tonight at ten — campaigning gets underway for the european elections, even though the uk may not take part. nigel farage launches his new brexit party, while the chancellor, philip hammond, says the uk's involvement feels like a waste of time. what we will attempt to achieve is a democratic revolution in british politics, because that is what we need. clearly nobody wants to fight the european parliament elections. it feels like a pointless exercise. both labour and the conservatives are still working to find a brexit deal before the elections on may 23rd. also tonight... swedish prosecutors consider whether to reopen a rape inquiry against the wikileaks founder, julian assange. police and protestors clash

in algeria, as of thousands take take to the streets, calling for a new generation, of political leaders. the scandal of thousands of children, forced to attend educational centres that aren't legally schools. and england's ian poulter chases down the leaders at the masters in augusta, just two shots behind. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news — newcastle united look to ease their relegation fears, taking the lead against leicester city in the premier league. good evening. the chancellor, philip hammond, says the uk taking part in the upcoming european parliament elections feels like a "pointless exercise". he's urged mps to pass a brexit agreement that would avoid britain having to go to the polls.

as campaigning got under way, the former ukip leader nigel fa rage officially launched a new brexit party, saying he wants to "put the fear of god" into mps. our political correspondent ben wright reports. look who's back — with a new political party. nigel farage loves a stage. good morning. and at a metalworks factory in coventry, the former ukip leader promised to forge a democratic revolution, kicking off his latest campaign. i do believe that we can win these european elections and that we can again start to put the fear of god into our members of parliament in westminster. they deserve nothing less than that after the way they've treated us over this betrayal. this is preparation for elections to the european parliament, which might happen in may. the brexit party wants a full list of candidates, and some of the names have a familiar ring about them. annunziata rees—mogg.

yes, that's the sister of the tory mpjacob rees—mogg. nigel farage said the new party would be free of any extremists. it also lacks a manifesto, or policies beyond brexit, but it's targeting voters angry the uk still hasn't left the eu. that of course is because parliament has not yet approved the prime minister's deal, and if brexit isn't signed off here next month, then the uk is legally obliged to vote for a new crop of meps and that is something the government did not want to happen. clearly nobody wants to fight the european parliament elections. it feels like a pointless exercise, and the only way we can avoid that is by getting a deal agreed and done quickly, and if we can do that by may 22nd, then of course we can avoid fighting european parliamentary elections. to that end, in westminster, talks between the labour party and the government continued today, as they see whether there's any

chance of agreeing a brexit deal both sides can back. we're trying to be as constructive as we possibly can on all sides, and trying to be as positive as we possibly can, but we'll see by the end of next week how far we've got. if the european elections happen, there will be around 39,000 polling stations popping up across the uk at the end of may. the cost to the government last time was around £109 million. but the eu election turnout is traditionally low. just 35% voted in 2014. this time could be different — a chance for pro— and anti—eu voters to have their say, almost three years after the referendum. in york, interest and dismay. now, due to delays and unfortunate machinations that have been going on, we're actually saying, no, we'll run in the european elections. for what end? well, i do worry it's going to be a rehash of the referendum. but, i'm personally going to vote. i've lost the will to live, to be perfectly honest.

britain was such a proud country worldwide, and look at us now. we're the laughing stock of the world. parliament and the prime minister did not want the uk to leave the eu without a deal. that meant a delay to brexit and the likelihood of european elections. consequences of the political deadlock here. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. well, as we've been hearing, philip hammond has been speaking in washington today, and our economics correspondent dharshini david is there. the chancellor has been speaking about the possible economic effects of brexit. what exactly did he have to say? well, clive, of course we could have been withinjust to say? well, clive, of course we could have been within just minutes of leaving the eu tonight without a deal. a huge relief from the global financial leaders gathered here that that has been averted, but concerns, some shared by the chancellor, about the impact that uncertainty, prolonged uncertainty, continued deadlock, could have on our economy and on two fronts. businesses are

investing less because they are nervous. about 50% of what they normally do. the chancellor is confident that could bounce back if there is a deal. second, he's sitting on a worth tens of tens of billions of pounds. he could use that to alleviate austerity but he says he can't part with that cash until he is confident there is not going to be no deal. in the meantime government departments are anxiously waiting to find out how much they can spend on public services. he says if there isn't a deal by the summer says if there isn't a deal by the summer he may have to rein in his spending commitments. trying to focus mind perhaps, trying to find consensus. dharshini david, thank you, in washington. and we'll be reporting in the coming weeks on other parties launching their campaigns for the european elections. and if you want to know more, just visit our website at bbc.co.uk/news. prosecutors in sweden say they're considering whether to reopen an investigation into allegations of rape against the founder of wikileaks, julian assange. he was arrested yesterday,

