tips this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at eight. one and a half billion users of whatsapp are told to update their apps urgently, after a major hack into its encrypted service. theresa may and jeremy corbyn meet to discuss brexit, after weeks of talks between their parties. growing calls for itv to scrap thejeremy kyle show, following the death of one of the guests. a man who claimed he was the victim of a paedophile network, involving senior figures at westminster, has gone on trial accused of perverting the course of justice. research by the bbc has discovered that more than two million smart metres are not working.

and the eurovision song contest semifinal is taking place in israel tonight, our moscow correspondent and eurovision superfan steve rosenberg will bring you some of the magic later in the programme. good evening and welcome to bbc news. millions of whatsapp users across the country are being urged to update their app after a security breach. the company, which is owned by facebook, says surveillance software was remotely installed on a select number of mobile phones. the breach is all the more surprising because one of whatsapp‘s main attractions is that messages are encrypted.

so who are the hackers — and what are they after? here's our technology correspondent, rory cellan—jones. it promises total security. 1.5 billion whatsapp users have bought into the pledge that their calls and messages are private. now they're finding out that attackers could have used one missed call to plant spywa re on their phones to monitor their every move. this seems to be quite a sophisticated breach. it will make a voice call, which doesn't even need to be answered by the recipient, and then once you're inside the app, then it's possible to install software or spy on the user. facebook, which owns whatsapp, says it spotted and fixed the flaw in its defences earlier this month, but it's encouraging all users to update to the latest version of the app. so, who was behind the attack and just who were they trying to spy on? whatsapp says it believes

it was targeted at a few select users, and there's all the hallmarks of a private company working with governments to deliver spyware on mobile phones. it's thought that refers to israel's nso group, which provides surveillance for the government and has previously been accused of helping them to spy on human rights activists. one lawyer who works with campaigners says he was targeted via whatsapp over the last two months. he wants to remain anonymous. i'm not used to being the victim, so it's isn't not pleasant feeling, obviously. it's scary. any rogue state, or a state with questionable human rights records, can easily acquire the system and use it against people who are activists, human rights lawyers and journalists. in a statement, the israeli firm said... keeping our communications secure from both hackers and governments is a constant battle

for the technology companies. this flaw has been fixed. there are undoubtedly more yet to be discovered. as we've heard whatsapp says the malicious software was developed by an israeli company, and was mainly being used to spy on human rights lawyers. our middle east correspondent, tom bateman has more from jerusalem. israel is one of the worlds leaders when it comes to cybersecurity exports, and the cutting—edge of the industry in israel is that company, nso. come now, to many people, that will be a brand—new name, but it has been here in israel and at the centre of a growing controversy for a couple of years now. it says that when it sells its product, that as you heard there, they can be injected into peoples phones and effectively turn their phone into a tracking device, into a bug. that is meant for foreign intelligence agencies to be used to track terrorists and

violent criminals and to keep people safe. but there have been numerous claims now that the software has been abused and sold to countries that have questionable human rights records. now, there have been two lawsuits filed in tel aviv against the company by activists from mexico and from saudi arabia, who say that the software was improperly used against them. as for nso, they said that whenever there is any evidence that the software is misused, it will investigate that and shut the system down and as for protecting people, it says that its systems have been used to save countless lives. and we'll be hearing from a cyber security expert shortly for more on this, and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10-40 and 11-30 tonight in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are former trade minister, lord jones and broadcaster, henry bonsu.

there are calls for itv‘s jeremy kyle show to be taken off air for good, after the death of a participant. steve dymond died days afterfailing a lie—detector test on the programme which was never broadcast. the show, which has been described as "car—crash tv" — by an mp on the commons media committee — is known for its often confrontational style. here's our media editor, amol rajan. for 14 years, thejeremy kyle show has turned the innermost anguish of its guests into a public spectacle. shut up. i'm talking. converting their fears and feuds a television exhibition. guests go on willingly and generally know what they're getting into. one hardy perennial of the show is the light detector test. is the lie detector test. lying, cheater, horrible person. 63—year—old steve dymond underwent one of these in an episode filled

week before last. it's broadcast was cancelled and the wake of his death. dymond's former fiance said they went on the show to do the test to see if he was unfaithful. i knew he was going to fail it. i held his hand and there was just nothing there, it was it was like he, he knew that he was going to fail. and i knew it too. having taken the show off air and removed archive from its catchup service, itv reiterated that staff were shocked and saddened that the news of the death of a participant on the show. others were not surprised. the genre of tv that is based on the theatre of cruelty, i don't think fits any more, exploiting the vulnerable who are on the edge and some of them will be pushed off the edge, can hardly be a surprise. in a competitive environment, jeremy kyle show is a rating success. the question is, at what price? the prime minister and the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, are meeting this evening — ‘to take stock‘

