this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles during a failed attempt to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. as russia struggles to make progress in ukraine, the british foreign secretary says vladimir putin is humiliating himself on the world stage. in the uk, borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts, to raise funds to tackle the cost of living crisis. a damehood for deborahjames, the british cancer campaigner is honoured by the queen. she's now raised more than £4 million for charity injust four days. the deadlock in stormont continues — the democratic unionist party say

they'll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements. it's getting tense in turin as the clock ticks down to eurovision. ukraine's entry — kalush 0rchestra — is amongst the favourites. and it's anything but a trifling matter. a lemon and swiss roll amaretti dessert is crowned as the queen's platinum jubilee pudding. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. we start this hour with the war in ukraine. british military intelligence

suggests moscow's advance in the east is faltering. little progress is being made in the donbas region and ukrainian troops have reportedly fought off an attempted river crossing by russian troops. it's thought the russian battalion lost almost all its armoured vehicles when ukrainian forces shelled pontoon bridges across the seversky donets river. mages from the scene show burnt—out tanks. it's not clear how many soldiers were killed. but, russia is making progress elsewhere it seems — with reports they have taken the nearby town of rubizhne. that would mean the strategically important city of severodonetsk is surrounded on three sides. meanwhile the british foreign secretary has said sanctions against russia should not be lifted until all its troops have left ukraine. speaking at a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in germany, liz truss also urged allies to go "further and faster" in supporting ukraine's resistance. it's very important at this time

that we keep up the pressure on vladimir putin by supplying more weapons to ukraine, by increasing the sanctions. g7 unity has been vital during this crisis, to protect freedom and democracy, and we'll continue to work together to do just that. earlier i spoke to our correspondent in lvivjoe inwood and asked him what he knew about the reports of russian losses in the donbas. yeah, a really significant number. we think almost an entire battalion tactical group's worth of vehicles. in some images i have seen they count up to 7a tanks, armoured personnel carriers and trucks destroyed. it seems the russians were trying to envelop a city called severodonetsk. there is a river and severodonetsk is one of the last cities that the ukrainians hold on the east bank of that river. that has been surrounded now on three sides. but in trying to cross this river,

the russians were hoping to bypass the heavy fortifications of severodonetsk, come all the way round and envelop those troops, cutting them off from the back. it was a gamble and if it had paid off it would have been a significant tactical advantage to them. but it was also a risk and it seems it has backfired spectacularly. the ukrainians had advance warning, they had targeted the river crossing and when those vehicles tried to come across the pontoon bridges that went down, a huge barrage of ukrainian artillery came in. they have wiped out a vast number of vehicles. this was a big gamble by the russians, and as british intelligence have said today it is one that maybe shows the levels of desperation, they are trying to force the issue and it has obviously backfired. it shows the fight is very much on from ukraine. throughout this war we have reported that they were outnumbered in terms of the forces that russia could deploy, but there has always been a discussion around the race to resupply in this fighting.

as we heard from liz truss, that is still very much a pressure for ukraine. what does it say about the supply of weapons it is getting at the moment? i think ukraine has very much changed their rhetoric and mood music about this. at first there was almost a sense of desperation about the level of weapons and support they are getting. i think now they feel that it is really coming in, notjust in the levels but also with the urgency required. we have seen the russians target supply lines, trying to target the railway infrastructure bringing that equipment to the front line, but our understanding is it is still getting through. obviously the ukrainians don't give a running commentary, in fact they are incredibly secretive about this so it is difficult to know what is happening. but we see videos coming on social media and that sort of thing, of western—supplied equipment getting onto the front lines. it is circumstantial evidence but it seems it is getting there. joe inwood in lviv.

let's take you live to stockholm because the swedish foreign and defence ministers are holding a news conference on national security policy. that follows a national security policy report, in relation to their plans tojoin nato. the policy report, in relation to their plans to join nato. the defence alliance. we saw a little earlier in the week finland announcing its intention after years of neutrality to join nato. intention after years of neutrality tojoin nato. and now sweden here as well have been considering applying tojoin the well have been considering applying to join the security alliance, so they have had what they call an all—party security review, including that question of nato membership, and that's what the swedish foreign minister and defence minister, along with other mps, representatives of all the parties in the swedish parliament, are talking about now. here the prime minister has asked his cabinet to come up

with a plan to cut about 90,000 civil service jobs to free up public money. in a letter last night, cabinet secretary simon case acknowledged the cuts would be "challenging", but says departments needed to consider how to "streamline" the workforce. earlier i spoke to our political correspondent, nick eardley, about what could happen. the thinking in government is if you reduce headcount in the civil service, you reduce the costs of some services and those reductions in spending can be passed onto taxpayers. there are some big questions about the specifics, though, particularly whether big departments like the department for work and pensions, the ministry ofjustice, hmrc, will be able to shed jobs at a time when they have quite a high workload because of things like the pandemic and the impact of brexit and all the changes that that has made to customs and things like that. but the government is saying this morning it is determined to do this.

the cabinet secretary, the top civil servant in the country, wrote to departments last night saying that they had three years to do it. they have all been asked for ideas. he admits it will be challenging but he says that 91,000 figure should be achievable. have a listen to jacob rees—mogg, the government minister responsible for government efficiency. it's trying to get back to the level we were at, at 2016, and that's obviously before brexit and before covid, which did lead to some increase in the civil service. why now? well, you should always spend taxpayers' money as efficiently as possible. governments have no money of their own, it is only money taken from hard—working taxpayers who provide the funds that the state expends. but during an issue with the cost of living and inflation, you need to have control of budgets and you need to ensure that things run as efficiently and effectively as possible. so it fits in with the overall economic succour. that is the government view. interesting this morning that jacob rees—mogg said he didn't think

it would have a big impact on services because things like automation and more efficiency will mean that the same sort of standards can still be applied. got to say there are some who are highly sceptical of that, the unions for example have been arguing that if you cut that number ofjobs you are going to have to cut what you do accordingly and it will inevitably mean some hard choices for departments. and it'll be really interesting to see, as this process plays out, which departments actually feel that they have extra civil servants to potentially get rid of. as i say, the big departments, the ones that employ the most civil servants, all have quite a lot on their plates at the moment. to add another couple, the home office is dealing with issues over borders. the ministry of defence obviously has the conflict in ukraine

and various other cybersecurity things to think about. it'll be interesting to see just how willing government ministers are to lose those jobs. nick eardley. dave penman is the secretary general of the fda union for civil servants — he says that the lack of detail behind this headline makes it very challenging for civil servants to understand the impact this may have on them. the difficulty for people to assess is the lack of detail and difficulty around what was announced in the daily mail about civil service job cuts. be two or three years? are they serious about the consequences of what that might mean? the border force and mod?

are serious about cutting back, but we need to find out and we need dialogue to understand exactly what they mean. at this point it is a headline. let's find out actually and let's engage in talk and see what they are serious about. are there savings to be made? the civil service has already committed to a 5% reduction in its budget between now and 2025. that was agreed just a few months ago. the civil service always looks for efficiencies, that's part of the job of a civil servant. the civil service saved £500 million by reducing its estate in the period between 2010 and 2015. since then we have had a revolution

in working practices which would mean more people could actually work from home and the civil service would need less office space. instead of that we have a government forcing people back into offices when it could be saving the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds, simply because of ideological obsession. the difficulty i think for civil servants is to understand exactly what the government wants. do you want to save money orjust keep making headlines? as you say there is a lack of detail at the moment but if there were cuts to the order of around 90,000 jobs, what services would be affected in your opinion, what would be hit and what couldn't be done that is being done now? the difficulty is they have picked this pre—brexit figure, 2016, the number of civil servants who were there in 2016. that was the smallest civil service there has been since the second world war. it had already been cut by around 25% by the coalition and conservative government up to that point. then what the government did was give it a huge additional responsibilities.

brexit has increased the workload of the civil service enormously. if you think about the borders and what we are having to do there, looking at a department like defra where 80% of the work was european related and it has taken on huge additional responsibilities. all the work around customs. the government has given extra work and employed additional staff to achieve that, cut if you want to cut back to that arbitrary number, you can't undo brexit or covid so what will you cut? the government has talked about more artificial intelligence and automation. can that work to replace some people? there are potential efficiencies but what does that actually mean, what does it mean in a place like the borders? the home office has had huge responsibility in increasing staff around brexit so what does this

artificial intelligence mean in reality when you talk about the increased staffing there? we have had headlines in the last couple of weeks around the passport office. there is an increase in demand and there are not enough staff and they can't recruit staff. they have said to the passport office, you have to cut staff at a time when there are delays and they don't have enough staff right now. this is the difficulty in announcing policies like this in the daily mail. there is a lack of detail and when you start to interrogate it, it falls apart. we don't know what the government is serious about and what it is not serious about. that's what they now need to do. if they really want to cut the number of civil service, which they are entitled to do as a government, they need to be serious about the consequences of doing that. throwing around phrases like artificial intelligence is not a serious way of engaging in around 450,000 public servants deliver those public services. dave penman from the civil service union. the democratic unionist party leader sirjeffrey donaldson has

said the dup will not support the election of a speaker in the northern ireland assembly today. under the power—sharing rules, the speaker requires cross—community backing. the dup's move will mean that in addition to blocking the formation of the devolved government, the party will also block the assembly from meeting for debates and private members�* legislation. members are due to meet for the first time since sinn fein replaced the dup as the largest party in last week's election. but the dup says it won't allow northern ireland to have a functioning executive unless its concerns over the post—brexit trade border with great britain are resolved. 0ur reporter charlotte gallagher explained what is happening today at stormont. it was meant to be the first day of business here at stormont, but now the dup have said they are not going vote for a speaker, there is not going to be much done here. the new mlas will come in, they will sign in, and apart from that, there is very little else for them to do, because unless the speaker is elected, the assembly can't run properly. it can't function, essentially. so bills can't be scrutinised,

there can't be debates, any new ministers cannot be put in place, and of course the new deputy first minister and the new first minister, they can't be elected. it is a very sort of dodgy time at the moment, here, at stormont, in terms of what can be done. essentially, it's going to be pretty dormant here until there is a political breakthrough, essentially. the dup, they said this is notjust a political squabble. they think the northern ireland protocol essentially undermines devolution. sinn fein, on the other hand, they are absolutely furious. michelle 0'neill said that the dup are disgracefully holding society to ransom. so, i am sure there will be a few strong words here today. but apart from that, little else will be done. earlier i spoke to dr clare rice — a research associate at the university of liverpool and a specialist on northern ireland politics — she told me that the situation at stormont today is worse than anticipated. we anticipated the dup was going to be reluctant to nominate.

at this stage last week, we didn't know whether it would be a deputy first minister or first minister, but it was confirmed pretty soon after the results started coming in that they wouldn't nominate to thejoint office. in the last few days, we have heard, had it confirmed overnight that the dup will not be nominating or partaking in the election of a speaker for the northern ireland assembly either. essentially, we are left with a zombie government, caretaker government, whichever phrase you wish to use on it, but due to legislation passed a few months ago, that means, effectively, we still have ministers who are kind of in post, still technically in charge of their ministerial portfolios, but they are limited to what they can do. they can't take any new decisions and can't take any cross departmental decisions because the executive itself is unable to form, a new executive is unable to form so eventually the steam will run out of that as well so we are on a ticking countdown now essentially to things coming to

pretty much a halt in northern ireland in terms of governance. the cancer campaigner deborahjames — also known as bowelbabe — says she's "hugely honoured" to be awarded a damehood. the ao—year—old — who hosts the bbc�*s you, me and the big c podcast — has raised more than £4.1 million for charity since monday, when she revealed she's recieving end of life care. jon donnison reports. # there were nights of endless pleasure...#. deborahjames — diarist, occasional diva, and now dame. forfive years, with remarkable energy and good humour, she's documented her life with cancer. now in herfinal days, she's been honoured by the queen. she confirmed the news announced by downing street in a tweet last night, telling the bbc she was shocked and humbled. it comes just a few days after the ao—year—old mother of two announced she was ending her treatment and was now receiving

end—of—life hospice care. i have a really loving family who i adore and couldn't... i honestly, like, they're just incredible. and all i knew i wanted was to come here and be able to relax, knowing that everything was ok. music: rise up by andra day deborah james�* inspiring videos, music: rise up by andra day. deborahjames�* inspiring videos, often set to music and posted on social media, have reached millions. the former deputy head teacher was just 35 when she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2016. but she's been determined to share her story to try and help others.

on her podcast, you, me and the big c, which she was still presenting until a few months ago, she could be funny but didn't hide her emotions. i'm back on treatment, and every single time i'm back on treatment i'm like, "i don't want to be here". in a statement on her damehood, the prime minister said... dame deborahjames, who's achieved so much in such a short time, says she'll now spend her remaining days at her parents�* home in surrey surrounded by her family. jon donnison, bbc news. the number of elderly and disabled people in england waiting for care services is rising rapidly, according to officials who run local authority social care. latest figures suggest more than half a million vulnerable

people are facing delayed assessments, reviews or issues with day—to—day care. here's our social affairs editor, alison holt. hello! are you all right? this is one of the four care visits a day that ralph and pat rely on. you had a nice morning, ralph? he has parkinson's, and they wouldn't cope in their own home near redcar without this support. you rely on your carers to look after him properly, don't you? you know? 50~ ~~ - i mean, it's something i couldn't do. i can't handle him at all. time to look after myself now. just the two tablets this afternoon, ralph, all right? but today's research by council bosses says an increasing number of people who are older or disabled are having to wait for care services like this. one reason is a shortage of care staff. right, we'll pop your chair up a bit. both sadie and karen love what they do, but understand why, with the cost of living rising, some don't want to do a job that, in their case,

pays less than £10 an hour. that's it. a little bit more, ralph. mostly, it's to do with pay. people with families are trying to get on the housing ladder. with the cost of living, they just can't afford to be in a job like this, because it doesn't pay enough for them to be able to live as well. i think care workers should be paid more for doing, because we don'tjust go in and make cups of teas of what people think we do. we actually go in and we turn people's lives around. according to the directors who run council care services in england, last september, an estimated 294,000 people were waiting for assessment, reviews or care from local authorities. by the end of february this year, that number had risen to more than 500,000. care leaders say councils need extra money urgently to meet growing demand, and pay those providing care more. we need urgent action to address unmet need. we need more money into social care sooner. we can't afford for social care to be an afterthought. and...

