today at 5: an inquiry into what's been called "the worst treatment scandal in the history of the nhs" gets underway. thousands of people with haemophilia contracted hiv and hepatitis c after being given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and ‘80s. more than 2,000 people are thought to have died. i was told i had about a year to live. i was told not to tell anybody. including... excuse me, including my family and my parents. we'll have the latest from the inquiry, and we'll be talking to a woman whose husband died last year as a result of contaminated blood. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: a new police investigation is launched into the deaths

of hundreds of patients at gosport war memorial hospital. labour's governing body agrees to support a second brexit referendum, but only if other options fail. gunfire and tear gas in venezuela. 0pposition leaderjuan guaido says he's started the final phase of his plan to oust president nicolas maduro. japan's emperor akihito gives up his throne in a formal ceremony — the first emperor to do so in over two centuries. and spurs prepare to take on dutch leaders ajax in their first champions league semifinal. it's been called "the worst

treatment scandal in the history of the nhs", and today a public inquiry got underway into how thousands of people were infected with hepatitis c and hiv during nhs treatment in the 1970s and ‘80s. many of those infected had haemophilia — a genetic condition that prevents blood from clotting properly. thousands more may have been exposed through blood transfusions after an operation or childbirth. the former high courtjudge sir brian langstaff, who's leading the investigation, promised it would be thorough, independent and would put the victims of the scandal its heart. richard lister reports. when they told me what they'd done to me, i stood on a motorway bridge to jump off it. ifeel we have been treated very badly. nobody has listened to us over the years. successive governments have failed to live up to their responsibility of what they done to us,

of what they done to my family. and what they have done to my life. just some of the victims of the biggest medical disaster in nhs history, telling their stories on video at the start of the inquiry last year. now it begins its next phase, to understand the impact of this tragedy and how it happened. although it will never be possible to hear orally from everyone who would wish to be heard, those affected and infected will come first and last in the enquiry. in the 1970s and ‘80s, the nhs imported blood products from the united states. some were made with donated blood from prisoners and even drug addicts at high risk of carrying viruses. no—one knows how many patients the nhs treated with infected blood. estimates suggest around 5,000 were treated for haemophilia and other diseases. but there could be as many as 30,000 others who received blood transfusions contaminated

with hepatitis and hiv. derek martindale was the first to give evidence today. he recalled finding out he had been infected with hiv at the age of 23. i went at lunchtime to get the results and i was told that i was hiv positive. i was told i had about a year to live. i was told not to tell anybody. including, excuse me, including my family and my parents. the inquiry saw notes on another patient infected with hiv in 1984 who wasn't told about it for more than a year. do you recall giving any consent to being tested for hiv at that time? no. do you recall the outcome of any tests being communicated to you at that time? no. when was it that you were told that you had tested positive? i think it was in august '85.

the inquiry team have scanned the country for official files. there are millions of documents to be reviewed in the search for answers. not least to the question, was there a cover—up? documents have been destroyed. we know that for certain. and so there is a question of how much we will be able to reveal. but for the first time, this inquiry actually has teeth, it is a statutory inquiry, it will be able to summons witnesses and compel people to produce evidence, which is hugely important. the road to justice has been a long one. those affected have been demanding this inquiry for decades. it is likely to take several years to complete. the campaigners say another victim dies from infected blood every four days. richard lister, bbc news. let's speak to our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson, who is that inquiry. that last line of richard's report,

campaign saying another victim dies every four days. i suppose that makes the point that this is not leftover just by history makes the point that this is not leftoverjust by history but the problem of now. that is absolutely right. we now know that since the inquiry started there are 3000 people who are estimated to have died, victims of this tragedy. it is of course possible that the actual numbers of those who died a far greater are many people are not aware they were infected with these diseases. there is a real urgency to this inquiry and are something that the chair has acknowledged, saying this inquiry must be as swift as possible, to be thorough as well. it is estimated that he will report backin is estimated that he will report back in around two years. and why is it that we are having this inquiry 110w

it that we are having this inquiry now when the contamination and infection happen so very many years ago? it is a question that many of the victims have asked over the decades, why so long? why have they not been able to put their stories officially on record until now? they have been two previous inquiries, one in scotland described by many families as a whitewash, and another inquiry paid for privately. but this is the first official public inquiry in which they have the power is here to demand documents from top government departments of the nhs and demand that witnesses come forward and give their accounts of what happened back in the day, back in the 70s and 80s, when so many people were given these infected blood products. thank you so much. let's hear one personal story now. su gorman‘s husband, steve dymond,

