this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. the headlines at eight. ukrainian forces leave their last foothold in the devastated city of mariupol — taken to russian territory as prisoners of war. they held on for 82 days, symbolising ukraine's resistance. translation: thanks to the mariupol defenders the enemy was prevented from redeploying around 20,000 personnel into other regions. a conservative member of parliament has been arrested on suspicion of rape — the unnamed mp has been asked to stay away from parliament. trade trouble — ministers propose a new law allowing the uk to unilaterally change the post—brexit trade deal between northern ireland and the eu. there are more job vacancies than unemployed people

in the uk for the first time since records began. but high inflation means people's wages are falling in real terms. the �*wagatha christie�* court case — wayne rooney says the england manager told him that rebekah vardy�*s media activities were causing distractions during euro 2016. and the queen makes a surprise visit to see london's new elizabeth line for herself. good evening. for 82 days, the ukrainian 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 plant this afternoon. laura bigger reports. it's been a brutal and bloody 83 days, but their battle is over, for now. the wounded from azovstal are carried out the vast steel plant, filmed by the very force they've been fighting. russia will be keen to air these images which they say show

surrender, but the ukrainians say this deal is about survival. "we need our heroes alive," said the president. for more than two months, the russians have bombarded this industrial site. analysts believe this latest attack used phosphorus bombs. but a small fighting force refused to give up. they may also helped prevent russia from pushing further north. translation: thanks to the mariupol | defenders, the enemy was prevented| from redeploying around 20,000 personnel into other regions, and so was unable to rapidly take zaporizhzhia. civilians also used the site's vast network of tunnels as a refuge, aided by the soldiers. but supplies dwindled, and this 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 kateryna, who'd escaped with her two children. the boys, age six and 11, are adapting to being back outside and play much as they did in the dark. their games involve defeating the russians. their father is a fighter and remains at the plant. translation: under the bombardment, the bombs were so heavy it felt - like the bunker walls were moving and the rooms themselves became smaller. sometimes there was a break of an hour and we would hope that was it, that this may be the end of it. kateryn�*s 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. but it's not clear what will happen to the hundreds of fighters still at azovstal. among them is thought to be kateryna's husband. translation: i really, really, really want to help them, - but ijust don't know how. i feel powerless. he is a very, very strong man, strong in spirit. he's been supporting me all my life. the azovstal fighters may have obeyed and order to save lives, but their resolve in the face of insurmountable odds has made them a symbol of ukrainian resistance.

laura bicker, bbc news, dnipro. well, our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is in the ukrainian capital, kyiv, and she gave this assessment of fall of mariupol. this is a major moment in this war. the bloodiest battle in this war is now over. mariupol, which is now a charred and crumbling shell, will live in infamy as the city that russia blasted into submission. it will also live on as a word for suffering, but also, the determined last stand of ukrainian forces will continue to notjust resist russia's advance across the country, but also to push it back. but taking mariupol, this huge strategic significance in this war, russia tried and failed to capture it in 2014, and now it has secured that

crucial land bridge between the crimean for lynch —— peninsula and eastern ukraine, where russia is concentrating most of its forces. mariupol had been standing in the way. this was always regarded from the beginning of the most important objective for president putin in this war and the minimal objective. it underlines it for all of russia's mistakes in this 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 in a biggerflow but the ukrainian army, armed with new resolve in a bigger flow of western weaponry, are certainly going to try. western weaponry, are certainly going to try-— western weaponry, are certainly uuointot. ., ., i, going to try. thanks to lyse doucet for that. joining me now is the cold war historian, professor sergey radchenko. expert and soviet foreign policy, good evening to you. good evening. what does this mean? _

