this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at eight. police say they haven't delayed the publication of a report into downing street parties, and the timing of its release is a matter for the inquiry team. the police said it had not today the publication after previous concerns. pressure on boris johnson pressure on borisjohnson to delay a rise in national insurance. ministers say it's needed to fund health and social care. a couple have been jailed of the death of an eight—week—old baby. she had more than 60 broken bones. and a bill legally recognising british sign language as language in england

receives government backing. isa is a real positive step for the deaf community and will affect education, access to public transport, medical domains. good evening and welcome to bbc news. there's confusion over when the civil service report breaking news, the cabinet office will not wait for the report to concludes before publishing his own report. that met police issued a statement saying it has received

from the cabinet office. commander catherine roper said... with the latest, here's our political correspondent, iain watson. which rules could have been broken behind the famous black door during lockdown? a report by the senior civil servant sue gray was expected to provide some answers this week. that was until cressida dick, the country's top police officer, said this... the met is now investigating a number of events that took place at downing street and whitehall.

the metropolitan police had said then it had no objections to sue gray's report being published, but today, the police seemed to object to some potentially crucial parts of its content being made public, saying in a statement... the met police did not ask for any limitations on any in other words, they don't want to see too much made public about the most serious allegations until they have carried out their own work. it's very important that nothing is done that hampers an investigation, but equally, it's fundamentally important that sue gray's report is issued as soon as practical. sue gray's task is to set out the facts about events such as the bring your own booze in the downing street garden is,

in the downing street garden, and the apparently raucous leaving dos on the eve of prince philip's funeral. intervention by police seems to have taken sue gray's team at whitehall by surprise, and that's because i'm told she was already willing to make minimal changes to her report to address police concerns. but i'm also told that she is far less keen to make only minimal mentions of some of the more controversial events in case she is accused of a whitehall whitewash. but sources have told the bbc sue gray has also faced wrangling over the wording of a report from inside the civil service causing delay, the civil service, causing delay, and the labour leader says that any further delays could be damaging. what i want to see is sue gray's. report in full and the investigation | finished as quickly as possible | because we are in the situation because we're in the situation where the whole of - government is paralysed... and another party leader, ed davey, of the lib dems went as far as to suggest it looked like a stitch up with the

metropolitan police leadership and number ten. downing street denied it had been in contact with the police. and the report's contents really matter to conservative mps, as some of them will try to oust borisjohnson if they don't like what they see. and just look at what the former occupant of number ten said in a letter obtained by her local paper. theresa may stated... some say that the events have descended into farce at the at the heart of government. but for those directly affected by the tragedy of the pandemic, it's no laughing matter. for the people who are here at the wall every week painting hearts, it's infuriating. it's distressing and it's really disappointing. the heart of the matter now is whether the sue gray report can be delivered without delay or delusion. iain watson, bbc news.

that kind further complicates the story in terms of people understanding what will be published. the terms of people understanding what will be published.— will be published. the bbc understands _ will be published. the bbc understands there - will be published. the bbc understands there is - will be published. the bbc understands there is an i will be published. the bbc- understands there is an expectation that the report will be published soon, but beyond that, we don't know how quickly that might be, just that she will not wait for the outcome. but the big question is what will be published, 7 but the big question is what will be published,? will but the big question is what will be published, 7 will it be the full report, or redacted at the stage? we just don't know. we know the met police issued another statement today saying all that they had requested was for minimal reference to be made in the cabinet office report, and they said they haven't deleted. ., �* , ., ., ,, deleted. though, it's down to sue gra to deleted. though, it's down to sue gray to decide _ deleted. though, it's down to sue gray to decide how _ deleted. though, it's down to sue gray to decide how she _ deleted. though, it's down to sue gray to decide how she interprets | gray to decide how she interprets what the met have requested and how she decides what form to present her

evidence or what her findings are. she has got terms of reference that she is working within this inquirer me, so the point of it was to point out about these gatherings. the attendance, the setting, the nature and the purpose. that was her remit, so it's how much of that we get to see when it's handed over. it has been suggested that sue gray is very keen not to be seen to be removing any of those details. we got a bit more detail in the met police a statement about what may happen through their investigation, so it's said the investment is under a fit... would normally result in a fixed penalty notice, and their actions would be proportionate to the nature of those offences. it says the individuals identified as having intentionally broken the rules will be contacted in writing and invited to explain their actions. after that process, without

