today at six — ukrainian forces leave their last foothold in the devastated city of mariupol. taken to russian controlled territory as prisoners of war — these were the men who held on when all around them was ruin and rubble. for 82 days their defiance in the mariupol�*s steel plant came to symbolise ukrainian determination to save their country. thanks to the mariupol defenders the enemy was prevented from redeploying around 20,000 personnel into other regions. what does the final fall of mariupol mean for the conflict? also tonight. he is musician and photographer and heroin addict. we have a special report on how

mental health is linked to most drug and alcohol addiction. trade trouble — ministers propose legislation allowing the uk to unilaterally change the post—brexit trade deal with the eu. day six of that court case — wayne rooney says the england manager told him that rebekah vardy�*s media activities were causing distractions during euro 2016. ticket to ride — the queen makes a surprise visit to see london's new elizabeth line for herself. and coming up later rangers fans turning seville blue ahead of the europa league final tomorrow night with tens of thousands without tickets expected on the spanish city. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

for 82 days the ukranian fighters who clung to their last foothold in the besieged city of mariupol came to symbolise their country's defiance against the onslaught of russian forces. last night more than 260 of them were told to leave the asovstal steel plant and were taken to russian—controlled territory. the southern port city has been key to moscow's military campaign — giving russia full control of more than 80% of ukraine's black sea coastline. russian troops encircled mariupol in early march — damaging or destroying over 90% of the city. but ukrainian forces held out at the huge steelworks in the city. hundreds of them defied an ultimatum to surrender and so were trapped with a number of civilians and young children, who were eventually rescued. reports from ukraine suggest buses carrying more of the ukrainian fighters have left the steel plant this afternoon. 0ur correspondent

laura bicker, reports. it has been a brutal and bloody 83 days but the battle is over for now. the wounded from azovstal are carried out of the first steel plant filmed by the very force they have been fighting. russia will be keen to add these images which they say shall surrender but the ukrainians say it is about survival. translation: we need our heroes alive, said the president. for more than two months the russians have bombarded this industrial site and analysts believe the latest attack used phosphorus bombs. but a small fighting force refused to give up. they may also help prevent russia from pushing further north. translation: thanks to the mariupol defenders the enemy was prevented from deploying

20,000 personnel into other regions. civilians also used the vast network of tunnels at the site as a refuge aided by soldiers. supplies dwindled and there is cold and foetid bunker was cut off from the world, the situation became desperate. finally after two months women and children were allowed out into the light. as they arrived at the evacuation centre i met katarina who had escaped with her two children. the boys aged six and 11 are adapting to being back outside and they played much as they did in the dark their games involved defeating the russians, the father is a fighter and remains at the plant. translation: the bombs were so heavy it felt like

the bunker walls were moving in the rooms themselves became smaller. sometimes there was a break of an hour and we would hope that as it, thatis hour and we would hope that as it, that is may be the end of it. her home city of mariupol has been hollowed out by the russian assault. this once vibrant port now a shell littered with death and destruction. from the depths of the steel plant wounded ukrainian fighters made a plea for safe passage. many already have died from sepsis they claim. the russians say those injured will be treated and there are reports of a prisoner swap. be treated and there are reports of a prisonerswap. but be treated and there are reports of a prisoner swap. but it is not clear what will happen to the hundreds of fighters still at azovstal, among them thought to be katarina as translation: we really want to help them but i do not know how, we feel powerless. he is a very strong mind, strong in

spirit and has been supporting me all my life. the azovstal fighters may have a bait in order to save lives but they were solved in the face of insurmountable odds has made them a symbol of ukrainian resistance. let's go to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. some people are talking about the fall of mariupol as a kind of turning point in the conflict, what is your sense of it? this turning point in the conflict, what is your sense of it?— turning point in the conflict, what is your sense of it? this is a ma'or moment in — is your sense of it? this is a ma'or moment in this i is your sense of it? this is a ma'or moment in this war, d is your sense of it? this is a ma'or moment in this war, the i is your sense of it? this is a major moment in this war, the bloodiest j moment in this war, the bloodiest battle in this war is now over. and mariupol which is now a child and crumbling shell will live in infamy as the city that russia bombed and blasted into submission. it will also live on as a byword for suffering but also the determined