good evening to you. good evening. what does this mean? how- good evening to you. good evening. what does this mean? how will- good evening to you. good evening. what does this mean? how will this | what does this mean? how will this be viewed in the kremlin? this what does this mean? how will this be viewed in the kremlin?— be viewed in the kremlin? this is not a major. _ be viewed in the kremlin? this is not a major, major _ be viewed in the kremlin? this is not a major, major deal - be viewed in the kremlin? this is not a major, major deal with - be viewed in the kremlin? this is not a major, major deal with the | not a major, major deal with the kremlin. it is a symbolic moment for ukraine and mary apollo was usually symbolic. it was the stall and ground moment, if you would —— mary and chose to die. but for the russians, the war continues. they have secured the city and they have their land bridge to crimea, but will continue with their defensive in donbas. �* , will continue with their defensive in donbas. �*, , a will continue with their defensive in donbas. �*, , , ., will continue with their defensive in donbas. �*, , ., ., in donbas. let's pick up on that. what is the _ in donbas. let's pick up on that. what is the long-term _ in donbas. let's pick up on that. what is the long-term military l what is the long—term military strategic objectives for the kremlin? strategic ob'ectives for the kremlin? , ., kremlin? putin is determined to ress on kremlin? putin is determined to press on in _ kremlin? putin is determined to press on in this _ kremlin? putin is determined to press on in this stage. _ kremlin? putin is determined to press on in this stage. ukraine | kremlin? putin is determined to | press on in this stage. ukraine is determined to reclaim its territory.

now that the west is providing massive weapons and economic aid to ukraine, it seems possible for ukraine, it seems possible for ukraine to launch a counter offensive. it is possible that we will see fighting for weeks and months, but given that at the moment, the russian offensive seems to be fizzling out, we could well see stalemate in donbas. but what putin is counting on i think is the long game, that is to say he is hoping to outlast the west, that the west will tire ukraine. fatigue is starting to set in in some quarters, and he hopes that higher energy prices which will contribute to an economic crisis will force the west to somehow give up on ukraine. can that be right, given the fact that he's... those separatists have been in the area for so many years

already? that hasn't achieved a great deal other than bringing everything to a head now. absolutely, and he has obviously doubled down. he's hoping to clutch some kind of victory from the jaws of general strategic defeat. and he may well be able to make some gains. much depends on how the donbas offensive continues to unfold or whether it stalls. then we'll see. but putin has not signalled so far that he's willing to get off the ramp, as it were, or get on the off ramp. go and seek peace with ukraine. norare ukrainians ramp. go and seek peace with ukraine. nor are ukrainians in a position to negotiate. they feel that they can push back. == that will depend on russian public opinion being supported. it depends

on the propaganda machine there. there was a little hint on a russian tv show that's gone viral online with a military export basically trying to invent —— inject a bit of reality into coverage. things aren't as rosy as perhaps they think they are. is that a significant chink there or a one—off? are. is that a significant chink there or a one-off?— are. is that a significant chink there or a one-off? this is a very interesting case. _ there or a one-off? this is a very interesting case. you _ there or a one-off? this is a very interesting case. you have - there or a one-off? this is a very interesting case. you have to - interesting case. you have to understand the media contacts. it is not free extremely restrictive. it has been in the last few weeks. military experts talk about, but not... to make sure, as long as it's not too contrary. it was previously different. the chops stocks —— host

tried to stop them but could it. they were exposed to the truth, and does that represent a broader shift in the discourse. i don't believe so. . ., y in the discourse. i don't believe so. . ., , . ., in the discourse. i don't believe so. . ., y . ., ., so. inc. you very much for coming on the programme- _ so. inc. you very much for coming on the programme. thank— so. inc. you very much for coming on the programme. thank you _ so. inc. you very much for coming on the programme. thank you for - so. inc. you very much for coming on | the programme. thank you for having me. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are camilla turner, who's chief political correspondent at the daily telegraph, and the writer and broadcaster, mihir bose. the tory whips, who are in charge of party discipline, say the un—named mp has been asked to stay away from parliament. the conservative whips office said they will make no further comment until the conclusion of the police investigation.