actions. after that process, without a reasonable excuse, officers will decide if enforcement is appropriate. we know what the police will do, we know that sue gray still intends to deliver this report. the big question is exactly what we're getting. big question is exactly what we're cuettin. . ~ big question is exactly what we're cuettin. ., ~' ,, big question is exactly what we're cuettin. ., , big question is exactly what we're cuettin. . , . well, we can speak now to kelly beaver, who is the chief executive of the polling organisation ipsos mori. it's latest poll made bad reading both for boris johnson its latest poll made bad reading both for boris johnson and the conservatives. what does it tell us? unfortunately for the conservative _ what does it tell us? unfortunately for the conservative party, - what does it tell us? unfortunately for the conservative party, it - what does it tell us? unfortunately for the conservative party, it tells l for the conservative party, it tells us that the readings are across the board. we know how —— now have ten people saying they are... also the conservative party meetings where we've seen another drop in the number of people who said they would vote for the conservative party, as other parties are gaining... not just labour, but also the lib dems

and green party. irate just labour, but also the lib dems and green party.— and green party. we have local elections coming _ and green party. we have local elections coming up _ and green party. we have local elections coming up in - and green party. we have local elections coming up in the - and green party. we have local. elections coming up in the spring. and green party. we have local- elections coming up in the spring. i know you can't directly translate across from what is a national poll and local campaigns, but it's true to say, i think, you don't want to go into an election campaign with these kinds of ratings if you're defending quite a lot of seats, as conservatives will be.— conservatives will be. indeed. it will make it— conservatives will be. indeed. it will make it challenging. - conservatives will be. indeed. it will make it challenging. when i conservatives will be. indeed. it i will make it challenging. when you think about what is contributing to these numbers, because there are some key scandals that have come to the fore, like the parties. actually, there's an underlying power as well. relating to performance around key areas. so it will be those things that will also

be as they go into the local elections. things like government have perform, and the cost of living crisis, which is now coming front and centre. crisis, which is now coming front and centre-— crisis, which is now coming front and centre. are you seeing any of that coming _ and centre. are you seeing any of that coming through? _ and centre. are you seeing any of that coming through? something| and centre. are you seeing any of- that coming through? something you regularly look at how people feel about their personal wealth and circumstances?— about their personal wealth and circumstances? , ., ~ circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on — circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on their— circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on their own, _ circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on their own, but _ circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on their own, but also - circumstances? yes, we do. we look at those on their own, but also the l at those on their own, but also the general mood of the nation. for the last five or six months, we've seen some of those on a downward trajectory. people are concerned, and if you asked them what they will do, we are seeing the majority of people saying they have to pull back on their spending. going people saying they have to pull back on theirspending. going into people saying they have to pull back on their spending. going into the economy reopening, it's not been a particularly positive message. just

in terms of — particularly positive message. just in terms of the labour party, is it a question of because boris johnson's popularity has dropped and his party has dropped, keir starmer in the labour party are looking better? i5 in the labour party are looking better? , ., , ., ., ., , better? is a combination of things. the will better? is a combination of things. they will of — better? is a combination of things. they will of course _ better? is a combination of things. they will of course benefit. - better? is a combination of things. they will of course benefit. it's - they will of course benefit. it's not uncommon we would see the governing party see a little in their poles, but for the areas that are top of mind for the public, like leveling up, cost of living, these are areas where at the minute, the labour party are pulling better than the conservative party.— the conservative party. thank you very much- _ the foreign office's top civil servant has apologised for giving inaccurate answers to mps about evacuating animals from afghanistan, following the advance of the taliban. sir philip barton said he'd �*inadvertently�* misled a committee

that was investigating uk policy, and whether borisjohnson had intervened to help evacuate animals being cared for by a charity. leaked emails suggest the prime minister did get personally involved, but he denies this. tensions over ukraine remain high after president putin accused the west of failing to address moscow's security concerns over eastern europe. the russian leader was speaking to president macron of france amid intense diplomacy to avert a possible russian invasion of ukraine. the kremlin says requests to halt nato expansion towards russia's western frontier have been ignored. moscow has deployed around 100,000 troops near the border with ukraine, angry that a country once part of the soviet union is now seeking closer ties with the west. 0ur correspondent gabriel gatehouse has the very latest from western ukraine.