died aged 62 in december last year of organ failure — ultimately caused by the factor viii medicine made from contaminated blood that he was given as a young man. sue, could you tell us first when steve was infected and how that happened? we think he was infected first in 1976 between his second and third years at university. it was a very large bruise on his thigh. he went to the hospital. and they told him they had this new want to kill that would actually very easily stop the risk of any muscle damage. —— new want to cure. and no mention was ever made of hepatitis c infection. this was of course before the hiv infection. and all we noticed was

that he became less mentally acute. he became less able to control his planning, his organisation. but again, one does not assume that as a symptom of a serious illness. and then, if i understand the story correctly, it was 1983 when you both realised there might be a problem, and steve was tested for hiv, and after 18 months that was found to be negative? that was actually a treatment given unnecessarily and again for treatment given unnecessarily and againfora treatment given unnecessarily and again for a bruise, treatment given unnecessarily and againfora bruise, but treatment given unnecessarily and again for a bruise, but a very small bruise, ina again for a bruise, but a very small bruise, in a nonspecialist hospital. we had been following the press coverage of the hiv infections, and as far as we knew, the products were 110w as far as we knew, the products were now safe from hiv, but what we had not been told and what we were told the day after he was injected for

some of the old stock had been kept on the shelves in nonspecialist hospitals as an economy measure to be used in the circumstances where death would ensue if there was no factor a treatment but not intended for a mild haemophiliac weather slight bruise. we knew there was something wrong when we phoned the centre, they said they should never have done that. that was 18 months of hiv testing at the height of the aids crisis but no mention was made of hepatitis c. when he was given the clear diagnosis, he assumed that what was wrong with her mother is a form of ptsd of the strain of living with the threat of aids. and then to fast forward ten years, it was 1993 when hepatitis c had become a diagnosable issue, and it was then i think that you realised that that's

what he had ? think that you realised that that's what he had? hepatitis c has been diagnosable for a longer time. until 1991, it was called non—a, not be hepatitis. there is evidence they we re hepatitis. there is evidence they were aware of it and could diagnose debt. it was called hepatitis c in 1991. steve was told in 1993 that he had been exposed to it but he was told that it was in his bloodstream, and it would cause him no harm or damage. it was another four years later, so 21 years from the first infection, that he was told that the com ‘— infection, that he was told that the com —— with the consequences were cirrhosis, cancer, liver cancer, premature death. and the end of last year, premature death. and the end of last yea r, steve premature death. and the end of last year, steve did die, and this has blighted both of your lives. you we re blighted both of your lives. you were not able to have a family. blighted both of your lives. you were not able to have a familym put an end as having children because they hepatitis was diagnosed properly in the middle of an ivf,

and at that stage, the labs were not secure for any infected sperm so we had to stop them. and because of the age i was, there was no chance of starting again. steve was very much affected by some of the things he was told by hiv and very determined not to infect me, which had an effect on our private life which had a lot to do with us not having children. and, yes, he finally had a treatment in 2015 the hepatitis c which cleared it. he was then diagnosed with cancer and that was dealt with very efficiently. he then developed a condition called portal hypertension, a consequence of a badly cirrhosis liver, which involves vomiting blood and requires internal banding of the patches that have opened up. and he was on his third admission for portal

hypertension. hejust never recovered from the endoscopy that was the standard treatment. we are very grateful to you for telling us so very grateful to you for telling us so calmly this tragic story. but one last question for you, today, we have seen the inquiry, it is many decades after steve was infected, how do you feel today and how do you think he would have felt sing today's inquiry? i think he would have felt a certain sense of satisfaction that the chairman's observations suggest that what steve wanted, which is those who did this to us are brought up to face it, brought to account for preference but actually brought face—to—face with what they did to us more vulnerable community within the country. and steve's last words were, they must repent. i promised himi were, they must repent. i promised him i would do my best, and it is a

promise i intend to keep, so i feel the same satisfaction that he would felt that we now have a chance of establishing the truth and answering the one simple question, why? why did it happen? thank you very much for joining did it happen? thank you very much forjoining us. in the past few moments, the venezuelan national guard has run over protestors in caracas who were throwing stones and hit the veichles with bricks. these are pictures just before the incident took place. venezuelan authorities say they are putting down a small coup attempt after opposition leader juan guaido announced he was in the "final phase" of ending president nicolas maduro's rule. he called for more members of the military to end nicolas maduro's