of the brexit talks. after a lengthy cabinet meeting earlier, ministers agreed to continue the cross—party talks with labour, but said that it was ‘imperative‘ that mps pass the withdrawal agreement bill before the summer break. our political correspondent, iain watson, is at westminster. is this meeting still going on? is this meeting still going 0mm started on time, the talks are still continuing between prime minister and the leader of the opposition and taking stock on brexit, the shadow cabinet as well as the cabinet discussing the state of the talks. it is not over yet but they are of disagreement and pushing the process for words but the prime minister is making clear of, sources are telling us making clear of, sources are telling us that it looks as though this agreement built with legislation is getting a side of the european union is being introduced before the

elections but introduced into parliament and not voted on at that stage. there is a week—long breaker in peace go away and it will be an opportunity to bring it back and mps will vote on it then. incentive, for labour to reach an agreement with the governments so we can try to get something jointly agreed. but equally, the government is very keen to get britain out of the european union before the summer recess. that is before the end ofjuly, so we know the legislation has to begin its progress through parliament. nonetheless, even by publishing it, we open nonetheless, even by publishing it, u nonetheless, even by publishing it, we open up a new front where people on the conservative side do not like what they see, so it will not be plain sailing for theresa may by any means by doing this. at the moment though, we will explore if any common ground and labour which before parliamentary vote in legislation, they can strike some of deal. those went into that meeting, this evening, and the labour side

was not desperately positive. talking of common ground in incentives, both sides have been discussing compromises in either said they are willing, what exactly have they conceded or claimed that they would be willing to shift on?” think the key thing is, they are still quite far apart on some important areas. first of all, the divisions between the government and the opposition and secondly, the government opposition have different emphasis on their own delegations. some of the labour side are keen to see any deal put to another referendum, some are not quite so fast. in the opposition, they boil down to fundamental customs unions and customs arrangements of the european union, labourers saying they want this to be comprehensive. in other words, to shut out the possibility of doing trade deals that they think will open up the nhs

to the american competition. they have not gone that far to compromise that particular area. in that customs union if it will be permanent or temporary, how this temporary? will that take us to the next election? but there are also problems in terms of the mood around these talks. some people on the labour side are desperate about what will happen if theresa may goes, will happen if theresa may goes, will the deal be entrenched? would be effectively guaranteed for another conservative leader to take over? from a conservative point of view that to keep it a boy very restless backbenchers and too much ofa restless backbenchers and too much of a customs issue, leading members of a customs issue, leading members of that party, former cabinet members this morning, they could risk splitting their own party. thank you very much for that. the man who accused a string of high profile politicians and public figures of being paedophiles — has gone on trial in newcastle.

carl beech — who was known as ‘nick‘ — is accused of lying about "three child murders, multiple rapes, kidnapping, false imprisonment and widespread sexual abuse". beech, who is 51 and from gloucester, denies the charges. june kelly has our report. carl beech is said to have wanted those he accused to face court, but now it's him who's in the dock. his allegations of a vip paedophile ring operating in london and beyond led to a £2 million enquiry by scotland yard. i heard the car, the engine. and as i turned round to see what the noise was, it hit him. today, the jury was shown carl beech in police interviews claiming he'd seen a friend called scott killed by the group. he said they drove a car at him.

there was a lot of blood. i had blood on my hands. and i was dragged away and put in the back of a car. beech went to the police following thejimmy savile scandal. he said he was a savile victim. the prosecution said he caused immeasurable distress to those he accused, including lord bramall, a former chief of the defence staff, lord brittan — who, as leon brittan, served as home secretary — and the ex—tory mp harvey proctor, who he claimed had stabbed a child to death in front of him. he also named the former conservative prime minister sir edward heath and another politician, lord janner, as well as michael hanley, once head of mi5, and maurice oldfield, an ex—boss of mi6. prosecutor tony badenoch qc told the court, "he claimed...

he also told detectives that a 15—year—old who disappeared in the late ‘70s, martin allen, had been killed by the gang. another false allegation and another family impacted, said the prosecution. it can now be reported that carl beech fled to sweden while he was awaiting trial. this was him after he was detained there. he denies perverting the course ofjustice and fraud. the first person stabbed in the london bridge attack two years ago — has described how he came "nose to nose" with one of the attackers. richard livett, who'd been out watching football — first thought he had witnessed a road accident when he saw a van crash into railings. today, he told the inquests into the deaths of eight victims about the chaotic scenes

at the time. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, reports. after fatally injuring two people on london bridge, the three attackers smashed their van into railings, narrowly missing richard livett. he told the inquest today... french chef sebastien belanger had spent that night watching the champions league final in a nearby pub. minutes later, he was heading down these stairs when the three men started stabbing him, still attacking him as he fled into the boro bistro. then witnesses saw alexandre pigeard, a waiter from the restaurant, running alongside this wall, clutching his neck. one of the attackers shouted