following ecuador‘s decision to revoke his asylum at its embassy in london after nearly seven years. the us wants him extradited to face charges of conspiracy to hack a government computer, but labour says he shouldn't be sent to america. here's tom symonds. swedish prosecutors have been pursuing julian assange for years about rape, coercion and molestation allegations. he took refuge in the ecuadorian embassy. eventually, the prosecutors stopped trying to question him. but when the metropolitan police dragged him into custody, they got a second chance. they have until next august to restart the rape investigation. assange fought not to go to sweden because he was worried sweden would extradite him to the us. now britain's considering that. he's obviously going to fight extradition and fight it hard. this case raises significant issues about free speech. we've been warning about the prospect of an extradition request from the united states since 2010. after seven years inside the embassy, resolving

the case will mean answering some fundamental questions. isjulian assange a global campaigner who worked up a conspiracy to hack secret computer systems? or is he a journalist publishing leaked information in the public interest — something the courts might be more lenient about. in these modern times, he may well be a bit of both, but this is how he described himself to the bbc in 2010. we're a publisher. we accept information from whistle— blowers. we vet it, we analyse it and we publish it and that's what we do. but the american charge sheet against him suggests he did more than just accept and publish. it accuses him of requesting information from chelsea manning, the us intelligence analyst, and of trying to crack a password himself. he's not accused of spying or treason, and the maximum sentence in these charges is less than the time he spent in the embassy.

but labour believes he's being pursued for political reasons. i think there may be human rights issues in relation to assange. he is, at the very least, a whistle—blower and much of the information that he brought into the public domain, it could be argued, was very much in the public interest. but wikilea ks leaked hillary clinton's e—mails and she wants him charged. it's not about punishing journalism. it's about assisting the hacking of the military computer to steal information from the united states government, but the bottom line is, he has to answer for what he has done, at least as it's been charged. he has nine weeks to prepare his case against extradition. tom symonds, bbc news. the pregnancy and parenting club bounty has been fined £a00,000

for what regulators called an "unprecedented" data breach. new mothers were among more than 1a million people whose personal information was collected but illegally shared with other companies for marketing purposes. bounty says it has since changed its procedures. the england and saracens rugby union player, billy vunipola, will appear before the sport's governing body, after using social media to defend a prominent australian player who made homophobic comments. well, our correspondent richard lister is at twickenham tonight. clive, this all started with that instagram post by israel folau, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. he's also a fundamentalist christian, and in that post he grouped homosexuals together with liars, thieves and adulterers, and said, hell awaits you. now rugby australia has made those best made clear those comments are likely to end his career, but here in the uk

billy vunipola, the saracens number eight, capped more than a0 times by england, likes that instagram post andi england, likes that instagram post and i did while he doesn't hate anyone, man was made for woman to procreate. now, saracens have condemned that post. they say they are taking it very seriously. they'll also handle it internally, they say, but here in twickenham the rugby football union says rugby is an inclusive sport, we don't support these views and will be meeting with billy to discuss his social media posts. the question will be off course how far the rugby authorities are prepared to push this and tonight, clive, those posts by both players are still on instagram. richard lister there at twickenham, thank you. there have been clashes between police and protestors in algeria, after tens of thousands of people again took to the streets calling for a new generation of political leaders. police fired tear gas and water cannon at the demonstrators, many of them young, and who were marching for the eighth friday in a row. they're angry at the appointment of abdelkader bensalah as interim leader, saying he's too close

to the former president, who was forced out of office ten days ago after years of repressive rule. mr bensalah has promised free elections, but opponents say it's a ploy by the ruling elite to cling onto power. well, our correspondent 0rla guerin is live in the capital algiers for us tonight. well, once again today, the demonstrators showed strength in numbers, with a huge turnout on the streets, and tonight, algiers is counting the cost. the authorities say close to 200 protesters were arrested and around 100 police officers were injured. reformers here say the protests will continue as long as the old regime remains in place, while president bouteflika was forced to resign many of his allies are trying to cling on stop.

"the country is ours," they chant. "and we will do what we want." algerians are seizing their moment. mass protest, now the friday routine. just a few months ago, this seemed impossible. you could go to jail for posting on facebook. after decades of repression by a hated regime, it's just too much for some. "what do they want from us?" he says. "we ask god for revenge." well, more police are moving into position, the crowd is building here, and so is the anger. this is the eighth friday in a row that the demonstrators have gathered. and they say they will keep coming until all of their demands are met. they want a complete break with the past, a clean sweep.

that means the new interim president, abdelkader bensalah, must go. protesters don't trust him to organise free elections. and some worry the powerful military is playing a double game, expressing support for the protests but trying to limit any change. in the main square today, police could not hold back the crowds. the protesters believe the march of history is on their side. so, i came from abroad and i'm very happy to be here with my family in order to march for democracy and in order to stop this corrupt government and to try to give the youth a chance for tomorrow. do you believe you'll succeed? i think we will succeed, definitely, we're far too many not to succeed. but some are standing up to the regime all on their own, like nisa imad.

