tonight at 10... a couple who killed a six—year—old boy are jailed. the judge says it's one of the most distressing cases he has ever dealt with. arthur labinjo—hughes died after sustaining head injuries at his home in solihull — he'd been abused, starved and poisoned. he was murdered by his 32—year—old stepmother. his father, thomas hughes, was found guilty of manslaughter. also on the programme tonight: the chaos at wembley during the euro 2020 final — an inquiry says lives were put at risk, as ticketless fans stormed into the england—italy final. still reconnecting a week after storm arwen hit the uk, thousands are spending their eighth night without power. the worst drought in years streching across a huge swathe of east africa —

tens of millions of people are facing severe food shortages. and the royal shakespeare company leads tributes to sir antony sher, who has died of cancer at the age of 72. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel: lewis hamilton's performance in f1 practice ramps up the pressure on world—title rival max verstappen. good evening. a woman has beenjailed for life for murdering her partner's six—year—old son, after months of abuse. emma tustin has been told she will serve at least 29 years in prison for killing arthur labinjo—hughes at their home in solihull. the boy's father, thomas hughes, has been jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.

the judge at coventry crown court said it had been one of the most distressing cases he'd dealt with, and described the couple as "spiteful and sadistic". as our home editor mark easton reports, arthur's death raises yet more questions about whether enough is being done to protect vulnerable children. arthur, are you going to play for england? i he was a football—mad little boy, with a smile that belied the truth about his life. i'm going to play for liverpool or i'm going to play for tottenham. six—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes was, in the words of the judge today, "the victim of cruel, manipulative and pitiless treatment". emma tustin and her boyfriend, thomas hughes, were todayjailed for killing little arthur. tustin was sentenced to life for murder, with a minimum of 29 years, hughes for 21 years, for manslaughter. arthur was told to sit on the thinking step. arthur's put himself all over the floor. he's banged himself on the radiator. he's hit me, he's kicked me, in the process of me trying to get him back on the thinking step.

the pair lied to police as arthur lay just a few feet away, with injuries so severe, they were said to be the equivalent of a high—speed road crash. members of arthur's family were close to tears as they left court. his birth mother, currently in jail for manslaughter, had a statement read in court. we've been here many times before. a public inquiry in 2003, following victoria climbie�*s death. a national review after the baby peter connelly case. investigations into the deaths of khyra ishaq, hamzah khan, daniel pelka, ayeeshia—jayne smith, amid profound soul—searching as to what we should do to save vulnerable children from neglect, and abuse, and death. if you do have a concern about a child, contact your local authority, keep contacting them, or contact the nspcc helpline. we're a confidential, free advice

service and we're there to listen, and form a picture for other agencies like social care, like the police, and we're there to provide advice and support. a report for the department of education last year found that the number of children who die from maltreatment in england remains at around 28 every year. that's more than one child every two weeks. so why are things still going so tragically wrong? the report says the children's services department struggle because of outsourcing and because of cuts. it's notjust about the quantity of the work... professorjonathan dickens — who was among the academics who wrote the report for the government — says front—line social workers need to be supported to ask the difficult questions. social workers do need help in that concept that's sometimes called professional curiosity. asking the second question, the third question — respectfully, politely, but persistently —

and putting the pieces together. the story doesn't quite add up. what's described as a "once—in—a—generation review" of england's children's social care system is under way, with a debate about when to work with families and when to take children into care. resources have been stretched further and further, _ as more children are coming onto the radar. _ there are more children in care in england, over80,000 now,| the number for some time. so, although funding has gone up, i the demand for that funding has gone up disproportionately. a serious case review will look at the missed opportunities to save arthur. four calls made by worried relatives to the council, his school, social services and the police, a visit to his home finding no safeguarding concerns. questions too about the impact of covid restrictions. the appalling details of little arthur's life — and death — are too much for many to listen to, but we must listen, and learn. mark easton, bbc news. an independent review has described the chaotic scenes at wembley stadium during the euro