"you are unbelievers". they were seen working in formation, cornering and stabbing customers as they went, including two women. eyewitness jack baxter told the coroner. dervish gashi was working at cafe brood that night. as the attackers left, he saw them stab sebastien belanger again, one of them saying, "this is for allah". he then looked up at him for two or three seconds as if wondering what to do next, before heading back up the stairs onto borough high street. he followed them and as they went down the road, they acted quite normally, as if nothing had happened. by the time the men left the boro bistro, five people were dying from stab wounds. but still they were looking for more people to kill.

the headlines on bbc news... one and a half billion users of whatsapp are told to update their apps urgently, after a major hack into its encrypted service. theresa may and jeremy corbyn meet to discuss brexit, after weeks of talks between their parties. growing calls for itv to scrap thejeremy kyle show following the death of one of the guests. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. let's start with the cricket, and the third one day international between england and pakistan in bristol. england one—up in the five match series. and they're edging closer to extending that lead. pakistan set them a pretty decent total of 359 to win, opener imam ul—haq the star for the visitors scoring a career best 151. but england have been bludgeoning their way to that total. jason roy got 76, before

the jonny bairstow show started. he got 128 with some spectacular hitting. england currently 278 for 3. manchester city could be banned from the champions league for a season, if they're found guilty of breaking financial rules. a ban is thought to be the preferred punishment of uefa investigators. our sports editor dan roan says city would appeal any ban that's handed down. they find themselves on the verge of domestic trouble and they hear this news coming out of that headquarters, no official statement from governing body but we do understand that the investigation and panel that is been looking into the past few months, first published by the german newspaper which alleged that manchester city had breached financial fairplay rules. that panel is of the view that if

found guilty, a season—long band from the champions league is, would bea from the champions league is, would be a suitable punishment and i'll be very indeed for a cloud that are desperate to land european football's most prestigious competition for the first time. that was the priority. this campaign slipped through their fingers, this is only the first stage. the chair of that panel, the final say best with him, a former belgium prime minister, and even if they were to settle on such a punishment, city would have the option to appeal and go to the sport of arbitration. they have released a statement saying they have fully cooperated with this investigation are provided comprehensive evidence which shows that they are innocent and it is also said that this statement, they are extremely concerned that these reports suggest that there have been lea ks and that reports suggest that there have been leaks and that there are individuals who are trying to undermine the reputation and commercial interest

of the club. it is a serious matter for manchester city but it has a long way to run as well. it's all to play for between west brom and aston villa tonight. the midlands rivals are playing in the championship playoff semi—final second leg. villa have the advantage over their midlands rivals — 2—1 up from the first leg. nil—nil at the hawthorns. west brom are missing dwight gayle, their top scorer, is missing — after getting sent off at villa park. the winner will face leeds or derby, in the final at wembley on 27th may. they sacked chris hughton yesterday, and it looks like brighton already know who they want to replace him. it's this man — the swansea boss graham potter. brighton's initial approach to speak to him has been rejected. hughton was let go — after brighton avoided relegation byjust a couple of points. brighton stayed up at the expense of cardiff, and they've confirmed that their boss neil warnock‘s going to stay at the club.

the club say he's the right man to guide them back to the premier league. and in scotland, slaven bilic has said he's open to talks — on becoming the next celtic manager. he had a decent run at west ham before being sacked in 2017. neil lennon's currently in post after taking over mid—season from brendan rogers but his long—term future is unclear, despite clinching the title. england's beth cobden is out ofjuly's netball world cup, after suffering another serious knee injury. the defender, who won commonwealth gold last year, ruptured her cruciate ligament playing for the adelaide thunderbirds in australia over the weekend. she had onlyjust returned after ten months out with the same injury. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in sportsday at half past ten. more on our top story now. the social media messaging platform, whatsapp, is urging its one—and—a—half billion users to update their app, after it was targeted by hackers. the company says surveillance

software was remotely installed on a select number of mobile phones. let's talk now to graham cluley, a cyber security expert and the host of the ‘smashing security‘ podcast. interesting there, you have obviously adjusted your privacy settings behind you butjust looking at what has happened here, it is been described as a very scary, vulnerability. just how scary was it? it is pretty bad if you are one of the small number of people who are targeted in this particular attack because through the attack, the remote hackers would be able to access all of your e—mail, know who you have been calling, still your photographs, tractor locations, even turn on your microphone and camera without you realising it and you would not be able to be aware that your smartphone had been hacked. pa rt your smartphone had been hacked. part of the, a very favourite