somewhere in a frozen field in western ukraine, they're preparing for war with the help of the british military. ukrainian soldiers are trying out their latest weapon. it's a shoulder held anti—tank missile that's been provided by the uk. this is an exercise. but here, they know... ..they may have to use their weapons against real russian tanks in the not too distant future. it's very big deal when our partners, ourfriends, from other countries are doing everything possible to improve our defense capabilities. do you need more? do you want more? uh, you know, it's hard to say what we need more if we are facing the war. er, for this moment, we have at least something that we make sure

that we are capable to defend our countries. the brits have had a small military presence here since 2015. how many of you are there? so, the training team is ranging between eight to nine individuals... a couple of dozen officers in a training capacity. the ukrainians have been fighting russian—backed separatists in the east for nearly eight years now. but by supplying these anti—tank missiles, the uk is sending a strong signal — both about its commitment to ukraine and about how it assesses the current russian threat. part of this is about training the ukrainian military, of course, and about the ukrainian military being ready for any eventuality. but a big part of this also, and the reason that we've been invited to film all of this, is because this is about sending a public message. is russia really about to launch a full—scale invasion of ukraine? the view in london and washington,

at the moment, seems to be — yes, it's likely, but in kyiv, they're playing it down. translation: you get the impression from the media that we're at war, - that there are soldiers - on the streets, that there's mobilisation going on, - that people are running away. we don't need that panic. there's a lot of posturing going on at the moment. the russian troop build up on the border, the western response increasingly alarmed and alarming. this is perilous geopolitical terrain, and ukraine is trying to chart a course through it. there may yet be what they call an "off ramp", a way of diffusing the crisis. but there's a danger — that talk of all—out war becomes a self—fulfilling prophecy. gabriel gatehouse, bbc news, western ukraine. a couple have been jailed over the death of their eight—week—old baby in south london.

amina—fayejohnson had more than 60 broken bones when she died in april 2019. her parents, naomijohnson and benjamin 0'shea, were found guilty of causing or allowing her to suffer physical harm. they'll spend seven and eight—and—a—half years in prison respectively. 0ur correspondent sonja jessup was in court today to see them sentenced. she outlined the background to the case with me earlier. she died atjust eight weeks old in suffolk in south london in april 2019. and her parents — naomijohnson, who's 2a, and benjamin 0'shea, who's 26 — they called 999 that morning and said that their baby daughter wasn't breathing. so the paramedics came, they tried unsuccessfully to save her, and it was sort of the time that her death was... there was nothing suspicious about it until a postmortem was carried out which revealed these far more disturbing details.

amina—faye had four fractures to her ribs and 2a fractures to her limbs, and some of those have started to heal, which the court had suggested that there had been at least seven separate episodes of abuse. now, her parents tried to blame those injuries on the paramedics, but medical experts said that they could not have happened by accident. the couple were found guilty back in november of causing or allowing their baby to suffer physical harm, and also of cruelty to another child. after sentencing today, this is what police had to say outside the court. this is a truly heartbreaking case that has touched all of us who have worked on bringing 0'shea and johnson before the court for their monstrous crimes. children depend on adults, and the children in this case were sorely betrayed by 0'shea and johnson in the most tragic of ways. yet it's still not entirely clear how this little girl died7 that's right. although they could identify all those injuries, medical experts couldn't establish a cause of death, and neither, the court heard,

could they establish which parent might have caused the fatal injuries and which might have stood back and allowed it to happen. that's quite key in understanding why they were charged with that specific offence and convicted of it — causing or allowing their baby to suffer physical harm. the sentence they received, too, infact, because 0'shea today was jailed for eight and a half years in a london crown court, johnson for seven years. they were also told they would serve another two months on top of that after being found guilty of cruelty to another child. today, judge nial peters said this was yet another harrowing case of parents abusing or being cruel to their child. we'll and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are sian griffiths, education editor at the times and aubrey allegretti, political correspondent at the guardian. the headlines on bbc news.