..because thatjust creates this vicious cycle, where people deteriorate and need more help, more health and care. and it's family carers like tania who feel the strain when it's hard to get help. lee is 37. he's quadriplegic and he has multiple and complex disabilities. lee requires 24 hour care, really. and so that's provided — the majority of it's provided by me and his dad, brian — and then we have paid carers. one of their care workers left injanuary, because she needed to earn more money. tania manages lee's care, which is nhs funded, and she's had just four applications for thejob. none were suitable. are you going to talk to me, lee? are you? it makes it really difficult, because i have my own health needs, which makes physically caring for lee difficult because it causes me a lot of pain.

my husband is self—employed, because he needs to be accessible and available if i need to call him to come and help with lee. one step. but, at the end of the day, he's our son, so, you know, we'll do what lee needs. tania has little confidence they will find the help they need any time soon. the government says reforming the care system is a priority, and that it's investing billions of pounds in improving the way it works for families and staff. alison holt, bbc news. is that funny? is that funny, lee? helen walker is head of charity carers uk. thank you forjoining us. to remind our viewers first of all that carers uk represents family carers and unpaid carers. i can only assume the pressure on local authority social care is piling even more pressure on them. ~ , , care is piling even more pressure on them. , , care is piling even more pressure on them. , them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teeterin: them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on — them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on the _ them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on the brink— them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on the brink now. - them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on the brink now. if -

them. absolutely. unpaid carers are teetering on the brink now. if the i teetering on the brink now. if the social care system is crumbling then unpaid carers haven't had a break since the start of the pandemic so it isjust piling up and up and up on them, and as your case study tanya said, it's our son, we are not going to stop caring but at some point there will be a carer breakdown. so we need investment in the social care system now. the im act the social care system now. the impact on _ the social care system now. the impact on the — the social care system now. the impact on the mental health of carers, perhaps having to leave jobs to look after a member of their family or a loved one. tell us about the other impacts that perhaps go beyond the obvious.— the other impacts that perhaps go beyond the obvious. massive impact. we knew before _ beyond the obvious. massive impact. we knew before the _ beyond the obvious. massive impact. we knew before the pandemic- beyond the obvious. massive impact. we knew before the pandemic 600 i we knew before the pandemic 600 people a day were leaving work in order to care for a loved one. we were hugely disappointed this week not to see carers leave in the queen's speech for example which would at least bring flexibility in the workplace for people to juggle work and care, a real challenge as people go back to hybrid working. what does it look like if the social

care system isn't there to support the person they care for if they are returning to the office? the mental and physical well—being, as you said, if you haven't had a break from caring into years, and 72% of carers told us that was the case, then you are going to be really on then you are going to be really on the edge. and it is going to have an impact on your health and well—being. 0n impact on your health and well—being. on top of that we have the cost of living crisis. we have carersjuggling the cost of living crisis. we have carers juggling their own needs with the person they care for. for example, if they needed an oxygen machine on 24/7, and they need to pay those bills. so carers are finding themselves going without. what is the government saying to you about your appeals to increase the carers up to the allowance? we are not getting — carers up to the allowance? we are not getting anything _ carers up to the allowance? we are not getting anything about - carers up to the allowance? we are not getting anything about the - not getting anything about the increase in carers' allowance. there seems to be no appetite for doing that at all. and yet in some of the devolved nations we have seen

one—off payments to unpaid carers, so at least there is a recognition of what they have done during the pandemic and they have been supported. at the very least, right now we need investment in the social care system. we need paid carers to be paid a real wage that will encourage more people to go into that system, and that will empower unpaid carers to get a break and to be able to support the person they care for in an effective way.- care for in an effective way. helen walker, care for in an effective way. helen walker. chief _ care for in an effective way. helen walker, chief executive _ care for in an effective way. helen walker, chief executive of - care for in an effective way. helen walker, chief executive of carers l walker, chief executive of carers uk, thank you. a day after admitting that it's dealing with a covid outbreak, north korea has acknowledged the first deaths from the disease. the official news agency said at least six people had died after showing signs of what it called a "fever of unknown origin". it said more than 180,000 people were being isolated and treated. john everard is the former british ambassador to north korea. good to have you with us. we know

that north korea hasn't had a vaccination programme. south korea is now offering it vaccines. do you think it will accept those? i is now offering it vaccines. do you think it will accept those?- think it will accept those? i think it miuht think it will accept those? i think it might well _ think it will accept those? i think it might well accept _ think it will accept those? i think it might well accept the - think it will accept those? i think it might well accept the vaccine, | it might well accept the vaccine, but it's a little late, isn't it? the virus is clearly now taken hold in north korea, and even if the millions of doses that will be required to vaccinate the north korean population can be found quickly, and even if they can be delivered quickly to north korea, and even if the means can be found to get those vaccines into north korean arms, you are talking about an awful lot of needles, they have probably lost the race against time. the big problem is that north korea and north koreans haven'tjust not been vaccinated, they are weak from two years of very poor nutrition, terrible economic problems, and their health care services are simply not able to cope. aha, their health care services are simply not able to cope. a lot of

even ifs there. _ simply not able to cope. a lot of even ifs there. describe - simply not able to cope. a lot of even ifs there. describe what. simply not able to cope. a lot of. even ifs there. describe what that health infrastructure is like. the olite health infrastructure is like. the polite word _ health infrastructure is like. the polite word is _ health infrastructure is like. tue: polite word is rudimentary. health infrastructure is like. tte: polite word is rudimentary. when health infrastructure is like. t'te: polite word is rudimentary. when kim il—sung, the grandfather of kim jong—un came to power, he tried to deliver a free health system to all north koreans but he couldn't supply the systems or equipment. he managed a little bit in the 80s and 90s but that equipment is now resting, parts have not been replaced the country is almost out medicines. effectively, the north korean system has come close to disappearing. much information do _ has come close to disappearing. much information do you _ has come close to disappearing. much information do you think ordinary north koreans will have had about the pandemic, its consequences and the pandemic, its consequences and the impacts of the disease?- the impacts of the disease? official information. _ the impacts of the disease? official information, very _ the impacts of the disease? official information, very little. _ the impacts of the disease? official information, very little. the - the impacts of the disease? official information, very little. the north. information, very little. the north korean regime, it has been very careful not to admit any cases,

certainly not admit any deaths. but north koreans don'tjust rely on official information. they have circles of friends and contacts where they will talk in close groups and i am sure that in that bush telegraph, so to speak, a lot of information about people who have fallen sick with this virus is being transmitted. and people who are well placed, particularly people in pyongyang, probably know quite a lot about the realities of the disease right now. about the realities of the disease riaht now. , ., ., ., ., ., right now. john everard, good to get our right now. john everard, good to get your expertise _ right now. john everard, good to get your expertise on — right now. john everard, good to get your expertise on the _ right now. john everard, good to get your expertise on the situation - right now. john everard, good to get your expertise on the situation in - your expertise on the situation in north korea. john everard, the former british ambassador to north korea, as the country acknowledges the first deaths from the disease. eurovision is upon us once again. after all the build—up and the excitement, it's almost time for the grand final of the world's most—watched music competition. 200 million people are expected to tune in tomorrow —

with the uk's sam ryder among the favourites — yes the favourites to win. # i could be brown, i could be blue, i could be violet sky— # i could be hurtful, i could be purple — # i could be anything you like now you might remember my next guest from this song. mika topped the uk singles chart injanuary 2007 with grace kelly and he has since gone on to record four more studio albums. he is now one of the hosts of the eurovision song contest 2022. i am of course talking about mika, whojoins me now live in turin. really good to have you with us. i was listening to grace kelly again last night and it's been going round in my head round and round. that's what you want music to do. lovely to have you with us. we were hearing from david sillitoe, and he was telling us about the hectic schedule you've had this week, even before the final. have you managed to pace yourself and conserves energy? t

yourself and conserves energy? i tried to grab a little nap here and there whenever i can. it's quite intense because in the uk i always grew up just watching the final. but the reality is we do every show about five times. each show lasts from about three hours to four hours. so all in all, we've done the show is about 20 times and then there is table readings. it's a big production machine. i've never seen anything as big as this, but it's fun and it's eurovision, and we all grew up watching it. i used to watch this in the kitchen with my family in london, and we would put the television in the late kitchen and i'll watch it together. so it's an honour to be here.— i'll watch it together. so it's an honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the _ honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the fun, _ honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the fun, isn't _ honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the fun, isn't it? - honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the fun, isn't it? i- honour to be here. absolutely, it's all about the fun, isn't it? i know l all about the fun, isn't it? i know you have been a judge and italy's x factor. do you feel nervous about hosting this. is there a different kind of pressure? it’s hosting this. is there a different kind of pressure?— kind of pressure? it's a very stran . e kind of pressure? it's a very strange type _ kind of pressure? it's a very

strange type of— kind of pressure? it's a very strange type of experience | kind of pressure? it's a very - strange type of experience because from the minute you walk in, and knowing my dressing room, you mock into the venue and walk onto the stage and you are making television for the camera. which is harder than you think, when around you you've got about 80 to 10,000 people screaming. —— eight to 10,000. look at the camera, don't look at the audience, don't interact with the audience, don't interact with the audience the matter how much noise they make, look at the camera because you are speaking to 2 million people. it's quite something. and then you know most of what you are saying is being dubbed by commentators in different languages, so it is very visual. here i am em speaking with my hands, which is a good thing in italy because he is big a lot with your hands. it's quite nerve—racking, but you do get into the thrill of it. you just buckle up and just go. and enjoy it. you will be well aware that every year there is always a conversation about the politics of eurovision voting. 0f

conversation about the politics of eurovision voting. of course, music and be political. ijust wonder this year with ukraine posit mac entry, they are the favourites to win. is this really where we are going to see your eurovision in politics meeting. i see your eurovision in politics meetinu. ., see your eurovision in politics meetinu. ~' ., , ., meeting. i think we really are. there are _ meeting. i think we really are. there are multiple _ meeting. i think we really are. there are multiple things - meeting. i think we really are. there are multiple things at i meeting. i think we really are. i there are multiple things at play. whenever the eu pulled together, different cultures, competition, and you have an audience of 200 million people you're going to take on the sociopolitical scale. it's inevitable. this year, obviously the context is a very particular one. what it is is that the votes are actually made up 50% of the jury, and that is the performance we do tonight, as if it was a live show, but it's not. it's really the jury. and then the public for voting. there are two different types of voting. social media has really changed the way it happens. there is often a difference between the jury votes, which could be seen as more

political, and then the public bus might votes which are different in the way that they are. so it means that when we put the two together at the final tomorrow night, at the end of the show, it's going to be really interesting to see what the differences are. i can't deny that when ukraine walked onto the stage in the semifinal, i almost had tears in the semifinal, i almost had tears in my eyes. i actually did have tears in my eyes, because the entire arena erupted. no matter what flag people were holding, there were uk flags, german place, spanish flags, ukrainian flags, and everyone stood up, a standing ovation, and the sound was enormous of this cloud cropping. —— this crowd clapping. i thought i'm going to remember this for the rest of my life. the song is good. the spanish song is extremely

ambition. it's going to be really interesting to see how people react, and in this exceptional situation. tell us more about some ride up is my entry for the uk. what do you think of it and his performance? firstly, some rider represents a lot of the changes that have happened in eurovision. he is one of the biggest tick—tock is in the uk. 12 million followers on tick—tock. that is a massive thing. that's also going to help with the voting from the public vote across all of europe, because his voters are notjust in the uk, but all across the world. and also which shows the different kinds of talents that are pulling themselves in the game and in the competition. social media has opened up the whole is a lot of stuff for eurovision which is helped enormously. sam is a brilliant singer, he is loved on social media, as you know, and his song is written by serious

songwriters. amy watch is ed sheeran's main collaborator. i know him very well. she is one of the most respected songwriters in the uk. you've got a pretty high—calibre thing. when that are allowed to express any preferences. of course, neutrality all the way. but i did get in trouble yesterday, because my interview with sam ryder was a little bit over warm, apparently, and i was just shown preference because it was written all over my face that i just like because it was written all over my face that ijust like the guy. i want to talk as well about your new single. you will be performing it during the final, i believe. let's show our viewers a little clip of that. # take me high, high, high # take me low, low, low # hold me again, in, in, # let me go, go, go # say goodbye, bye,bye, # say hello, lo, lo # shake my heart, heart, heart # like a yo—yo # treat me like a yo—yo, treat me like a yo—yo

tell me a bit about the song in the music you are making at the moment. it's been a very intense few years, notjust it's been a very intense few years, not just for it's been a very intense few years, notjust for me, for everybody. i started to make music again about a year ago after two years of lot writing. a lot of changes in my family. i don't know why, but i started to write this music that reminded me of when i was 16, speaking out in london, going to the astoria on saturday night, this iconic night called g a y and dancing to this kind of pop music thatjust made you feel better. like, even if you had tears in your eyes, you can still dance. that is the joy of pop music. eyes, you can still dance. that is thejoy of pop music. so i started to write this music that was so full of colour and melody. i will be singing that tomorrow evening amongst other songs. it's quite an ambitious medley. it's been months

in the making. filth. ambitious medley. it's been months in the making-— in the making. oh, meeker, ithink we have lost— in the making. oh, meeker, ithink we have lost our— in the making. oh, meeker, ithink we have lost our line _ in the making. oh, meeker, ithink we have lost our line to _ in the making. oh, meeker, ithink we have lost our line to mika. it's l we have lost our line to mika. it's such a shame. we were just coming, i think, towards the end of the interview. what a shame to lose that line to turin, but really lovely to talk to me go there, one of the host of the eurovision song contest 2022. 2 million viewers expected. after days of violent unrest, sri lanka has sworn in a new prime minister. he's a veteran politician who's served as prime minister five times before. protestors forced out mahinda rajapaksa on monday, blaming him for the economic collapse of the country. they're also demanding that his brother, the president, also resign. the bbc�*s anbarasan ethirajan is in colombo and reports on the challenges the new prime ministerfaces. he has been talking to various political parties, inviting them to be part of the cabinet, because what this country needs immediately is political stability.

because political stability means that will attract investment, people will come forward to give you loans and if they want to discuss with the imf they need to have political stability. but he has a very difficult task because the main opposition says they don't want to join. you have to remember, he is the only mp from his party in parliament, which means he needs to take the other parties with him for his economic policies. what are the challenges he faces? the immediate one is he has to make sure that fuel and food are supplied without any interruption. even today there are a few kilometres of queues outside petrol stations because there is no fuel. they don't have the money to buy this fuel. and food shortages. once this happens he needs to find a way to restructure the country's $51 billion foreign debt. then he needs to talk to the people about increasing taxes and what are the imf conditions and talk to the imf officials as well to get an emergency loan.

these are the challenges, they are not easy and he is facing an uphill battle. last month afghanistan saw more attacks carried out by the islamic state group targeting ordinary people than at any other time since the taliban takeover. around 100 civilians, largely from religious minorities, were killed in a series of bombings on mosques, minibuses and a school. 0verall levels of violence in the country have fallen since the taliban's insurgency came to an end, but this week the un secretary general warned "terrorism" by is was "resurgent." secunder kermani reports from kabul. it's this boy's first day back at school since he was attacked by extremists. ——it was attacked by extremists. he was not hurt when the bomb went off, but his father rushed to the scene to check he was safe, only to be killed by a second explosion.

how are you feeling going back to school today? translation: it feels really hard. i was at school when the explosion happened. going back there is really difficult because i lost my father. my heart does not want me to go back. he and most of this cardboard neighbourhood are from those shia hazara minority. the area has been repeatedly targeted by the islamic state group, though they never formally claimed this bombing. i was inside the classroom, about to leave, when all of a sudden there was an explosion. we all crouched down on the floor with our hands over our heads. my father was really kind and caring. he would always encourage me to go to school. he was a great support to me. the school opened up straight after the attack, but some pupils are yet to return.