"i told them this is my country, " she said. "we want the whole system to go. there's nothing for the young generation. i have five kids with nojobs and no homes of their own." in among the crowds, a veteran lawyer, who may help lead algeria through the turmoil. he's waited decades for this. i have tears in my eyes when i see what's happening after 30 years of fighting against dictatorship in this country. we tried to do things and we didn't succeed. it's these young people who gave us this feeling of pride to be algerians. but how far will the young be allowed to go? as the day wore on, the police pushed back. first with a water cannon and then

later with tear gas. the hope on the streets is that change can come without bloodshed. no one is sure where all this is headed. 0rla guerin, bbc news, algiers. the schools watchdog, 0fsted, says councils in england have spent tens of thousands of pounds, putting children in centres that aren't legally registered as schools. up to six thousand pupils have been found attending establishments suspected of operating outside the law, including some religious centres. the government has promised to give 0fsted stronger powers, to tackle the problem. here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. classrooms are upstairs. two years ago, the inspectors arrived here. i went with them as they investigated, finding children excluded from mainstream schools. we agreed not to name it to protect

vulnerable children. we have cause to suspect that an unregistered school is being run at the premises here. 0k. crumbling buildings, no facilities, no teachers. but still the local council sent children here. that just means that children won't be having the learning they need, it means that they won't be preparing for exams, which will affect their life chances, then, and also throughout their life. in some religious tuition centres, even worse. not fit for any child. out of sight and outside the law. 0fsted has spent three years looking into suspected illegal schools. 259 have been visited by inspectors. 71 were given warning notices. 15 have closed down as a result. one of the places that closed is not farfrom here in birmingham. i found it and so did 0fsted. it was charging

parents £1a0 a month. not much for a child ‘s education, but then it didn't have any qualified teachers. it was 17 hours a week, just below the legal level where it needed to register as a school. this is the only illegal school prosecuted in england so far. this learning centre in west london closed. those responsible were fined a few hundred pounds. some religious centres look like schools, but 0fsted says it is hard to prove and what about excluded children? councils, sending pupils to places not registered or inspected. that is a very different situation. it is the kind of environments where we have concerns about fire safety, concerns about the structure of the building, concern about whether children are being kept safe and educated by people who know what they are doing. the centre i visited is now running legally, but inspectors fear there are many

more, where children ‘s welfare and education is at risk. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. the interim military leader of sudan has announced he's stepping down, just twenty four hours after toppling the country's long time leader, 0mar al—bashir, in a coup. but it's uncertain tonight whether the move will be enough to end the huge protests by people on the streets, who are demanding a civilian government. 0ur senior africa correspondent, anne soy reports. uncertain times in sudan, but protesters are undeterred. they say the revolution isn't over yet. the country's strongman may be gone, but in his place now are some of his closest allies. but the people are demanding an end to military rule.

translation: we want a civilian transitional government as soon as possible. if it has to be the army who makes this happen, then we don't want anyone from their side who has been part of the regime in any way. translation: why isn't there a transitional government? all those people who died, have theyjust gone in vain? we cannot accept this. there are fears the army generals who toppled the president will do anything to hold onto power. they supported repression for decades, but the generals are now promising reform, political dialogue and a transition to civilian government. translation: all of us, we should work hand in hand. we are not against the demands of the people. we are for the demands of the people. but this evening, in an extraordinary development, the man sworn in only yesterday as sudan's new military leader has announced his resignation. general awad ibn auf said he is handing over power to another military leader seen as less close to the old regime, perhaps more sympathetic to the protesters.

women have been at the forefront of the protests. reject the regime, they chanted in khartoum today. one woman has come to symbolise the rebellion. these images of 22—year—old engineering student alaa salah went viral earlier this week. as she led demonstrations. translation: the role of sudanese women is very significant in the revolution. they've taken part equally with men and have faced violence and beatings. women have endured a lot of pain and have kept on going. but the protesters want to see the system overhauled, notjust a change of face. anne soy, bbc news. england's ian poulter has had a good second day at the masters.