usurpation of power. it is very moment, clearly? it is a moment people are very concerned about especially since this video surfaced. early morning, juan guaido calling them to come out on the streets, flanked by soldiers, saying it was nicolas maduro's time to go. people are nervous about what this might mean. we have got nicolas maduro saying forces remain loyal to him, the defence minister saying forces remain loyal to the government, meanwhile, we havejuan guaido in this battle of wills about which way venezuelans going. both sides have called for people to come out on the street as there is increasing violence on the streets of caracas. this makes the public who do come out very vulnerable? absolutely. you have got to put this

into the context of the last few yea rs into the context of the last few years in venezuela. a situation where there have been increasing food shortages and medicine shortages, hyperinflation, the imf has put an eye watering 10,000,000% it could get to by the end of the year. these are figures you cannot get your head around. it is a situation that is really tough on every single venezuelan, power and water shortages, going out on the streets and protesting to try and get rid of nicolas maduro, you have the violence we have seen in the past few years from the government in terms of trying to clamp down on the protests, all of this sort of thing makes people very nervous about going onto the street. nevertheless, there is that support for regime change within venezuela, people do want that change and better lives, but it is a risk that not everyone is willing to take.|j

know you will bring us further updates as things develop there. for now, thank you very much. the international community watching closely to see ifjuan guaido's latest move will be the moment the nicolas maduro is toppled from power. the united states has been a firm opponent and the us secretary of state in a tweet said, the us government fully supports the venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. democracy cannot be defeated. with me now is celia szusterman, director for the latin american programme at the institute for statecraft. as we have said, the international community watching closely, is there any way they can affect events on the ground ? any way they can affect events on the ground? they can't. the only way would be military intervention, would be military intervention, would would be the worst of all possible options. the international community has shown very much... it

reminds me of syria. they are helpless to do anything. 0r reminds me of syria. they are helpless to do anything. or not willing to do anything. we are not talking about the final phase, and his representative in washington asking for the international community is to support when nicolas maduro has all the power, it seems like a cry in the desert. we are watching pictures now of the crowds with the troops on the streets there of the capital. as we were saying with katie, a dangerous moment, and wonder in a way the international community has played a role because many governments, up to about 50 governments, have supported juan guaido diplomatically and suggested he is the legitimate interim president of the country. yes but diplomacy without weapons is not

affected. it is like music without instruments. they have been making declarations of support the juan guaido, but the idea... what he has done to ask the people to stay on the streets is very dangerous because people do have families and children to think of. what i thought was very interesting is an image i saw earlier of military helicopters on the ground, and scores of motorbikes with two people on them, waiting. 0nce those guys come out onto the street, that is where the danger point will erupt because these are the malicious that are not by nicolas maduro. for the time being, they seem to be waiting that the military base. i have quoted the us secretary of state saying,

democracy cannot be defeated, but you sound more sombre, you think it is possible? you cannot say democracy cannot be defeated. somebody described the situation in venezuela as one of different tribes. when you have a tribal confrontation, it is a zero—sum game, one tribe wins on the other is exterminated, and it is about people, not concepts or ideas. the really worrying thing besides the tragedy of the venezuelan people is that, if nicolas maduro stays in power, which i'm afraid looks highly likely, remember that the russians are firmly behind him, and the chinese are more pragmatic. they said they are prepared to talk to everybody. but if that's the case, it is not just everybody. but if that's the case, it is notjust the people of venezuelan who will have defeated,

it is really democracy itself because it will have shown that authoritarianism or in the case of venezuela, a totalitarian regime. looking at these pictures now, very frightening. i remember a0 years ago or 30 years ago the demonstrations in beijing. so these pictures frighten me with that experience. but the question then the international community is, is there anything that can do or should do at this point to cool things in caracas? i cannot imagine what. if they have been unable in the past two years at least when this has been building up and there have been all sorts of calls for intervention and dialogue in whatever and they have failed, i do not see this

last—minute attempt, whenjuan guaido says this is the final stage, what the international community can do. thank you very much for coming following a meeting of the party's governing body, labour say they will agree to support a second referendum if it cannot get a general election or change the government's brexit policy. many labour members had called for party to make its agreement to any deal conditional on it being put to a public vote — what labour calls a "confirmatory ballot". 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, has been following the meeting outside labour headquarters. does anything change after today?|j think does anything change after today?” think it does. 0n the surface, it does not look like it has changed because labour had a very caveat position concerning a referendum to