seven students were killed, along with two men, including his father. a spate of is bombings in recent weeks targeting shia and sufi muslims have rattled the communities. the attacks happened in the past, too. but since the taliban takeover, they have spread to new parts of the country. is, on occasion, apparently even firing into neighbouring central asian states. in afghanistan, the taliban still control the streets. we joined one of their police patrols. is is a fierce rival, but far smaller and does not hold any territory. it does, though, have deadly cells. there is a bloody irony to the situation here. the taliban, once insurgents themselves, are now in charge. they are on the lookout

for suicide bombers as well as regular criminals. many people here, whatever else they might have thought about the taliban, they are hoping their arrival will mean the end of decades of violence in this country. translation: a coalition of- international countries invaded us. they carried out attacks and tried to make afghanistan unstable. we defeated them so we can prevent these smaller attacks now. many people from the shia community, many people who are sufi are feeling afraid. translation: it is true there have been some attacks recently, i which targeted innocent people. we completely condemned them. god willing, we have brave police force who will prevent such attacks. in hazara neighbourhooods, every aspect of life has come under attack in recent years. passengers have often been targeted on their daily commute. we are attacked everywhere,

in school, in hospital, - translation: it is true there have been some attacks recently, i university, in the street. but we don't have any options, any option to save ourselves. i we are living in blood. back at school, he is leaving, not long after having arrived. my father was always there for me, he says. now he is no more. secunder kermani, bbc news london's newest rail line, the elizabeth line, has finally been given the green light following three years of delays and soaring costs. apart from bond street, all the new stations on the project known as crossrail between paddington and abbey wood have been cleared for customers and passed their final safety checks. it's expected to reduce journey times for commuters and visitors wanting to cross the capital. katy austin has been to see it. i'm 34 metres underground,

inside one of the new stations that will open on the 24th of may, on the elizabeth line, the result of the crossrail project. now, building all this... one of those platforms is just there to my right. building all of this has been a massive undertaking. the point is to increase capacity, to cut journey times, and to give more people quick access to central london. there have been delays, and costs have ballooned, but finally it is nearly here. train now standing on platform a is your elizabeth line - service to abbey wood. no—one is getting on or offjust yet, but this new railway is getting ready for its first paying passengers. the line will link shenfield in essex to reading in berkshire via central london. but the full timetable and seamless end—to—end travel won't be in place until next year. it will initially run in three separate parts. from the 24th of may, the section between paddington and abbey wood will run monday

to saturday with a train every five minutes. this is one of the escalators that takes you down onto the platforms at the new liverpool street station. and it is when you come down here that you get a sense of the scale of the project, the size of the stations. and when passengers come down and get onto the trains, they will be 200m long, and they can carry up to 1,500 people at any one time. final preparations for opening have included testing various scenarios, including evacuations. building this railway has been an extremely complex project, involving a huge feat of engineering. 0ne expert told me, despite the delays, it is an achievement to celebrate. the trains are very modern, air—conditioned, there are platform doors, the stations are absolutely like cathedrals. this is really a transforming moment both in london and for the railways. 70% of the cost has been funded by london, and 30% by the central government. the pandemic means that, for now,

passenger numbers won't be as high as first predicted, but those behind this project hope the elizabeth line will deliver a genuine boost to london, the south east of england and beyond. this train is now going to depart. please stand clear of the doors. mind the closing doors, please. it's taken tom cruise 36 years to get back into the cockpit, but according to critics, it's well worth the wait. the new top gun film will be out in cinemas later this month. but a decision not to re—cast some older women from the previous film has sent some reviewers into a minor tailspin, as mark lobel reports. time to feel claustrophobic again. with all due respect, sir, i'm not a teacher. hotshot us navy pilot maverick is back, but this time he's in charge of training proteges for a dangerous bombing mission. good morning, aviators. this is your captain speaking. and the verdict? well, it's simply sky—high.

it's the most thrilling blockbuster in years, according to review site rotten tomatoes. critics say the absurdly exciting flick is barrier—breaking and even better than the 1986 original. it's a top gun movie so it looks and feels like a top gun movie. there's a sincerity in the film that lies there, that the heart of it just speaks to people. viewers of the original will have to wait to find out if he cooks another goose as he takes the anguished son of his former late best friend under his wing. there's a lot of history there and that's what makes for good drama. its release delayed by the pandemic, cinemagoers will finally find out if maverick has met his match with a new love interest, played by a beautiful mind starjennifer connelly. i thought penny was a reallyl independent, strong woman. i really admired her, - enjoyed her sense of humour

and her zest for life. but not everyone's on board with the casting. the top women from the previous film, meg ryan and kelly mcgillis, don't feature in this one, with some complaining the stars in their 60s may have fallen victim to ageism. but one actor's return is being hailed a real—life tale of survival, with throat cancer survivor val kilmer�*s cameo as a navy admiral. the us air force has also produced this breathtaking ad to tempt newjoiners, set to jet into big screens ahead of the actual movie as they struggle to find new people to serve. so, with days until take—off, strap in to reach speeds way beyond cruise control. mark lobel, bbc news. breaking news coming into us. we

hearing that elon musk is saying that his deal to buy twitter is temporarily on hold. there is his tweet. you can see the reason why. he says it is pending detail supporting a cancer —— a calculation that spam and face accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users. elon musk recently, we heard, was planning to buy twitter in a $44 billion takeover of the social media company. butjust in the last few seconds, we are seeing this from him, saying that the deal is temporarily on hold. he doesn't suggest for how long. calculation that spam orfake suggest for how long. calculation that spam or fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users, is said to be the reason. we'll bring you more details later on.

the us coast guard says at least eleven people have died off the coast of puerto rico after their boat capsized. 31 others were rescued. most were from haiti and the dominican republic. they believe the boat was probably carrying illegal migrants. the aljazeera journalist shireen abu akleh will be buried alongside her parents in a cemetery nearjerusalem's old city on friday, two days after she was shot dead in an israeli army raid. she was killed whilst covering clashes in thejenin refugee camp. the us, european union and united nations have backed calls for a full investigation into what aljazeera said was a deliberate killing "in cold blood". a lemon trifle described as "sunshine in a bowl" has won a national competition to find a pudding to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. more than 5,000 amateur cooks took part — and jemma melvin from southport won it with her lemon

swiss roll and amaretti trifle. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph has been to meet the champion baker. jemma's lemon swiss roll and amaretti trifle. it was a unanimous decision from the judges. and a popular choice among herfellow finalists. i hope people just stick a spoon in it, and eat it how they want to eat it. jemma's trifle is a twist on the traditional trifle, based on recipes passed down from her gran and her nan, and inspired by lemon posit, served at the queen's wedding. i cannot believe it. everything that i was up against was just the most beautiful desserts and puddings, with beautiful stories. so, that this quite humble trifle has won, is a bit surreal. this will hopefully go down in history. it's something i'm going to have to try and process for a few weeks, i think. almost 5,000 entries were cut down to just five. the all—female shortlist had to make their pudding for the queen of baking.

very happy. fit for a queen, mary. quite right. the competition was tough, but the friendship between the finalists was strong. i have absolutely loved every second. i've tried to absorb it all, because it is just so far removed from my everyday life. it's just incredible. and to have shared the experience with the girls is just amazing. the pudding will now be sold at fortnum mason. all proceeds will go to charity. the flavours were incredible. from a point of view as a chef, she made every element, but you could also buy most of the elements. so, that became accessible to everybody. and, you know, it's a trifle, but it's a beautiful, beautiful trifle. and it'sjust — it's sunshine in a bowl. a trifle to mark a moment in history. alongside victoria sponge and coronation chicken, we now have a queen elizabeth ii platinum pudding. daniela relph, bbc

news, central london. the white house says president biden is taking steps to address an acute shortage of baby formula, that has seen empty shelves and rationing of the product in shops across the united states. major us pharmacies have restricted sales of baby formula in response to a worsening shortage, which intensified when abbott — which makes top brand similac — closed a key factory and issued a recall in february afterfinding contamination. the white house press secretary, jen psaki, gave an update on the situation. president biden has directed the administration to work urgently to ensure that formularies save and available to families across the country. this has been under way for months. today, biden spoke with retailers and factories calling them

to do more to do to increase the availability of formula. hello. high pressure dominating our weather at the moment, sitting to the south of the uk. not dry everywhere. a bit of rain around across the north of scotland through the remainder of the day, but for most of us, skies a bit like this. this is the picture in northamptonshire. blue sky, some fairweather cloud around, best of the sunshine towards the south. slightly cloudier conditions further north. but wherever you are, it is going to feel quite breezy, if not windy, through the course of the day. that's because we have got that high pressure to the south. we've also got low pressure and weather fronts to the north. and in between, a bit of a squeeze in the isobars, so the winds driving in from the west or a south—westerly direction. still the odd spot of rain for north—west scotland, particularly up towards 0rkney and shetland, in fact, as well. cloudier skies for scotland, parts of northern england and northern ireland at times,

but some sunny spells breaking through. long spells of sunshine further south across england and wales. temperatures up to 22 celsius in the warmest spots. a bit cooler under the cloud in the north, but a noticeable breeze wherever you are. through this evening and tonight, the winds fall light. skies are going to be clear. we'll see a few mist and murky patches developing, particularly in the west, to start your saturday morning, but around seven to 11 celsius first thing in the morning. lots of sunshine from the word go on saturday, then. but if we run through the weekend, you will notice we are going to be seeing a bit of a thundery breakdown in the weather as low pressure and showers from the south to north. particularly saturday night and on into sunday. actually, much of saturday dry, fine, long spells of sunshine. a brighter, less breezy day for northern ireland and scotland compared to today, and again in the sunshine, it can feel quite warm, up to about 22 or 23 celsius down towards the south east. the high teens further north, but you will notice the heavy downpours moving across the channel islands later in the afternoon. there could be quite a lot of hail, thunder and lightning mixed in with some of these heavy showers through saturday night, working their way northwards across parts of england and wales.

probably still dry for scotland and northern ireland, but a bit of uncertainty about how far north these showers are going to get. it does look like, through sunday, they will start to push their way further north. they are going to be hit and miss, so not everywhere is seeing the heavy showers and thunderstorms. some sunny spells in between, as well, but if you are hoping for a bit of rain for your gardens, you may well see it in the second half of the weekend. a little bit cooler in the east during the course of sunday. still unsettled into monday with further outbreaks of rain, but it is looking quite warm and humid in the south on tuesday. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts to raise funds to tackle the cost of living crisis. it's trying to get back to the level we were at, at 2016, the issue with cost of living on inflation, you need to have control of budgets, and you need to ensure things are run as efficiently and effectively as possible. it's an easy hit and to say we face difficult _ it's an easy hit and to say we face difficult times and let's just cut the civil— difficult times and let's just cut the civil service to an arbitrary numhen — the deadlock in stormont continues — the democratic unionist party say they'll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles during a failed attempt

to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. as hundreds of children flee the war in ukraine, we'll look at how they've been settling in at schools across the uk. a damehood for deborahjames. the cancer campaigner is honoured by the queen. she's now raised more than £4 million for charity in just four days. it's getting tense in turin as the clock ticks down to eurovision. uk entry — sam ryder — is amongst the favourites. and getting yourjust desserts. a lemon and swiss roll amaretti trifle is crowned as the queen's platinum jubilee pudding.

the prime minister has asked his cabinet to come up with a plan to cut about 90,000 civil service jobs to free up public money. borisjohnson told the daily mail that �*we have got to cut the cost of government to reduce the cost of living' — a source has said that the cuts are "not ideological" but about "good housekeeping". government insiders claim these plans could save £3.6 billion a year by returning to 2016 levels of employment. there were 384,000 civil servants employed in 2016 — the lowest number since world war ii. but through brexit and the pandemic, numbers grew to 475,000 by the end of last year. in a letter last night, the cabinet secretary, simon case said he knows "this is an ambitious target." mr case acknowledged that the cuts would be �*challenging' but he says departments need to consider how to "streamline" workforces.

reach its goal through a hiring freeze and what's described as �*natural churn�* — no firm timescale has been given. let�*s talk to our political correspondent david wallis lockhart. tell us more about the reactions of this. ., ., ., this. the government at the moment is lookin: this. the government at the moment is looking to — this. the government at the moment is looking to help _ this. the government at the moment is looking to help people _ this. the government at the moment is looking to help people with - this. the government at the moment is looking to help people with the i is looking to help people with the cost of living but crucially they want to do so in a way that doesn�*t cost the tax payer any money on one of the ideas being pitched is cutting one in five civil servants which would be 91,000 civil servants and they think it could save £4 billion a year that could be redeployed to help with the cost of living and we had this morning from the ministerfor living and we had this morning from the minister for government efficiencies, jacob rees—mogg and he�*s been talking about the fact that many civil servants were hired in recent years to deal with brexit and the fallout of that and to deal with the covid pandemic anything is given that these events have largely

passed in his opinion we are able to cut back on those numbers and he believes that simply not replacing people who go on to retire and move on and having a hiring freeze going forward could essentially do a lot of that through natural churn and he believes this could then help people by getting more money into their pockets when the money is saved from the civil servants salaries and here is what jacob rees—mogg the civil servants salaries and here is whatjacob rees—mogg had to the civil servants salaries and here is what jacob rees—mogg had to say when he spoke to the bbc this morning. it's trying to get back to the level we were at, at 2016, and that's obviously before brexit and before covid, which did lead to some increase in the civil service. why now? well, you should always spend taxpayers' money as efficiently as possible. governments have no money of their own, it is only money taken from hard—working taxpayers who provide the funds that the state expends. but during an issue with the cost of living and inflation, you need to have control of budgets and you need to ensure that things run as efficiently and effectively as possible. so it fits in with the overall

economic succour. jacob rees—mogg is correct to say that there are problems at the moment with the cost of living but this is more of a medium term at best plan and its not going to put money in the pockets of people who are struggling to heat their homes and buy food at the moment and when we look at civil servants, about 70% are hired byjust five government departments and that includes the dwp, an important department when there is cost of living crisis going on and that includes all the staff dealing with benefits and job centres and also the mod dealing with the crisis in ukraine at the moment in large parts, and there is the home office and an aspect of the home office would include the department dealing with passports where we know there are massive backlog so many eyebrows being rates and the idea of cutting the numbers

of staff working in these departments, jacob rees—mogg went on this morning to explain that he believes the market more efficiently and using automation that the service does not need to be cut back, the same service can be given by the civil service but a hostile reaction from unions. the pcs, one of the unions representing civil servants are threatening strike action and they have said that our members will not be scapegoats for what they call a failing government and the fda, and other civil service union, has also been a bit suspicion is about how the plan would work and we can hear from is about how the plan would work and we can hearfrom dave penman, their general secretary. the difficulty for people to assess is the lack of detail and difficulty around what was announced in the daily mail about civil service job cuts. are they serious about 90,000 job cuts over what may be two or three years? are they serious about the consequences of what that might mean? are they saying they will not replace people leaving the border force and mod?

