political stalemate once again in northern ireland — as the largest unionist party the dup blocks the return of power—sharing at stormont. sinn fein is now the largest party in the assembly, but the dup will not share power because it opposes part of the post—brexit agreement known as the protocol. 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. they have boycotted an executive being _ they have boycotted an executive being formed, they have punished the public— being formed, they have punished the public for— being formed, they have punished the public for their own selfish interests and that is intolerable, it is unacceptable and isn't good enough — we are live in ukraine as russian

forces make modest gains in the east, in some of the most intense fighting of the war. explosion as the front line shifts in moscow's favour, ukrainian troops prepare to counterattack. does that feel all right, june? yes. the long rate for adult social care in england, we report on the people waiting for help from the local council. coleen rooney appears in the witness box at the high court for the first time in the libel case brought against her by rebecca vardy. i am chetan pathak live here at wembley stadium. coming up on sportsday... we build up to the fa cup final between chelsea and liverpool.

good evening. people in northern ireland are facing the prospect of political deadlock once again after the democratic unionist party, which came second in elections last week, said it would block the formation of a government in protest at trade arrangements post—brexit. at issue is the northern ireland protocol — that's the deal the uk government signed with the eu which means goods going from mainland britain to northern ireland have to be checked because they are still subject to some eu rules. as assembly members took their seats for the first time in the new session, the dup refused to elect a new speaker, leaving the assembly unable to function and carry out any parliamentary business.

sinn fein, which became the largest party, say the decision will punish the public. our ireland correspondent chris page sent this report, which has some flashing images. the sinn fein vice president michelle o'neill can't become the first irish nationalists to take the job unless the democratic unionist party opens the door for her. members of the assembly have been unable to elect a speaker today. this was the point the political mood took another downturn, the dup blocked the election of a speaker to chair debates. that means nothing else can take place in this chamber for the time being. sinn fein said the dup was holding the public to ransom. , , ., ., ., ransom. this is our hour of decision. — ransom. this is our hour of decision, not _ ransom. this is our hour of decision, not tomorrow - ransom. this is our hour of| decision, not tomorrow and ransom. this is our hour of - decision, not tomorrow and not for a moment longer can the dup denied democracy, punish the public and boycott this assembly and executive, and prevent us from putting money into people's pockets. the and prevent us from putting money into people's pockets.— into people's pockets. the issue at the centre of— into people's pockets. the issue at the centre of the _ into people's pockets. the issue at the centre of the deadlock- into people's pockets. the issue at the centre of the deadlock as - into people's pockets. the issue at the centre of the deadlock as the l the centre of the deadlock as the brexit trade border with england, scotland and wales known as the northern ireland protocol. under the arrangement of some goods such as

food products are inspected when they arrive here from great britain. the move was designed by london and brussels to keep open the land border with the republic of ireland, which is in the european union. the eu wants to stop any goods which are not in line with its standards from reaching the european single market. the dup believes the arrangement amounts to an economic barrier within its own country, which damages northern ireland's place in the uk. the party says it won't go into a power—sharing coalition at stormont and less borisjohnson removes the irish sea border. the ball is firmly _ removes the irish sea border. the ball is firmly at _ removes the irish sea border. tie: ball is firmly at the removes the irish sea border. tte: ball is firmly at the foot removes the irish sea border. "tt2 ball is firmly at the foot of removes the irish sea border. tt2 ball is firmly at the foot of the government. it is for the prime minister now to outline what he intends to do, and as i have stated it will not be words that will determine how we proceed, it will be actions. 50 determine how we proceed, it will be actions. ., determine how we proceed, it will be actions, ., ., determine how we proceed, it will be actions. ., ., ,, , ' , actions. so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson _ actions. so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson will _ actions. so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson will be _ actions. so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson will be passing - actions. so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson will be passing by l donaldson will be passing by michelle o'neill, rather than governing northern ireland with her. the westminster government says the