the bbc understands sue gray's report into lockdown parties at downing street will be delivered to the prime minister in the coming hours or days. in a statement tonight the met police say they have not delayed the publication of the report after previous concerns sue gray's findings could affect their own inquiry. a couple has beenjailed over the death of an eight—week—old baby with more than 60 broken bones in her body. there's increasing pressure on the government to delay a planned rise in national insurance. a number of conservative mps have joined calls to put off the increase for a year to help relieve the cost of living crisis. under the plans, employees, employers and the self—employed will all pay 1.25p more in the pound for national insurance

from april 2022. this extra tax is then collected as the new health and social care levy. the increase will see an employee on £20,000 a year pay an extra £130 in tax. someone on £50,000 will pay £505 more. critics have said the increase will have a higher impact on the lower—paid and could contribute to inflation at a time when household budgets are under pressure. the defence minister, james heappey, has admitted that the government will need to do "a lot more" to help people struggling financially. he said the government is "in listening mode". let's see it, since they are in listening mode, let's see if they want to listen to some of the debate we have coming up. with me is morgan schondelmeier, director of operations at the right—of—centre economic think tank the adam smith institute. also, i'm joined by mike padgham, chair of the independent care group.

we've spoken a lot to you. hello again. before we come onto the case for the defence for introducing this, morgan, do you want to explain why you are so unhappy about this proposal? figs why you are so unhappy about this --roosal? r ,, why you are so unhappy about this --roosal? ~ , i. ., proposal? as you mentioned, we will see a one point _ proposal? as you mentioned, we will see a one point to _ proposal? as you mentioned, we will see a one point to on _ proposal? as you mentioned, we will see a one point to on employer - proposal? as you mentioned, we will see a one point to on employer and l see a one point to on employer and employee contributions, and that means everyone who is working will be playing more, unless they earn less than nine and a half thousand pounds. this is going to disproportionately affect people on lower incomes. the worst hit will be those who earn about 30 that the —— 30-50,000 a those who earn about 30 that the —— 30—50,000 a year. 10% onjust national insurance. the impact it has on people's taxes will be huge, but because employers pay national insurance, it has an effect on wage

growth, on hiring, so you will see impact in the labour market in addition to people paying more. mike, from where you sit, you welcome the announcement for the sector, but do you think it has to be delivered this way? lilo. sector, but do you think it has to be delivered this way?— be delivered this way? no, i've never thought _ be delivered this way? no, i've never thought national - be delivered this way? no, i've i never thought national insurance be delivered this way? no, i've - never thought national insurance is the right— never thought national insurance is the right way to go. i prefer, whilst — the right way to go. i prefer, whilst you _ the right way to go. i prefer, whilst you don't want people to pay income _ whilst you don't want people to pay income tax, i thought that was a fairer wax — income tax, i thought that was a fairerway. disappointing income tax, i thought that was a fairer way. disappointing as this is delayed, _ fairer way. disappointing as this is delayed, and no more funding comes because _ delayed, and no more funding comes because we're basically on our knees — because we're basically on our knees we _ because we're basically on our knees. we want more funds. if it doesn't _ knees. we want more funds. if it doesn't come from national insurance, then it has to come from withih_ insurance, then it has to come from within government surplus now because — within government surplus now because we can't wait any longer. morgan, — because we can't wait any longer. morgan, if— because we can't wait any longer. morgan, if you have to deliver this money, the government is committed

and the need is pretty clear. in some ways, from the treasury point of view, this looks simpler. it does, but there are a lot of other ways you can raise tax. and impact people in a flatter way, so there —— it won't be popular. but as we see something like income tax or vat is much clearer, and i think that's a problem with national insurance. it's not clear where it's coming from or where it's going, so people think they're paying witch with a will draw on later, but current tax revenue pays for spending, so it's not something you will pull on when you're later in life. if we don't create a sustainable system, there won't be any more money left. i think it's interesting we're talking about the sector needing this money now. this rise is not going to the care sector. it's going to the nhs.