the problem is the lack of detail and the spin around this overnight suggesting that actuallyjust now it is a headline, it is part of this, it is an easy hit to say the country faces difficult times so let's just cut the civil service to an arbitrary number. but we are in no doubt this government to some degree are serious about cutting back, but we need to find out and we need dialogue to understand exactly what they mean. it doesn�*t sound like the government has sold the idea to the unions and doesn�*t appear the conservative government have sold it to all of their own backbenchers. senior conservative backbencher tobias ellwood has called it a dead cat strategy and of course the dead cat means that when things aren�*t going well for the government they announce a big policy in order to try and distract attention perhaps from the day to day. he has said

that he thinks the government has a dead cat committee going on and he�*s talked about searching them for a drumbeat. this is a policy that they want to pursue and they think will ultimately help the taxpayer is the cost of living crisis and and we need to see the meat on the bones before we can assess how it will work. alex thomas is the programme director leading the institute for government�*s work on policy making and the civil service. thank you very much forjoining us. we were hearing some of the criticism, and easy hit and an easy headline and the big picture is talking about saving a huge amount of money. do you think it is a workable strategy? it�*s of money. do you think it is a workable strategy? it's honestly riaht workable strategy? it's honestly ri . ht to workable strategy? it's honestly right to look _ workable strategy? it's honestly right to look at _ workable strategy? it's honestly right to look at the _ workable strategy? it's honestly right to look at the size - workable strategy? it's honestly right to look at the size of i workable strategy? it's honestly right to look at the size of the i right to look at the size of the civil service but we have heard the

civil service but we have heard the civil service but we have heard the civil service has grown a lot over the last five or six or seven years, so it�*s obviously fair to continue to look at the civil service to see where there are efficiencies that can be made and for ministers to decide what their priorities are and that requires many civil servants or not. it�*s worth saying firstly that 90,000 is a big numberand it will take the civil service back to the size it was before brexit and previously the government said they wanted to go to the size before covert so this is an extension of that, if you like. it�*s worth distinguishing between those civil servants who were drafted in to the hot crisis of covid or no—deal brexit and those who were working on ongoing functions and that result from brexit so we need trade teams or our own domestic environmental regulation previously done by the eu and that takes civil servants. so when you talk about distinguishing

between people effectively brought on as firefighters and those involved in ongoing projects, will it be easy to to seal people drafted in with specific projects wouldn�*t be there anyway of the projects had come to an end. this be there anyway of the pro'ects had come to an endi come to an end. this gets to one of the challenges _ come to an end. this gets to one of the challenges of _ come to an end. this gets to one of the challenges of the _ come to an end. this gets to one of the challenges of the government l come to an end. this gets to one of| the challenges of the government of how you make that separation, but also how you go about doing this. ministers have been asked over the next month to work out plans as to work out how to do it but one of the problems of the headline figure like this is you end up with the wrong civil servants going and some of the wrong ones staying in is very hard when you are in the civil service as people have different skills and contracts and have different locations and you can�*t say you�*ve been working on this and now we will pick you up and shift you on something different, so it�*s arbitrary targets like this that can

have unforeseen consequences. jacob rees-mon . have unforeseen consequences. jacob rees-mogg was _ have unforeseen consequences. jacob rees-mogg was asked _ have unforeseen consequences. jacob rees—mogg was asked specifically about the passport office and we heard the headlines about how long it is taking for people to get passports because of the backlog. so what is going on in departments where they are not apparently working efficiently but we are hearing there are record numbers of people working in the civil service. there�*s a lot going on in the passport office and about the dvla, the drivers license authority, and it�*s always worth looking to see if civil servants are working as efficiently in systems that —— that have been value for money. but covid and brexit put pressure on the system and backlogs created through covid, simply reducing the number of civil servants won�*t help with the backlog is, however efficiently they do it. ministers are right to look at the passport office and other

bits of government to say, are the systems as effective and strong as we want them to be and then, if it turns out the same work can be done with fewer people, fair enough but people who happen to leave in the passport office and you don�*t replace it, that is likely to make the backlog worse rather than better. �* ., . , the backlog worse rather than better. �* ., ., ,, the backlog worse rather than better. �* ., ., , ., ,, , ., the democratic unionist party leader sirjeffrey donaldson has said the dup will not support the election of a speaker in the northern ireland assembly today. under the power—sharing rules, the speaker requires cross—community backing. the dup�*s move will mean that in addition to blocking the democratic unionist party leader sirjeffrey donaldson has said the dup will not support the election of a speaker in the northern ireland assembly today. under the power—sharing rules, the speaker requires cross—community backing. the dup�*s move will mean that in addition to blocking the formation of the devolved government — the party will also block the assembly from meeting for debates and private members�* legislation.

members are due to meet for the first time since sinn fein replaced the dup as the largest party in last week�*s election. but the dup says it won�*t allow northern ireland to have a functioning executive unless its concerns over the post—brexit trade border with great britain are resolved. let�*s speak to our reporter, charlotte gallagher, who is at stormont. charlotte gallagher, it charlotte gallagher, should have been a busy day i but it should have been a busy day here, but it will be pretty quiet because all of the things that were due to happen are not going to happen now so there isn�*t going to be a new speaker elected. that is what the dup have said and they said they won�*t vote on that and what that means is that the assembly cannot function any more and itjust be an assembly on paper but not in practice, so things that should have happened like getting the new ministers in place, the first and deputy ministers in place, that won�*t happen, so the members will come here today and sign the register and that what kind of be it and we expect strong words about this. sinn fein have already said the dup and said they are holding society to ransom and people will

not be allowed to get on with their jobs but the dup say that the protocol is such a red line for them that they cannot move forward at all and they say it is not a political squabble but the protocol is undermining devolution itself and thatis undermining devolution itself and that is how strongly they feel about it and what this will do is put more pressure on the uk government and the eu to come to some kind of solution because at the moment from what the dup are saying it seems you cannot have the protocol and a functioning storm on.- cannot have the protocol and a functioning storm on. what is the ublic functioning storm on. what is the public reaction _ functioning storm on. what is the public reaction to _ functioning storm on. what is the public reaction to this? _ functioning storm on. what is the public reaction to this? i - functioning storm on. what is the public reaction to this? i think- public reaction to this? i think --eole public reaction to this? i think people are — public reaction to this? i think people are pretty _ public reaction to this? i think people are pretty fed - public reaction to this? i think people are pretty fed up i public reaction to this? i think people are pretty fed up here| public reaction to this? i think. people are pretty fed up here in northern ireland because the things politicians should be doing for them, education, health, that is being blocked because the assembly cannot function any more and some of last night that northern ireland could be a gold mine but says nothing gets done there is a sense

people are resigned to it and expect the dup to do it today and a lot of people are fed up but there�*s a lot of people in the lawyers community who agree with the dup and they say, look, we cannot continue unless we get rid of the barrier as they see it between northern ireland and the rest of the uk and for them it is about identity and being cut adrift from the rest of the uk.— about identity and being cut adrift from the rest of the uk. thank you, charlotte. british military intelligence suggests moscow�*s advance in the east of ukraine is faltering little progress is being made in the donbas region and ukrainian troops have reportedly fought off an attempted river crossing by russian troops. it�*s thought the russian battalion lost almost all its armoured vehicles when ukrainian forces shelled pontoon bridges across the siversky donets. images from the scene show burnt—out tanks. it�*s not clear how many soldiers were killed. but, they are making progress elsewhere it seems — with reports they have taken the nearby town of rubizhne. that would mean the strategically important city of severdonesk is surrounded on three sides.

meanwhile, british foreign secretary has said sanctions against russia should not be lifted until all its troops have left ukraine. speaking at a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in germany, liz truss also urged allies to go "further and faster" in supporting ukraine�*s resistance. let�*s go live now to the city of dnipro where we can speak to our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. we were hoping to hearfrom liz truss, but basically she is saying that she is fully supporting all russian troops leaving ukraine, nothing less than that. what is the latest on the ground there in terms of the state of play?— of the state of play? well, i think ukraine would _ of the state of play? well, i think

ukraine would say _ of the state of play? well, i think ukraine would say exactly - of the state of play? well, i think ukraine would say exactly the i of the state of play? well, i think. ukraine would say exactly the same as liz truss said, that russian forces should leave as soon as possible, but it has to be said that thatis possible, but it has to be said that that is not going to happen soon and the big question is, when they leave, as they will, someday, at least some of the fighting forces, what territories will they continue to hold under their control? for all of the reports of russian losses, and there have been many enormous losses, both material as well as men and women, although it�*s mostly men, they are making advances and are advancing in eastern ukraine in those two provinces of lyu hands—on donetsk which from the beginnings has been one of the most strategic priorities for president putin and they are also making advances in other parts of the country, but of course the battlefield progress is not in one direction. we have seen around the second largest city of kharkiv by ukrainian forces where

have pushed the russians through several villages north—east of their and they have pushed russian artillery out of range of the city of kharkiv which means a city that has been pounded almost from the first days of this invasion can rest a little but even in deeney pro, the air raid sirens sound every day and ukrainian defences hold back the missiles and sometimes they get through —— dnipro. but russia is still attacking no sign they will leave this country and end the aggression and the invasion any time soon. �* , , ., ., aggression and the invasion any time soon. 2 , ., ., ., aggression and the invasion any time soon. ., ., ., , , soon. there's been a lot of promises of military support — soon. there's been a lot of promises of military support for _ soon. there's been a lot of promises of military support for ukraine i soon. there's been a lot of promises of military support for ukraine and l of military support for ukraine and a lot of it will have got through but we have heard over the weeks about the logistical difficulties of supplies arriving. what is the situation and how much is getting through? situation and how much is getting throu~h? ~ , ., situation and how much is getting throu~h? ~ i. ., ., i. situation and how much is getting throu~h? ~ ,, . ., i. ., through? well you ask anyone that ruestion through? well you ask anyone that question and _ through? well you ask anyone that question and they _ through? well you ask anyone that question and they say _ through? well you ask anyone that question and they say it _ through? well you ask anyone that question and they say it is - through? well you ask anyone that question and they say it is a -

question and they say it is a secret. we cannot tell you how much is arriving and if enough is arriving but when the ukrainian defence minister was asked about what ukraine needs his answer was and it was quoted yesterday, weapons, weapons, weapons. and ukraine is getting more of the heavy weaponry it is demanding and at the beginning of the war, the world, including nato, overestimated the russian forces and underestimated the ukrainians and did not think they were ferrying in large amounts of ammunition and the war would take so long and ukrainians would be able to resist so strongly that they would have to end up sending more advanced weaponry, heavy weaponry to the front lines because ukraine is continuing to push back the forces and ukraine would love to have no fly scope —— no fly zone and close disguises the mantra recognise they will not get that and they keep saying they need more heavy weaponry

and ammunition because they are burning up the ammunition at an incredible rate, such as the pace of the fighting across the country. thank you. the cancer campaigner deborahjames — also known as bowelbabe — says she�*s �*hugely honoured�* to be awarded a damehood. the 40—year—old — who hosts the bbc�*s �*you, me and the big c�* podcast — has raised more than 4.2 million pounds for charity since monday, when she revealed she�*s recieving end of life care. jon donnison reports. # there were nights of endless pleasure...#. deborahjames — diarist, occasional diva, and now dame. forfive years, with remarkable energy and good humour, she�*s documented her life with cancer. now in herfinal days, she�*s been honoured by the queen. she confirmed the news announced by downing street in a tweet last night, telling the bbc she was shocked and humbled.

it comes just a few days after the 40—year—old mother of two announced she was ending her treatment and was now receiving end—of—life hospice care. i have a really loving family who i adore and couldn�*t... i honestly, like, they�*re just incredible. and all i knew i wanted was to come here and be able to relax, knowing that everything was ok. music: rise up by andra day deborahjames�* inspiring videos, often set to music and posted on social media, have reached millions. the former deputy head teacher was just 35 when she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2016.

but she�*s been determined to share her story to try and help others. on her podcast, you, me and the big c, which she was still presenting until a few months ago, she could be funny but didn�*t hide her emotions. i�*m back on treatment, and every single time i�*m back on treatment i�*m like, "i don�*t want to be here". in a statement on her damehood, the prime minister said... dame deborahjames, has achieved so much in such a short time, says she�*ll now spend her remaining days at her parents�* home in surrey surrounded by her family. jon donnison, bbc news. since the start of the war, hundreds of children fleeing ukraine

have been enrolled in schools across the uk. school leaders have welcomed the arrival of the new pupils — but say extra counselling and language tuition is needed to help support them in england. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has more. my name is margarita. hello. iam ukrai... ..from ukraine. from ukraine. margarita arrived in manchester a month ago with her family. she couldn�*t speak any english. nose. she�*s keen to learn. eyes. ice. lip. like many children, she had to leave behind so much that she loved. ah, beautiful face. it was painful because rita was star in school. she made the sport competitions. she played chess, she danced, she knitting. every time she was very busy with everything.

she wanted to say hello to their friends from lviv. margarita has just been offered a place at a local primary school, and it can�*t come soon enough. war has taken its toll on young lives. she remembers everything. we have problems with sleeping. every night, two, three times, she goes to check us, we are here or no. butterfly. those things which ukrainian children saw... ..i don't believe, um, that it will be without any traumas. this is what childhood should be. nine—year—old alisa is from a city in the south of ukraine, which is close to intense fighting. she�*s just started at st martin�*s church of england primary in norfolk.

alisa speaks very little english, but her new friend poppy is determined to make her feel as welcome as possible. do you understand each other? sometimes. ijust point at her and do a thumbs up. i�*ve written a poem for alyssa. it was about the war. and in the end i said, "we are yourfriends and you are safe here." it's been lovely having alisa here. it's been really good for the class to kind of rally together. we're starting to see smiles and laughter and communicating and joking with her friends. of course, at first we weren't seeing that. we are now, and that is telling us that she is feeling welcome and enjoying her time in school. label it with your ruler and write the word... the department for education says it�*s working closely with local authorities to understand the costs of supporting children from ukraine. many councils are offering additional help with english.

and children who arrive here on the homes for ukraine scheme will receive a grant for a school uniform. but one of the biggest challenges is emotional support. it's only one way for us to feel better, to see that alisa brings some sunshine. the war has torn families apart. alisa and her mum are staying with her aunt. but alisa�*s father has to stay in ukraine to fight. everyone's been so good, but we still don't know how long it will last and what to expect. we don't think about future. we just holding our breath, and taking day by day. for now, margarita attends saturday school at the ukrainian centre in manchester. the war has taken so much, but margarita still has her dreams. she said, "mama, i need to be very good in school, because i want to be doctor."