avoid a bad tory brexit deal or no deal. that position has changed a little bit, there is a lot of pressure from the party, tom watson and some of the big unions say there should be an unambiguous position, tom watson wanted parties to say there should be a referendum on any deal, even a deal negotiated by jeremy corbyn. what it up doing here is some kind of compromise or fudge. in other words, there are still caveats but the caveat is that labour would call for a referendum if the conservatives do not make changes to the deal, meaning that some pro—referendum labour mps are not too disappointed because that leaves the door open to a referendum, others are disappointed because they think actually this is a way of avoiding a clear commitment leading up to these elections, truth it puts the ball back in the

conservatives's court. talks are going on between the parties at the moment. the labour leadership is saying, if you can come towards us a bit and compromise, then guess what? we can pull back this tide of demands on our own party for a referendum and the leaderships of both main parties will be able to go forward with a deal without putting it back the people. that is the bargain coming from jeremy corbyn, but it means the kind of full throated commitment to referendum, some of the unions and members and of the candidates wanted that. it was certainly thrown out of the window here at labour hq this afternoon. a new police investigation has been announced into the deaths of hundreds of patients at gosport war memorial hospital in hampshire between 1987 and 2001. a report published last summer found more than a50 lives were shortened as a result of over—prescribing of opiates.

families were told of the decision at a meeting in fareham shortly before the announcement was made. duncan kennedy reports. arriving at an unfamiliar hall the families lived their stories and wait to hear if the police will take action. stanley was one of hundreds of people who died after going into the gospel war memorial hospital. his daughter say the new police inquiry was announced must get at the truth. we wantjustice for inquiry was announced must get at the truth. we want justice for the relatives and for the families that have been fighting for the last 20 yea rs. have been fighting for the last 20 years. it has gone on long enough now. we are all getting older. it has been 20 years. so, for us,

anyway. last year, an independent inquiry found that more than a50 patients died at the war memorial hospital because they were probably given strong painkillers for no medical reason. today police said the new criminal investigation had been different to three previous ones. the families have waited a long time, they have been through investigation after investigation, inquiry after inquiry. they want answers. we want to try and give them the answers but i cannot promise them i will give them the outcome they want. the police also say they are looking at a full range of charges, including murder, but say it all depends on whether they can say it all depends on whether they ca n prove say it all depends on whether they can prove the shortening of live set at gosport was directly caused by the use of these powerful painkillers. doctorjane the use of these powerful painkillers. doctor jane barton the use of these powerful painkillers. doctorjane barton was responsible for prescribing painkillers in the hospital in the 19905. painkillers in the hospital in the 1990s. last year's reports and other

staff were also involved. speaking through her husband last year, she did night she was at fault. she has a lwa ys did night she was at fault. she has always claimed she was a hard—working, dedicated always claimed she was a ha rd—working, dedicated doctor, doing the best for her patients with very inadequately resourced health services. police say the new investigation will take at least nine months and will create a panel of medical experts. since 1987, the family of those who have died have a lwa ys family of those who have died have always believed they have boys been listened to and that someone must be held accountable. it has been a tale of two halves of weather today. we have the glorious sunshine and the warmth in eastern areas, but the west has been disappointingly grey. in northern ireland, a wet day but the rain is starting to clear away. this is the weather front responsible for that

rain and it is moving its way across central and western scotland, pushing into the irish into england and wales. that will continue through the first part of this evening. 0vernight, that rain lies across western areas and under that blanket of cloud temperatures were not fall as low as they have done in recent nights. chilly in east anglia and the south—east of england and again some areas may awaken to some fog. the weather front we have got with us introduces cabinet tends to break up so we will see showers to the cause of tomorrow, heavy as well. 0utside those showers, with the gusty winds, quite decent. however, more of those shells install as we head into thursday's well and then all change for the end of the week. i will tell you more later.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: violence erupts on the streets of venezuela — opposition leader juan guaido says he's started the "final phase" of his plan to oust president nicolas maduro. thousands of haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis c and hiv — an inquiry begins into how their blood was contaminated. a new police investigation into the deaths of hundreds of patients at gosport war memorial hospital is to take place. labour's governing body agrees to support a second brexit referendum — but only if other options fail. and, japan's emperor akihito gives up his throne in a formal ceremony — the first emperor to do so in over two centuries.