well—liked malware called pegasus and this could be pegasus three and we are seeing this new emergence of zero click technology. how dangerous is it? when it targets a device with the computer or phone and does not require user interaction, that is particularly serious. exploiting whatsapp which allowed pegasus to be installed on these devices, means that people did not know they were going to be had. it looks like though the vast majority, 99.99% of us though the vast majority, 99.99% of us have not been targeted with this attack. it looks like the governments and the intelligence agencies were targeting people who may have worked in human rights or civil liberties, people in particular countries, they were the ones were being spied upon with this exploit. this problem has actually raised a number of months ago with

the university of toronto. what do you make of how fast whatsapp reacted to this and got that winning out? -- warning. we do not know how long this is been exploited but it looks like they pushed out an updated fairly quickly. when they pushed out the sub date, they did not say was a security fix. they said we had improved our support for stickers, which frankly, i have to, to install the update, they should have said there was a security fix in there as well. it is good that a billion plus people have been protected now with there whatsapp installations, but like any other piece of sophisticated software, it likely has bugs and we know that these encrypted messaging services are of these encrypted messaging services a re of interest these encrypted messaging services are of interest to intelligence agencies. they want to be able to snoop upon people and find out how to crack and steal information from

people's phone. the end to end encryption was a big problem and how they got into that chain of encryption at the beginning and encryption at the beginning and encryption at the end. just how prevalent is the issue of back door wea knesses prevalent is the issue of back door weaknesses and software? just to reassure people that there is no suggestion to the encryption being compromised, but it appears to be is that if people received a malicious call, that would make the apple phone break and allow some malware to be installed. the encryption when implemented right, it works well, but the message is not encrypted on the actual phone. so at the bad guys are trying to do is infect your phone, in this case through whatsapp to steal your messages and to spy on you. back door encryption systems are bad news. they are a godsend to

criminals who want to steal information. encryption is a good thing, of course it can be used by bad guys, but it is used by all of us bad guys, but it is used by all of us for good every single time we make a purchase online or want to communicate securely. imagine a world without encryption, there will be many worse data breaches occurring. with the progress being made, and ns0 saying that they are regulated by israel, but you have to questionjust how regulated by israel, but you have to question just how safe we are when the israeli military do not carry smartphones and officials don't carry smartphones themselves, they have funds developed for them. are we safe ? have funds developed for them. are we safe? is there anything we can do? there is no such thing as 100% security. do? there is no such thing as 10096 security. that is impossible for any of us. but what you're trying to do is make yourself more secure than the next person and make sure that you are a tougher target. for most

of us, if you follow simple principles, you should be all right. but cyber warfare is heating up, we saw the israeli air strike where they believe to be a cyber warfare hq in gaza, they blew up the building. sometimes the cyber attacks turn into something kinetic instead. injust over a week's time, we'll be voting in the european elections. it's a poll many thought would not happen, but a delay to brexit means we'll be electing 73 members of the european parliament at a cost of around 109 million pounds. our deputy political editor, john pienaar, has been to yorkshire to find out what voters there are thinking...

pick a look, make a statement, it's party time again. not easy to make brexit much fun just now but everyone can express themselves in the euro elections. back the old order, choose the real people's party. are the scare stories real? and a big question now, are more people keen to shop around than stay loyal to the big parties? like miles the fancy dress shop owner in remain—supporting york. i feel really bad that we are leaving the eu. it's bad for business. it's bad for the country. the referendum promised unicorns. it's not a unicorn. it's a donkey with an ice cream cone on its head. i'm going to vote for a remain party but ijust don't know who right now. you can love what is traditional and wa nt you can love what is traditional and want change, beloved habits die hard. which where you leaning?” want change, beloved habits die hard. which where you leaning? i am a fully paid member of the

conservative party. sorry, i did not say that. are you voting in the european elections? joining the brexit party and i'll be voting brexit. on a show of hands, who here isa brexit. on a show of hands, who here is a conservative who has turned against the tories? ok, that is quite a few of you. all the parties are all over the place but the what i feel can deliver is the conservative party. at the moment, i am giving them the benefit of the doubt. a tory for now. yes. i believe in labour, i believe the promises. tribal loyalty? i don't know about tribal loyalty.|j promises. tribal loyalty? i don't know about tribal loyalty. i am concerned that the party policy is not clear on brexit and i'm thinking of voting for green and the eu

elections because there's a clarity and division and a set of values that i respect. you sound like a labour man. i am. these are difficult times and brexit cuts across all kinds of loyalties. difficult times and brexit cuts across all kinds of loyaltieslj across all kinds of loyalties.” think the two party system is com pletely think the two party system is completely fractured and ironically because of brexit, we are moving further towards a european kind of system and parties working together from different sort of sides. but is anyone to make anywhere more british than scarborough? someone change, some might bring messages, or what it used to be, the document would be following family tradition. where are you right now with these elections was yellow i am very

confused, practically leaning on the gate. generations i haven't a clue at this moment. i do not really know. i would prefer of the two options, i will stick with what the electorate decided which is to leave. it is during the campaign for the european parliament elections we're going to be interviewing all the main parties here on the bbc news channel. tomorrow at 5—30, ian blackford from the snp will be taking your questions. on thurday we'll hear from sian berry co—leader of the green party, and on friday it's the turn of chuka umunna from change uk. you can email us at askthis@bbc.co.uk or text us on 611211, or use social media with the hashtag #bbcaskthis.