2020 final this summer as a "source of national shame". around 2,000 people without tickets managed to get into the stadium as england took on italy. the report's author, baroness louise casey, said the behaviour of a minority of england supporters was notjust disgraceful, but also recklessly endangered lives. 0ur sports editor, dan roan, reports. "appalling disorder, on a day of national shame" — the damning findings of the investigation into the scenes that marred england's biggest match since 1966. many fans left terrified, after being caught up in the chaos. today, the woman whose report lays bare the gravity of the mayhem at wembley told me it was fortunate that no—one died. well, i think what happened was a very near miss, and that near miss would be a significant loss of life, or injuries — probably on a scale that, sadly, we saw at hillsborough. so, i think the benefit of it being a near miss is, actually, that we can learn from it, to make sure it never happens again.

the report found unprecedented levels of criminal and anti—social behaviour, and that 2,000 people got in illegally, via 17 entry points. almost half of surveyed respondents saw illegal drug—taking, and fans with disabilities were targeted, with a child wheelchair—user snatched from their father and used to try to gain entry by one thug pretending to be a steward. with hooligans hoping to reach the thousands of empty seats inside wembley, the report found a perfect storm of factors and a collective failure in planning. the police weren't on the ground early enough. they thought they were early, they weren't early enough. the stewarding at the stadium was not robust enough, and there wasn't a fan zone. remarkably, the report found that england's defeat to italy averted a potential disaster, with 6,000 thugs outside poised to storm wembley if they'd won. i apologise absolutely for the experience that many fans had on that day.

what we should have done was sat back and looked at is a completely unique event and understood that people would potentially get there earlier. and we needed, for example, to get law enforcement there earlier. while the report said no single agency was to blame, it found a number of organisations — including the fa and the police — failed to mitigate what it called "foreseeable risk". i am really sorry that so many people who came to london to enjoy a football match were met with unprecedented scenes of disorder. whilst we had policing presence in wembley across the day, we accept that the bulk of this was not present early enough to prevent scenes of disorder. today's report recommends that the fa leads a new national campaign designed to improve supporter behaviour, tougher security laws and more banning orders, and the establishment of a new category for matches of national significance, to acknowledge the unique challenges in making such events secure. the fa must stage england's next home game in european competition behind closed doors for what happened here.

it's now clear that it could have proved much more costly. dan roan, bbc news, wembley. the uk's decision to offerjust the pfizer or moderna vaccines as a covid booster appears to have paid off, after trials showed that they give the best overall response. seven different jabs were tested. researchers also said there were good signs that the vaccines still protect against the 0micron variant. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh reports. amid the gloom over 0micron and its potential threat, some encouraging news. it was back in the summer that nearly 3,000 uk volunteers got one of seven different covid vaccines as a booster shot, three months after their second dose. thank you very much indeed, everybody. for those boosted with pfizer, after two doses of astrazeneca, their antibody levels were 25 times higher than the control group after one month.

when pfizer was given after two pfizer shots, antibody levels rose eightfold, but from a much higher initial level. moderna and other combinations also worked well. the study didn't look at 0micron. it has mutations in the spike protein which may make antibodies less able to bind onto it and prevent infection. but the bigger the antibody army, the better. t cells, another part of the immune system, were also significantly boosted. these can spot and destroy infected cells. the study showed boosters worked well against beta and delta variants, so it's likely they will also protect against serious disease with 0micron. all of the vaccines actually showed a good t cell response. for the antibodies, moderna and pfizer were very high. we're very hopeful that the vaccines will provide a broad protection against multiple variants, although we can't say for certain

at this moment whether they're going to work very well against 0micron or not. in south africa, the first real—world evidence has shown 0micron may evade some of our immunity. scientists have found a surge in the number of people being reinfected with covid. but we still don't know whether 0micron causes more serious illness, and what ability it may have to spread in the uk, where so much of the population is double or triple—jabbed. fergus walsh, bbc news. well, boosters are set to be offered to all adults over the age of 18, and the gap between second and third doses has been halved from six to three months. but some people are being turned away at vaccine hubs. as our health editor hugh pym reports, the plans to significantly ramp up the vaccination programme may not happen for another week in england. vaccination centres including this one in hertfordshire are getting busier, as people are invited