the sport with ben croucher. we are too one half hours away from one of tottenham mums biggest games, they take on ajax. the tottenham new stadium will be bouncing soon. john watson is in place for us for the first leg. 180 minutes from a first champions league final, what you make of tottenham ? champions league final, what you make of tottenham? chances? i think they will point to that victory over manchester city last time out but they did look tired against west ham, theirfirst they did look tired against west ham, their first defeat out of this new stadium. i don't think anyone imagined that six matches into play here, they would be hosting a champions league semifinal but here we are. not helped by injuries, no harry kane, son misses out because

he is suspended. but moussa sissoko has returned to training. you huge game for tottenham against an ajax tea m game for tottenham against an ajax team who will start as favourites, in light of big victories against juventus and real madrid. let's hear from leading to your budget and —— mauricio pochettino. it is difficult to find some, i think it's a team with a lot of great, the manager, the players are doing a fantastic job. ifeel it the players are doing a fantastic job. i feel it a little the players are doing a fantastic job. ifeel it a little bit like us. no one believes that ajax can arrive out of the final, or at the same, i think for tottenham. but we deserved to be here. ajax has been helped by the dutch week you cleared their league fixtures to give them more preparation time in the lead up to

this. worth pointing out is also the issue of financial difference between the two teams. £8 million owned by ajax for tv rights. £19 million in the premier league. the fantastic youth system of ajax, two players featuring ring. the huge night for tottenham. as we know, just 180 minutes away now from a champions league final. promises to bea champions league final. promises to be a brilliant evening in north london. we will have all of the build—up to that game in sports day withjohn, live build—up to that game in sports day with john, live from the build—up to that game in sports day withjohn, live from the tottenham hotspur stadium 6:30pm on the bbc‘s news channel. the final of the world snooker championship started today. already, you feel thatjudd trump

has a shoe in for the final. he took the finalframe has a shoe in for the final. he took the final frame to lead to 7—1, the first to 13 goes through, they will finish off tomorrow. john higgins has lost the last two finals, he trails and former winner neil robertson, 3—2. you can follow that match live on bbc two and bbc sport website. in cycling, is the same writer, same team, slightly different name. the team formerly known as team sky had their first official race under new ownership. their new look will be no tomorrow ahead of the tour which starts on thursday. we will have more for you orany thursday. we will have more for you or any special sports day at lifelong tottenham hotspur at

6:30pm. these are the scenes from venezuela, the authorities say they are putting down a small cute attempt. juan guiado has called the monterey and people onto the streets. translation: the armed forces are on the side of the constitution. now, we are asking all of to take to the streets. to claim what we have not been given as a citizen throughout all these years. first thing this

morning, and now this is the scene outside the military base where he was talking. as you can see, there are individuals on the street there are individuals on the street there are roomed. that is a lot of uncertainty as the members of the public are coming out in support of him, some for him, some against them. they have been exchanges of gunfire, there has been tear gas. that is obviously why people are wearing handkerchiefs and scarves across their faces. you wearing handkerchiefs and scarves across theirfaces. you can wearing handkerchiefs and scarves across their faces. you can see the plumes of smoke in the background. this is a different shot from a different positions. you can see there, forces gathering. it's a very tense moment. juan guiado is still calling people out, calling for the military tojoin him. the calling people out, calling for the military to join him. the authority say it is only a small pot to

attempt. the united states in on the side ofjuan guiado, with the us secretary of state same democracy cannot be defeated. and the president's spokeswoman saying that president's spokeswoman saying that president maduro must stand down, backing the call from juan guiado that maduro has used up his power. it isa that maduro has used up his power. it is a very dangerous moment for all involved. a stand—off which we will keep an eye on as the hours go by. another piece of beauty news. police are offering a reward of £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution for a man wanted in connection with the abduction and rape of two women on the streets of north london. joseph mccann — who has a slight irish accent this and is known to use false names — is accused of separately snatching two women in their 20s on thursday. police describe him as being muscular, about 510", and warn that he is "extremely dangerous".

cambridge university has launched a two—year study to investigate its historical links with slavery. an advisory group will examine the university's archives, libraries and museums to see whether it gained financially from the slave trade. other universities too have recently been forced to confront their history with slave traders and empire builders — georgetown university in the usa agreed to offer admissions support to the descendants of more than 200 slaves it had sold in the 19th century. i'm nowjoined by student toni fola—alade, former president of the cambridge university african carribean society. he is on the new advisory panel. thanks so much forjoining us. what exactly thanks so much forjoining us. what exa ctly d o thanks so much forjoining us. what exactly do you want to do? first of all, alongside looking into financial requests that the university received. we also looking

into the university archives and museums for any artwork received in that period. also looking at scholarships from a period that may have contributed to colonial attitudes at the time and afterwards. is there something that you have personally already studied, what expectations do you have? personally, i have not directly studied any issues. we have no concrete idea of what we will find. it is likely there will be some very significant findings but seeing as we're at the beginning of a verified eye two and a half year extended we don't have any concrete findings at this time. can you explain why you think this is necessary? in terms of a university like cambridge with its incredible influence, both at home