last stand of ukrainian forces who continued notjust to resist the russian advance across the country but also to push it back. but taking mariupol has strategic significance in this war, russia tried and failed to capture it in 2014 and now it has secured the crucial land bridge between the krahemann peninsula and eastern ukraine where russia is now concentrating most of its fighting forces and firepower. mariupol had been standing in the way, this was always regarded from the beginning is the most important objective for president putin in this war and the minimal objective. it underlines for all of russia's mistakes and miscalculations in the conflict it has taken land in the south and in the east and its forces are now digging in. it will be very difficult for ukrainian forces to take it back. but the ukrainian army armed with new resolve and a bigger

flow of western weaponry is certainly going to try.- flow of western weaponry is certainly going to try. thank you very much- _ whether it's social services trying to mend broken lives or governments passing legislation the question of how best to deal with addiction is as old as the problem itself. now figures released to the bbc show a dramatic link between addiction and serious mental health problems — and may point to a way forward. 70% of those in treatment for drug addiction and 75% of those treated for alcohol addiction are affected by mental health. the latest independent report on drugs found that understanding the link between drug abuse and mental illness is crucial in shaping treatments that could save lives. in his second special report on addiction jeremy cooke has been given exclusive to access to an innovative approach. a warning, there are scenes showing drug use. there's nothing wrong with it except for the c# key. meet tony. how have you been?

up and down? i've been using too much heroin. 58 years old, he's a musician, a science buff, a photographer and a heroin addict. what would you like people to understand about you, folks like you, that we don't get at the minute? we feel love and hate like everybody else, and we're just people. most drug addicts have a reason that they're addicted. for many addicts, that reason is mental illness, and there's a growing understanding of the destructive cyclical link between drug abuse and poor mental health. tony lives with chronic schizophrenia. you know, i look at it like i'm self—medicating rather than just getting high. itjust helps me to cope. coping, but lonely. more than three decades into a heroin habit, it's a solitary life. how much time do you spend in this flat alone? a lot of time, nearly every day. i live here, don't i? sleep on my own. i wake up alone. but tony is not an isolated case.

so many addicts have mental health problems, the government's most senior drugs adviser is demanding change. one of my biggest concerns — can we get enough mental health support and trauma—informed care into services for drug—dependent people? it's a real challenge. i can do it for two or three hours, and nobody, nobody even stops to look. tony's at the shopping centre showing off his photos. there are compliments. you're a good man, i mean that. thank you. but with addiction... take care. ..there's also stigma. i get called junkie and crackhead and all that. what can you say? cos it's true, i am. the r0 is going back in time. why is that? tony's often on good form when we meet, but when he's lonely and down, he sends e—mails. tony. go on, read. read my... "i'm looking forward to dying." oh, yeah, god, please.

you say, "someone will find me. i can't put my neighbours through the ordeal of seeing a dead body, so i can't even end myself without doing harm to others." that's right. "i'm going to bed now. i cannot stop crying." yeah. remember, i'm mentally ill, and that's a fact. and i wouldn't deny it. i'm good at looking normal and being normal. but at the base...base level i'm just, you know, i struggle to hang on to reality sometimes. you just like to be doing that something that you shouldn't be doing. yeah. tony's key workerjohn is part of a network which supports his physical and mental health and understanding his addiction as a chronic illness. it's a long—term commitment. tony, or somebody like tony, what does success actually look like? his mental health's better. he's sustaining his life the way it is now. and not only that, he seems a bit more happier in his life now. if mental health is key

to the addiction problem, the solution may, in part, look like this. just keep yourself safe. and obviously try and get back to us if you can, all right? _ companeros is a coffee shop which is also in effect an nhs—funded mental health a&e here in birkenhead. i was drinking every single night. i came here as a 42—year—old man who just didn't know where to go. when rob arrived here in crisis, joe eklund and his team were ready. parts of my family don't understand or parts of my circle of friends don't understand how ill i was, do you know what i mean, how close i was. and something this simple can save lives...can save lives. you really believe that, don't you? i know it. living proof. i'm here, aren't i? anyone can come here self—referred if they believe they're in mental health crisis. it only opened in september, but already the team has helped 300 cases and rising. you are doing really well. i'm so proud to be managing

a service like this. people can go and feel safe and be heard. yeah, and ijust wish that they were all over the country, to be honest. i'm back with tony, hoping for an update on his progress, but he's got other things on his mind. we didn't expect this. tony, you've got a cup of tea, a bit of cake and some heroin. and some heroin. not the average afternoon break. no, not at all. give me a moment. to me, it's a means to an end. which is... peaceful undisturbed by all thoughts and trouble and schizophrenia. the link between mental health and addiction is increasingly understood and accepted. the challenge now is to build services, to change lives and to save lives. jeremy cooke, bbc news, birkenhead.