protocol is in danger of endangering political stability and has accused the eu of being inflexible. t political stability and has accused the eu of being inflexible.- the eu of being inflexible. i think the eu of being inflexible. i think the unionists _ the eu of being inflexible. i think the unionists are _ the eu of being inflexible. i think the unionists are understandablyi the unionists are understandably concerned about the way the northern ireland protocol has been working, and we should be too because the treaty itself provides for its revision and that has not been successfully concluded, and it needs to be. it needs to be revised because it was always agree that northern ireland remained a fundamental part of the united kingdom. but fundamental part of the united kinudom. �* ., , fundamental part of the united kinadom. �* ., , ., ., kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks — kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a _ kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a trade _ kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a trade war— kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a trade war if— kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a trade war if it - the uk it risks a trade war if it scraps the protocol. as the international impasse continues, many people on northern ireland are pointing to the dire effects of devolution standing still stop hospital waiting times are the longest in the uk by far. doctors say ministers need to be in place to make vital reforms quickly. if rare make vital reforms quickly. if we don't bring _ make vital reforms quickly. if we don't bring about _ make vital reforms quickly. if we don't bring about change, - make vital reforms quickly. if "$221 don't bring about change, we make vital reforms quickly. if 22 don't bring about change, we will make vital reforms quickly. if v2 don't bring about change, we will be led to an unplanned collapse of the health service. if you are on a waiting list for four years for a

hip replacement you are already feeling the impact. any paralysis that leads to the inability to bring about radical change will continue to add to that already burning platform. to add to that already burning latform. , . ., , platform. these politicians were elected to speak _ platform. these politicians were elected to speak up _ platform. these politicians were elected to speak up for - platform. these politicians were elected to speak up for voters, l elected to speak up for voters, represent people and make laws. but stormont is silent again after a day when the crisis deepened. they had been known all week it was next to no chance that any ministers would be appointed here this afternoon, but now as well as having no devolved government, northern ireland doesn't even have a devolved assembly, so we are at a whole new stage of stalemate command as events were unfolding there today, word came from downing street, boris johnson is to visit on monday for talks with the main political parties. chris page reporting there. as we were hearing, today's move by the dup prevents the formation of a power—sharing executive to govern northern ireland. sinn fein's election victory last week was the first time in the province's history that a party who wants to see a united ireland has the most

seats in the assembly. one of the main factors in today's deadlock is the northern ireland protocol. our home editor mark easton assesses the impact of that agreement. you can't see it, it's not on any nautical map, but somewhere out here is the invisible border that threatens to paralyse northern ireland politics. the brexit deal that britain signed with the eu sought to prevent reviving hostility at the land border with the republic just down there. so they moved customs checks out to a mythical point here in the middle of the irish sea, drawing a line between northern ireland over there and great britain. in doing so the prime minister broke a promise he had repeatedly made to unionists. i'm afraid that the right honourable lady is simply wrong, there will be no border down the irish sea. but in the end, a line between northern ireland and great britain was a key ingredient in mrjohnson's oven—ready brexit deal. so why does it matter so much? at

queen's university in belfast i met a history professor who tried to explain it to my. it a history professor who tried to explain it to my.— a history professor who tried to explain it to my. it shows a really strona explain it to my. it shows a really strong relationship _ explain it to my. it shows a really strong relationship between - strong relationship between geography and space and political power. geography and space and political ower. ., ., , , ., . , power. from the old irish provinces and counties _ power. from the old irish provinces and counties of _ power. from the old irish provinces and counties of ulster, _ power. from the old irish provinces and counties of ulster, in _ power. from the old irish provinces and counties of ulster, in the - power. from the old irish provincesi and counties of ulster, in the 1920s politicians drew a boundary line between the united kingdom and the new republic, a border twisted and tweaked to create a territory where british unionists would always control affairs. it british unionists would always control affairs.— british unionists would always control affairs. ., , , , _ control affairs. it was very messy. toda , a control affairs. it was very messy. today. a century _ control affairs. it was very messy. today, a century later, _ control affairs. it was very messy. today, a century later, the - control affairs. it was very messy. | today, a century later, the largest political party in northern ireland supports irish nationalism. bud political party in northern ireland supports irish nationalism. and now suddenly that _ supports irish nationalism. and now suddenly that boundary _ supports irish nationalism. and now suddenly that boundary settlementl suddenly that boundary settlement which caused so much violence 100 years ago has been thrown up in the air, so it's notjust about economics, it's about politics and identity and unionism feels itself under threat in a way which it hasn't in a long time. the bordeaux wines its provocative way across the landscape near newry. in this territory loyalties are hung on the washing line and there is anxiety on the breeze. the people who put up this poster are worried