he's two shots behind three joint leaders who are 7 under par. andy swiss reports from augusta, georgia. a decidedly soggy start to day two. 0vernight rains meant the early fans in augusta had to watch their step, a day for careful progress and england's ian poulter achieved precisely that. another fine performance keeping him right in contention. others that were making even bigger strides. last year's open champion francesco molinari shooting at the leaderboard with one of the rounds of the day. as for tiger woods, well, once again he showed he has not lost his touch. the croud certainly enjoyed this one. some 22 years on from his first masters title, still in the hunt. after his disappointing first round, it was a better start for rory mcelroy, a flash of early brilliance to get him going. although he still has plenty

of ground to make up. it was another good day for america's brooks koepka, who began it with a share of the lead and produced another impressive round. but it was woods, once again the star attraction. a mammoth putt stirring the crowd. after his recent struggles, could augusta see something very special? the latest i can tell you is that we have a three—way tie for the late, francesco molinari, brooks koepka and jason day. ian poulter is two shots behind, tiger woodsjust three shots behind, tiger woodsjust three shots behind, tiger woodsjust three shots behind, but in the last few minutes, play has been suspended because of thunderstorms, so some players may not finish their second round tonight. thank you, andy swiss there in agusta. at the end of an important week over brexit, the chancellor philip hammond denies all the controversy has been a national humiliation. so how have the last two years altered the perception of britain

abroad, and has its standing in the global order been affected? here's our diplomatic correspondent james robbins. if like me you have been sort of following the insanity of the brexit negotiations and are confused about what is going on... scene from the outside, britain is not looking good. a laughing stock to some, a basket case to others. theresa may ‘s brexit plan. what are foreigners saying about future prospects for britain in the world? i went to see kevin rudd, a former australian prime minister and an asia expert. bucketloads of damage will be done to britain and its standing in the world if it leads, but if it turns out that the brits decide that they have got to leave, the world will look at britain as a diminished country. so, britain as a diminished country, is that a real risk? next up country, is that a real risk? next up the un headquarters in new york.

this really is the very centre of world power, the circular table around which said the 15 member states on the un security council. meeting to debate and often to decide on matters of peace and war. 0n the security council all member states are definitely not equal. ten of these countries rotate, representing much of the word ‘s population and only five have permanent seats here and crucially, an individual right of veto over any council decision. from europe, france, the uk have that privilege, after brexit people start to question the legitimacy of the uk holding onto its eight? across town from the un, you will find defiant britain, a red white and blue manhattan grocery store where you get plenty of bang for your buck. the american right hale the referendum decision to quit the eu. ted believes that britain can be stronger in the world after brexit.

0utside stronger in the world after brexit. outside the eu the uk will be self—governing. what is there not to like about that from an american perspective? personally i think the uk has generally made good choices over its history on average. i have faith it will continue to do that on average. i think the uk position is strong. but the future looks different scene from the fastest—growing continent in the world, africa. there are worries that after brexit the pound will fall and britain ‘s aid money will buy less but there is a feeling that brexit is another good reason for africa to do more help itself. this isa africa to do more help itself. this is a former government minister in liberia. it does not corporate in a failed state but a country in freefall. it is a disaster, a total disaster. it is funny, i tweeted yesterday that for decades we on the continent have ta ken yesterday that for decades we on the continent have taken advice from these people without questioning this. from the british? it is a

shambles. you are suggesting that actually brexit might have a more positive effect in africa than in britain? i honestly think that things like brexit, events like brexit only drives the continent closer. this may be the uk's most significant week since world war ii. there is a vast range of views from abroad on britain's standing and future prospects. withjust one common thread. almost everyone now sees britain in a quite different light. james robbins, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.

hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm adam wild newcastle united have eased their relegation fears with victory over leicester in the premier league. we'll be live in augusta, where day two at the masters is coming to a close. and it's a three—way tie at the top. and a thriller in rugby unions premiership where leicester tigers have dealt newcastle a major blow in the fight to avoid relegation. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm adam wild good evening. lets start with the premier league. newcastle united are now ten points clear of the relegation zone after a much needed win over leicester city. the only goal of the game coming from the spanish striker ayoze perez in the first half. that win pushes newcastle up

to 13th in the table. it was a good game. we had a good tea m it was a good game. we had a good team and we did really well, credited to our players there working so hard and i feel like the fence, you could see from the first minute to the last minute, that players were trying to do their best and the fans were doing the same. now, some sad football news to bring you. the former liverpool defender tommy smith has died at the age of 7a. smith played a67 games for liverpool and scored 36 times. the most famous of those came in the 1977 european cup final when liverpool beat borussia moenchengladbach 3—1. smith — who was one of football's toughest players — also captained the side to the the double of uefa cup and league title in 1973

the liverpool managerjurgen klopp has called for life bans for fans found guilty of racist abuse. it follows the emergence of a video where six chelsea supporters appeared to chant an islamophobic song on their way to the club's europa league match at slavia prague last night. three of the six people involved were identified by chelsea and barred from the game. these guys... it's not always, it happens in other parts of life as well, but these guys are football fans so if you do something like that, you should not be allowed to enter a stadium again, from my point of view, in your life. arsenal, meanwhile, have started an investigation after a video emerged online where a supporter can be heard allegedly racially abusing the napoli defender kalidou koulibaly during their europa league quarter final last night.