now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. good evening. lots of blue skies and pleasant warm continued by day for many as the nights are still a little on the fresh side. especially across the south where we've had a breeze to the day, stopping daytime temperatures from lifting too much and that means not as high by day, drop a bit further by night. also, more breeze across the west but that also means the temperatures will drop as much as the previous night. still a fresh start to wednesday morning, temperatures a few degrees above freezing and southern parts of england and wales. but blue skies to start the day, almost uk wide once again, it could be across the pen nine, lake district, tad more cloud developing into wednesday afternoon with an isolated shower not ruled out the most of the blue sky story continues, 22 to 25 degrees across parts of scotland. the warmest of week, 20 celsius across some parts of western england and wales as well, but also fresher air and all of those will see temperatures dropping over the coming days, thursday to friday, increasing the amounts of cloud and a greater chance for showers.

hello, this is bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines... one and a half billion users of whatsapp are told to update their apps urgently, after a major hack into its encrypted service. growing calls for itv to scrap thejeremy kyle show, following the death of one of the guests. theresa may and jeremy corbyn meet to discuss brexit, after weeks of talks between their parties. a man who claimed he was the victim of a paedophile network, involving senior figures at westminster, has gone on trial accused of perverting the course of justice. let's get more on the growing calls, for itv to permanently scrap thejeremy kyle show,

after a guest on the programme died shortly after filming an episode. the show was suspended yesterday, while a review is carried out. the chairman of the house of commons, culture select committee — damian collins — has questioned the show‘s long term future, saying tv companies have a duty of care to the people who take part in their programmes. joining us now is angela smith professor of language and culture at sunderland university — and author of ‘belligerent broadcasting'. interesting title, does that fit nicely with what we are seeing when it comes to reality tv and the jeremy kyle show? i think what we have discovered is that it's not just those sorts of programmes where this sort of confrontation talk happens, it's all across different genres of the broadcasting. which is really only come about in the last ten or 15 years, thatjeremy kyle

show is probably one of the most best known for doing that at the moment. why do you think it's the audience takes pleasure in watching anger and intimidation such emotions, what is it about that type of programming? i think what we find is that it's the sort of behaviour that we don't normally engage with ourselves, it's a spectacle and entertainment in many ways because we honestly don't believe anyone is going to be hurt badly by it. it's a way of letting out emotions we perhaps would like to do, but feel constrained by society not to be able to do, and we see others doing it so it's more for entertainment and spectacle. you think regulation is needed on the type of psychological programmes where you see very private aspects of your

life put out there for all the world to see? i think that there are now programmes which have come about in the past two decades, which had a huge number of these programmes a large number of members of the public taking part in nana, end, whether they are make other programmes are the sort of public participation programme that they jeremy kyle show and other similar sites and chat shows father. there are people who are perhaps not as a media savvy and aren't trained to be media savvy and aren't trained to be media performance, so i think it isn't the case of regulation as much as it's preparing people who are taking part or knowing what they're going to be doing and why they are questioned and treated in such a way and what they are going to do after the show. i suppose a lot of the time they don't realise the full

implications of media, but what about the idea of a duty of care because there is a perceived expertise on the part of the team and the presenter is, everyone involved in the show. yes, it certainly seems to be improving, one of the things that i have heard other people say over the years is that once the programme has finished being found, that's the last day here from the production team. but i think there has been increased awareness of long—term effects at appearing on the shadows, and that production teens are engaging much more after the camera stops rolling up more after the camera stops rolling up to had a more caring approach to the participants in the programme and certainly it seems to be what jeremy kyle show has done in the last eight years, certainly it didn't when it first started, but there has been an increase aftercare level of support for the participants lately. you once wrote

about this new instability within media. people are becoming a little bit more aware of the damage that can be done and maybe it's time and at the damage that can be done and maybe it's time kennedy shows stop? i'm not sure if it's the case of the show stopping as an awareness of how and where it's happening, because we have now come into seeing how to for example is a form of confrontation receiving that way, and it's been commented on and criticised for being far too masculine and confrontational. things such as new shows, and in comedy quiz panels, so whether or not we as viewers are accepting it, ithink whether or not we as viewers are accepting it, i think that's perhaps something that will be see in the