and i said, "it's not so difficult, if it's your dream." we can talk to sian summers—rees, chief officer, city of sanctuary uk who have co—ordinated the schools of sanctuary programme to train schools to create a welcoming atmosphere for refugees. welcome, and thank you forjoining us. 0bviously welcome, and thank you forjoining us. obviously we were hearing there about some of the issues that these kids are facing and that schools and fellow pupils and anyone else that is encountering these children has to be aware of and able to deal with appropriately. can you talk us through the challenges as you see them? , , through the challenges as you see them? ,, ., _ ,. them? firstly, obviously the schools need to have — them? firstly, obviously the schools need to have systems _ them? firstly, obviously the schools need to have systems in _ them? firstly, obviously the schools need to have systems in place i them? firstly, obviously the schools need to have systems in place to i need to have systems in place to welcome all new children arriving, but of course they need to understand the needs of children

that are but the most important thing to remember is that every child is an individual and most importantly we need to be taking time to listen to the child. every child will experience things differently so we need to ensure that their voices are being heard but as we�*ve heard there are going to be some struggles and challenges that all children will be facing, precarious living situations and the separation from their family members and there will be delays in accessing school and of course the language barriers and as we know, most children fleeing ukraine would have experienced some sort of trauma, for example, leaving everything they are familiar with and that sort of state of shock will be there and there are just so many ways, unfortunately, that children will experience emotional distress. so what sort of support and training do you offer? the

so what sort of support and training do you offer?— so what sort of support and training do ou offer? ,. ., ., , , ., ., do you offer? the schools programme is a growing — do you offer? the schools programme is a growing network _ do you offer? the schools programme is a growing network of _ do you offer? the schools programme is a growing network of over _ do you offer? the schools programme is a growing network of over 300 i do you offer? the schools programme is a growing network of over 300 and | is a growing network of over 300 and 45 primary and secondary schools, all working to make education safe, welcoming and empowering, so the is that it webinars and resources to understand the needs of refugee pupils and counter racism while celebrating and working together to share that best and inclusive practice and i know a number of schools in our network doing a fantasticjob to make sure that children seeking century in the uk are welcome, but what is also important is that creation of a wider culture and the role that schools can play in welcoming people and in terms of being able to reach up and in terms of being able to reach up to the wider community so everyone understands why people are forcibly displaced, this is where

our network comes into its own. it is able to bridge that connection with communities and provide signposting and advice for all of the family, which is going to be so vitally important in the coming weeks and months. find vitally important in the coming weeks and months.— vitally important in the coming weeks and months. �* ., ~ weeks and months. and i am thinking that what you — weeks and months. and i am thinking that what you are _ weeks and months. and i am thinking that what you are talking _ weeks and months. and i am thinking that what you are talking about i that what you are talking about there is going to bring wider benefits, notjust to those children who are coming from difficult circumstances who have particular needs, but actually to the wider community in terms of the empathy that you are describing there, teaching good communication skills and the listening and the paying attention to what is maybe being said or unsaid displays in other ways. said or unsaid displays in other wa s. said or unsaid displays in other wa s. , . ., ., , said or unsaid displays in other was. ,. , ., said or unsaid displays in other was. ,. ., . ways. the schools for sanctuary programme _ ways. the schools for sanctuary programme is _ ways. the schools for sanctuary programme is all _ ways. the schools for sanctuary programme is all about - ways. the schools for sanctuaryj programme is all about offering ways. the schools for sanctuary l programme is all about offering a welcome to all and providing a school safe and inclusive which is

to the benefit of all but also to wider society as well. the queen has arrived at the royal windsor horse show to watch her animals take to the parade ring. one of the highlights of her year, the 96—year—old was driven on to the showground in a range rover. after missing the state opening of parliament, there had been speculation that she would not attend the annual event, but she�*s been photographed appearing relaxed, smiling and laughing. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. if you are hoping for a bit of rain for your gardens, particularly in the south where it�*s been very dry, we might well see it saturday night and into sunday. but before we get there, today, largely dry pretty much across the board, sunny spells, fairly windy conditions out there. we have got a bit of rain across the far north of scotland, particularly for 0rkney and shetland as well, just the odd spot of drizzle elsewhere, but most places looking dry and fine with long spells of sunshine.

quite a breeze coming in from the west and temperatures somewhere between just nine in lerwick to 22 or 23 for london and the south—east. into this evening and overnight, then, still a bit of cloud in the far north—west but clear skies for much of the uk. the breeze easing out too and temperatures falling to around 7—11 degrees to start your saturday morning. through the day tomorrow, a lot of dry, settled weather. more sunshine than today for scotland and northern ireland. less of a breeze around as well so it will feel warm in the sunshine but here are the thundery showers in the south, they will push their way north during saturday night. bye for now. during saturday night. hello, this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts to raise funds to tackle the cost of living crisis.

the deadlock in stormont continues — the democratic unionist party say they�*ll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements. british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles during a failed attempt to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. as the war in ukraine continues, hundreds of children are being welcomed into schools across the uk. a damehood for deborahjames — the cancer campaigner is honoured by the queen. she�*s now raised more than £4 million for charity in just four days. it�*s getting tense in turin as the clock ticks down to eurovision. uk entry sam ryder is amongst the favourites. a lemon and swiss roll amaretti triffle is crowned as the queen�*s platinum jubilee pudding. sport, and for a full round—up,

from the bbc sport centre. good morning. mikel arteta to stop complaining. well, arteta�*s own reaction came after the north london derby went spurs�* way, and decisively so, at the spurs stadium last night. it started badly for arsenal when cedric soares conceded a penalty, converted by harry kane, who added a second later on. the fouls kept on coming, who was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on son hyeung min. with the korean going on to seal the 3—0 win, which takes spurs to just a point behind arsenal with two games to go. i want iwant on i want on the touchline on monday

night. i have two options, i can lie to you or i can be on the touchline against newcastle. well, by the time they play that game arsenal could be behind spurs. the race is as tight as arteta�*s lips were just then, but he said enough for antonio conte to notice. he has to be focused more to his team and not to complain, because he has just started this work and i think he has to become and try to continue to work because he is very good, but for a coach to complain a lot of the time is not good. liverpool have a weekend off from their own premier league concerns as they attempt to win the second of what could still be four

trophies this season. it�*s the fa cup final against chelsea at wembley where alan shearer will be part of the bbc coverage. of the bbc coverage, and he says the reason liverpool are in the hunt for a quadruple at this late stage of the season is their strength in depth 0ver over the yearsjurgen has tended to put out we sides in the fa cup but this season the strength of the squad is the reason we are going really well and have that opportunity of reaching history so i am sure he will switch it run tomorrow with the options he has got, particularly up front so it will be really interesting to see who�*s going to start but every does, let�*s hope that this goes for both teams and for the neutral it is great game, should be a great occasion, a great weekend. sergio aguero�*s been marking his own moment of history this morning with manchester city unveiling

a statue commemorating the goal he scored to win them their first premier league title ten years ago today. it�*s probably the most famous moment in the league�*s history... ..when aguero made it city three qpr two, beating manchester united to the title on goal difference. he was back at the etihad to see the shirt—twirling celebration immortalised... a goal described by the club chairman as the moment that changed everything for a team that could be about to win a fifth premier league since i think for me he has a reason because after that the next year to win many titles because we don�*t know what happens if we lost the premier league that year, so that year it has changed everything because the next year to start to win more titles.

brendon mccullum says it�*s a tremendous honour and humbling to be appointed the new coach of the england test cricket team. the former new zealand captain says he took the job because of the challenge of improving a side that is at "rock bottom". england are winless in nine tests. and his first series, will be against his former team with the black caps here for three tests. mccullum succeeds chris silverwood, who left his position in february following that heavy ashes defeat in australia. that�*s all the sport for now. the number of elderly and disabled people in england waiting for care services is rising rapidly, according to officials who run local authority social care. latest figures suggest more than half a million vulnerable people are facing delayed assessments, reviews or issues with day—to—day care. here�*s our social affairs editor, alison holt. hello! are you all right? this is one of the four care visits a day that ralph and pat rely on. you had a nice morning, ralph?

he has parkinson�*s, and they wouldn�*t cope in their own home near redcar without this support. you rely on your carers to look after him properly, don't you? you know? so ~~ - i mean, it's something i couldn't do. i can't handle him at all. time to look after myself now. just the two tablets this afternoon, ralph, all right? but today�*s research by council bosses says an increasing number of people who are older or disabled are having to wait for care services like this. one reason is a shortage of care staff. right, we�*ll pop your chair up a bit. both sadie and karen love what they do, but understand why, with the cost of living rising, some don�*t want to do a job that, in their case, pays less than £10 an hour. that�*s it. a little bit more, ralph. mostly, it�*s to do with pay. people with families are trying to get on the housing ladder. with the cost of living, they just can�*t afford to be in a job like this, because it doesn�*t pay enough for them to be able to live as well. i think care workers should be paid more for doing, because we don'tjust go in and make cups of teas of what

people think we do. we actually go in and we turn people's lives around. according to the directors who run council care services in england, last september, an estimated 294,000 people were waiting for assessment, reviews or care from local authorities. by the end of february this year, that number had risen to more than 500,000. care leaders say councils need extra money urgently to meet growing demand, and pay those providing care more. we need urgent action to address unmet need. we need more money into social care sooner. we can�*t afford for social care to be an afterthought. and... ..because thatjust creates this vicious cycle, where people deteriorate and need more help, more health and care. and it�*s family carers like tania who feel the strain when it�*s hard to get help. lee is 37. he's quadriplegic and he has

multiple and complex disabilities. lee requires 24 hour care, really. and so that's provided — the majority of it's provided by me and his dad, brian — and then we have paid carers. one of their care workers left injanuary, because she needed to earn more money. tania manages lee�*s care, which is nhs funded, and she�*s had just four applications for thejob. none were suitable. are you going to talk to me, lee? are you? — it makes it really difficult, because i have my own health needs, which makes physically caring for lee difficult because it causes me a lot of pain. my husband is self—employed, because he needs to be accessible and available if i need to call him to come and help with lee. one step. but, at the end of the day, he's our son, so, you know, we'll do what lee needs. tania has little confidence they will find the help

they need any time soon. the government says reforming the care system is a priority, and that it�*s investing billions of pounds in improving the way it works for families and staff. alison holt, bbc news. with me now is kirsty mchugh, ceo of carers trust who represent unpaid and family carers. we were seeing something in that report of the impact of caring for a loved one, how much pressure that puts on people, albeit, as tanya was seeing their it is her son so she wants to do it but nevertheless it is a highly pressured situation for these families. what is your reaction to the shortage of carers and the increase in the number of

people waiting for social care? trlat people waiting for social care? not at all people waiting for social care? tint at all surprised, it is a perfect storm of problems out there. we have about 7 million unpaid cleaners across the uk. by and large —— mike carers. by and large they are looking afterfamily carers. by and large they are looking after family members. local government is being forced to put less money into local care organisations and there are also facing rising costs in terms of fuel and energy and they have staffing problems. so we have a situation where we have increase in need and more people caring for individuals with more complex problems and local care organisations are being squeezed financially, so that is a recipe for disaster. do squeezed financially, so that is a recipe for disaster.— squeezed financially, so that is a recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i— recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i am _ recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i am really— recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i am really sorry - recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i am really sorry to i recipe for disaster. do you have any solutions? i am really sorry to say l solutions? i am really sorry to say it does go — solutions? i am really sorry to say it does go back — solutions? i am really sorry to say it does go back to _ solutions? i am really sorry to say it does go back to money. - solutions? i am really sorry to say it does go back to money. the i it does go back to money. the government has announced a big chunk of money in terms of the health and

social care levy but the chances are a lot of that were go into the nhs and saw the money available locally and saw the money available locally and for local care organisations is being course. the money going to help unpaid carers themselves is also being squeezed. the carer�*s allowance is only £69 and gone up only £2 allowance is only £69 and gone up only e2 in april, one of the lowest benefits we have out there. this is also actually a bit of an england story in that there is more money coming through from the scottish government and welsh government into unpaid carers in terms of supplementary funding. the worst government, for instance, just announced £500 for every registered unpaid care in wales. we don�*t have that in england and so we have particular need across england. itruihat particular need across england. what su ort can

particular need across england. what support can people — particular need across england. what support can people access if they are really under financial pressure in that caring role and also emotional pressure?- in that caring role and also emotional pressure? in that caring role and also emotional ressure? , �* emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and -h sical emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and physical hardship _ emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and physical hardship as _ emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and physical hardship as well. _ emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and physical hardship as well. we - emotional pressure? yes, indeed. and physical hardship as well. we know i physical hardship as well. we know 49% of people, 48% of people, have told us they have given up theirjob because of their caring role and so obviously increasing the financial pressure on them and also meaning that the tax take is not going into the treasury so it is a lose, lose in both situations stop we need to get more support out there. one of the things about respite, short breaks and another about getting more money into local care organisations so the can employ the staff to provide the support and the way that you are coverage has just shown. but a lot of it does go back to money. 0ne shown. but a lot of it does go back to money. one of the key things as people do need to put themselves forward for carer assessment stop we know properly about half of people

with a caring role don�*t actually go and get the support available, so go to your local authority, they have a duty to provide information and they will signpost you for your area. indie will signpost you for your area. we are going to stormont where jeffrey are going to stormont wherejeffrey donaldson is speaking. harming our economy and —— contributing to the cost of living crisis. while others sit on our hands we are not prepared to do that and the message we sent todayis to do that and the message we sent today is the choice is clear. if the european union are serious about protecting the political institutions and the belfast agreement and its successor agreement and its successor agreement is the basis of political progress and stability in northern ireland, the know what they need to do and equally the same messages

there for our own government as well. it has been almost two and a half years since the parties gathered here and reached an agreement, new decade, new approach. but i�*m afraid it is the same old approach, deadening and delay, talking with no action. and the government signed up to that agreement and all of the signatories to that agreement recognised the commitment that was made to restore it northern ireland is placed within the uk internal market. we want to be dealing with that matter to people, whether it is the cost of living crisis harmed by the protocol, prices driven up by the protocol, prices driven up by the protocol, we want to be dealing with those issues, we want to be dealing with the nhs, we have our plan to fix the nhs, to drive down waiting times, we want to be doing with all of those issues. but power—sharing has to operate on the basis of consensus. consensus is the key principle at the heart of the

belfast agreement, and that is not unionist consent for this protocol. not a single unionist mla mla elected to the assembly and taking their seats today supports the protocol. if the situation were reversed the sentiments it is to believe we would have had talks and talks and talks and nothing resulting from those negotiations? therefore we look to the government now as we have had indicated by liz truss this week to take the action necessary to restore the place of northern ireland within the united kingdom and reset the very delicate constitutional balances at the heart of the agreements and to restore power—sharing on the basis of consensus. that�*s where we are coming from. i think it was the leader of the sdlp who on the last occasion we met here during a period when sinn fein for three long years boycotted these institutions said

there is no point in electing a speaker if you can�*t establish an executive stop his words, not mine. and that is where we are today and i echo his words. let�*s get serious, all of us, and resolve these difficulties. let�*s get down to that work and let�*s address the challenges in front of us together. i�*m happy to sit down with the other party, i�*m happy to work with them to examine all of the issues before us, i�*m happy to talk about the programme for government and the budget but fundamentally power—sharing can only be restored on the basis of consensus. that�*s where we need to get to and i hope in the days, weeks and months ahead we will see the decisive action taken that is necessary to restore the political system here and to see these institutions working properly and delivering for everyone in northern ireland.—

and delivering for everyone in northern ireland. what does it do for --eole northern ireland. what does it do for people struggling _ northern ireland. what does it do for people struggling with - northern ireland. what does it do for people struggling with the i northern ireland. what does it do | for people struggling with the cost of living _ for people struggling with the cost of living crisis? you lead the mlas down _ of living crisis? you lead the mlas down the — of living crisis? you lead the mlas down the steps but she did not lead them _ down the steps but she did not lead them into_ down the steps but she did not lead them into the chamber. who will be leading _ them into the chamber. who will be leading the dup?| them into the chamber. who will be leading the dup?— them into the chamber. who will be leading the dup? i remain the leader ofthe leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party. — leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party. we _ leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party, we have _ leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party, we have a _ leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party, we have a chief- leading the dup? i remain the leader of the party, we have a chief whip i of the party, we have a chief whip and we will not be lacking in leadership. we want to see people struggling with the cost of living crisis get the help they need and where the only party is put forward a plan for that. i note recently the finance minister, conor murphy, allocated an additional £4 million to the department of health without executive approval. i asked the question, and let�*s have some honesty from other parties, if we can do that, why can�*t we allocate £330 million the other party say is they are to help people with the cost of living? we are ready to do

it, we are ready to work with the other parties to deliver this. i want people to get the help they need. that is why people remain in place, the minister of health is remaining in place and you can put forward the resources and has an extra four and £49 per term to do that and we want to see this decision is taken in inches of people in northern ireland but fundamentally to have a fully restored and functioning executive we need decisive action on the protocol. so like you say you want to send a message to the eu and the government. what message do you think you�*re sending the electorate when mlas will signing today and will be paid for that is completed the messages we had a party that will keep our word. we made absolutely clear that if we were elected to this assembly we would