and worldwide, to look into the ways it has benefited from the past, from colonial project. also in terms of shaping thinking around this issue. looking at legacies in terms of the way that the world we live in now works. also in terms of how the current student, staff, and academics live. we hope the findings will be able to help us and create a more inclusive university environment. what would that success look like? first of all, meaningful findings. looking out of the firm commitments we can make to try and address some of the issues that we find. this is a day when another story in the headlines about social mobility, or the lack of it. the report suggested that privilege entrenches privilege, race, class,

gender, itjust goes round and round. an interested whether you are confident it might make a difference? i think these are very difficult issues to grapple with. i think we need to be realistic about what we can do. what i do think is positive is that the university has taken the lead on the research that's been done, it's created a very effective system with some of the most senior academics and directors at the university, myself asa directors at the university, myself as a student liaison, to look into it. we will be making commitments on this issue, as much as it is a difficult topic, we are taking proactive steps. thank you for joining us. it's the end of an era injapan. this morning, emperor akihito formally declared his abdication and delivered his last public address as emperor. the 85—year—old is the first japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years. crown prince naruhito will ascend the thrown tomorrow. laura bicker reports. japanese emperors are supposed

to die on the throne, but this is a man who has redefined what it means to be a monarch. emperor akihito has come to the imperial palace shrine to ask his dead ancestors‘ permission to abdicate. in truth, he's pleaded with his people and the government for years to allow him to step down. after 30 years on the chrysanthemum throne, his health is failing and it's time to say farewell. translation: we sincerely hope the prosperity and peace of new era, and i wishjapan and the world peace and prosperity. the ceremony is taking place behind closed doors in the imperial palace. it's only ten minutes long. no one is going to see anything out here, and yet, still they've gathered in the rain because they want to pay respects to an emperor who won their hearts. when akihito ascended to the throne,

he was crowned emperor of a country that many believed would become a new superpower. a year later, the economy crashed. then came further disaster — an earthquake in kobe in 1995, a more powerful quake and tsunami hit the north—west in 2011, leaving almost 16,000 people dead. emperor akihito and his wife addressed those suffering, and sat with them. royals injapan were once seen as descendants of the gods. to see him kneeling made him human, and they loved him for it. he was also the first to marry a commoner — empress michiko, his constant companion. as pacifists, they travelled the world to help heal japan's wartime reputation. their son, the crown prince naruhito, will become emperor at midnight, leading the country into a new era which many hope will build on his father's legacy. laura bicker, bbc news, in tokyo.

a cricketer who raped a woman as part of a sexual conquest game has been jailed for five years. alex hepburn, an australian—born, former worcestershire all—rounder, carried out the attack in april 2017. the 23—year—old set up the contest to sleep with the most women on a whatsapp group. hereford crown court heard how hepburn assaulted the victim at his worcester flat after she had consensual sex with his then teammate joe clarke. the body which represents rail operators has suggested major changes to the way train services are run — including scrapping the franchise system and taking control away from the government. in a review, the rail delivery group also proposed allowing firms to compete on long—distance routes. but unions have said such changes could lead to fare increases and a lack of accountability. ben thompson reports. it's been called the biggest change to our railways in a generation.

from tickets to timetables, competition to control. the government wants to overhaul the way that our trains run. today, the companies themselves submit their proposals, and they include major structural reforms. this williams review gives us a once in a generation opportunity to change the structures fundamentally, to end franchising as it currently works and replace it with a much more agile system that builds in innovation for customers, whether those passengers be commuters in the day—to—day grind or students going to visit theirfamily. we need structural change, not short—term fixes. so what would change? well, they say a new, independent body should be created to oversee the industry. different firms would run trains on long—distance routes, designed to introduce more competition to keep prices down and improve service. and busy city routes would be run by local bodies like the one

in london to integrate trains with other public transport, like buses and trams. the changes would come with targets for train companies, and fines if they failed to meet them. but passenger groups say they don't go far enough. we need to have a fare system that is fairer, more affordable and more flexible, and we also need services that are reliable and are accessible. trains where people are, stations where people live. getting those basics right is what matters to passengers. with record numbers of passengers, our railways are struggling to cope. after a year of rising prices, long delays, failed franchises and a botched new timetable, passengers are losing patience. but are these proposals the answer? the government will decide in the autumn. ben thompson, bbc news, in birmingham. the headlines on bbc news: violence erupts on the streets