future, but the actual production staff and producers of the prep —— programmes seem to be criticised increasingly by the media itself for the amount of confrontation going on. angela smith, thank you very much. the british council says that it's likely that an iranian woman jailed for alleged spying for the uk — is one of its employees. aras amiri has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in tehran — after the authorities there said she confessed to spying. the british council has strongly rejected the allegations. the government says it's planning an urgent meeting with her family. high courtjudges have ordered that stephen yaxley—lennon — known as tommy robinson — should face full contempt of court proceedings. it's alleged the english defence league founder could have prejudiced a jury after posts he published on social media last year. the allegations concern a facebook broadcast by mr yaxley—lennon —

which was watched by thousands of people. mr yaxley—lennon was jailed after the broadcast — but that was quashed by the court of appeal after it ruled that his case had been unfairly handled. after more than 6 months of legal delays — ladyjustice sharp said today that the trial should go ahead. the head of the national crime agency wants her budget doubled — to deal with what she describes as the ‘staggering' threat posed by organised gangs across the uk. lynne owens says that law enforcement is at breaking point — and warned the public will ‘feel the consequences‘ — if the government doesn‘t find the nearly 3 billion pounds in extra funding. our home affairs correspondent, dominic casciani, reports. police! shouting. the tip of the spear in the fight against organised crime. police in the national crime agency arrest a significant suspect this morning in the west midlands.

the man held today is believed to be part of a major human trafficking operation, holding women as slaves in the sex industry. this year—long investigation still has a long way to go. one man down, a battle won, but the war is far, far bigger. the agency‘s latest report reveals how the threat from organised crime is changing faster than investigators can keep up. there are now an estimated 181,000 offenders linked to serious and organised crime. the main areas include drug dealing, human trafficking and sexual exploitation. the nca says the uk needs £2.7 billion more over three years to pay for extra undercover surveillance, financial investigators and cybercrime specialists. as criminal networks become more extensive, more sophisticated and, in many cases, prepared to use greater levels of violence, just out to the point

where resources are under the greatest strain. a plea today directly to ministers, saying it is time for more cash. some may say we cannot afford to do that, to which my response is simply this... we cannot afford not to. the net cost to the state, just to the uk, with organised crime is £37 billion. you know, that is a lot of money we are talking about and they are looking at a £3 billion increase, so roughly £700 million a year. that £700 million a year would increase their effectiveness greatly. the nca‘s bold demand to more than double its budget begs the question why hasn‘t it said so before? but the agency argues the true scale of the threat is still emerging and the £650 million extra it says it needs every year is less than the weekly cost of organised crime, so is that an enormous cheque that ministers are willing to write? yesterday, a 12—strong gang that

committed robberies from mopeds in london were finally convicted, intercepted and brought down after months of investigation. ministers say they have heard today‘s plea loud and clear. they haven‘t committed to a precise sum, but they have pledged to prioritise law and enforcement at the coming spending review. dominic casciani, bbc news. sri lanka has imposed a nationwide curfew for the second night in a row row, after anti—muslim riots in the wake of the easter bombings. dozens of people have been arrested after crowds vandalised mosques and attacked businesses owned by muslims in the north western province. a man has been stabbed to death. the situation has been tense since 250 people were killed in a series of church and hotel bombings on easter sunday. at least five sudanese protesters and a member of the security forces have died in clashes in the capital, khartoum. they were killed in gunfire

at a sit—in outside military headquarters — where demonstrators have been demanding full civilian government. the army blamed the deaths on what it calls "unidentified elements". sudan has been ruled by a transitional military council, since president omar al—bashir was toppled last month. our africa correspondent — alastair leithead has been following events from nairobi. the crack of gunfire across khartoum. it‘s the first time since the president was ousted that military units have turned their guns on protesters. this road is a major route through the city. demonstrators moved here amid frustration, as talks for a new civilian led administration appeared deadlocked. but they were met with more than just warning shots. military units burst through the barricades and opened fire. this man didn‘t know which part

of the military they were from. "people died here," he said. "because we were trying to protect our revolution." the nearby hospital was overwhelmed by the injured. multiple bullet injuries to the head, chest and abdomen. youssef was shot three times in his legs. one bullet struck his mobile phone. he blamed the rapid support for us, the mobile military units that have been the main presence on the streets under the direct command of the second most senior general. the injured kept coming, most of them with gunshot wounds. "there were many people," this man said. "all of them unarmed civilians, who were shouting, ‘peace, peace, peace, strength in the barricades!‘ but then the lights were cut and they opened fire." what is surprising is the timing of the crackdown. just hours before the ruling generals and protest organisers announced they agreed