that boris johnson who put up this poster are worried that borisjohnson will move customs checks from the irish sea to the land border here. for this family, land border here. forthis family, uncertainty land border here. for this family, uncertainty over the protocol is a great concern. suzanne is a protestant, her husband paul is a catholic, but for them this is about business, not religion or tradition. this is about business, not religion ortradition. how this is about business, not religion or tradition. how many have you got here? just under 250,000. for his rug company brexit means extra paperwork importing from great britain but the practical means it is easier exporting across the eu. it gives us the chance to trade efficiently with the rest of europe and the uk and with gb and to really benefit from our situation here which is quite unusual, and what is coming down the track here is potentially the reversal of that. for some northern irish businesses who import materials from great britain the brexit protocol has meant a tangle of extra red tape. it meant a tangle of extra red tape. it makes logistics much more difficult, but companies like ours and others in the _ but companies like ours and others in the industry have said that was

going _ in the industry have said that was going to — in the industry have said that was going to be an outcome of the deal that was_ going to be an outcome of the deal that was negotiated.— going to be an outcome of the deal that was negotiated. there are fears a storm is coming. _ that was negotiated. there are fears a storm is coming. the _ that was negotiated. there are fears a storm is coming. the winds - that was negotiated. there are fears a storm is coming. the winds of - a storm is coming. the winds of brexit, the protocol and politics combining to buffet the people of this long—suffering island. mark easton, bbc news, newry. and now to clive myrie, who is in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. good evening, as russian troops intensify their attacks in parts of south—eastern ukraine, which are now seeing some of the heaviest fighting of the war. with the port city of mariupol almost entirely under russian control, theirforces have been pushing north and west towards zaporizhzhia, a city still in ukrainian hands where many civilians have sought refuge. 0ur correspondent laura bicker and camera journalistjulie ritson have been to the frontline and arrived just as they came under russian attack. it started with a low rumble

and plumes of black smoke. this small factory took the first hit. but the russians weren't done. the children have mostly fled to safety.

however hard it may be to stay, their presence has become an act of defiance. translation: we are waiting for victory. - we want all our children, our grandchildren, to come back home, and we want somewhere to come back to. we want our home to stay unscathed, and notjust ours, but for all the people that had to leave. i was told this building was intact this morning, which gives you an idea of kind of the intensity of shelling this village is facing. the ukrainians have built up their forces, taking forces from elsewhere in the country and put them here, to keep the russians at bay. when i asked how far the russians will come north, the answer i got was "as far as we let them". and this invasion is personal to the local ukrainian force. translation: in our battalions there are many people - whose homes and relatives

are in the occupied territories. they are very determined, and all they are waiting for is an order to advance, to come back to their home villages, towns and districts. there are no military targets here in these tree—lined streets. just much—prized family homes. the volley of shells just missed this house. oh, yeah, that has been a direct hit. it's hard to comprehend just how close this war has come. translation: i was under the shed there when i heard the shots - and ran into the cellar. even as thoughts of a clear—up begin, the bombardment continues. shattering lives, one barrage at a time. laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. the very latest from our team on the front line. as you have been seeing,

