the political crisis intensifies in northern ireland, as the largest unionist party, the dup, blocks the return of power—sharing at stormont. sinn fein is now the assembly's largest party — but the dup won't share power because it opposes part of the post—brexit deal known as the protocol. 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. they've actually boycotted an executive being formed, they've punished the public for their own selfish interest and that isn't tolerable, it isn't acceptable, it isn't good enough. we're live in ukraine, as russian forces make modest gains in the east in some of the most

intense fighting of the war. explosions. we report from the front—line as it shifts in moscow's favour and ukrainian troops prepare to counter—attack. in israel, chaotic scenes at the funeral of the aljazeera journalist shireen abu akleh injerusalem, as israeli police attack mourners and pallbearers. coleen rooney tells the high court her online claim that rebekah vardy leaked private stories about her was a "last resort". # up in space, man #. and what is happening at eurovision? bookmakers are predicting a good result for the uk. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel — wembley is set for an historic weekend, with both the men's and the women's fa cup finals taking place on saturday and sunday.

good evening. the political crisis in northern ireland deepened today, after the democratic unionist party, which came second in elections last week, said it would block the formation of a government. the dup say the move was made in protest at the part of the post—brexit trade agreement made between the uk and the eu — known as the northern ireland protocol — that means some goods going from mainland britain to northern ireland have to be checked. other parties have condemned the dup's action as shameful — including sinn fein, which has the most seats for the first time. borisjohnson is planning to visit northern ireland on monday to try to find a way forward. ourfirst report tonight comes from our ireland correspondent chris page. awarning, it a warning, it contains flashing images. the woman who would be

first minister knows her place in history is on the horizon. but michelle o'neill of sinn fein can't become the first irish nationalist to take the job unless the democratic unionist party opens the door for her. members, the assembly has 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 the assembly is out of action. sinn fein said the dup was holding the public to ransom. this is our hour of decision. not tomorrow and not for a moment longer can the dup deny democracy, punish the public and boycott this assembly and executive, and prevent us from putting money into people's pockets. politicians were elected to the stormont assembly to speak on behalf of voters, to represent people, to make laws, but now they've no idea when or even if they'll be able to take their seats in the chamber again. the biggest issue in the deadlock is the trade border with england,

scotland and wales, known as the northern ireland protocol. some goods, such as food products, are inspected when they arrive from great britain. the arrangement is part of the brexit agreement signed by borisjohnson�*s government and the eu. it was designed 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 aren't in line with its standards from reaching the european single market. the dup supported brexit, but it's always opposed the protocol, which it says threatens northern ireland's place in the uk. the party insists it will prevent a power—sharing coalition being formed at stormont unless the trade border is removed. the 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.

so for now, sirjeffrey donaldson will be passing by michelle o'neill, rather than governing northern ireland with her. the westminster government says the protocol is endangering political stability and has accused the eu of being inflexible. i think 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 agreed that northern ireland remained a fundamental part of the united kingdom. but eu leaders have warned the uk it risks a trade war if it scraps the protocol. as the international impasse continues, many people in northern ireland are pointing to the dire effects of devolution standing still. 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 we don't bring about change, we will be led to an unplanned collapse of the health service. if you're on a waiting list for four years for a hip replacement, you're 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. whatever happens here — or not — does have profound effects on people's lives, but stormont is silent again after a day when the crisis deepened. chris page, bbc news, belfast. as we've been 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 me. it shows a really strong relationship between geography and space and political power.

from the old irish province 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 was very messy. but today, a century later, and the largest political party in northern ireland supports irish nationalism. and now 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 border winds its provocative way across the landscape near newry. in this territory, loyalties are hung on the washing line and there's anxiety on the breeze. the people 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, uncertainty over the protocol is a great concern.

suzanne is a protestant, her husband paul a catholic, but for them this is about business, not religion or tradition. how many rugs have you got here? just under 250,000. for paul's rug company, brexit means extra paperwork importing from great britain, but the protocol means it is easier exporting across the eu. it gives us in northern ireland an opportunity for one of the first times in 100 years to trade efficiently with the rest of europe and with the uk, and with gb, and to really benefit from our situation here which is quite unusual, and what's coming down the track here is potentially the reversal of that. but for some northern irish businesses who import materials from great britain, the brexit protocol has meant a tangle of extra red tape. it makes logistics much more difficult, but companies like ours and others within the industry have said that was going to be an outcome of the deal that was negotiated. there are fears 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.