let's talk to our political correspondent, jonathan blake. clearly limits on what can be said, but what more do we know? the metropolitan _ but what more do we know? tue: metropolitan police but what more do we know? he metropolitan police confirmed but what more do we know? tt2 metropolitan police confirmed this afternoon in a statement that they received a report injanuary 2020 relating to alleged sexual offences which were alleged committed in london between 2002—2009. they say an investigation is ongoing, led by the mets's central specialist crime unit, and they confirmed that a man has been arrested on suspicion of several different offences. they are indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in a public office. separately, and a statement from the conservative party whips office, who are in charge of discipline among party members in parliament, the chief whip has asked the mp

concerned to stay away from the parliamentary estate while the investigation is ongoing. they go on to say until that investigation has concluded, they want to be commenting any further. —— they won't be. we were told this conservative party will not name the individual in question and that a decision on whether they should keep or have the party with removed effectively, meaning suspension from the party, that will not be taken until the investigation is complete. thanks for that, jonathan. the headlines on bbc news... forces leave their last stronghold in the devastated city of mariupol, taken to russian territory as prisoners of war. they held on for 82 days, simply as a resistance. —— symbolising. a conservative mp has been arrested on suspicion of rape, and has been asked to stay away from

parliament. trade trouble, ministers proposing a new law while allowing the uk to change the pro structure —— post—brexit trade deal between northern ireland and the eu. time for the sport. hi, northern ireland and the eu. time forthe sport. hi, gavin. nice to see you. it's a huge game for liverpool. it's currently 1—1 at the moment. not long to go until half—time. nathan redmond with the opener, so a bit of a nervous start for liverpool. but they have been rescued by the east collider. —— equaliser. a drawl will leave city on the brink of the

title. it is a big match going on in the championship playoff semifinals. around 15 minutes to go to half—time, and it is 1— 02 forest. brennanjohnson with the goal. they had an advantage and can they hold on to seal a wooden bleed date? —— a wembley date. looking good so far at the moment. the former captain has been aft injured. tough news for arsenal midfielderjordan nobbs, left out after picking up a knee injury later this month. she after picking up a knee in'ury later this month.— after picking up a knee in'ury later this month. she went to the world cu- in this month. she went to the world cuo in 2015. _ this month. she went to the world cuo in 2015. but —

this month. she went to the world cup in 2015, but barely _ this month. she went to the world cup in 2015, but barely played - cup in 2015, but barely played because she wasn't injured. she missed the last world cup in 2019 because of in any... this will be very hard for her to take. the selection will take place mid june. the tournament starts in 50 days today when england hosts austria. manchester city are losing their all time top goalscorer, england midfielder georgia stanway. she'sjoining german club bayern munich. she made her senior debut for city at 16 and leaves with 57 goals in 165 appearances. the 23—year—old last game was the the fa cup final defeat to chelsea on sunday. eritrea's biniam girmay has made cycling history at the giro d'italia — he's become the first black african rider to win a stage at a grand tour. it happened on stage 10 of the giro and against top—class opposition in the shape of mathieu van der pool, who put his thumb up to admit defeat as the eritrean beat him to the finish line.

girmay continues to make history having become the first black african to win a one—day classic race this season, but this is the biggest victory of the 22—year—old's career so far. cycling royalty has also been honoured by british royalty today. jason and laura kenny have become the first couple to receive a knighthood and damehood together. seven—time olympic gold medalist jason and five—time olympic champion laura received their honours from prince william at a ceremony at windsor castle. the rebuild of english men's cricket continues — tom harrison, the chief executive of the england and wales cricket board has resigned after seven years in charge. harrison oversaw success in limited overs cricket with both england's women and men's teams winning the world cup. but recent failures in test cricket have seen an overhaul at the ecb with a new test coach, captain and managing director being appointed. harrison's biggest project was introducing a new limited—overs competition, the hundred, which started last year. some sad news to bring you — former rugby league chief executive maurice lindsay has died aged 81. lindsay also masterminded wigan's revival in the 1980s as chairman and was heavily involved in the creation of super league in 1996.