russian forces are pushing up and out of the mariupol area. but what is happening in the city itself? all eyes have been on the azovstal steelworks, where the last remaining ukrainian fighters in mariupol have been holed up for weeks. now, new satellite imagery shows the extent of russia's relentless air and ground bombardment of the plant to get those fighters out, and finally declare a much—needed victory in a war that so farfor moscow isn't going to plan. there are more problems further east for the russian military, in severodonetsk. in this drone footage an armoured column is trying to cross a river, but ukrainian artillery — recently bolstered by the arrival of american howitzers — appears to have destroyed an entire battalion tactical group, which can comprise up to 900 men as well as tanks and armoured personnel carriers. finally, on the black sea coast, attention today has been focused on the small but strategically

important snake island. russian forces are in control here, but have been under attack from the air. ammunition dumps, smaller vessels and a surface to air missile launcher have been destroyed. control of snake island could determine which side controls this stretch of the black sea. the battlefield picture, what what about the continuing the battlefield picture, what what about the continuing humanitarian cost? the un says more than 6 million people have fled ukraine now since the war began. some families have reached the uk and for children, perhaps carrying the psychological scars of everything they have had to go through, they are also having to grapple with perhaps an unfamiliar language and new skills. elaine dunkley has that story... so much has changed for kasenia. this will be her new school in leeds. a classroom hundreds of miles away from the conflict in ukraine. this is kasenia, who is actually

joining us next week, so please say hello. i like it. in ukraine, not so lot of subjects which are in this school. i like this. there will be somebody to show you... - ksennia is determined to in as soon as possible, and her mother hopes this school will be a sanctuary. but thoughts of home never go away. most of theirfamily are still in ukraine, in places where there is intense fighting. translation: in the morning, when bombs start exploding, l you are woken by explosions. and of course, your first thought is about the security of our children. the fear is impossible to explain in words when you're in a state of shock. john sweeten academy are preparing to welcome more children from ukraine this term. they currently have 21 pupils who have recently

arrived from afghanistan. you feel safer here. when you actually find friends, it's way easier. your english develops by itself when you talk with your friends. javid and roman have settled in well. but they have a lot on their minds. like many of the refugee children from afghanistan, they're currently staying in hotels. it's pretty hard to do so because you can't really focus on your studies when you're living with someone else in a single, small room. roman tells me he's worried that when they are rehoused, he may have to move school. he likes the school and he wants to stay in the school till the end of high school. some of these pupils have had an incredible amount of turbulence and disruption. we've got a great relationship with a family liaison officer who works closely with students who've come from afghanistan seeking refuge. it allows the orientation to and from school to be really well established, easy access to translation,

and something like that for ukrainian families coming over to the uk would be incredibly helpful for us. the government says it's working with local councils to ensure there is the right support. which subjects are in here? english. english, yes! well done! there will be challenges, but here there is hope, and the chance for a new beginning. elaine dunkley, bbc news, in leeds. some of those having to adjust to change. following russian anger at the news yesterday that finland is seeking membership of the nato alliance, we are hearing this evening that a russian electricity company. supplies to finland from the early hours of tomorrow morning, saying there are problems with payment. russia supplies 10% of film's electricity. this is a crucial reminder that the weapons in this conflict being wielded by both sides include more thanjust this conflict being wielded by both sides include more than just guns and bullets. the economic dimension

could be as much of a factor influencing the direction of this war as events on the battlefield. that is it from me and the team in kyiv. back for more of the days news... many thanks. clashes have broken out between israeli police and mourners during the funeral of the palestinian—american journalist shireen abu akleh injerusalem. her coffin was nearly knocked to the ground in the disruption. shireen abu akleh, who worked for aljazeera, was shot in the head while covering a raid by israeli forces in the occupied west bank on wednesday. the prime minister wants to cut up to 91,000 civil service jobs to free up cash for measures to ease the cost of living. it amounts to a fifth of the current workforce. borisjohnson wants to reduce staffing levels back to where they were in 2016. 0ur political correspondent iain watson can tell us more. what is a government hoping to achieve? it wants to see the civil service returned to 2016 levels, before brexit and before the