in three years, they will start dishing it out to that's calling for some of the people who work for you, mike, people who work for you, mike, people on relatively low earnings. in this case, you're dealing with carers who already don't know that much, who will see another chunk of it taken away —— earn that much. the it taken away -- earn that much. the workforce and _ it taken away —— earn that much. the workforce and social care around 1.6 million _ workforce and social care around 1.6 million will — workforce and social care around 1.6 million will be paid a lot more national— million will be paid a lot more national insurance in april. and my colleague _ national insurance in april. and my colleague just said, yes, he's ashamed. _ colleague just said, yes, he's ashamed, but most money will go to the health— ashamed, but most money will go to the health service first. we actually _ the health service first. we actually did lobby hard. we can't wait three — actually did lobby hard. we can't wait three years. we didn't have success, — wait three years. we didn't have success, and i want the government to have _ success, and i want the government to have a _ success, and i want the government to have a relook at this because

we're _ to have a relook at this because we're about £10 billion short and social care, _ we're about £10 billion short and social care, with the numbers needing — social care, with the numbers needing care rising. this is part of the problem. the funds are there. if the problem. the funds are there. if i was the problem. the funds are there. i was to pop the problem. the funds are there. if i was to pop into one of the care homes that you run, and sat down for a cup of tea with residents, which i will be able to do soon with restrictions lifted thankfully, one of the things that i would quickly find talking to them is in a lot of older people feel they were sold a bit of a pup with national insurance. they did all their work, exactly as morgan says, they thought they were paying into a fund for national insurance to guarantee about their old age. actually, those so—and—so �*s and government have just kept dipping into this money as and when they needed to, and there

isn't a pot they are. do you think that still works?— isn't a pot they are. do you think that still works? very much. you're welcome to — that still works? very much. you're welcome to visit _ that still works? very much. you're welcome to visit us _ that still works? very much. you're welcome to visit us anytime. - that still works? very much. you're welcome to visit us anytime. thankj welcome to visit us anytime. thank ou. the welcome to visit us anytime. thank you- the issue _ welcome to visit us anytime. thank you. the issue again _ welcome to visit us anytime. thank you. the issue again is _ welcome to visit us anytime. thank you. the issue again is to... - welcome to visit us anytime. thank you. the issue again is to... the i you. the issue again is to... the coalition. _ you. the issue again is to... the coalition, now _ you. the issue again is to... the coalition, now the _ you. the issue again is to... the | coalition, now the conservatives, you never— coalition, now the conservatives, you never quite get there. i've been here over— you never quite get there. i've been here over 32 — you never quite get there. i've been here over 32 years. the system is broken _ here over 32 years. the system is broken and — here over 32 years. the system is broken and i_ here over 32 years. the system is broken and i wanted this government to be broken and i wanted this government to he the _ broken and i wanted this government to be the one who was bold. it's the first one _ to be the one who was bold. it's the first one that tackled anything, but we haven't— first one that tackled anything, but we haven't gotten it yet. i worry they— we haven't gotten it yet. i worry they will— we haven't gotten it yet. i worry they will postponed whatever they plan to _ they will postponed whatever they plan to do with it. i think we need to he _ plan to do with it. i think we need to he as _ plan to do with it. i think we need to be as bold in 1948, and people deserve a — to be as bold in 1948, and people deserve a better system and would be prepared _ deserve a better system and would be prepared to pay a little more to get better— prepared to pay a little more to get better quality of care when they get olden _ better quality of care when they get olden at _ better quality of care when they get older. at the minute, itjust doesn't _ older. at the minute, itjust doesn't work. statistically, over one and— doesn't work. statistically, over one and a— doesn't work. statistically, over one and a half million people aren't getting _ one and a half million people aren't getting social care at all.—

getting social care at all. morgan, the institute _ getting social care at all. morgan, the institute is _ getting social care at all. morgan, the institute is always _ getting social care at all. morgan, | the institute is always championing because of lower taxation. the conservative party also champions that cause, but it certainly seems to have put up taxes. this latest one it says is the consequences of covid and the care crisis that haven't been addressed. but you were looking at this and you had the power to do it, how would you generate the money provided7 what would be the ways in terms of distribution of the money that has to be found across society, but also that might result in it getting a bit more? i that might result in it getting a bit more? ~ , , bit more? i think the issue here is it's not down _ bit more? i think the issue here is it's not down to _ bit more? i think the issue here is it's not down to purely _ bit more? i think the issue here is it's not down to purely more - it's not down to purely more funding. more funding is great and will lead to better outcomes, but