let's go live to stormont tonight, and speak to our ireland correspondent chris page. borisjohnson is to visit belfast next week. where are things heading? well, reeta, stormont has reached a new stage of stalemate, it's been known all week pretty much it was very unlikely ministers would be appointed here today, but now as well as not having a government northern ireland doesn't even have a devolved assembly. looking ahead, well, the dup leader sirjeffrey donaldson has suggested he does expect the government to move soon to address unionist concerns over the northern ireland protocol. the question is will it be enough to convince the dup to go back into government here? sirjeffrey has emphasised he wants decisive actions, in other words it won't be enough for the government to say what it's going to do, it has to do

it. most of the other parties here they will be responsible for boris johnson to take action on his own without an agreement with the eu. michelle 0'neill of sinn fein has said she will tell the prime minister she shouldn't be —— he shouldn't be involving the medical institutions of northern ireland with a game of chicken with the eu. from today a six month countdown clock is ticking and if there is no new power—sharing coalition by the end of that time in theory there has to be another election. find end of that time in theory there has to be another election.— end of that time in theory there has to be another election. and 0, chris pace. more from me in london a bit later, but for the latest on the war in ukraine, let'sjoin clive myrie in kyiv. reeta, good evening. we're beginning to see more shifts in the battlefield landscape here, 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 now under russian

control, theirforces have been venturing out, pushing north and west, heading towards the city of zaporizhzhia, where many civilians have sought refuge. 0ur correspondent, laura bicker, and camera journalist, julie ritson, visited the front—line, just as the russians launched an attack. it started with a low rumble and plumes of black smoke. we'd barely arrived when the barrage began. this small factory took the first hit. but the russians weren't done. explosions. get down! the thundering of shells is a new deadly dawn chorus for this once sleepy hamlet. the children have

mostly fled to safety. 0thers, although shaken, are determined to hold on to what they know, even while their neighbours�* house is burning. translation: i saw some smoke and decided to have a look. - yesterday evening, i came down and saw that one. two houses down, there's no roof there any more. and today, this one got hit. the rest of the villagers are along here, says the captain. with no electricity, meals are cooked outside — when it's safe. but the blasts have forced them underground. however hard it may be to stay, their presence has become an act of defiance. translation: we're waiting for victory. i we want all our children, - our grandchildren, to come back home, and we want somewhere to come back t0~ _ 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're 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. distant explosions. laura bicker, bbc news, near zaporizhzhia. the very latest from our team right on the front—line. as you just heard, russian forces are pushing up and out of the mariupol area. but what's happening inside the city itself? all eyes have been on the azovstal steel works where the last remaining ukrainian fighters in mariupol have been holed up for weeks. now new satellite imagery show 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 according to plan. to the north in kharkiv,

for instance, ukrainian troops have managed to push russian forces away from the city, the country's second largest. it's a success on a par with the defence of the capital itself a month ago when russian heavy armour was outmanoeuvred and routed by more agile, smaller ukrainian units. there are more problems further east for the russian military in sievierodonetsk. 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. an overview of the battle right across the country. this week began with news of russia's retreat from several towns and villages in the north. now it is ending with news of modest russian advances in the east. both scenarios are linked. those russian troops leaving the north are joining the fight in the east. president zelensky today warned his people that the war was entering a protracted phase, gains on sundays, losses on others but no decisive shift in the fight. the problem is that for now, russia doesn't have enough troops to achieve its aims and neither does ukraine. the

perfect opportunity perhaps for a resumption of talks. we will see. that's it from me and the team here in kyiv, now back to you, reeta, for more of the day's news. 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. our political correspondent iain watson can tell us more. what's the government hoping to achieve here? what they want to do is shrink the civil service back to the size it was in 2016, before brexit and pre—pandemic. this is something the most senior civil servant in the land has described as i quote challenging and ambitious. translated from the language the diplomatic language of whitehall, i think he's trying to say it will be pretty difficult. the department has been given a month to come up with ideas so we cannot say where any

cuts would fall. but the aim is to get the numbers down from 475,000 to 384,000. the government says it is committed to levelling up so it will know that many civil servants are not whitehall mandarins. in fact half get paid £29,000 a year or less and eight out of ten, 80% are based outside london, for example injob centres or probation officers or processing passports. tonight the unions are saying the strikes are a possibility but what boris johnson wants to do is slimmed down the size of the state and try and make savings, but all this is expected to last three years. that doesn't ease the political pressure on him from an increasing number of his own mps as well as the opposition to do more right now to tackle the cost of living crisis. israeli police have attacked mourners and pall bearers at the funeral of the palestinian—american journalist, shireen abu akleh injerusalem. the aljazeera reporter was shot