pandemic, something the most senior civil servant is considered is ambitious and, indeed, he also says will be challenging. if ambitious and, indeed, he also says will be challenging.— will be challenging. if you translate _ will be challenging. if you translate that _ will be challenging. if you translate that from - will be challenging. if you translate that from the i will be challenging. if you - translate that from the language of whitehall, that probably means it will be very difficult indeed. the departments have been given one month to come up with ideas so at the moment we don't really know where the cuts are going to fall but the aim is to get the numbers down from 475,000 to 385,000. but not all civil servants are mandarins on the government has said they want to level of the country. in fact, around half of civil servants are paid £29,000 a year or less and eight 0ut paid £29,000 a year or less and eight out of ten cats are based outside london. for example, when jobcentres eventually issue passports and driving licences. the unions warn of potential strike action. politically, borisjohnson wants to please some of his mps who wants to please some of his mps who want to see the size of the state to slimmed down but all this could take up slimmed down but all this could take up to three years and some say that what they really want our tax cuts

right now to tackle the cost of living crisis.— living crisis. labour want an emergency _ living crisis. labour want an emergency budget. - living crisis. labour want an emergency budget. many . living crisis. labour want an - emergency budget. many thanks. iain watson. our top story this evening. political stalemate in northern ireland as a largest unionist party, the dup, blocks the return of power—sharing at stormont. # up in the space, man. and something strange going on a eurovision. bookmakers predict a good result for the uk. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel... ten years on from the moment he says is the best of his life, sergio aguero meets the statue that commemorates his famous title—winning goal for manchester city. day four of the high court libel trial today, where coleen rooney gave evidence for the first time. she told the court she was "surprised" by "how much interest" her so—called wagatha christie social media post caused in 2019.

mrs rooney is being sued for libel by mrs vardy for alleging she leaked personal stories to the sun newspaper, which she denies. colin paterson has been following the case. the rooneys arriving. today it was coleen's turn to face questions. she is the one being sued for libel. her husband, wayne rooney, looked away from her as she gave evidence. in court documents, coleen rooney described rebekah vardy as someone who wanted to be famous, and had tried too hard to be friendly with her. coleen rooney said she was watching an england match at the euros in 2016 when there was a commotion nearby. it was rebekah vardy switching seats to sit behind her, allegedlyjust to be in the photographs. the court heard there were leaks to the sun newspaper of stories and photos from coleen rooney's private instagram account, including ones about the ups and downs of her marriage. eventually, she decided to set a trap to find the source. coleen rooney described this as her last resort,

and at the time were surprised by how much interest it had generated. by the end of that day, she had received a letter from rebekah vardy�*s legal team. coleen rooney denied having put up the post in the hope that rebekah vardy would be abused, saying that was not in her nature. coleen rooney emphasised that she didn't want to be here, saying that three times she tried to settle this case out of court through mediation. her lawyers had written to rebekah vardy, saying the publicity from the trial would be very damaging to her. coleen rooney says that her efforts were rebuffed. earlier, rebekah vardy finished giving her evidence. for the third day in a row, she broke down in tears in the witness box. she said that the reason she had brought the case to court was that she hadn't done anything wrong and wanted to clear her name, not just for herself but for her children. the trial continues on monday. colin paterson, bbc

news, the high court. the podcast host deborahjames has raised nearly £4.5 million to help fund clinical research into bowel cancer after revealing on monday she was receiving end of life care. she has been ordered as a dame head for her campaign after being diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2016. she said she was �*blown away and crying' after receiving the honour. the queen has attended the royal windsor horse show after missing the state opening of parliament earlier this week. the 96—year—old monarch was seen smiling as she was driven onto the showground. it's her first public appearance since march, after she cancelled a number of recent events because of mobility problems. 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. by the end of february this year, more than 500,000 people were waiting for assessment, review or care from local authorities. just six months previously, the number was considerably lower,