this is a structural issue that's going to need to be addressed. we have an ageing population, growth is stagnant, so we don't get the same tax returns. we need to get reforms into how we pay for care, so that's looking at countries like singapore, where you do pay into a pot and you get to pick out that pot and use it for health care or social care, and it's your money. you can look places like australia. there's a lot of options for how we fund social care, and one we've looked at is where the government becomes the insurer of last resort to tackled the long risks that you get. if the government takes that burden, you get a much more dynamic and flexible private insurance, which could help generate some more funding and

lesser the burden on the taxpayer. morgan and mike, thank you so much. lovely to talk to you both again. coronavirus cases in the uk remain stable, with more than 89,000 new cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, nearly 90,000 infections have been reported per day in the last week. there are more than 16,000 people in hospital with covid, and that number has been falling. 277 deaths have been reported — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test — though some will have died of other causes. on average in the past week, 261 deaths were announced every day. 0n vaccinations, more than 37 million people have now had a boosterjab, which means more than 64% of those aged 12 and over have now had three vaccine doses.

0fficials officials say some variants appear to spread more easily. katharine da costa has more. it's a variant under investigation, which is why they're trying to learn more about it. so far, about 1000 cases have been confirmed in england. that's actually really small. if you think about the daily infections that we report, about 90,000, most 0micron every single day, so 1000 is about, single day, so 1000 is quite small, they look for is a more severe, can it spread more quickly, can it evade the vaccines? so far, no data to say that it's more severe than 0micron. the early data is showing that it's spreading more quickly than the original version. they looked at contact tracing data and found that it was spreading a little bit more quickly within households. while growth advantage can fluctuate in the early data,

that's why they're saying it's important to be cautious, because this is really early data, they do think it has a substantial growth advantage. it spreads more quickly. this is still early days and things may change as they learn more about it. the encouraging thing is the vaccines are still working, so after two or three go it says, it's still providing protection against symptomatic disease for both variants. clearly, much more research is needed, but they say that the uk is in quite good position because of the amount of genome sequencing carried out here and they can react and respond quite quickly. they say across the board infections are at a high rate and people should still be cautious as restrictions are eased, consider still wearing masks to get your vaccinations and to carry on testing regularly. let's ta ke let's take a look at the weather. here is thomas.

quite a stormy weekend on the way for some of us, especially if you live in scotland. and, overall, the weather this weekend will be quite mixed but some sunshine on offer with scattered showers. now, let's have a look at the weather map for this evening and overnight. just to the west of scotland, we will have storm malik, named by the danish weather service. we see a lot of white lines, these isobars, very strong winds are blowing into western parts of scotland. also blowing in very mild air right across the uk so early morning temperatures will be 10 degrees in some western parts of the country. let's focus on the warnings from the met office first. in eastern scotland, actually, an amber warning now in force across aberdeenshire, into perth, the lowlands of scotland, for aberdeen. i think the top winds will hit 80 mph in the north of scotland. with that, also a lot of sunshine with some scattered showers. the south of the country will be much calmer with cloudy skies at times.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines... the bbc understands sue gray's report into lockdown parties at downing street will be delivered to the prime minister in the coming hours or days. in a statement tonight, the met police say they have not delayed the publication of the report, after previous concerns sue gray's findings could affect their own inquiry. a couple has beenjailed over the death of an eight—week—old baby with more than 60 broken bones in her body. there's more pressure on borisjohnson to delay a rise in national insurance — ministers say it's needed to fund health and social care. british sign language, is on course to become a legally recognised language in england, with the government saying it

will back a new bill, being debated in the commons. campaigners, including rose ayling—ellis, the first deaf contestant on strictly come dancing, say they hope the change will see bsl more widely used, and promoted. with more details here's the bbc�*s see hear presenter, yvonne cobb, and our political correspondent, helen catt. 0bviously, first, i would like to say that it is a real positive step for the entire of the deaf community, and not only that, it will affect and improve education, access to public transport, medical domains, and many, many more, so they will be lots of changes to be made now going forward. examples, like i said, things will be coming more accessible for the deaf community. it has taken a long time, and it will take time going forwards to make those changes,

and we then have to step in. and we have to be collaborative with this, we have to share information on how to move forwards and creates that accessibility for us. that was ryan lewis, chief executive of deafway, a charity based in preston supporting the deaf community. his interpreter called emma was speaking behind the camera. a usjudge has ruled that netflix must answer a defamation case over its hit series the queen's gambit. the streaming giant is accused of misrepresenting "one of the most significant career achievements" of female chess champion nona gaprindashvili. netflix said the series was �*an entirely fictional work', and for viewers to know that there is an alleged defamation, they would need a "knowledge of competitive soviet chess in the 1960s". let's speak now to film and television journalist, siobhan synnot.