if you've been affected by any of the issues injeremy�*s report, details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 08000155 947. there are more job vacancies than unemployed people in the uk for the first time since records began. figures from the office for national statistics showed that the unemployment rate fell to its lowest for almost 50 years. despite the strong employment figures, the 0ns said that people's wages have seen their biggest fall in real terms since 2013 as the cost of living crisis continues to bite. here's our economics editor, faisal islam. back to work, back to the shops and back to the office. and all that appears to be sending the big economic numbers in different directions. first, the good news,

the rate of unemployment has fallen tojust 3.7%. notjust far lower than expectations as the pandemic hit, in fact the lowest level of unemployment we've seen in nearly half a century. that reflects the fact that the economy has now made up all the losses from the pandemic and all the support put in during that period. and what about businesses offering jobs, vacancies? that's up to a record 1.3 million nearly, and for the first time in history, that number is higher than the number of unemployed. i'm delighted this morning we saw that unemployment was at the lowest levels we've seen in almost half a century. that is the single best way to fight poverty is to have a plan forjobs. but for the many millions injobs, regular pay, when adjusted for surging inflation, fell by the biggest amount for over nine years, down 1.2%, and that's set to get worse. those welcome jobs numbers reflect the recovery from the pandemic, essentially a window on the past. for the future, you've got to look

at those wages numbers, which is just the start of a mass squeeze on household incomes affecting tens of millions that the bank of england fears will push the economy close to recessionary territory and could lead to those jobless numbers going back up. for the future, you've got to look at those wages numbers, it is very much a mixed picture at the moment, and we are likely to see more headwinds and harder times for the bank of england to try and control inflation. and today's sunnyjobs data risks being darkened by the clouds of inflation, the latest figures out tomorrow. faisal islam, bbc news. member of parliament has been arrested on suspicion of rate. tory whips say the unnamed mp has been asked to stay away from parliament. the conservative whips office said they would make no comment until the

conclusion of the investigation. the foreign secretary, liz truss, has outlined government plans to pass a law that would allow it to unilaterally change the uk's post—brexit trade deal on northern ireland. but as our political editor chris mason reports any attempt to change the protocol without the agreement of the eu could risk a trade war. at the heart of brexit our borders, because borders are all about different rules either side of them, but this is belfast harbour and because of the brexit deal, that the prime minister signed, plenty of stuff arriving here from the rest of the uk has to be a right —— checked as well. the cabinet talked about changing it this morning and so did the foreign secretary in the commons this afternoon. i the foreign secretary in the commons this afternoon-— this afternoon. i am announcing our intention to — this afternoon. i am announcing our intention to introduce _ this afternoon. i am announcing our intention to introduce legislation . intention to introduce legislation intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make changes in the coming weeks to make changes in the coming weeks to make changes in the protocol. 0ur preference remains the negotiated solution with the eu. and in parallel with the legislation being introduced, we remain open to further talks. 50.

remain open to further talks. so, what is the _ remain open to further talks. so, what is the protocol? it's an arrangement to deal with the fact that northern ireland is in the uk and the republic of ireland is in the european union. some things passing from england and scotland into northern ireland are getting checked when they cross the irish sea, placing in effect what is a border in the uk because as part of the peace process there is an open border between northern ireland and the republic, meaning the czechs cannot happen there. and that to a party committed to preserving the uk is terrible. the party committed to preserving the uk is terrible. ., , ., ., ., is terrible. the words today are a aood is terrible. the words today are a good start _ is terrible. the words today are a good start but — is terrible. the words today are a good start but the _ is terrible. the words today are a good start but the foreign - is terrible. the words today are a i good start but the foreign secretary will know that it is actions that speak louder than words. and i welcome her commitment to such decisive action in this statement to the house. �* ., ., the house. but labour said that the government — the house. but labour said that the government should _ the house. but labour said that the government should have _ the house. but labour said that the government should have seen - the house. but labour said that the government should have seen thisl government should have seen this coming. government should have seen this cominu. , ., coming. either they did not understand _ coming. either they did not understand their _ coming. either they did not understand their own - coming. either they did not - understand their own agreement, coming. either they did not _ understand their own agreement, they were not— understand their own agreement, they were not up— understand their own agreement, they were not up front about the reality of it or _ were not up front about the reality of it or they— were not up front about the reality of it or they intended to break it all along —