current rfl chief executive ralph rimmer said, "he will be "remembered as one of the most significant leaders "in the sport's history." it still currently 1—1 between southampton and liverpool, and 1—0 against sheffield united two forest. that is all the sport for now. more later on. great stuff, thanks gavin. 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. the northern ireland protocol as it's called is at the heart of the political impasse in the province. here's our political editor, chris mason. at the heart of brexit are borders because borders are all about different rules either side of them. but this is belfast harbour, and because of the brexit deal the prime minister signed, plenty of stuff arriving

here from the rest of the uk has to be checked, too. the cabinet talked about changing it this morning, and so did the foreign secretary in the commons this afternoon. i am announcing our intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make changes in the protocol. 0ur preference remains a negotiated solution with the eu. and in parallel with the legislation being introduced, we 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, scotland and wales into northern ireland are now getting checked when they cross the irish sea, placing what is in effect a border within the uk because as part of the peace process, there's an open border between northern ireland and the republic, meaning the checks can't happen there. and that, to a party committed

to preserving the uk, is terrible. the words today are a 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. but labour said the government should've seen this coming. either they did not understand their own agreement, - they were not up front - about the reality of it or they intended to break it all along. this all matters because it is an unresolved bit of delivering brexit and it has consequences. it means there isn't a fully functioning devolved government in northern ireland because the democratic unionists won't go back in until there are changes. it means ministers worry about the integrity of the uk. and it means the government's critics say it is trashing the country's reputation. what we saw today was a british government through their foreign secretary

reconfirm their commitment to breach an international law, ripping up an agreement that they negotiated and signed, an agreement that was ultimately necessary because of the brexit that they pursued. and the european union says don't threaten us with a new law, let's keep talking. i think our message is loud and clear. engaging with us on the basis of our proposals that we put forward last october, engaging with us on those flexibilities is a much better course than engaging unilaterally. this battle about borders is a row that will rumble for months at least. chris mason, bbc news. the irish foreign minister has been responding. this is what he had to say. responding. this is what he had to sa . , ., responding. this is what he had to sa , , ., ., responding. this is what he had to sa . , ., ., ., say. instead of engaging, the british government has - say. instead of engaging, the l british government has decided say. instead of engaging, the - british government has decided that they are going to threaten domestic legislation to set aside elements of the protocol which is part of an

international treaty through domestic legislation. i think that will cause a lot more problems than it solves if they go ahead and do that. �* , , ., it solves if they go ahead and do that. �*, , ., ., ,, it solves if they go ahead and do that. �* , , ., ., ,, ., ., that. let's try and work out what all this needs. _ we can speak now to philip rycroft. he's a former permanent secretary in the department for exiting the european union. he now works for the consultancy flint global. thank you so much for coming on the programme. thank you so much for coming on the programme-— thank you so much for coming on the programme-_ what - thank you so much for coming on the| programme._ what was programme. good evening. what was our programme. good evening. what was your reaction — programme. good evening. what was your reaction to _ programme. good evening. what was your reaction to liz _ programme. good evening. what was your reaction to liz truss _ programme. good evening. what was your reaction to liz truss standing - your reaction to liz truss standing up your reaction to liz truss standing up for this plan? tia your reaction to liz truss standing no for this plan?— up for this plan? no surprises toda . this is another downward spiral in this internal saga that is the northern ireland programme at all. in my view, it will receive further. it's going to be, as your reporter suggested, with us for a long while before this is sorted out.—

before this is sorted out. labour's so position _ before this is sorted out. labour's so position is _ before this is sorted out. labour's so position is the _ before this is sorted out. labour's so position is the government - before this is sorted out. labour's i so position is the government signed up so position is the government signed up to this, so either he didn't read it or understand it, or he did and knew they would have to do something like this eventually. weill. knew they would have to do something like this eventually.— like this eventually. well, i 'ust think all along, i like this eventually. well, i 'ust think all along, the i like this eventually. well, ijust| think all along, the government like this eventually. well, i just - think all along, the government knew exactly what it was signing up to do. we've seen the impact assessments and the public domain. i had every confidence that officials advising david frost of the prime ministers —— and the prime minister, should have been very clear on the consequences. i think the prime minister indicated today that the eu would not have implemented it. but it's no surprise that we've ended up with the sorts of issues that we have, that it is clear that the european commission needs to show more flexibility. i think most

