about how you can now choose, and i saw the enthusiasm by the players and the fans, i thought, wow, this is really interesting. i never thought this would resonate this much. so that absolute freedom that they have, and the excitement that they had because of it, it was absolutely wonderful. the games market grew 10% in 2018, compared to the previous year. and the vast majority of that growth is down to software sales, the games themselves. they're largely responsible for this industry overtaking music and movies, in terms of economic clout. whatever has happened in the industry within britain, we've always found there's always been a constant of talented people wanting to do new things to innovate and create great games. and that remains the case. god of war. as for the awards themselves, god of war was the biggest winner on the night, taking home five golden masks. it's a game that sees its main character mature from his more brash younger self.

a fitting metaphor for the gaming industry as a whole. steffan powell, bbc news. newsnight is getting under way on bbc two. here on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. hello and welcome to sportsday. england defender danny rose says he can't wait to see the back of football because of its failure to adequately deal with racism. supa sundae shocks aintree on day one of the grand national meeting. and, find out if a former nfl star and an gb olympic gold medal hockey player have what it

takes to compete in the boat race. nobody‘s going to throw up, are they? if he did give us a shout we'll give you a bucket. well done. good evening and welcome to the programme, we start with an issue that should really be confined to the history books. instead world football has been forced to take a long hard look at how it's tackling racism within the game, with many players insisting not enough is being done to eradicate it. the latest to speak out is tottenham's danny rose who was a victim of racist chanting during england's euro 2020 win over montenegro just last month.