of it or they intended to break it all alonu. , . of it or they intended to break it all alon. , ., ., , all along. this all matters because it is an unresolved _ all along. this all matters because it is an unresolved bit of _ it is an unresolved bit of delivering brexit and it has consequences. it means there is not a fully functioning devolved government in northern ireland because the democratic unionists will not go back and until there are changes and it means ministers worry of the uk, and it means that the government's critics say it is trashing the country's reputation. what we saw today was a british government through their foreign secretary reconfirming their commitment to breaching international law, ripping up an agreement that they negotiated and signed, an agreement ultimately necessary because of the brexit they pursued. necessary because of the brexit they ursued. �* .,, ., ., pursued. and the european union sa s, pursued. and the european union says. don't— pursued. and the european union says, don't threaten _ pursued. and the european union says, don't threaten us _ pursued. and the european union says, don't threaten us with - pursued. and the european union says, don't threaten us with a - pursued. and the european union| says, don't threaten us with a new law, let's keep talking. i says, don't threaten us with a new law, let's keep talking.— law, let's keep talking. i think our messaue law, let's keep talking. i think our message is _ law, let's keep talking. i think our message is loud _ law, let's keep talking. i think our message is loud and _ law, let's keep talking. i think our message is loud and clear. - law, let's keep talking. i think our i message is loud and clear. engaging with us_ message is loud and clear. engaging with us on— message is loud and clear. engaging with us on the basis of our proposals we put forward last october, engaging with us on those flexibilities is a much better course — flexibilities is a much better course than engaging unilaterally.

this battle about borders is a row that will rumble four months at least. the time is 6.19pm. our top story this evening. more ukrainian fighters leave the steel plant in mariupol in buses escorted by pro—russian forces as the longest siege of the war draws to a close. coming up... steady as she goes. nasa's mars rover begins an journey that could, one day, answer the question, was there life on the red planet? coming up in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel, they have done the bbc news channel, they have done the cup double, but now they have to keep the title race alive. liverpool cannot afford to slip up at southampton in the premier league later this evening. now to the libel case involving coleen rooney and rebekah va rdy. wayne rooney, speaking for the first time, says he was asked by the england manager during the euro 2016 tournament to speak to his then teammate

jamie vardy about his wife's "media activities" because they were "causing problems and distractions". the former england captain's wife coleen is being sued for libel by rebekah vardy. our correspondent colin paterson reports. day six, and for the first time, leicester city footballer jamie vardy accompanied his wife rebekah vardy to court. but it was his former international team—mate wayne rooney who was facing the questions. england's all—time top goal—scorer is used to getting into the box. today, it was the witness box. while giving his evidence, he appeared confident and assured. he spoke about when he was england captain at the 2016 euros and how their manager, roy hodgson, asked him to speak to jamie vardy to see if he could get his wife to calm down because she was causing problems and distractions for the team in france. rebekah vardy was writing a column for the sun at the time.

wayne rooney said he 100% remembered having the conversation and said jamie vardy agreed to talk to his wife. however, in a statement released outside court this afternoon, jamie vardy said that wayne rooney was talking nonsense and must be confused. today, coleen rooney's private instagram posts were released by the court for the first time. also revealed were two fake stories coleen rooney created to try and deduce who was looking information about her to the newspapers. she allegedly blocked every account apart from rebekah vardy�*s. days later, the stories appeared in the sun. wayne rooney said he did not know about his wife's online detective work until she posted her accusation. he described the 2.5 years since then as traumatic for coleen rooney, saying he watched her struggle, becoming a different mother, a different wife. so, up until now, it had been the wives giving evidence. today, the husbands came face to face. the va rdys left early

while wayne rooney said he cannot wait for the trial to be over so they can all go on with their lives. colin paterson, bbc news, the high court. a woman has been found guilty of murdering a baby she wanted to adopt. leiland—james corkill died in cumbria injanuary last year, less than five months after he went to live with laura castle and her husband. to fatally shaking the 13—month—old after she lost it over his crying. her husband, scott castle, was cleared of causing or allowing his death. she will be sentenced next week. the founder of the neo—nazi terrorist group national action has been found guilty of remaining in the group after it was banned. alex davies from swansea is the 19th person to be convicted of being a member of the group. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has this report, which contains offensive material. it was the most provocative

neo—nazi group to emerge in britain since the 19705. alex davies, seen here with the megaphone, was its founder. national action members were white supremacists preparing for a race war. alex davies did a nazi salute at buchenwald concentration camp. whenjo cox was murdered, a national action account celebrated, saying, "only 649 mps to go." it led to the group being banned. at his trial in winchester, davies didn't deny his neo—nazi past. he said he was the founder of national action. he said it was his idea, but he insisted he wasn't involved in it after it was banned as a terrorist organisation. but the prosecution showed he'd organised fight camps with fellow neo—nazis. when the time comes, they'll be in the chambers...