commentators will agree with that, and indeed, they have over issues like medicine �*s, and they have said they would show more flexibility over the checks on food imports into northern ireland and over customs checks. so, there is further negotiating room for the eu side, which i don't think is fully bottomed out. but in terms of what the uk signed up to, that's been clear all along. the uk signed up to, that's been clearallalong. d0 the uk signed up to, that's been clear all along.— the uk signed up to, that's been clear all along. do you think there is a potential— clear all along. do you think there is a potential solution _ is a potential solution here if there is more flexibility to come from the eu side? is there enough to effectively make that border in the sea disappear?— sea disappear? that's the big question. _ sea disappear? that's the big question, clearly, _ sea disappear? that's the big question, clearly, and - sea disappear? that's the big question, clearly, and what i question, clearly, and what everybody, every reasonable person wants is an outcome which allows trade on the island of ireland to function in a way that respects both the uk internal market and the eu

single market. in the context of the brexit that the prime minister negotiated. it is quite a tough ask. the protocol would never be ideal. it is the least worst option that we have. if there is to be... the keyword in all of this is trust, because that will require trust amongst the various communities in northern ireland, trusted the irish government, the european commission or trust in the uk government. what we're seeing today is a further erosion of the basis for that trust. the resolution of this will come through negotiation, and this rather heavy—handed threat to walk away from elements of the protocol takes as a step or two further back from that negotiated outcome.- that negotiated outcome. that's really care _ that negotiated outcome. that's really care and _ that negotiated outcome. that's really care and interesting. -- i

really care and interesting. —— clear. before i let you go, for all those people who worked on this, civil servants and nonpolitical people, how will they be feeling right now? will they be embarrassed about all this? what's going on? that about all this? what's going on? gift the human about all this? what's going on? git the human level, civil servants do theirjob that the human level, civil servants do their job that they're the human level, civil servants do theirjob that they're played to do. they work very hard. to deliver ministerial outcomes. some of us have the i'm sure my colleagues would be concerned about this because the uk has a reputation, well—founded representation across the world for upholding the rule of law, and no clever twist and turns on this one can hide the fact that unilaterally seeking to root revoke elements of an international treaty that we signed up to only a couple

of years ago is going to damage the uk's reputation. my former colleagues will feel that because they want to respect the institution which they were. t they want to respect the institution which they were.— which they were. i should say the boris johnson's _ which they were. i should say the boris johnson's position, - which they were. i should say the boris johnson's position, as - which they were. i should say the boris johnson's position, as you | borisjohnson's position, as you alluded to, too draconian in the way it's been applied. we have to leave it's been applied. we have to leave it there. thank you so much for coming on the programme and lending us your expertise. coming on the programme and lending us your expertise-_ 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. 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. 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.

mrs castle admitted fatally shaking the 13—month—old after her lawyer said she "lost it" over his crying. her husband, scott castle, was cleared of causing or allowing his death. she will be sentenced next week. now to the libel case involving coleen rooney and rebekah vardy. 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 team—mate 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. 0ur correspondent colin paterson report. 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. hello. rain, which has been a feature of the weather today across some western areas, is sweeping eastwards through this evening, with some heavy and thundery bursts around as well into areas that had a day of very warm sunshine.

in fact, the uk's highest temperatures of the year so far, near 28 at heathrow airport. all of that pushing through, a few showers following into northern ireland, northern and western scotland, and double figure temperatures as we start the day tomorrow. with a lot of fine weather around, morning showers clearing through northern scotland, sunny spells elsewhere. the next wet weather system into northern ireland, but not until late in the day, and ahead of it, notice how we see some thundery downpours starting to push in towards parts of wales and south west england. temperatures pretty much on a par with where they've been today. maybe not quite as warm across east anglia and south east england. and as we go into wednesday evening and night, more wet weather pushing east, including some thundery bursts, the potential for some torrential downpours across the east and south east of england. and then for thursday, a largely fine day. a wetter one on friday. i went to take you to the us now. president biden has described white supremacy as a �*poison' running through the body of us politics.