to come forward for theirjabs. but the message to the public is — there's a need to be patient, as big changes to the booster programme announced this week haven't yet been introduced. people will be notified. they've been notified previously either through text or through letters, so i'm expecting it to be the same again. so please wait for those notifications. but staff say they've had problems with some who arrive thinking they can now get a booster. so, some people are just, you know, demanding to want to come in at a particular time to have their vaccination, even when they may not be eligible currently. people shouting and demanding to want to be seen. but we do all we can to calm people and to explain why we have to wait. those who are eligible for a booster have been contacted, and are pleased to get it done. in scotland, those over a0 can now book a booster if it's been three months since the second dose. in northern ireland, that policy will be implemented over the next few weeks. the message in wales is that people should wait for an invitation for a booster.

scotland's national clinical director says the whole programme is a major undertaking. this is the biggest logistical nhs exercise since the war. - we shouldn't underestimate how many people are having to do this, _ the managers, the clinicians, the community hall— workers, the volunteers. it's a fantastic effort i to get these vaccines into people's arms. nhs leaders in england are waiting for new legal guidelines before a full roll—out of the extended booster programme can start, possibly in a week's time. hugh pym, bbc news, hertfordshire. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were 50,584 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, 44,636 cases were reported per day in the last week. 7,373 people were in hospital with covid as of yesterday. there were 143 deaths — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test,

which means the average number of deaths over the past seven days was 119. the total number of people who've died with covid now stands at 145,424. 0n vaccinations, 88.8% of people aged 12 and over have now received a first dose. and 80.8% have been double—jabbed. and more than 19.4 million people have received their boosterjab. well, tonight, ireland has reintroduced a series of public health measures that will come into effect next tuesday for one month. they include a maximum of six people at a table and table service only in restaurants. a limit on the number of households socialising indoors. nightclubs will also have to close again. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardyjoins us now. they're quite tight, these restrictions, yet cases seem to have stopped rising?

they have in the republic of ireland, but this is a sign just how concerned the irish government is about the new 0micron variant. so tonight the irish prime minister, the taoiseach micheal martin says they are watching very closely the sharp rise in cases in south africa. while there is only one case of 0micron in ireland at the moment, he says if it was to take hold in the irish republic, we could be in for a very serious crisis indeed. so it means a return, a big step back, really, to things like table service only, reduced capacity at sporting events and concerts and night clubs that have onlyjust reopened in the irish republic will have to close again. but in contrast here in northern ireland today, we had the deputy first minister michelle 0'neill saying there were no plans in northern ireland for a return to stricter restrictions on the run—up to christmas. so we are going to be backin to christmas. so we are going to be back in that situation with two different sets of rules operating on different sets of rules operating on different parts of this island, and inevitably some people will cross the border to take advantage of

that. . . , the border to take advantage of that. ., ., , ., ~ , ., thousands of people in parts of north—east england and scotland are still without power a week, after storm arwen left a trail of destruction. the energy regulator, 0fgem, has launched an urgent review into the response of the energy network companies. 0ur scotland correspondent, lorna gordon, has been finding out how people have been coping in aberdeenshire. in the winter sun, aberdeenshire looks stunning, but this has been a brutally hard week for many here, and seven days on from storm arwen, its impact is still being felt. have you got your power back on again? no, it's not on yet. we went off on friday. on friday, the day of the wind. 0h, aye, there have been trees blown down a lot before, but i mean, this is the worst i've seen. for some, no power meant no water either, so bottled water was brought in for drinking, and at night, this family huddled together for warmth. like many we spoke to, they were disappointed at the information they'd received. you just felt like crying sometimes. you just couldn't, i think