not nominate to an executive until there was decisive action taken in there was decisive action taken in the protocol, i�*m going to keep my word unlike others who say one thing at election time and do something else afterwards stop that�*s not the dup. we have given over to the people, will hold to that word until theseissues people, will hold to that word until these issues are properly addressed and resolved. notjust committing not just committing northern ireland — notjust committing northern ireland. , , ., ireland. the ball is firmly at the foot of the _ ireland. the ball is firmly at the foot of the government. - ireland. the ball is firmly at the foot of the government. it i ireland. the ball is firmly at the foot of the government. it is i ireland. the ball is firmly at the | foot of the government. it is for the prime minister know to outline firmly what he intends to do. —— now

to outline what he intends to do. it will not be words, it will be actions. decisive action is what we are looking for and i�*m looking out of the government to see what the intent to do. at the end of the day it�*s notjust what intent to do. at the end of the day it�*s not just what the intent to do. at the end of the day it�*s notjust what the dup once, it�*s notjust what the dup once, it�*s what northern ireland needs and thatis it�*s what northern ireland needs and that is political stability and it is the restoration of power—sharing on the basis of consensus, it is addressing the harm being done to our economy by the protocol and it is removing the irish sea border. i outlined in our manifesto our five point plan and we�*re sticking to all the elements that and fundamental to thatis the elements that and fundamental to that is dealing with the protocol. total orjust parts? indie that is dealing with the protocol. total orjust parts?— that is dealing with the protocol. total orjust parts? total or 'ust parts? we have set our seven total orjust parts? we have set our seven tests — total orjust parts? we have set our seven tests last _ total orjust parts? we have set our seven tests last summer _ total orjust parts? we have set our seven tests last summer and i total orjust parts? we have set our

seven tests last summer and those | seven tests last summer and those seven tests last summer and those seven tests last summer and those seven tests on the basis on which we willjudge what the government does in relation to the protocol and that must mean removing the barriers to trade between northern ireland and great britain, that means the irish sea border my school. we must be able to trade freely with an unknown country because that is on only way to restore article six of the act of union and to reset the constitutional balance of northern ireland in the way that it should and ought to be respected. thank you. and ought to be respected. thank ou. �* ., ., you. are we going to get government back in 2022 _ you. are we going to get government back in 2022 west _ you. are we going to get government back in 2022 west mark _ you. are we going to get government back in 2022 west mark jeffrey i back in 2022 west mark jeffrey donaldson. _ back in 2022 west mark jeffrey donaldson, the _ back in 2022 west mark jeffrey donaldson, the dup _ back in 2022 west mark jeffrey donaldson, the dup leader- back in 2022 west mark jeffrey i donaldson, the dup leader saying is expected that dup will not agree to the assumption of power—sharing and northern ireland because of the northern ireland because of the northern ireland because of the northern ireland protocol and what that will mean is that the process today would be about electing a speaker but the dup will not be supporting the appointment of a new

speaker so it means basically rather than resuming power—sharing will continue to remain on hold. a lemon trifle described as "sunshine in a bowl" has won a national competition to find a pudding to mark the queen�*s platinum jubilee. more than 5,000 amateur cooks took part — and jemma melvin from southport won it with her lemon swiss roll and amaretti trifle. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph has been to meet the champion baker. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. high pressure dominating our weather at the moment, sitting to the south of the uk. not dry everywhere. a bit of rain around across the north of scotland through the remainder of the day, but for most of us, skies a bit like this. this is the picture in northamptonshire. blue sky, some fairweather cloud around, best of the sunshine towards the south. slightly cloudier conditions further north. but wherever you are, it is going to feel quite breezy, if not windy, through the course of the day.

that�*s because we have got that high pressure to the south. we�*ve also got low pressure and weather fronts to the north. and in between, a bit of a squeeze in the isobars, so the winds driving in from the west or a south—westerly direction. still the odd spot of rain for north—west scotland, particularly up towards 0rkney and shetland, in fact, as well. cloudier skies for scotland, parts of northern england and northern ireland at times, but some sunny spells breaking through. long spells of sunshine further south across england and wales. temperatures up to 22 celsius in the warmest spots. a bit cooler under the cloud in the north, but a noticeable breeze wherever you are. through this evening and tonight, the winds fall light. skies are going to be clear. we�*ll see a few mist and murky patches developing, particularly in the west, to start your saturday morning, but around seven to 11 celsius first thing in the morning. lots of sunshine from the word go on saturday, then. but if we run through the weekend, you will notice we are going to be seeing a bit of a thundery breakdown in the weather as low pressure and showers from the south to north. particularly saturday night and on into sunday. actually, much of saturday dry, fine, long spells of sunshine. a brighter, less breezy day for northern ireland and scotland compared to today, and again in the sunshine, it can feel quite warm,

up to about 22 or 23 celsius down towards the south east. the high teens further north, but you will notice the heavy downpours moving across the channel islands later in the afternoon. there could be quite a lot of hail, thunder and lightning mixed in with some of these heavy showers through saturday night, working their way northwards across parts of england and wales. but a bit of uncertainty about how far north these showers are going to get. it does look like, through sunday, they will start to push their way further north. they are going to be hit and miss, so not everywhere seeing the heavy showers and thunderstorms. some sunny spells in between, as well, but if you are hoping for a bit of rain for your gardens, you may well see it in the second half of the weekend. a little bit cooler in the east during the course of sunday. still unsettled into monday with further outbreaks of rain, but it is looking quite warm and humid in the south on tuesday. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines. the deadlock in stormont continues as the democratic unionist party say they�*ll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements. sirjeffery donaldson says the irish sea border must go. let�*s get serious, all of us, and resolve these difficulties. let�*s get down to that work and let�*s address the challenges in front of us together. borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts to raise funds to tackle the cost of living crisis. during the issue with cost of living and inflation you need to have control of budgets, and you need to

ensure that things are run as efficiently and effectively as possible. it's an easy hit and to say we face difficult times and let's just cut the civil service to an arbitrary number. british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles during a failed attempt to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. as hundreds of children flee the war in ukraine, we�*ll look at how they�*ve been settling in at schools across the uk. a damehood for deborahjames. the cancer campaigner is honoured by the queen. she�*s now raised more than £4 million for charity in just four days. music. it�*s getting tense in turin as the clock ticks down to eurovision. uk entry — sam ryder — is amongst the favourites. and getting yourjust desserts. a lemon and swiss roll amaretti trifle is crowned as the queen�*s platinum jubilee pudding.

let�*s go live to storm on sunday assembly are sitting and it�*s part of the process and it won�*t be resuming power sharing but this is the process as it happens. thea;r resuming power sharing but this is the process as it happens. they will be entitled to _ the process as it happens. they will be entitled to the _ the process as it happens. they will be entitled to the privileges - the process as it happens. they will be entitled to the privileges of i be entitled to the privileges of office and we cannot take any time during this process and i will now explain the procedures for giving the undertaking and signing the role of membership. i invite members to come forward in their party groups and i will call the parties enough baticle order and all the independent members. when the party name is called, members of the party should proceed up through the lobby on the right and when advised to do

so, come forward to the first able to give the undertaking and according to the standing order free, members must give the undertaking for the assembly rules of membership and members will give the undertaking by printing their name, entering the date and signing the paper provided on which the undertaking has been printed. the giving of the undertaking shall be supervised by the assembly. any member who does not give the undertaking may do so at a later date by appointment through the speakers office. the member may not say in the assembly�*s rule of membership unless he or she has given the undertaking in accordance with this procedure. the decision as to whether the member has probably given the undertaking shall be final and the signed undertaking will be kept as the official record of members having given the undertaking. members should then move to the second table and sign one of the ruling pages and members should enter today�*s date and print and sign their name but they must

also enter a designation of identity as nationalist, unionist or other members should note the standing order number three, brackets 12, providing a member that does not enter a designation of identity in those terms will be deemed to be designated as other. standing orders make provision for members who are unable to in exceptional circumstances to submit a notice of political designation to the speaker and i can advise i have received no such notices. the process of giving the undertaking and signing the rule might take some time, hopefully not too long, and i asked members for their patience during this procedure. before we proceed, members might find it helpful if the undertaking is read into the record and i now ask the clerk to read the undertaking. the undertaking is as follows. to undertaking. the undertaking is as follows. ., ., ,, undertaking. the undertaking is as follows. ., .«r ., , follows. to undertake to support the rule of law. — follows. to undertake to support the rule of law, unequivocally _ follows. to undertake to support the rule of law, unequivocally in - follows. to undertake to support the rule of law, unequivocally in word i rule of law, unequivocally in word and deed, — rule of law, unequivocally in word and deed, and to support all efforts to uphold _

and deed, and to support all efforts to uphold it. to work collectively with the — to uphold it. to work collectively with the other members of the assembly to achieve a society free of paramilitaries, to challenge all paramilitary activity and associated criminality, to call for an to work together— criminality, to call for an to work together with the other members of the assembly to achieve the disbandment of all paramilitary organisations on their structures, to challenge parliamentary attempts to challenge parliamentary attempts to control _ to challenge parliamentary attempts to control communities, to support those _ to control communities, to support those who— to control communities, to support those who are determined to make the transition _ those who are determined to make the transition away from paramilitary activity _ transition away from paramilitary activity and to accept no authority, direction _ activity and to accept no authority, direction or— activity and to accept no authority, direction or control on political activities — direction or control on political activities other than my democratic mandate _ activities other than my democratic mandate alongside my own personal and party— mandate alongside my own personal and partyjudgment.| mandate alongside my own personal and partyjudgment— and party 'udgment. i thank the clerk and and partyjudgment. i thank the clerk and we — and partyjudgment. i thank the clerk and we shall— and partyjudgment. i thank the clerk and we shall now - and partyjudgment. i thank the| clerk and we shall now proceed. and partyjudgment. i thank the i clerk and we shall now proceed. i invite members of the alliance party to come forward to give the undertaking and sign the role of membership.

to explain what is happening, it is the start of what would normally, a power sharing resuming, be the start of the process to get the mlas working together and we just heard there the undertaking that they are all going to be signing, which is supporting the rule of law and also working collectively with other members to comment on the assembly, but as we know it's not going to be leading to the resumption of power—sharing because prior to this we were hearing confirmation from jeffrey donaldson, the leader of the dup saying that there has to be consensus at stormont and in the absence of consensus on the northern ireland protocol, they will not be supporting the resumption of power—sharing solos 90 newly elected

mlas are all signing in, 18 of them for the first time and they have not been mlas previously and they will go through this process, but then it effectively goes on hold, so this is the procedural matters at stormont happening right now. i mention jeffrey donaldson and we can hear what he said. figs jeffrey donaldson and we can hear what he said-— what he said. as i have said this mornin: what he said. as i have said this morning we _ what he said. as i have said this morning we have _ what he said. as i have said this morning we have taken - what he said. as i have said this morning we have taken the - what he said. as i have said this - morning we have taken the decision, not at this stage, to support the election of a speaker and i believe we need to send a very clear message to the european union and to our government that we are serious about getting this protocol sorted out and because of the harm it is doing and undermining political stability, damaging the agreements that have formed the basis of the political progress made in northern ireland,

harming our economy and contributing to the cost of living crisis. this matter needs to be dealt with and whilst others sit on their hands, we are not prepared to do that. we need decisive action taken by the government so the message we are sending today is that the choice is clear. if the european union is serious about protecting the political institutions and the belfast agreement and the success agreements, the basis of political progress and stability in northern ireland, then they know what they need to do and equally the same message is therefore our own government as well. a union has criticised plans to cut 91 thousand civil service jobs in order to reduce the cost of government. the fda said its members had been busier than ever since brexit and the plans were ill thought out. 0ur political correspondent, david wallace lockhart updated us on the reaction to this announcement one of the ideas being pitched is

cutting one in five civil servants which would be 91,000 civil servants and they think it could save £4 billion a year that could be redeployed to help with the cost of living and we heard this morning from the minister for government efficiencies, jacob rees—mogg and he's been talking about the fact that many civil servants were hired in recent years to deal with brexit and the fallout of that and to deal with the covid pandemic and he think given that these events have largely passed in his opinion we are able to cut back on those numbers and he believes that simply not replacing people who go on to retire and move on and having a hiring freeze going forward could essentially do a lot of that through natural churn and he believes this could then help people by getting more money into their pockets when the money is saved from the civil servants salaries and here is whatjacob rees—mogg had to say when he spoke to the bbc this morning. it's trying to get back to the level we were — it's trying to get back to the level we were out at 2016, and that is

obviously— we were out at 2016, and that is obviously before brexit and covid which _ obviously before brexit and covid which led — obviously before brexit and covid which led to some increase in the civil service _ which led to some increase in the civil service. why now? well, you should _ civil service. why now? well, you should always spend taxpayers money efficiently _ should always spend taxpayers money efficiently as possible. governance have no_ efficiently as possible. governance have no money of their own and it's only money— have no money of their own and it's only money taken from hard—working taxpayers _ only money taken from hard—working taxpayers who provide the funds that the state _ taxpayers who provide the funds that the state expands. during the cost of living _ the state expands. during the cost of living with inflation you need to have control of budgets and you need to ensure _ have control of budgets and you need to ensure that things are run as efficiently — to ensure that things are run as efficiently and effectively as possible so it fits in with the overaii— possible so it fits in with the overall economic settlement. jacob rees-m099 — overall economic settlement. jacob rees-m099 is _ overall economic settlement. jacob rees-mogg is correct _ overall economic settlement. jacob rees-mogg is correct to _ overall economic settlement. jacob rees-mogg is correct to say - overall economic settlement. jacrra�*. rees—mogg is correct to say there are problems with cost of living but this is more of a medium term at best plan and not really a policy thatis best plan and not really a policy that is going to put money into the pockets soon people struggling to heat their homes or buy food at the moment, and when we look at civil servants. about 70% are actually hired byjust five government hired by just five government departments hired byjust five government departments and that includes the

dwp, a very important department when there is a cost of living crisis going on and that includes all of the staff dealing with benefits and job centres and there also the mod dealing with the crisis in ukraine at the moment and in large parts and aspects of the home office would include the department dealing with passports where there are massive backlogs at the moment and many eyebrows raised about cutting the number of staff working and of these departments and jacob rees—mogg went on to explain that he believes through working more efficiently and using more automation that actually the service does not need to be cut back, the same service can be given by the civil service but a hostile reaction from unions. the pcs, one of the unions representing civil service are threatening strike action and they've said that members will not be scapegoats for what they call a failing government and the fda and another civil servants union has also been a bit suspicious about how

exactly this plan would work in practice and we can hear from dave penman, their general secretary. the difficulty for people to assess is the lack— difficulty for people to assess is the lack of detail and difficulty around — the lack of detail and difficulty around what was announced in the daily mail— around what was announced in the daily mail about civil service job cuts, _ daily mail about civil service job cuts, so — daily mail about civil service job cuts, so are _ daily mail about civil service job cuts, so are they serious about 90.000 — cuts, so are they serious about 90,000 job cuts over what may be two or three _ 90,000 job cuts over what may be two or three years and are they serious about— or three years and are they serious about what— or three years and are they serious about what the consequences of that would _ about what the consequences of that would mean and are they really saying — would mean and are they really saying they will not replace people who are _ saying they will not replace people who are in — saying they will not replace people who are in the border force or mod so the _ who are in the border force or mod so the problem is is the lack of detail— so the problem is is the lack of detail and _ so the problem is is the lack of detail and the spin around this overnight— detail and the spin around this overnight suggests that just now, detail and the spin around this overnight suggests thatjust now, as a headline — overnight suggests thatjust now, as a headline, it's part of this and an easy— a headline, it's part of this and an easy hit. — a headline, it's part of this and an easy hit, saying the country faces difficult _ easy hit, saying the country faces difficult times, so let's cut the civil service to an arbitrary number, _ civil service to an arbitrary number, but we are in no doubt that the government to some degree are serious _ the government to some degree are serious about cutting back on what we need _ serious about cutting back on what we need to— serious about cutting back on what we need to find out on what we need is dialogue _ we need to find out on what we need is dialogue to understand what they mean _

is dialogue to understand what they mean it— is dialogue to understand what they mean. ., , �* ~ mean. it doesn't sound like the government — mean. it doesn't sound like the government has _ mean. it doesn't sound like the government has managed - mean. it doesn't sound like the government has managed to i mean. it doesn't sound like the l government has managed to sell mean. it doesn't sound like the - government has managed to sell this idea to the unions and it doesn't appear that the conservative government have sold it to their backbenchers either. senior conservative backbencher tobias ellwood has called it a dead cat strategy and a dead cat means that when things are not going well for the government, they announce a big policy in order to try to distract attention from the day to day and he thinks the government has a dead cat committee and they are searching for a drumbeat of sensationalist headlines. i'm sure number ten will deny it and say it is a policy that they want to pursue and think will ultimately help the taxpayer and help ease the cost of living crisis ongoing at the moment but it certainly does feel like there needs to be more meat on the bones of all of this before we can properly assess how it would work. . if of this before we can properly assess how it would work. . if you are watching _ assess how it would work. . if you are watching on _ assess how it would work. . if you are watching on bbc _ assess how it would work. . if you are watching on bbc two, - assess how it would work. . if you are watching on bbc two, it's - assess how it would work. . if you l are watching on bbc two, it's time to say goodbye and thank you for your company.