on the structure of the new administration. the military transitional council denied responsibility and blamed rogue units for trying to destabilise the peace process. the names of the dead and injured were read out forfriends and relatives who had gathered outside the hospital. the shooting at protesters has made them even more determined to stay on the streets, keep up the pressure on the military and push for the real and meaningful change they are demanding. the headlines on bbc news... one and a half billion users of whatsapp are told to update their apps urgently — after a major hack into its encrypted service. growing calls for itv to scrap thejeremy kyle show — following the death of one of the guests. theresa may and jeremy corbyn meet to discuss brexit —

after weeks of talks between their parties. british steel says it is looking for more financial support from the government to help it address "brexit—related issues" it follows reports the company needs a loan of up to 75 million pounds to keep trading in the coming months. the uk‘s second largest steel firm employs 11,500 people, and about 20,000? indirectly via its supply chain. the rate of unemployment among women fell to 3.7% in the first three months of the year, the lowest since comparable records began in 1971. for men, the rate was 3.9%, the lowest since mid—1975. a syrian boy who was attacked at his school, has told the bbc he‘s worried about being recognised and attacked again.

a video ofjamal being bullied went viral last year, and led to the prime minister condemning the attack. jamal and his father have spoken to our correspondent, sima kotecha, in their first broadcast interview since moving to a different part of the country. a moment at a huddersfield school that put jamal onto the public stage. posted on social media, showing the teenager from syria being bullied. he was pushed to the ground and water was poured onto his face. it was viewed millions of times online. why did this happen to me? i didn‘t do anything. seven months on and jamal told us he still bears the psychological scars. he didn‘t want to show his face over fears he would be attacked again. ifeel like i don‘t want to tell people who i am. you‘re scared it might happen again? yeah, i‘m scared somebody doesn‘t like to see me or something and do anything to me.

his family say they had hoped for a better life here afterfacing constant violence back home. afterjamal‘s video went viral, there was an outpouring of support. a crowdfunding page raised more than £150,000. the family used it to move home after getting numerous death threats. through an interpreter, the father told us he would still rather be in syria. he also chose to not show his face. translation: i would have rather died than see my child being treated like that. it is months since the attack and yet they still feel alienated and alone. before i came here, i knew britain was a safe place. you can complete your education. your future will be better. but when i came and the problems happened with me, ifeel like it‘s a lot different.

i felt like if i stayed in syria, staying in syria is a lot better than here. his parents say they want their children to be educated here and so won‘t be returning to syria. sima kotecha, bbc news. for years now, the government has encouraged us to install smart metres, to monitor our gas and electric usage. now research by the bbc has discovered that more than two million of these devices are not working. that amounts to 1.7 billion pounds being spent on metres that are not doing the job they‘re supposed to. our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith, has the story. i want to live in a world where we still have polar bears. we all want to make big changes to help our planet. that‘s what more than 16 million of us have tried to do by installing a smart metre. we are under pressure to get one.

you might have seen the advert or been called or emailed by your energy company. but things aren‘t working out as perfectly as you might think. we‘ve discovered that 2.3 million smart metres installed in homes across the uk are not working. that‘s 50% of all smart metres which have now turned dumb or not been connected. -- 1596. i will show you where the smart metre is which is a nice little box outside. andy‘s meter was only put in a couple of months ago but it‘s never worked. it‘s a nice shiny new meter but it doesn‘t actually work if you press any of these buttons. a useless piece of plastic in the house. a metre that i can‘t read any more, i‘m just feeling very frustrated. they don‘t seem to have the slightest interest once you have had the box ticked that you have had the actual smart metre installed in whether it actually works and is doing thejob for me, the customer. andy is not alone. i have been in touch with people across the country, like bridie from halifax, who is finding that her meter

is often on the brink. and like anyone who switches, judith from cambridge and mark from marlow found that their meter stopped working when they changed supplier. it only works with the people who fitted it. how smart is that? the government say work is under way to make sure devices stay smart when switching. energy uk, which represents energy companies, adds that 800,000 second—generation meters are now being installed. but even those meters aren‘t able to switch between providers so for now more than two million useless boxes are adding to the clutter of our kitchens. the duke of sussex has been in oxford — and revealed that baby archie gave him a sleepless night ahead of his visit. prince harry‘s first stop was the children‘s hospital — where he spent time with patients and staff. he also visited a disability sports centre, and officially opened the barton neighbourhood centre — which has undergone a million pound refurbishment.

katharine da costa reports. cheering. today, the duke of sussex cut short his paternity leave to visit staff and patients at oxford children‘s hospital. 13—year—old daisy presented him with a teddy bear for his son archie. he was like, would you like to name it and i said sure. i picked freddy, ithought that was quite cute. the best day ever i could‘ve wished for. just amazing. in cameron‘s ward, prince harry visited cancer patients, including three—year—old emmett from elsberry. who is now in remission. others like eight—year—old jay are still undergoing treatment. he was diagnosed with a brain tumour injanuary. he has had surgery, proton beam therapy and chemotherapy. the situation we are in is about as challenging i think as it can get. he has a long road to recovery. it is paramount that we stay positive, forjay, this is an amazing experience for him.