it was the false promises as well, we kept getting e—mails off them saying, it will be on at six o'clock, it will be on at 12 o'clock. and then last night, the army came, two army blokes came, but that was the first people that is been to check that you're all right. there's nobody. you've just been left to fend yourself. people here rallied around to look out for each other. this farm are receiving hot food from a good samaritan determined to help. we rely on good friends and good neighbours. excuse me. we're relying on good friends and good neighbours. if it wasn't for these, we'd be... it wouldn't be good. you've come together as a community? you have to. you have to, in these difficult times. downed power lines meant the local primary school has been shut all week. children staying at home. i think one of the best parts has

been i've got to play board games with my family. one part that i didn't like is that my friend's den got destroyed. and if the power does ever go out again, their mum is determined to be prepared. i'm ripping out my electric heater and there will be a log burner in there, and gas. we won't be left vulnerable like this again. and we'll have a generator. really? yes. big changes ahead? yes, definitely. engineers have been working round the clock to restore supplies. tonight more houses here are finally being reconnected. people will be hoping what's been described as a once in a generation event remains exactly that. lorna gordon, bbc news, aberdeenshire. the taliban have issued a decree calling for serious action to enforce women's rights in afghanistan. it bans forced marriage — but does not mention employment or education. 0ur afghanistan correspondent secunder kermani is in kandahar tonight. how has this been received?

well, the rights laid out in this decree, no forced marriages, as you say, inheritance for widows, these have long been accepted parts of islamic law, that in poorer muslim countries like afghanistan, they have often not been implemented. so in more rural areas it is not uncommon for young women to be married off to pay off a debt or to help end a family feud. women's rights activists say if this does help end abusive practices, of course that is a good thing, but they've also been struck by the complete failure of this decree to mention anything about women's rights to work or get an education, and that will fuel suspicion that the taliban here are attempting to dampen down international criticism whilst at the same time kowtowing to their own more hardline elements. secunder kermani in afghanistan, thank you. let's take a look at some of today's other news. there have been further resignations

at yorkshire county cricket club in the wake of the racism scandal that engulfed it. 16 more people have left, including the director of cricket martyn moxon as well as the head coach and all members of the coaching staff. the conservatives have held the seat of old bexley and sidcup in yesterday's by—election — but with a reduced majority. their candidate, louie french, won more than half the votes in the south east london constituency, with labour in second. tens of millions of people are facing severe food shortages across a huge area of east africa, as the region faces the worst drought for many years. crops are failing and animals on which many communities depend are dying of thirst. there's been three years of poor rainfall in northern kenya, much of somalia and southern ethiopia. it's feared the drought will continue long into next year, putting millions of lives at risk. the bbc�*s senior africa correspondent anne soy reports from northern kenya. the devastating impact of drought.

this is wajir in northern kenya. they've not had enough rain here for three consecutive seasons. water pans have long dried up. there are dead animals everywhere. even at ahmed ibrahim's home. he is 66, and tells me he's never witnessed anything like this. translation: the drought has been i going on for the last nine months. i i had 150 head of cattle, but now left with about 30, which are very weak. i also had 400 goats. i'm only left with these few that you can see. a few times every day, neighbours helped to lift the remaining livestock so they can stretch their already weak muscles. tough decisions he has to make to balance between feeding his

family and his livestock with ever dwindling resources. translation: the remaining livestock will continue dying, _ but the biggest issue is what will people eat? people who have lost everything, what will they eat? that's sadir�*s biggest worry too. the 47—year—old mother of six is only left with these goats. livestock are a source of livelihood and wealth. losing them leaves them poor and hungry. translation: i believe god provides, but at this rate, we're at risk - of dying because of starvation. this is a wildlife conservancy in northern canyon, and the effects of drought here are all too clear. that is a very unusual sight. a dead giraffe inside a wildlife conservancy, and we're told that at least 11 of those have been found within months. and it is notjust giraffes