he was speaking on a visit to buffalo, the town in upstate new york where a gunman killed ten people on saturday. police are investigating what they believe to be a racially motivated crime. let's hear what the president had to say. let's hear what the president had to say. let's hear what the president had to sa . ~ ., let's hear what the president had to sa , . ., ., , , , let's hear what the president had to say. what happened here is simple and straightforward _ say. what happened here is simple and straightforward terrorism. - and straightforward terrorism. terrorism, domestic terrorism. violence inflicted in the service of hate and the vicious thirst for power that defines one group of people being inherently inferior to any other group. i hate that through the media and politics, the internet has radicalised angry, alienated lost and isolated individuals into falsely believing that they will be replaced, that's the word replaced liy replaced, that's the word replaced by the other. by people who don't look like them and who are therefore

in a perverse ideology that they possess and being said, lesser beings. i know all of you reject alive. i call on all americans to reject alive. and i condemn those who the live for power, political gain and for profit. the president and first lady visited a memorial outside the supermarket where the shooting occured. it's in a predominantly african american neighbourhood. president biden spoke about other atrocities in america where minority groups were targetted. look, we've seen the mass shootings in charleston south carolina, el paso, texas and pittsburgh. last yearin paso, texas and pittsburgh. last year in atlanta. this week in dallas, texas and now in buffalo. buffalo, new york. white supremacy is a poison, it's a poison running through... it really is. running

through... it really is. running through our body politic and it's been allowed to fester and grow right in front of our eyes. no more, i mean, no more. the founder of national action has been found guilty of remaining in the group after it was banned. alex davies from swansea is the nineteenth 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 1970s. 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. volunteer police officers in england and wales are to be permitted to carry tasers for the first time. the home office says it'll ensure they're not disadvantaged when facing attackers. but amnesty international has criticised the proposal, saying tasers should be reserved for specialist officers, "trained on a par with officers carrying firearms". may point way forward. 70% of those in treatment for drug addiction and 75% of those treated for alcohol addiction are affected by mental health problems. in a second special report on addictionjeremy cook has been given exclusive 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. kay mellor — the actress and script—writer who wrote some of the most successful tv dramas of recent decades — has died. she created series including "band of gold", "the syndicate" she also wrote the highly acclaimed drama series band of gold and more recently the syndicate. bbc look north's corinne wheatley takes a look back at her career. putting northern and working class voices centre stage. that was kay mellor�*s trademark. she started her career writing plays and worked on coronation street.

her itv drama band of gold, which first aired in 1995, was hugely popular, telling the stories of sex workers in bradford. i want people to talk about it. i want people to say, "how can we protect these young women? how can we protect prostitutes? what can we do to make life safer for them?" more hit dramas followed, including fat friends, starring ruthjones, sheridan smith and james corden and bbc 0ne's the syndicate. her stories always had such a human element to them, even when you are looking at a lottery winners going to monaco and spending their money, this was all from a working class point of view. so it spoke to many people around the uk and in bradford in particular, she will be very sadly missed. i think she had a real understanding that we _ i think she had a real understanding that we are — i think she had a real understanding that we are really _ i think she had a real understanding that we are really complex - i think she had a real understanding that we are really complex people l i think she had a real understandingl that we are really complex people in that we are really complex people in that sometimes— that we are really complex people in that sometimes involves _ that we are really complex people in that sometimes involves great - that sometimes involves great humour and other— that sometimes involves great humour and other times — that sometimes involves great humour and other times great _ that sometimes involves great humour and other times great darkness - that sometimes involves great humour

and other times great darkness and . and other times great darkness and she managed — and other times great darkness and she managed to _ and other times great darkness and she managed to somehow - and other times great darkness and she managed to somehow bring - and other times great darkness and . she managed to somehow bring those things— she managed to somehow bring those things together — she managed to somehow bring those things together in _ she managed to somehow bring those things together in a _ she managed to somehow bring those things together in a perfect _ she managed to somehow bring those things together in a perfect alchemy. things together in a perfect alchemy of storytelling _ in 2010, kay mellor received an 0be. she was passionate about representing yorkshire and leeds in particular in her work. i worked with k as an actor in the club and in strictly confidential. i always knew if a casting for kay kid in my comfort zone because she wrote prevalent 28 brilliantly for working—class voices. 0ne prevalent 28 brilliantly for working—class voices. one of her biggest strength she was she was a ladder dropper, for other writers, other talent she would always do when she could to mentor and support. it's devastating, a massive loss for us. when fat friends debuted as a musical case that she was delighted. t debuted as a musical case that she was delighted-— was delighted. i got a drum really. it's wonderful. _ was delighted. i got a drum really. it's wonderful. it's _ was delighted. i got a drum really. it's wonderful. it's all _ was delighted. i got a drum really. it's wonderful. it's all because - it's wonderful. it's all because that's— it's wonderful. it's all because that's where i set it here in leeds. itjust— that's where i set it here in leeds. itjust fitting that that's where i set it here in leeds. it just fitting that it's actually