..while jack renshaw plotted to kill an mp with a large knife. 19 people have now been convicted of remaining members after the ban. it's a very dangerous group of individuals. they sought to push forward that extreme right—wing ideology. the use of violence was seen as a method to do that. davies was also linked to atomwaffen division, an even more violent group in america. he's been told it's inevitable that he's going to prison. daniel sandford, bbc news. now, has there ever been life on mars? that's what nasa is trying to find out. well, today its perseverance mars rover has begun a journey on the red planet that may help to answer that all important question. our science editor, rebecca morelle reports. the parachute has deployed... it's a mission that began with a jaw—dropping descent, beaming back real footage of a mars landing. over the last year, nasa's perseverance rover has revealed the planet as never seen before as it's trundled across

the dusty terrain. and it's made history by flying the first helicopter on another planet. now, though, perseverance is starting the most important part of its mission — hunting for signs of life. we know there was once liquid water on the surface of mars. we know there are organics on the surface of mars. and so all signs point to the surface of mars, 3.5—4 billion years ago, being a habitable planet. the rover�*s exploring an area called thejezero crater. billions of years ago, it was a huge lake. you can clearly see a river running into it. and this gives you an idea of what it once would've looked like. if we zoom in, this coloured area shows where the river met the lake, depositing sediment to create a delta. the rover landed here in the floor of the crater. it spent more than a year traveling the seven miles, that's about 11 kilometres, to get to the base of the delta. now it has a 40—metre climb to reach the top,

so its deployed the mini—mars helicopter to scout the best path ahead. perseverance will drill into the most promising rocks looking for signs of martian microbes. the plan is for a future mission to bring these samples back to earth. imagine if we found evidence that there was some sort of microscopic life there. that's huge. it's, you know, mind—blowing in a way. and so i think the opportunity to look for that and bring it back to earth and then see what we see is going to rewrite history books regardless of the answer. this mission is revealing the eerie beauty of mars, even showing us a martian solar eclipse. the red planet is dry and dusty today, but now we may finally find out whether life ever existed on mars. rebecca morelle, bbc news. kay mellor — the actress and script—writer who wrote some of the most successful tv dramas of recent decades — has died at the age of 71.

she created series including "band of gold", "the syndicate" and "fat friends" — which explored the lives of people attending a slimming club. the bbc said her work had "such heart, humanity, humour and passion", with strong female characters often taking centre—stage. the queen has made a surprise appearance at paddington station in london to see the completed crossrail project. the elizabeth line, which also runs to parts of essex and berkshire, is due to open next week, three—and—a—half years later than originally planned. her majesty, who's 96, was joined by her youngest son, the earl of wessex for the official opening, as our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. it will carry her name for centuries to come. so there really was only one person to open it. all those mobility issues were put to one side as the queen came to see the elizabeth line for herself.

four billion over budget and more than three years late it may be, but today was a day to celebrate its formal completion. she walked slowly and carefully, leaning slightly on her stick, but without any obvious difficulty. at a ticket machine, she was presented with something called an oyster card and shown where to place it. the elizabeth line will open to passengers next week in time for the platinum jubilee celebrations. and judging by today, the person who'll be at the centre of those celebrations is getting ready herself. decisions will still be taken day by day about the queen's attendance at the differentjubilee events, but there's clearly a determination to be seen as widely as possible. nicholas witchell, bbc news. time for a look at the weather

here's helen willetts. the warmest day of the year so far and a sweltering 27.5 celsius at heathrow today and many other central and eastern areas had similar temperatures and a little bit down on that but very warm. but look how different the weather is furtherwest. heavy look how different the weather is further west. heavy rain for northern ireland and far wetter than yesterday with thunderstorms moving in across the channel and that is all meandering its way around this massive area of low pressure sitting out in the atlantic and pushing its way east. many will again see some rain for the gardens as we come through the evening and overnight with thunderstorms hit and miss and eastern areas and more persistent rain north and west but most should clear overnight and lasting longest in orkney and shetland and warm weather following a warm day and possibly patchy fog towards dormitory have to be up early to see it. once it clears, similarfor england and wales with morning sunshine but a scattering of showers

and for northern ireland and