in the head while covering a raid by israeli forces in the occupied west bank on wednesday. earlier today, an israeli officer was shot dead and several palestinians injured during a police raid nearjenin in the west bank. it follows several weeks of mounting violence with dozens killed on both sides. our middle east correspondent tom bateman reports. shireen abu akleh was one of the best—known voices to palestinians. now in death, a national symbol. but grief for a revered reporter was to turn to fear and panic for the mourners. israel's security forces had entered the hospital gates as palestinians tried to walk the coffin out. the police fired stun grenades and pushed the crowd back. many rush for cover inside. we've had complete chaos with people

trying to get inside. i saw a woman with a very young baby, a patient, who was here at the hospital, caught in the middle of a huge crowd, trying to get inside. and even the pallbearers had to retreat. as police kicked and beat them with batons. and the coffin slipped to the ground. the force says it acted to stop what it called incitement and stone throwing. shireen abu akleh was shot in the head covering an arrest raid by israel's army. reporters on the scene said the gunfire came from the soldiers but israel maintains palestinian gunmen may have fired the fatal shot. but for her loved ones, it was time to say a final goodbye. at her christian funeral mass,

eulogies to a life of purpose. and outside one ofjerusalem's biggest outpourings of palestinian grief in decades. tens of thousands wound their way around the old city's walls. they marked yet another death in a conflict where it is almost agonisingly routine, but which has brought the world's spotlight back and remembered a life that should never have ended this way. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. prince william has presented the podcast host debra james with a dame hood. the prince gave the honour to deborah at her home is in cambridge for her tireless campaigning since being diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer six years ago. dame deborah said it was special day for her home whole family. she has raised more

than £5 million into research into bowel cancer after revealing she was receiving end of life care. 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 was day four of the high court libel trial today, where coleen rooney gave evidence for the first time. colin paterson has been following the case. the rooneys arriving. it was coleen�*s turn to face the questions. she's 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 that 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 was 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 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 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 the reason she had brought

the case to court was that she had not done anything wrong and wanted to clear her name, notjust for herself but for her children. the trial continues on monday. colin paterson, bbc news, the high court. the new prime minister of sri lanka has warned the economic situation there is likely to get worse before it improves. sri lanka has been rocked by demonstrations over soaring prices, power cuts and a lack of medicine — it's the worst he's been speaking to our correspondent rajini vaidyanathan. can he answer sri lanka's prayers? ranil wickremesinghe is serving as prime minister for the sixth time. this, his biggest challenge yet. such is the struggle, they are queueing for free bread. i met a mother of six yesterday called priyanthe, queueing just to get two pieces of bread and she asked me

what difference you, as a new prime minister, can make to her life? what would you say to priyanthe? i believe that people should have three meals a day. when i've been prime minister on earlier occasions, i ensured that and i will ensure that they will have three meals a day again. first is to find out how bad the economy is, so i will be like a doctor who is opening up a patient for the first time. already a dire diagnosis. queues for fuel run four miles. with supplies low, the pm said he may have to ration it. you yourself said a month ago that resources are running out. yes. this is your opportunity to be straight with the people of sri lanka. how much worse could it get? it is going to get worse before it gets better. i want someone to have sufficient food, fuel and medicine avaiable. and, how? how will you do that? we will look for help from outside and talk to them. if you don't get the help from india, japan or other countries

that you haven't mentioned, you're saying that they could be a hunger crisis by the summer? no, there won't be a hunger crisis. somehow we will find food. somehow, but how, if you don't get enough funds? there will be help coming somewhere. they won't allow people to starve. with many already on the brink, hope rests on the imf and other nations to lend a hand. you've just taken on a very challenging job. what would your message be to people watching this around the world? we need your assistance for a year. whatever we get from you we will repay. certainly. and help us to do it. we are the longest and oldest democracy in asia. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. the annual extravaganza that is the eurovision grand final is upon us once again, and while ukraine's entry is this year's firm favourite, unusually the uk entry — sam ryder — is also among those tipped to win, our 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! however, the favourites remain ukraine. their song and anthem of national struggle. ukraine. their song and anthem of nationalstruggle. but ukraine. their song and anthem of national struggle. but for ukraine. their song and anthem of nationalstruggle. but forsome, there is real hope he will be close behind. no one is expecting another nil points. david sillito, bbc news, turin.

that's it.