at the — it just fitting that it's actually at the grand they force are just so thrilled~ _ at the grand they force are 'ust so thrilled. �* ., , , �* at the grand they force are 'ust so thrilled. . ., , _ ~ ., , _ , thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced _ thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced me _ thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced me to _ thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced me to do _ thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced me to do work... - thrilled. and happy. and happy yes, he convinced me to do work... this| he convinced me to do work... this was the last _ he convinced me to do work... this was the last time _ he convinced me to do work... this was the last time when kate joined us on look north as she filled the last of syndicate. today lenny henry said... lisa riley said the news was a massive shock, saying, "you were the best boss to work for." leeds grand theatre said... kay mellor was often described as a trailblazer for women a champion for the north, but she was also known as a mentor, someone who inspired generations of writers. kay mellor has died

at the age of 71. 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. 0ur 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 travelling 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 it's 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. is there anything out there? the pentagon has set up a new task force to investigate uaps or unidentified aerial phenomena, which are more commonly known as ufos. during the first public congressional hearing on the issue for more than 50 years, officials revealed there had been 11 near misses involving us military aircraft. they hoped to make it easier for military personnel to report incidents. 0ur correspondent phil mackie is in washington for us. explain first, what exactly going on

here? f ., . , explain first, what exactly going on here? y�* ., . , ., ," here? they've launch this new task force and it's _ here? they've launch this new task force and it's got _ here? they've launch this new task force and it's got this _ here? they've launch this new task force and it's got this really - force and it's got this really clumsy acronym that you have to come up clumsy acronym that you have to come up with a better name. this is really to look at particular incidents that are reported by military personnel. so the navy, the air force, the army. they had a lot of reports over recent years, more than they had in previous years. part of the reason for that is there trying to make it easierfor part of the reason for that is there trying to make it easier for people to report it, china set up proper systems and tested. they want to destigmatize the reporting process to make it less of a career ending a moment if you do say that you saw something unusual when you are flying your aircraft. some of the things they were showing today was some of the footage that was captured over the last couple of years by some of those military personnel. we saw a green flipper and triangle light which was easy explained away but one thing i think he could see now is a screen grab from some footage from an aircraft

cockpit of a small silver spherical object that suddenly appeared and disappeared a fast speed. a real time you can barely see it. at the frozen image you could see their shows that. they said theyjust don't know what that was and they can't detect any rational means for propulsion for that object. they say there are a number of imagers that they've gathered over recent years which show such things like that. they are asked questions by various representatives, the first and the tadic hearing like this in public since the end of project blue book backin since the end of project blue book back in 1969. and they were asked various questions about whether they've got any alien wreckage and they've got any alien wreckage and they were asked various questions about whether they've got any alien wreckage and that kind of thing, they said no, we don't. although they said no, we don't. although they can't explain some of the phenomena like that image you've just seen they say they are fairly confident it's not extraterrestrial in origin. but the us under secretary for defence intelligence and security was one of the shows taking questions today, he said the goal is not to cover up something

and they want to understand what's may be out there. he even admitted, he goes to conventions and i think that will reassure some people who genuinely believe that things tend to be covered up but nobody was that reveal the truth. those that believe the truth is out there will probably be reassured by some like him talking about this and being involved in the project. however, this was an hour and half of questioning and public and at the end of that they went behind closed doors for security reasons. i'm sure a lot of people out there will probably suspect that what was heard in the private session may have been more interesting than what we saw and heard in the public session this morning. t and heard in the public session this mornint. ., . ., morning. i gotta admit, those tictures morning. i gotta admit, those pictures we — morning. i gotta admit, those pictures we saw, _ morning. i gotta admit, those pictures we saw, i _ morning. i gotta admit, those pictures we saw, i could - morning. i gotta admit, thosej pictures we saw, i could make morning. i gotta admit, those - pictures we saw, i could make head nor tail of them anyway. i couldn't understand what was going on. we know the conspiracy theorist don't generally require a lot of encouragement anyway. is it something like this going to encourage them? t something like this going to encourage them?— something like this going to