netflix argued that it was known this was a fictional drama, that it has a feminist narrative and that and best, a minor inaccuracy had been committed. interesting to see what that inaccuracy was. nona gaprindashvili says in the final episode of the series, the fictional character is compared to her, and with a qualifierfrom one of character is compared to her, and with a qualifier from one of the commentators that nona gaprindashvili neverfaced men. in fact, by1968, she gaprindashvili neverfaced men. in fact, by 1968, she had played quite a number of men, 59, and infact 28 of them in one day cash game simultaneous, so she felt this was quite a significant representation

of her and her work. bud quite a significant representation of her and her work.— quite a significant representation of her and her work. and in a sense, because you — of her and her work. and in a sense, because you can _ of her and her work. and in a sense, because you can presumably - of her and her work. and in a sense, because you can presumably be - because you can presumably be defined in your profession, notjust personally, maybe it would make people think she is not as good as she claims to be.— she claims to be. that is her contention — she claims to be. that is her contention and _ she claims to be. that is her contention and that - she claims to be. that is her contention and that is - she claims to be. that is her contention and that is why . she claims to be. that is her l contention and that is why she she claims to be. that is her - contention and that is why she is pushing to push a case where she would like to claim $5 million in damages. thejudge was not impressed by lappe fixed's appeared to throw this out. they said, you do refer to a real person in that line, even cut to someone who resembles that person in particular episode. so, they are allowing it to play on. ironic that this is a feminist show and one that is hugely popular in russia, which is hugely popular in russia, which is not too far away from nona gaprindashvili's stamping ground in georgia. it is gaprindashvili's stamping ground in geora ia. , , gaprindashvili's stamping ground in georaia. , , ., , georgia. it is funny how these

thin . s georgia. it is funny how these things can _ georgia. it is funny how these things can get _ georgia. it is funny how these things can get kind _ georgia. it is funny how these things can get kind of- georgia. it is funny how these things can get kind of reality i georgia. it is funny how these i things can get kind of reality and fiction end up getting blended and people get confused by them. you will remember the case of the tv series that had 0livia de havilland for trade and she obviously died last year but in quite old age from her apartment in paris, she sued because she didn't like the way the character had been written. it was catherine zeta jones playing her, and this kind of psychodrama between joan crawford and betty david. nash betty davis. joan crawford and betty david. nash be davis. , , ., betty davis. yes, she took great exception. _ betty davis. yes, she took great exception. she _ betty davis. yes, she took great exception, she said _ betty davis. yes, she took great exception, she said she - betty davis. yes, she took great exception, she said she looked i exception, she said she looked gossipy and hypocritical and the show put false worth in her mouth. initially, in los angeles, the drug —— thejudge was initially, in los angeles, the drug —— the judge was going to let it go to trial but it was overturned on the grounds of the first amendment. netflix may take some comfort from that. ., , . ., ., netflix may take some comfort from that. ., ,. ., ., ., . that. fascinating, and rather rich, full netflix _ that. fascinating, and rather rich, full netflix find _ that. fascinating, and rather rich, full netflix find itself _ that. fascinating, and rather rich, full netflix find itself accused -

full netflix find itself accused effectively not of defamation but sexism, really. thank you very much. prince andrew has given up his honorary membership at one of the world's oldest golf clubs. it follows the loss of his military titles and royal patronages, as he contests a civil sexual assault case in america. the royal and ancient golf club of st andrews, whose patron is the queen, said it �*appreciated' the duke's decision. playing video games for a living is an aspirational career for millions across the world. however, the most influential online streaming platform, twitch, is accused of encouraging unhealthy practices. there are now calls for the billion—dollar company to change the way it operates, as our gaming reporter, steffan powell explains. singing: welcome to my... what the... like, what?! i'm in trouble! this is twitch, where all day, every day, you'll find people filming themselves playing video games and interacting with viewers. some, like ninja here, can earn big bucks. he's reportedly worth around £18 million.