that are affected. it's all wildlife. there is no pasture, there is no waterfor them. more frequent droughts suggest climate change is already taking its toll on the region. the impact on people is devastating. loss of livelihood and a direct threat to survival. anne soy, bbc news, wajir. scientists in britain have used gene editing technology to create female—only and male—only litters of mice. they say their technique could eventually be applied to chickens to ensure that only egg—producing females are hatched. 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. half of these chicks are useless to the farming industry because they're male and don't lay eggs, so they have to be killed. that problem could be solved thanks to a breakthrough that enables scientists to reprogram animals to produce only females. some six to seven billion male layer

chicks are killed every year shortly after birth at a point when they have a nervous system and are capable of suffering. we would like to be able to move to a system where those same eggs are laid but instead never hatch. scientists at the francis crick institute in london have found that the system was successful in mice, and they think it'll work on chickens. the researchers here have found a way of deactivating a gene involved with embryo development. the system can be programmed to stop either male or female embryos from developing using a technique called gene editing. the sex of a mammal is determined by its chromosomes. females have a pair of xs, males have an x and y. the process involves inserting half the gene editing molecule into the father's y chromosome, and the other half into the mother's dna. after mating, male xy embryos containing both halves of gene editing molecule will not develop. but female embryos

will grow normally. gene editing can be used to make other genetic changes. these piglets are resistant to a lung disease that often devastates herds. the government is considering whether to allow the use of the technology by the farming industry. pallab ghosh, bbc news. the actor sir antony sher has died aged 72. sir antony, who had cancer, was widely regarded as one of the country's finest contemporary classical actors, with a long association with the royal shakespeare company. david sillito looks back at his life. deformed, unfinished, sent before my time into this breathing world, scarce half made up. antony sher�*s richard iii, a scuttling, spidery malevolence. it went beyond mere good reviews to become the portrayal against which all others are measured. when they are gone, then i must count my gains.

your hair's nice. howard kirk in the history man, the defining �*70s campus radical. perhaps we should just add his name... i think my biggest problem is being young and beautiful. it is my biggest problem, because i have never been young and beautiful. arnold's, the drag queen in torch song trilogy, another olivier award—winning role. oh, i've been beautiful. antony sher was also an accomplished writer and painter, but this career had begun with rejection from rada. they sent a letter saying, "we strongly recommend that you think about another career." which, you know, at that time, you know, really puts you on the line. gay, jewish, south african, growing up he felt very much the outsider. he liked the idea of disguise, and his home became the shakespearean stage. many of his greatest role directed by the man who would become his husband, greg doran.

hail, rome! titus andronicus. victorious in thy mourning weeds. iago. the moor already changes with my poison. lear... do not make me mad! troubled, complex, compelling. the characters of sir antony sher. sir antony sher, who has died at the age of 72. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello there. it was briefly milder through today, but that's not going to last, again, 20 of showers, wintry on hills, and rain and hail snow pushing into parts of northern england later across more

of the midlands. northwest scotland brightening up. south wales dry and temperatures will feel colder for this. 0vernight and into sunday, central and eastern parts of england with further outbreaks of rain here. many other places with clear spells. it'll be colder night. greater chance of frost. eastern areas with outbreaks of rain on sunday. some of that may nudge towards the midlands. much of scotland, northern ireland and the rest of the uk having a drier day.

this is bbc news, the headlines.

the who has warned that all countries should prepare for an 0micron surge with the number of countries detecting the variant increasing daily. it also said it was too soon to say if 0micron causes more serious illness. british scientists have found that the pfizer and moderna vaccines are the most effective to use as boosterjabs. they also found signs that a third jab protects against the new variant. prosecutors in michigan have charged the parents of the teenager accused of a deadly school shooting with involuntary manslaughter. jennifer and james crumbley bought the handgun allegedly used in the attack last sunday. and pope francis has visited cyprus. at a prayer service, he condemned what he said was slavery and torture being suffered by people fleeing war and poverty.