story sharing with his classmates in school. it was kind of nice to understand he was coming out, so quickly after the birth to visit people. and to raise their spirits. obviously, as we have seen, it caused a nice atmosphere in the ward. it was something that we look forward to it and look forward to meeting him. it was a very nice gesture from him. in the hospital school room, peoples have been working on a music project to write a song. he asked if i could sing, i can‘t sing, so, he asked about music tastes and my exam coming up. then it was onto the disability sports and leisure center celebrating its 30th anniversary. his late mother diana princess of wales, opened in 1989. the short drive away, the duke also reopened the neighbourhood centre

after its £1 million refurb. he met mentors working with disadvantaged young people, and heard from volunteers at the local food bank. it may have been a short visit to the city, but for daisy, the memories will last a lifetime. the world‘s biggest music show — the eurovision song contest — is underway in israel tonight. australia, belgium and the 2017 winner, portugal — are amongst the entries kicking off the first of 2 semi—finals taking place this week. the uk is automatically guaranteed a place at the final — held in tel aviv on saturday. well, the bbc‘s moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg, is a eurovision super fan — and he‘s been performing this afternoon at the moscow international house of music — taking requests on the bbc news facebook page. and if you‘re wondering what the uk entry sounds like this year, he had that covered as well. oh, the british entry this year

is something like... music. so that‘s steve rosenberg, playing the uk‘s entry, "bigger than us" — and michael rice will perform the song live in the eurovision final in israel. you can catch that — plus all the other entries — on bbc one this saturday from 8pm. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. good evening. with clear skies across the uk and some very dry air with us at the moment, we‘re seeing big temperature contrasts from first thing in the morning to the afternoon. take altnaharra, highland, scotland. before the sun was up this morning, —2 celsius. the sun, though, during the day warmed things up, all the way to 22 degrees. one or two spots even higher than this across scotland. that is because our warming is just basically coming from the fact we‘ve got clear skies overhead and a strong sunshine. but of course, tonight, we lose that again and temperatures drop away.

temperatures lifting a bit by day. they‘re not going to be as low by night. still a chillier feel across the south, with temperatures a few degrees above freezing. that‘s because temperatures here, by day, not getting as high, because they‘ve got more of a breeze coming off a rather cool sea, around the edge of the high—pressure system which is keeping things dry for most of us at the moment. it starts to eke away a little bit. and in doing so, western areas may see a bit more breeze tomorrow. so, temperatures not getting quite so high across parts of ireland. but for most, it‘s another blue sky day. later into the afternoon across the pennines, the lake district fells, southern uplands of scotland, there‘s a chance of a bit of cloud bubbling up, outside chance of a shower, too. but away from that, the strong sunshine remains. temperatures, a bit higher than they were through this afternoon. 2a, 25 degrees across central, northern scotland. a bit cooler still, though, across some of these eastern and southern coasts thanks to that breeze. now, more of a southeasterly breeze then developing in through thursday. notice this area of low—pressure across central europe trying to creep towards us, high—pressure trying to edge away. and in doing so, the cap that‘s been on the atmosphere stopping

the cloud, the showers building up, starts to erode. so a greater chance of some cloud here and there. there will be some in the morning just around these coasts of northeast scotland, but a greater chance of a few showers in western scotland, maybe northern ireland into the afternoon. most will be dry, but england and wales will see more cloud develop through the day. and notice, temperatures dropping away a touch. a few spots still geting to around 20 degrees, most in the mid to high teens. into friday, more of an easterly breeze. generally making it much cooler along these eastern coasts. cloudier conditions for england and wales. greater chance of one or two showers, though most will be dry. sunnierfurther north. and when you get the sunshine, it will still feel pleasantly warm. we still got that strong sunshine overhead and temperatures still at levels they should be for the time of year. and if winds start to ease down across the south into this weekend, it may warm up just a little bit. but overall this weekend, there will be a cooler, cloudier story. nice where you‘ve got the sunshine. best will be on western coasts. but a greater chance of a few showers, particularly on saturday. bye for now.

hello, i‘m karin giannone, this is outside source. the us secretary of state — tells his russian hosts — that interference in us domestic affairs should not be repeated. there are things that russia can do to demonstrate that these types of activities are a thing of the past. foreign minister lavrov says it‘s time for the us and russia to put aside years of mutual mistrust it is clear that our relations have seen better times and there is potential for mutually beneficial cooperation and it largely remains untapped. whatsapp warns it‘s been targeted by hackers. the messaging platform urges one and half billion people to update their software — after some users were spied on.