british military intelligence suggests moscow's advance in the east of ukraine is faltering. little progress is being made in the donbas region and ukrainian troops have reportedly fought off an attempted river crossing by russian troops. it's thought the russian battalion lost almost all its armoured vehicles when ukrainian forces shelled pontoon bridges across the siversky donets. images from the scene show burnt—out tanks. it's not clear how many soldiers were killed. they are making progress elsewhere it seems — with reports they have taken the nearby town of rubizhne. that would mean the strategically important city of severdonesk is surrounded on three sides. meanwhile british foreign secretary has said sanctions against russia should not be lifted until all its troops have left ukraine. speaking at a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in germany, liz truss also urged allies to go "further and faster" in supporting ukraine's resistance. it's very important at this time

that we keep up the pressure on vladimir putin by supplying more weapons to ukraine, by increasing the sanctions. g7 unity has been vital during this crisis, to protect freedom and democracy, and we'll continue to work together to do just that. earlier i spoke to our chief international correspondent lyse doucet who's in dnipro and she gave me the latest situaiton on the ground in ukraine. well, i think ukraine would say exactly the same as liz truss said, that russian forces should leave as soon as possible, but it has to be said that that is not going to happen soon and the big question is, when they leave, as they will, someday, at least some of the fighting forces, what territories will they continue to hold under their control? for all of the reports of russian losses, and there have been many enormous losses, both material as well as men

and women, although it's mostly men, they are making advances and are advancing in eastern ukraine in those two provinces of luhansk and donetsk which from the beginnings has been one of the most strategic priorities for president putin and they are also making advances in other parts of the country, but of course the battlefield progress is not in one direction. we have seen around the second largest city of kharkiv counterattacks by ukrainian forces where have pushed the russians through several villages north—east of their and they have pushed russian artillery out of range of the city of kharkiv which means a city that has been pounded almost from the first days of this invasion can rest a little but even in dnipro, the air raid sirens sound every day and ukrainian defences hold back the missiles and sometimes

they get through. but russia is still attacking and no sign they will leave this country and end the aggression and the invasion any time soon. there's been a lot of promises of military support for ukraine and a lot of it will have got through but we have heard over the weeks about the logistical difficulties of supplies arriving. what is the situation and how much is getting through? well, you ask anyone that question and they say it is a secret. we cannot tell you how much is arriving and if enough is arriving but when the ukrainian defence minister was asked about what ukraine needs, his answer was and it was quoted yesterday, weapons, weapons, weapons. ukraine is getting more of the heavy weaponry it is demanding and at the beginning of the war, the world, including nato, overestimated the russian forces and underestimated the ukrainians and did not think

they were ferrying in large amounts of ammunition that the war would take so long and ukrainians would be able to resist so strongly that they would have to end up sending more advanced weaponry, heavy weaponry to the front lines because ukraine is continuing to push back the forces and ukraine would love to have a no—fly zone and close the skies is the mantra and recognise they will not get that and they keep saying they need more heavy weaponry and ammunition because they are burning up the ammunition at an incredible rate, such is the pace of the fighting across the country. the deadlock in stormont continues — the democratic unionist party say they'll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements unless the uk govt make changes to the northern irealand protocol. borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts — to raise funds to tackle

the cost of living crisis. british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles during a failed attempt to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. i will be speaking to i will be speaking to the i will be speaking to the lawyer i will be speaking to the lawyer for i will be speaking to the lawyer for an indian couple who are threatening to take their son to court for half £1 million in compensation unless he and his wife have a baby in a year. stay with us for that. sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh. good afternoon . amir khan has announced his retirement from boxing after a career that began with an olympic silver medal at the age of 17 and ended with defeat to kell brook in february. in between, khan became a unified world champion

at light welterweight and he hangs up his gloves with a professional record of 3a wins from a0 fights, having been one of the more entertaining boxers of his era. the 35—year—old sez he feels blessed to have had such an amazing career liverpool have a weekend off from their own premier league concerns. as they attempt to win the second of what could still be four trophies this season. it's the fa cup final against chelsea at wembley, where alan shearer will be part of the bbc coverage. and he says the reason liverpool are in the hunt for a quadruple at this late stage of the season is their strength in depth over the yearsjurgen has tended to put out weaker sides in the fa cup but this season with the size of their squad and the number of players they haveis squad and the number of players they have is the reason they are going so well and they still have the opportunity of creating history. i opportunity of creating history. 1 am sure he will switch it opportunity of creating history. i am sure he will switch it around tomorrow with the options he has got, particularly up front, so it will be interesting to see who he

will be interesting to see who he will start but whoever he does, let's hope that they there as goals from both teams and for the neutrals it's a great game, great occasion and a great weekend. sergio aguero's been marking his own moment of history this morning with manchester city unveiling a statue commemorating the goal he scored to win them their first premier league title 10 years ago today. it's probably the most famous moment in the league's history when aguero made it city 3 qpr 2 beating manchester united to the title on goal difference. he was back at the etihad to see the shirt—twirling celebration immortalised a goal described by the club chairman as the moment that changed everything for a team that could be about to win a fifth premier league since. i think for me we have a reason because after that the next year to win many titles because we don't know what happens if we lost the premier league that year, so that year it has changed everything because the next year

to start to win more titles. that's all the sport for now. elon musk has said that his 44 billion dollar deal for twitter is temporarily on hold. in a tweet, mr musk said he was still waiting for details on calculations that fake accounts on the platform were less than five per cent. it is unclear why this detail would compromise the deal, and the tesla boss has not tweeted anything further on the issue. let's talk to our business correspondent theo leggett so, what is going on? i so, what is going on? i have to say i'm in the dark _ so, what is going on? i have to say i'm in the dark as _ so, what is going on? i have to say i'm in the dark as much _ so, what is going on? i have to say i'm in the dark as much as - so, what is going on? i have to say i'm in the dark as much as you. - i'm in the dark as much as you. there is a delicious irony that elon musk is suspending his deal to take over twitter and announcing it on twitter. that is the way elon musk works. there's a lot of speculation in the financial community and has been before this statement from elon musk that he might try to pull out

of the deal or renegotiate it, and that's partly because the amount of money he has promised to pay, a package worth $41; billion is considerably more than the basis of the share price that the company is worth so it may be that he sees the amount of borrowing he will take on by this company and he won't be coming under pressure from his co—investors to see if the price can be reduced and this might be one way of doing it an alternative argument is that if there are more more bot and spam accounts than twitter has been saying, there might be a problem with the figures and you might upset his plans for the business and he may see that as being a deal breaker, so what he's saying at the moment is he wants confirmation that bot and spam accounts that he promised to deal with make up less than 5% of all twitter accounts but we really don't know. one thing we can say is that people within the financial community are speculating very strongly that this deal will either be renegotiated or will fall apart

and there are precedents for that. deals do fall apart but generally speaking announcements are made on twitter. ., ~ , ., ., ~ , twitter. thank you, and we will keep watchinu. twitter. thank you, and we will keep watching. there _ twitter. thank you, and we will keep watching. there have _ twitter. thank you, and we will keep watching. there have been _ twitter. thank you, and we will keep watching. there have been clashes l twitter. thank you, and we will keep | watching. there have been clashes as the journalist's copy was carried in jerusalem. she was shot while covering a raid in the occupied west bank on wednesday. witnesses have accused them of killing her and there have been growing calls for an independent investigation. israeli media have this morning reported that the interim findings of an israeli military probe into her death were inconclusive. tensions have remained high injerusalem since her death. the queen has arrived at the royal windsor horse show to watch her animals take to the parade ring. one of the highlights of her year, the 96—year—old was driven on to the showground in a range rover. after missing the state opening of parliament, there had been

speculation that she would not attend the annual event, but she's been photographed appearing relaxed, smiling and laughing. the cancer campaigner deborahjames — also known as bowelbabe — says she's 'hugely honoured' to be awarded a damehood. the ao—year—old — who hosts the bbc�*s 'you, me and the big c�* podcast — has raised more than 11.2 million pounds for charity since monday, when she revealed she's recieving end of life care. jon donnison reports. # there were nights of endless pleasure...#. deborahjames — diarist, occasional diva, and now dame. forfive years, with remarkable energy and good humour, she's documented her life with cancer. now in herfinal days, she's been honoured by the queen. she confirmed the news announced by downing street in a tweet last night, telling the bbc she was shocked and humbled. it comes just a few days after the ao—year—old mother of two announced she was ending her treatment and was now receiving end—of—life hospice care.

i have a really loving family who i adore and couldn't... i honestly, like, they're just incredible. and all i knew i wanted was to come here and be able to relax, i honestly, like, they're just incredible. and all i knew i wanted was to come here and be able to relax, knowing that everything was ok. music: rise up by andra day deborahjames' inspiring videos, often set to music and posted on social media, have reached millions. the former deputy head teacher was just 35 when she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2016. but she's been determined to share her story to try and help others.

on her podcast, you, me and the big c, which she was still presenting until a few months ago, she could be funny but didn't hide her emotions. i'm back on treatment, and every single time i'm back on treatment i'm like, "i don't want to be here". in a statement on her damehood, the prime minister said... dame deborahjames, has achieved so much in such a short time, says she'll now spend her remaining days at her parents' home in surrey surrounded by her family. jon donnison, bbc news. joining me now is lucie kon, a bbc producer and friend of deborah. thank you forjoining us. and just an unbelievably difficult time, but evenin an unbelievably difficult time, but even in this time just watching the

report and how she has handled herself she is just an amazing woman, isn't she? she herself she isjust an amazing woman, isn't she?— herself she isjust an amazing woman, isn't she? ,, , , , woman, isn't she? she is completely uniuue and woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so _ woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so special _ woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so special and _ woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so special and i _ woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so special and i am - woman, isn't she? she is completely unique and so special and i am so . unique and so special and i am so proud to be able to call her a friend. last week when i found out what was happening, we ago today, i was completely knocked sideways and i don't think i'm alone in that. i think everybody knew it was coming or suspected what was coming but having that on a message from deborah on friday morning, i didn't know what to do and i wished i could do something and deborah, like deborah does, she has given something to do. it's completely insane comments like she thought about the rest of us more than herself again but is suddenly we

have this focus and this hope and every time somebody, and you know, i've probably not been working as hard as i should or my bosses want me to, but constantly refreshing her page and seeing how it is going up and every somebody does something it goes up more. it's amazing. she's just incredible and i'm so proud to know her. and what a woman and she deserves the dame hood so much. i'm so excited for her. this deserves the dame hood so much. i'm so excited for her.— so excited for her. as you say, she has riven so excited for her. as you say, she has given everybody _ so excited for her. as you say, she has given everybody this _ so excited for her. as you say, she has given everybody this task - so excited for her. as you say, she has given everybody this task and l has given everybody this task and everybody has risen to the challenge and to get the dame hood, that was obviously a huge moment for them. tell us a bit more about how you came to be herfriend, because i know you have been on your own journey and through that you found this community of people who have lived with great difficulty and have also lost through it.—

also lost through it. yes, so i had m own also lost through it. yes, so i had my own experience _ also lost through it. yes, so i had my own experience with - also lost through it. yes, so i had my own experience with cancer i also lost through it. yes, so i had i my own experience with cancerjust over two years ago, just before the last lockdown and i was diagnosed with a very early stage breast cancer thanks to having a screening and i was very lucky in that i got surgery a couple of days later and had radiotherapy and just take a pill now to keep it at bay, which is, and i was really lucky and became very aware very early on in lockdown that things were going so well for lots of other people with cancer. i went on instagram and social media because i did not know anyone who had cancer and ifound deborah and lots of other people in this amazing cancer community on instagram, so i was looking up you, me and the big c and i wanted to do something about what felt like the looming cancer crisis, so i approached deborah and i thought you might think i was a crazy stalker

and i said, what do you think? she messaged straight back and said to call her and i spoke to and she said the one thing, i will do it, but i don't want to be a victim and i was like, i don't want you to be a victim either. and she is not a victim. she is the most amazing human being and she has lived with cancer and not been a victim of cancer, so anyway, we made a film for panorama and it was one of the most challenging projects i've ever worked on but it was also one of the most enjoyable because we love so much and everybody involved in that project had a relationship with cancer in a way that most of us do because one in two of us will have cancer at some point in our lives, and ijust learned so much from deborah and, yeah, we were together through my treatment and she was having similar treatment at the time because she was having later treatment at that point and we have stayed in touch, and, yeah, she still makes me laugh. last night and

we have a whatsapp group and on the group we were sharing silly photos and deborah was laughing on them and just sending images of laughter and it was really nice to see at four in the morning talking to is when she is at her most prolific on instagram, messenger, whatsapp and i've had conversations with her across three or four platforms at once where it's hard to keep up with the conversation but she knows what is going on and anyway i've just beenin is going on and anyway i've just been in all of her uninspired and i will do whatever it takes to help keep what she started going. i don't think she would need my help. everybody loves deborah and i'm so pleased and i'm just so pleased about what she has done this week i'm so in or of herfor being able to do it. i don't think i would be able to do what she has done. it is able to do what she has done. it is impossible — able to do what she has done. it is impossible to _ able to do what she has done. it is impossible to know touched through

what she is done through speaking so openly about what she has been living with. openly about what she has been living with-— openly about what she has been livin: with. ,, �* ~ ., ., living with. she didn't know what was auoin living with. she didn't know what was going to _ living with. she didn't know what was going to happen _ living with. she didn't know what was going to happen when - living with. she didn't know what was going to happen when she . living with. she didn't know what - was going to happen when she started to have a blog. she started her blog shortly after she got diagnosed and had no idea what it was going to turn into but know there are lots of other people living with cancer on social media no who are doing similar things to deborah and providing similar inspiration and she has given everyone with cancer hope and everybody who knows, i'm pretty sure everyone of us will know and love somebody who got cancer, deborah has given hope to all of them and will continue to give hope to everyone for a long time and i hope it is 10 million in a couple of days and then 20 million and that we will all be talking about deborah for a very long time and i keep sending her mum messages on