encourage them? i think it will. it reflects a gradual— encourage them? i think it will. it reflects a gradual opening - encourage them? i think it will. it reflects a gradual opening up - encourage them? i think it will. it reflects a gradual opening up on i encourage them? i think it will. it i reflects a gradual opening up on the subject over the last couple years. there are lots of strange footage emerged, there are more cameras, more ways of detecting stuff that is just unexplainable at the moment. the thought is that there will be a rational explanation, could be natural phenomenon, a glitch in the technology, it could be what they talked about as aerial clutter, all the stuff up there at the moment, drones for instance. but there's quite a lot of it, a fair percentage that they can understand at the moment and they want to know what that is. they don't think it's extraterrestrial could be some technology that an enemy nation is testing out and for security reasons they want to get to the bottom of it and hence this new project. fascinating stuff. thank you very much. we should underline that unexplainable does not mean extraterrestrial. the queen has made a surprise visit

to paddington station in london to see the newly completed elizabeth line. the 96—year old monarch was joined by her youngest son, the earl of wessex, for the official opening this morning. 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 0yster 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. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello. it's been an east—west split out there today. across western areas, it was a case ofjust how wet will it get? well, it took its time, but it turned out to be very wet across parts of wales, northern ireland, south west england for a time. that wet weather sweeping its way eastwards into tonight, but for eastern areas in the sunshine, well, the highest temperature of the year so far, up to near 28 degrees celsius

at heathrow airport. so, the rain courtesy of this weather front here. the warmth, the flow of air around low pressure sitting to the west of us. and as ijust hinted earlier, what started in the west with the wet weather, sweeping eastwards, some heavy and thundery downpours around in places. when we get on into the second half of the night, that rain pushes across the northern isles, but elsewhere it becomes mainly dry. just a few showers for northern ireland, northern and western scotland, with temperatures mostly in double figures as we start the day tomorrow. so, into tomorrow, then, we have some morning showers around, especially into scotland and mainly in the north. elsewhere, there's a lot of fine weather to come. just a case of waiting for the next system to head our way, as it will into northern ireland, but really late in the day here, and ahead of it, a few showers or thunderstorms starting to break out towards the south west and into wales from increasing cloud. now, temperatures for many will be on a par with where they've been today. not quite as high into the east and south east of england, but it won't be too far off. so, very warm where you get

to see some sunshine, and temperatures near 20 in the warm spots in scotland as well. so, into tomorrow evening, then, and we're taking wet weather through northern ireland, and ahead of it, notice how the showers or thunderstorms become more widespread through england and wales, eventually wet weather into scotland. the potential overnight and into thursday for the east and south east of england seeing some torrential thundery downpours in places. but notice again by thursday morning, with the exception of shetland, which will eventually see the back of the rain, we are behind that weather system, and there's a lot of fine weather to come again. just a few showers running in towards north west scotland with a fairly stiff breeze here. and temperatures still into the high teens, low 20s. these temperatures will just begin to trail off a bit from friday into the weekend. on friday, aided by the fact there will be more widespread wet weather around during the day this time, and then over the weekend, there'll be showers, most of those across northern parts of the uk. and for most areas, it'll feel cooler and fresher.

hello, i'm mariam moshiri. you're watching the context on bbc news. the british government says it will publish legislation that would allow it to change the post—brexit trading arrangements for northern ireland without the agreement of the european union. the uk foreign secretary, liz truss, said a bill was necessary in case talks with the eu failed. the eu says the plans raise "significant concerns". talks between russia and ukraine to end the war are on hold. it comes as more than 260 ukrainian fighters were evacuated from steelworks in mariupol. as a retired colonel speaks out on russian tv, we'll take a closer look at what russians see and hear on state television. and are we alone in the universe? well, the nasa rover on mars has

started a key drive that could bring answers to that question.