with an estimated 294,000 people waiting for help. 0ur social affairs editor, alison holt, reports on how the needs of elderly and disabled people in england are going unmet. hello, june. this will be one of four care visits that will be made tojune at her home near redcar during the day. have you had a nice morning? yes, it's been all right. ah, good. 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. are you feeling all right, june? forjune, the help's vital, and it means she can stay with her husband. we are going to spin you around into your chair, all right? it is very important to me, not being able to walk. because we always get two carers coming. that means you can enjoy being at home? oh, yeah. brilliant. the key problem is a shortage of care staff. both karen and sadie love what they do, but understand why some don't want a job which, in their case, pays under £10 an hour.

how's that? is that all right for you? mostly it's to do with pay. people with families are trying to get on the housing ladder, and with the cost of living, theyjust 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. hello, michelle speaking. but the shortage of staff means their company is turning down up to 50 requests for help each week. here they mainly provide care for the council, and say the fees won't cover the pay increase needed to attract more workers. they do need to be paid more. if we put their wages up about 50p an hour, we would be bankrupt and we would lose our business. do you worry about people not being able to get care? yeah, very much so. it's still a person behind that e—mail that comes through, saying, can you care for this person? i always say, my nana. and it's hard. not only does a shortage of care workers mean that people are stuck in hospitals and care homes when they don't need to be there, it adds to the strain on families

who are already coping with a lot. lee is 37. he's quadriplegic. he requires 24—hour care, really. tanya has had to take on even more of her son's care because she's been unable to find a replacement for the care worker who left five months ago. 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. it's really difficult to get care, and if you're not paying the right wage, then people aren't going to want to apply. the government says reforming the care system is a priority and that it is investing billions of pounds in improving the way it works for families and staff. alison holt, bbc news. the annual extravaganza that is the eurovision grand final is upon us once again, and while ukraine's entry — rap group kalush 0rchestra — are this year's firm favourites —

unusually, the uk entry is also among those tipped to win. sam ryder will perform his song, space man, in front of 200 million tv viewers, and he's hoping to break britain's losing streak. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito reports from turin. one, two, three... yay! sam ryder. the uk's eurovision hopeful is already a hit in turin. his song, space man, is being hotly tipped. eurovision has helped transform his life. 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, december2019, yourjob is a labourer? yeah. his journey to fame began with this tiktok video. i thought nothing of it. i went to bed that night and just thought, that was funny. i woke up and 2 million people had seen it. you had 2 million views? yeah, yeah. and it was that that led to eurovision.

it was lovely to meet you. let's go for a walk. and to understand what that could mean, meet italy's mahmood. this is mahmood's second eurovision. and it's made him a star. you've got a few fans around here at the moment. how does it feel? i'm super happy about all the support. because italian people are super warming, super lovely. and five minutes later... this is what eurovision fame feels like. i've got to get out of this! and while ukraine remains the favourite, sam's space man is at number two in the odds. no one is expecting another nul points. david sillito, bbc news, turin.

time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. we got there in the end today, it was a cloudy start but glorious eventually across england and wales and this was kentjust a little earlier. slightly different story further north and west, more of a breeze, cooler and showery as well. northumberland has those threatening skies and this shows what we are likely to see this weekend. certainly saturday is the better of the two days, dry and warm, but there will be more showers becoming more frequent as the weekend continues. that is because we have high pressure building at the moment, the isobars opening up and the wind is falling light and so very pleasant indeed with lots of dry weather around but we need to point out this cloud of blue, that is a showers at will arrive later on saturday. saturday is a quiet day, a few isolated showers north—west but generally speaking plain sailing, high teens like me through scotland and northern ireland, may be low 20s