of venezuela, opposition leader juan guaido says he's started the "final phase" of his plan to oust president nicolas maduro. thousands of haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis c and hiv — an inquiry begins into how their blood was contaminated. the welsh health minister has ordered a health boards maternity services to be put into special measures — after dozens of serious incidents at the royal glamorgan and prince charles hospitals. a major independent review has found there was a "blame culture" — which meant staff found it difficult to raise concerns. sian lloyd reports. macie weston was born at one of the maternity unit identified into today's report as providing

poor care and now placed in special measures. she died aged just 19 days, after complications with her breathing. her motherjessica has questions about what happened during the birth and about the care macie received. very understaffed. because i was induced i was on a ward being induced they were inducing women and the women were going into labour too fast. there's not enough staff to deal with that. 0ne lady actually give birth next to me on the induction ward because there was just no staff and no delivery ward. the health board provides care at the royal glamorgan hospital and at the prince charles hospital. today's report found a number of serious failings, described as taking place from the board to the ward. some women received poor care, which did not meet the standards expected. there were significant staff shortages and some staff did not behave as they should have towards patients. deep—rooted cultural failings in leadership were identified and systemic failings in the investigation and reporting of serious incidents.

a3 cases will be investigated to consider whether the women and babies were harmed and the welsh health minister says incidents as far back as 2010 will also be looked at. i do think the board recognise the seriousness of this report. and the fact they need to rebuild trust and confidence within their organisation with their staff and, crucially, with the public that they serve. the challenge for me is whether the board can meet the organisation to deliver the change in culture and practice that is plainly required. the health board apologised for its failings. it admits it made some changes, but recognises that more needs to be done. macie's family have welcomed the report, but still have questions they would like answered. sian lloyd, bbc news. one of britain's largest care home groups, four seasons health care, has gone into administration. administrators were appointed on tuesday after their firm struggled

to repay their debts. the group serves about 17,000 residents and patients, and employs around 20,000 staff. four seasons said the move would not affect care arrangements — or lead to the closure of homes. victims of anti—social behaviour are being left to suffer in silence — so says the victims‘ commissioner for england and wales, baroness newlove. she warns that anti—social behaviour is being played down as a petty, low—level crime or ignored by the authorities. police chiefs and the local government association said they have been taking the crime seriously but their resources are under strain. our home affairs correspondent peter cooke reports. vandalism, street drinking and prostitution. just some of the anti—social behaviour which this report says leaves victims suffering in silence and living a nightmare. it says the problem is still being ignored by authorities across england and wales, who are downplaying the harm it causes. this is the final report by baroness newlove,

who was appointed victims commissioner in 2012. her husband, garry, was murdered in 2007. she says little has changed. we have got to address the issue of cuts to the public services and policing. but also the fact that in 2007 there was better funding for policing and there still was no action. garry newlove was attacked outside his home in warrington when he tried to stop a gang vandalising his car. three teenagers involved in the attack were jailed for life. this report says the police and local councils often treat incidents in isolation and ignore the underlying causes. we haven't got any neighbourhood policing, we haven't got any neighbourhood housing. and, i'm sorry, austerity making everybody go away, but i think now the time is to fund and to help people and have the confidence to report, and have the confidence to live where there are, knowing they are going to be protected. recommendations include giving those affected by anti—social behaviour the same entitlement to support as other crime victims,

and making it a legal requirement for those in authority to more actively promote what is called the community trigger process. the trigger can be activated if a person reports three separate incidents within six months. it is designed to ensure cases are reviewed if there has been an inadequate response. we have been working quite hard nationally to understand why the community trigger isn't getting used as much as it should. certainly from a policing perspective we recognise that it is perhaps not publicised as widely as it should be. the local government association says councils took their role in tackling the problem extremely seriously, and tried to ensure that any action was quick and effective. peter cooke, bbc news. he's been a household name in britain for nearly a0 years — and been part of some of the most memorable comedy moments

on british television. now nicholas lyndhurst — who played rodney trotter in only fools and horses — is to appear on stage in a west end musical called man of la mancha — a story based on the man who wrote don quixote. tim muffett went along to meet him. nicholas, lovely to see you. thank you. here we are on stage at the coliseum in london. man of la mancha. tell us about your performance in this, because it is kind of about don quixote, but not quite? it is about don quixote. it's actually about a gentleman called cervantes, miguel de cervantes, a very popular spanish writer. he wrote don quixote. he's a real person. he was thrown into prison. he was a contemporary of shakespeare, around the same time. we've got some footage from one of the early sing—throughs. # hail, knight of the woeful countenance. # knight of the woeful countenance #. i was really impressed. i haven't heard you sing before. no, no, no, my voice can make a noise! i can make a noise with my throat, but... fortunately, we've got some really, really good singers in here as well, including mrgrammer. # i am i, don quixote. # the lord of la mancha #.