instagram. iam not sending her mum messages on instagram. i am not expecting a reply. i am just so in all in that of how extraordinary deborah and her whole family are, getting through what must be the most painful experience. deborah has provided hope to so many people and so extraordinary and she will always continue to do that. is extraordinary and she will always continue to do that.— continue to do that. is we get to some news _ continue to do that. is we get to some news about _ continue to do that. is we get to some news about a _ continue to do that. is we get to some news about a visit - continue to do that. is we get to | some news about a visit downing street and her

local mp nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe of, said i know her six—year—old daughter is thrilled to be meeting the prime minister and after such a long time i know she will be interested to find out why took so long and will be raising issues by the people still held and will be the people still held and will be the prime minister to secure the release and to ensure that others do not have to go through the six years of torment that nazanin was put through and will get to the bottom of the failure of the government in tackling cases such as nazanin. nazanin and her local mp the prime minister. —— meeting the prime

minister. the number of elderly and disabled people in england waiting for care services is rising rapidly, according to officials who run local authority social care. latest figures suggest more than half a million vulnerable people are facing delayed assessments, reviews or issues with day—to—day care. here's our social affairs editor, alison holt. hello! are you all right? this is one of the four care visits a day that ralph and pat rely on. you had a nice morning, ralph? he has parkinson's, and they wouldn't cope in their own home near redcar without this support. you rely on your carers to look after him properly, don't you? you know? so ~~ - i mean, it's something i couldn't do. i can't handle him at all. time to look after myself now. just the two tablets this afternoon, ralph, all right? but today's research by council bosses says an increasing number of people who are older or disabled are having to wait for care services like this. one reason is a shortage of care staff. right, we'll pop your chair up a bit. both sadie and karen love what they do, but understand why, with the cost of living rising, some don't want to do a job

that, in their case, pays less than £10 an hour. that's it. a little bit more, ralph. mostly, it's to do with pay. people with families are trying to get on the housing ladder. with the cost of living, they just can't afford to be in a job like this, because it doesn't pay enough for them to be able to live as well. i think care workers should be paid more for doing, because we don'tjust go in and make cups of teas of what people think we do. we actually go in and we turn people's lives around. according to the directors who run council care services in england, last september, an estimated 294,000 people were waiting for assessment, reviews or care from local authorities. by the end of february this year, that number had risen to more than 500,000. care leaders say councils need extra money urgently to meet growing demand, and pay those providing care more. we need urgent action to address unmet need. we need more money into social care sooner. we can't afford for social care to be an afterthought. and...

..because thatjust creates this vicious cycle, where people deteriorate and need more help, more health and care. and it's family carers like tania who feel the strain when it's hard to get help. lee is 37. he's quadriplegic and he has multiple and complex disabilities. lee requires 24 hour care, really. and so that's provided — the majority of it's provided by me and his dad, brian — and then we have paid carers. this one of their care workers left injanuary because she needed to earn more money. tania manages lee's care, which is nhs funded, and she's had just four applications for thejob. none were suitable. are you going to talk to me, lee? are you? — it makes it really difficult, because i have my own health needs, which makes physically caring for lee difficult because it causes me a lot of pain.

my husband is self—employed, because he needs to be accessible and available if i need to call him to come and help with lee. one step. but, at the end of the day, he's our son, so, you know, we'll do what lee needs. tania has little confidence they will find the help they need any time soon. the government says reforming the care system is a priority, and that it's investing billions of pounds in improving the way it works for families and staff. alison holt, bbc news. while the rising cost of energy is a worry for most households at the moment, the government has admitted that bills may need to rise even more to fund its push to build new nuclear power plants. however, in an exclusive interview with bbc news, business secretary kwasi kwarteng said this £120 million investment would eventually provide cheaper electricity. our political correspondent

lone wells reports. anglesey island, a popular spot for a swim, a dog walk, and maybe the uk's next nuclear power station. its last one has been retired, but ministers want a new one. what do people here think? it needs to happen and i think it will bring a lot of good to the area and of course help with everybody�*s bills, hopefully, in the long term. i'm not happy at all, because i have been asking one question all along. for 50 years, i have been asking, what is going to happen to the nuclear waste? it's a tricky one. the pros are it will bring work to the island. - and also, it will eventually bring more energy. - they need to think of- the cost and the timescale. companies have previously pulled out of building new nuclear power stations here, concerned about the cost and risk.

the government thinks a new model will help that by putting levies on people's energy bills to help fund their construction. it might have a small effect. we are talking maybe £30 on a bill over a year. so you would be expecting similar for nuclear? let's see what schemes come up. there is no doubt in the medium term that will reduce, it will give us cheaper power. now, i can't tell you on what precise date the bills will be known. there are otherfactors determining the price. you are confident the political gamble is worth it in terms of further cost to consumers? absolutely. people here really want to see new investment, jobs, opportunity for the kids and their community. as well as large nuclear stations, the government is supporting modular reactors, which it claims are simpler to build. rolls—royce want to build one here and argue short—term bill rises

would protect consumers long—term. at the end of the day these projects to deliver that net zero, clean energy have to be paid for. in the long run it will protect consumers from the volatility we can see today with the gas price volatility. the government wants our energy in the future to be secure, faster and cheaper. renewables are part of its strategy, offering cheaper energy bills for people who live near onshore wind farms. that is just one part of the plan. ministers want to place the big bet on nuclear power, arguing it is necessary for when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. the challenge is these plans are long—term and expensive, at a time when people's short—term budgets are the front of everyone's minds. the government say nuclear is part of the solution to energy prices, not the problem. but it admits this won't be an instant fix.

lone wells, bbc news, anglesey. a day after admitting that it's dealing with a covid outbreak, north korea has acknowledged the first casualties. the official news agency said at least six people had died after showing signs of what it called a "fever of unknown origin" — it said more than 180,00 people were being isolated and treated. north korea has so far refused to accept any vaccines. since the start of

the war in ukraine, hundreds of children who have left the country have been enrolled in schools across the uk. school leaders have welcomed the arrival of the new pupils — but say extra counselling and language tuition is needed to help support them in england. our education correspondent elaine dunkley has more. my name is margarita. hello. iam ukrai... — from ukraine. from ukraine. margarita arrived in manchester a month ago with her family. she couldn't speak any english. nose. she's keen to learn. ice. lip. like many children, she had to leave behind so much that she loved. ah, beautiful face. it was painful because rita was star in school. she made the sport competitions. she played chess, she danced, she knitting. every time she was very busy with everything. she wanted to say hello to their friends from lviv. margarita has just been offered a place at a local primary school, and it can't come soon enough. war has taken its toll on young lives. she remembers everything. we have problems with sleeping. every night, two, three times, she goes to check us, we are here or no. butterfly. those things which ukrainian children saw... ..i don't believe, erm,

that it will be without any traumas. this is what childhood should be. nine—year—old alisa is from a city in the south of ukraine, which is close to intense fighting. she's just started at st martin's church of england primary in norfolk. alisa speaks very little english, but her new friend poppy is determined to make her feel as welcome as possible. do you understand each other? sometimes. ijust point at her and do a thumbs up. i've written a poem for alyssa. it was about the war. and in the end i said, "we are yourfriends and you are safe here." it's been lovely having alyssa here. it's been really good for the class to kind of rally together. we're starting to see smiles and laughter and communicating and joking with her friends. of course, at first

we weren't seeing that. we are now, and that is telling us that she is feeling welcome and enjoying her time in school. label it with your ruler and write the word... the department for education says it's working closely with local authorities to understand the costs of supporting children from ukraine. many councils are offering additional help with english. and children who arrive here on the homes for ukraine scheme will receive a grant for a school uniform. but one of the biggest challenges is emotional support. it's only one way for us to feel better, to see that alisa brings some sunshine. the war has torn families apart. alisa and her mum are staying with her aunt. but alisa's father has to stay in ukraine to fight. everyone's been so good, but we still don't know how long it

will last and what to expect. we don't think about future. we just holding our breath, and taking day by day. for now, margarita attends saturday school at the ukrainian centre in manchester. the war has taken so much, but margarita still has her dreams. she said, "mama, i need to be very good in school, because i want to be doctor." and i said, "it's not so difficult, if it's your dream." covid—19 infection is in the uk are now at their lowest for some time. the figures showed infections fell in all uk nations in a week and across all english regions. the area with the highest level of infections

was in the east midlands were 2.7% of people were testing positive. the headlines on bbc news: the deadlock in stormont continues — the democratic unionist party say they'll block the formation of a power—sharing government due to post—brexit trading arrangements unless the uk govt make changes to the northern irealand protocol. —— unless the uk government make changes to the northern ireland protocol. borisjohnson orders ministers to find savings by cutting more than 90,000 civil service posts — to raise funds to tackle the cost of living crisis. british intelligence says ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of russian armoured vehicles

during a failed attempt to cross a river in the eastern donbas region. eurovision is upon us once again. after all the build—up and the excitement, it's almost time for the grand final of the world's most—watched music competition. 200 million people are expected to tune in tomorrow — with the uk's sam ryder among the favourites — yes the favourites — to win. david sillito is in turin for us. 0h, have i got my sunglasses? we are in turin, and you've got to look your best. we are in italy, after all. and our meeting with sam was a brief chat over a mint tea. cool! am i 0k? yeah, yeah. one, two, three... cheering because things have got a bit hectic for the uk's eurovision hopeful. are you getting any sleep while you are here? lam, actually, yeah. sleep is... i'm glad you brought it up. so it's been absolutely relentless, going here, there and everywhere. so you really have to keep an eye on your diet, your rest pattern, staying hydrated. i know these are such obvious things. you're like an athlete. yeah, i always thought that! the worst athlete in the world! sam ryder and space man. if this gets nil points,

then there really is no eurovision justice. indeed, as soon as we sat down, the fans began to gather. even the swedes, who know their eurovision, think the uk has got a real chance. i would be so happy for the uk because you have had such terrible years. i felt it was so terrible last year when they said "zero!" i wasjust screaming, "oh, no, it's not possible!" it was so bad for the uk. but this time you're just nailing it. but for sam this is all very new. two and a half years ago, december 2019, where was your singing career? i did a little bit of everything. i was a labourer, a dogsbody, basically. so december 2019, yourjob is a labourer? yeah. what changed his life... # so give me a sign... # _ ..was this tiktok video. so january 2020... yeah, i shared my first video,

of me singing in my mum's kitchen, singing britney spears, hit me baby one more time, as high as i could. and i thought nothing of it because i went to bed that night ijust thought, "that was funny." and i woke up — 2 million people had seen it. my mum was absolutely, like, scared to death that the kitchen was untidy, but it was spotless. the first day, you had two million views? yeah, yeah. music: space man by sam ryder and two years on, the lockdown tiktok star's space man was picked for eurovision. # there's nothing but space, man... # did you have any doubts about eurovision? yeah, but they were all made by me, so i could turn them off. as soon as i got the offer, my heart, as a fan, i was like, "yes, i want to do it", and then a split second later, because this is how the human brain works for all of us, you get the "yeah, but what if you get nil points?"

he laughs. or, like, "what if you never work again? this could ruin you." all of these stupid things. but it's important that you realise that you make those thoughts, that you make those doubts and fears, and you can choose to follow them or you can choose to switch it and just think positively, and that's... the attitude is key, absolutely key. here we are, i've got eurovision odds here. where are we now? you're number two. i mean, look, it's so cool, but i don't want to, i don't know, like, believe it too much. no, forget it. numbers are not the game. yes, let's notjinx anything. but i did have one final question... what's up, friends? i am here in torino with my good friend david from bbc breakfast and these legends over here. are you guys excited about eurovision? yeah! could we make a tiktok? ciao!

laughter. bbc breakfast, there we go. then you just press post. hit the post. i rather doubt this will be getting millions of years, but, hey. i'm not sure if that's a viral video. i think we may get at least 100 views after this goes out. yeah, you can count on that. so i now understand tiktok, and all i can say is you are making the uk are very proud at the moment and it has been an honour and a privilege. bless you, my friend. good luck. thanks, mate. come here. thank you. thanks so much for taking the time to chat and for the lovely folks supporting at home, i appreciate you. myself and the whole team, and these guys too, we are stoked for eurovision and we're going to give it everything. peace. love you. bye — bye. cheering. a lemon trifle described

as "sunshine in a bowl" has won a national competition to find a pudding to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. more than 5,000 amateur cooks took part — and jemma melvin from southport won it with her lemon swiss roll and amaretti trifle. our royal correspondent daniela relph has been to meet the champion baker. we are going to go live to downing street and there is nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe and her husband who had been with their child invited to meet the prime minister at downing street and their lawyer tulip sadiq has said after six long years of unlawful lunch and i'm just imprisonment in tehran nazanin

deserves to hearfrom imprisonment in tehran nazanin deserves to hear from the prime minister why it took so long. we will use the meeting to raise the plight of british citizens still held hostage in iran and to push the prime minister to do much more to secure their release and he has responsibility to ensure others do not have to endure the six years of torment nazanin was put through. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. hello. well, let's see, what's it looking like for the rest of the day? and it is going to be a predominantly dry day. it was quite cloudy earlier on, but i think some of that cloud now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. quite breezy in places, particularly

across north—western parts of the uk. we're fairly close to an area of low pressure, there's also a weather front, but high pressure is starting to build in from the south, so this is where the the weather's becoming more settled. but clearly from the satellite picture, it's not a gloriously sunny day and these are medium—level clouds, so they do tend to hang around. these are the temperatures into the afternoon, quite warm in the south east. in the north west, it'll be fresh and indeed those winds will remain quite strong. a little bit of rain—bearing clouds there as well in the western isles and northern scotland. elsewhere tonight, it is going to be a dry night, a little bit of mist and fog in the morning with temperatures first thing around seven or eight degrees in most towns and cities. now, about that area of high pressure, here it is centred around belgium and holland, but notice there are blobs of blue there. these are showers which will be heading our way saturday but saturday itself, i think if you've got any plans outdoors,

whatever it is you might be doing, it's actually looking pretty good. so saturday's a mostly sunny day, pleasant temperatures across england and wales, not bad at all in eastern scotland as well, up to around 18 and even in belfast, temperatures will get into the high teens. so we've got a fine saturday on the way, but then, saturday night, notice these heavy showers drifting across southern parts of the uk. some lightning bolts there to indicate a risk of thunder, i think particularly across southern and south—eastern areas. and then through the course of sunday, what's left of these thundery showers will probably drift a little bit further towards the north and then it'll dry out. so, yes, saturday night into sunday could be some storms in the south, could be a bit of rain, but then it should once again turn mostly sunny on sunday. so a bit of a mixed weekend, but overall, generally quite a nice one, and it stays fairly warm through the first half of the week, but it will turn quite unsettled in the north—west of the uk as the week goes on.

as the democratic unionist party is set to block the power—sharing assembly from operating. the party has been protesting about post—brexit trading arrangements which keep northern ireland as part of the eu single market. i believe that we need to send a very clear message to the european union and to our government that we are serious about getting this protocol sorted out. sinn fein say the dup's decision will punish the public. we'll have all the latest from stormont. also this lunchtime... the government wants to cut 91,000 civil servicejobs — a fifth of the total workforce — to save money. unions say it's ill—thought—out. ukrainian forces destroy nearly all the armoured vehicles of a russian battalion trying to cross a river in

the east of the country.