owned by amazon, 30 million people across the globe visit the site daily. traditionally, communal gaming meant coming somewhere like this and sharing a screen with a mate. but today, online gaming means that people play with friends from all over the world from home, and what online streaming platforms like twitch have done is allowed some to turn that into a job. i missed every shot, i think. which is what sam, known to herfollowers as sooshi, did. the former office manager loved it — but is one of many i've spoken to that says they've sacrificed their health to make a living using the site. they say it encourages long periods online. i'd say it had an effect on my confidence a lot. i still to this day don't open the door. i don't open the door to anyone. sam took a financial risk to stream for a living. she was online for up to ten hours a day, every day, to pay the bills. that lead to anxiety

and symptoms of agoraphobia. i don't think i went out in the first year that i was full time barely. maybe to the shop at a push. it sounds really silly, but i don't really like talking to anyone face—to—face because it's been so long since i've done it to another human. streamers have told me the longer you're online, the more your channel will grow subscribers and advertising revenue. it is a numbers game with twitch. it's a lot about being on throughout the day as often and as long as you can, so that it's really, really dis—incentivised to stream for short bursts. as a result of these concerns, bbc news has been told that twitch needs to make changes to better protect content creators. it encourages streamers to be on stream for many hours, sometimes 24 hours or more, and that clearly has an effect on people's physical health or mental health. and i think the platforms really need to think about changing the mechanics of the platform,

changing the financial model, to protect the health of streamers. in a statement, twitch said that streamers' safety is their number one priority. they added that advice and mental health resources are available on their site and they say they are developing a new programme to support streamers with the pressures of the job. sam's reduced her hours on twitch now. it got too much. today, she's notjust battling for victory in the virtual world, but also to get a conversation going about healthy streaming practices in the real one. steffan powell, bbc news. the uk has lost 38 million birds from its skies over the last 50 years — and this weekend we're all being encouraged to join the rspb's annual big garden birdwatch — and count the birds we see around us. it's the biggest wildlife survey of its kind on the planet, and aimed at fighting the bird population decline. 0ur climate editor

justin rowlatt reports. who doesn't like to see and hear wild birds? but britain's wild bird populations are under assault, changing farming practices, pollution and climate change are all taking their poll, says the rspb. we do a piece of work called the state of nature which is a report on all the reasons for this decline. we've lost about 38 million birds over the last 50 years, that's about a fifth of our breeding bird population here in the uk. and not every species is declining, but overall more species are declining than others, particularly farmland birds. woodland birds aren't doing very well. this is about us all going into our gardens, looking out of our windows, on our balconies, counting the birds we can see to survey the bird population.

really important information about what is happening to the country's birds. and the rspb wants you to help them by taking part in their big garden bird watch. it is the biggest citizens�* survey anywhere in the world and all they are asking is for an hour of your time. it's very easy. indy greene is 16, he has been doing this survey since he was 11. wherever you are, no matter where you live, there are always birds around and a huge variation of species as well. so i thinkjust get involved and just enjoy them and take the time to just sit down and look at your window and see what you can spot. so an hour of your time today or over the weekend and all you have to do is sit and watch the birds. justin rowlatt, bbc news, sherwood forest. a week after his death, meat loaf�*s bat out of hell has re—entered the uk charts at number three — its highest ever placing. released in 1977, the operatic rock opus originally failed to chart at all, only starting to sell

the following year when meat loaf appeared on bbc two's the old grey whistle test. now, it is time for news watch. hello and welcome to news watch, with me samira ahmed. were those hours and days looking forward to sue gray's report to be published time well spent for journalists? and why is 0fcom now investigating this bbc report on an alleged anti—semitic incident after a complaint was partially upheld7 watching and waiting were the hallmarks of this week in news, as day after day, the publication of sue gray's report into lockdown gatherings in westminster failed to appear. the prime minister did appear in front of the cameras on monday but he didn't have much to say about the issue dominating the minds ofjournalists. can you guarantee that no more embarrassing allegations about alleged breaches of lockdown

within downing street will come out before that report is published?