i consider kelsey grammer to be this astoundingly famous actor, and i'mjust, sort of, like, sitting there next to him... i love it! had he seen only fools and horses? yes! yes, because he's married to an english girl, and she... she got him onto it, apparently. i'm looking around at the coliseum, here. i am seeing some chandeliers, so i'm wondering, maybe they need a clean? no comment. no comment! right. now, brace yourself, rodney, brace yourself. laughter. that's a true story. that happened tojohn sullivan's father during the war. wow. the only thing i was terrified of was laughing when the chandelier went down, because i'd been told i would be fired if i laughed, and he meant it.

erm, so i didn't laugh. would that be made today in the same way? no, it wouldn't be made at all. why? well, i think they would probably look at the precis of it and go, "well, its two people just fighting each other all the time." tell her uncle albert drank it! i can't tell her that, can i? it's just one thing after another, innit? rightly or wrongly, comedy is about, "i'm glad that didn't happen to me. look at him. he fell down that hole." chaplin knew all about it, and we laughed at chaplin because it wasn't us falling down the hole. 0r through a bar. 0r through a bar! play it nice and cool, son, nice and cool, you know what i mean? laughter. nicholas lyndhurst speaking to tim muffett. before we go, let's take a look back at events in venezuela. the pictures on the streets of caracas, just outside the military base wherejuan

guaido was speaking earlier today, the amount attempting to beat what the amount attempting to beat what the government of nicolas maduro calls a coup, or an attempted coup. we have just had words in from the various sides in venezuela. a soldier has been winning by a bullet, we understand. the venezuelan defence minister, has condemned juan guaido's actions, call him a coward, a terrorist, he warned that the military would take necessary action to defend the country, as he put it, from hostile takeover, calling this an attempted coup, directed by american imperialists, slave owners and slaves. the republic‘s weapons are here to defend its sovereignty and independence. very worrying moment for those protesting, those coming out onto the streets to supportjuan

guaido. we will keep you updated on events in venezuela across the evening. now then, let's catch the weather here. the bank holiday weekend is looking fairly promising, it won't be a record breaker like last year. today is quite warm in eastern areas but this massive cloud has been advancing in the from northern ireland when it has been a soggy day. now across much of mainland scotland. day. now across much of mainland scotla nd. fortu nately day. now across much of mainland scotland. fortunately for northern ireland, but ryan has started to clear away, some showers following on. there are showers following, of it coming under the starry skies, it's a bit chilly. it could tone quite foggy by the time we get to the morning ifor rush. we have that fog to lift first thing, it's a bit

chilly. the cloud acts as a blanket, stopping at falling temperatures. it should break up that when a front for tomorrow to give scattered showers, so there will be some sunshine. those showers will get going eventually as they sign plunges its way through the cloud, it will give some big showers, some gusty winds. but not for all, many will escape and stay dry. many will stay warm if you are either in the sunshine. potentially big showers across eastern and central england. but some of us will escape altogether. the showers will ease overnight before they picked up again on thursday. there will be some heavy showers around on thursday with hail and funder. temperatures probably on par with tomorrow but starting to drop away in the north with the approach of the arctic air, we will feel the

effect of that by thursday. by the end of play on friday, it slips right the way across the country. it will be a shop short cold now for us. will be a shop short cold now for us. on friday, that is a chance of wintry showers across the north. heavy showers elsewhere. that is a really strong northerly wind, temperature is five or six across scotla nd temperature is five or six across scotland where it has been 20 today. it is going to feel more like freezing on the friday so very big changes on the way. but a temporary one because through the bank holiday weekend, we cut off let arctic airflow. despite the night—time frost, it will start to feel warmer by the time get to sunday and monday, critically in that sunshine.

? tonight at 6: the public inquiry into the blood transfusion scandal that left thousands dead. they were given all infected blood products in the worst treatment scandal in nhs history — was there a cover up? i was told i had about a year to live and i was told not to tell anybody... ..including, excuse me, including my family and my parents. it's the first day of evidence. we'll have the latest. also tonight... if you're a business person, you're going to want to be in london. why heading to london is still the best way to get on in life — a new report out today. mounting violence in venezuela as the opposition leader says he is now

in the final phase in