at 6pm... scotland's first minister announces plans to hold a second independence referendum next year. the scottish government is proposing that the independence referendum be held on the 19th of october 2023. nicola sturgeon says she has written to the prime minister to ask for formal consent for a new vote. she's also asking the supreme court to decide if a referendum can be legally held without the uk government's approval. also on the programme... at least 20 people are dead and a0 are still missing after the russian missile attack on a packed shopping centre in ukraine. dozens have been injured.

the uk's largest force, the metropolitan police, has been put in special measures over concerns about a series of failures in high—profile cases including that murder or server abroad. the population of england and wales has soared to a new high in the past decade and it's getting older. and rafa nadal begins his quest at wimbledon to win his 23rd grand slam title — we'll be there live. coming up on sportsday, it's the end of an era in english cricket as their inspirational white ball captain eoin morgan retires from the international game. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. "should scotland be an independent country?" that is the question the first minister nicola sturgeon wants to put again to the people of scotland in an independence

referendum next year. it's exactly the same question that people were asked in 2014. downing street says the prime minister thinks now is not the time to be talking about a referendum but the government will look carefully at the proposal. nicola sturgeon says she wants to hold the vote on the 19th october 2023. she's also asking the supreme court to decide if it can be held legally without westminster�*s consent. eight years ago scotland rejected independence by 55% to 45%. but most polls suggest the gap has narrowed over the last two to three years and is now too close to call. our scotland editorjames cook reports from edinburgh. chanting: yes, yes, yes! no, no, no! scotland 2014, when politics came alive. how dare they say that this country is not capable of running its own affairs? this is everyone's flag, everyone's

country, everyone's culture, and everyone's streets. this is the vision we've got for your country. . but should we do this all over again? how does the nation feel about the idea of a second referendum? yeah, i think if there's a public call for it then we should definitely have one and just see what the public thinks. i don't think it's the best idea. yes, go for it, yeah, another one. oh, my god, again? presiding officer... well, yes, if nicola sturgeon has her way. now is the time for independence. the plan is to ask voters, should scotland be an independent country? to which they said no eight years ago. i can announce that the scottish government is proposing that the independent referendum be held on the 19th of october 2023. these are... applause. but does this parliament have the power to hold that vote? the first minister now says she wants the supreme court to decide sooner rather than later.

the fact is neither legal opinions nor political arguments will resolve this point. we must establish legal fact. that is why, in my view, we must seek now to accelerate to the point when we have legal clarity, legal fact. last time, that wasn't needed. david cameron agreed to hand over the power to hold a vote in 2014. his successor has no such plans. we think the number one priority for the country is the economic pressures, the spikes in the cost of energy. our plan for a stronger economy certainly means that we think that we're stronger working together. the senior civil servant who helped negotiate the terms of the last referendum says in the end, it won't bejudges who settle the matter. the supreme court can absolutely say there's no mechanism to consult- the scottish people on independence without westminster's consent - and plenty of people, i plenty of experts expect that will be their verdict. ultimately, there is some law-

to come first, and then there's some pretty raw politics about the nature of the country we live in, _ the nature of scotland's position within the uk, i the nature of its right to choose its own constitutional future. i just across the road from the parliament, the british state was putting on a show this afternoon. nicola sturgeon may want to keep the monarchy, but she's trying again to end the 300—year—old political project which is the united kingdom. let's talk to our scotland editor james cook, who's outside the scottish parliament. what happens now? what we now know that we didn't — what happens now? what we now know that we didn't know _ what happens now? what we now know that we didn't know earlier _ what happens now? what we now know that we didn't know earlier is an - that we didn't know earlier is an app that we didn't know earlier is an app last i'm tempted to say we have found out what nicola sturgeon intends to do, how she intends to push this debate forward and it's

essentially a two—part strategy. part one is to try her luck in the supreme court and as we heard there are plenty of legal experts who reckon she will not get farther, that a referendum being held by this place will not be ruled as part of the constitution of the uk, not compliant with the unwritten constitution of the uk so if that is the case, and these experts may be wrong, we will go on to part two and thatis wrong, we will go on to part two and that is not a legal strategy but a political one, this idea of calling in the next general election campaign from the snp for a discussion about one issue, fighting that campaign on a single issue of independence and saying if the fmp win most seats at westminster, they would say they have a mandate for not a referendum but independence would be contested. tell not a referendum but independence would be contested.— would be contested. tell us more about the uk _ would be contested. tell us more about the uk government's - would be contested. tell us more - about the uk government's response. the uk government would contest that

if it gets to that which is a long way down this winding track. downing street says not much this evening, carefully studying the details of nicola sturgeon�*s proposals, that is what they are staying, sticking to the point we heard the prime minister set out in that interview he gave earlier today before nicola sturgeon spoke, stressing that there are other concerns and in that sense the uk government are confident they have the backing of the public. they look at poll saying people in scotland don't want a referendum now even though they elected a majority of msps in favour of holding one last year but not now is by definition not a long—term strategy unless it results in a fall in support for independence. given that the same polls we are referring to there also suggest younger people tend to be more enthusiastic about independence than older people, not

is a gamble so it's notjust nicola sturgeon who was gambling here but the prime minister as well. there's more updates, news and analysis on bbc news online — that's bbc.co.uk/news — and by using the bbc news app. ukraine's government says more than 20 people were killed in the packed shopping centre that was hit by a russian missile yesterday, and around a0 people are still missing. dozens more have been injured. the authorities are struggling to identify the dead after the huge blaze that swept through the mall in kremenchuk. you can see how little is left of it. our europe correspondent nick beake is there. it's hard to tell that this was a shopping centre but when you get closer, there are signs. russia

admits it fired missiles yesterday but says they only landed nearby and then a fire spread here, to what it claims was an empty building. everyone we met today said all of thatis everyone we met today said all of that is lies. i everyone we met today said all of that is “ea-— just running. danny was in his coffee shon — just running. danny was in his coffee shop opposite. - just running. danny was in his coffee shop opposite. waiting just running. danny was in his - coffee shop opposite. waiting two minutes, coffee shop opposite. waiting two minutes. then _ coffee shop opposite. waiting two minutes, then run _ coffee shop opposite. waiting two minutes, then run to _ coffee shop opposite. waiting two minutes, then run to safety - minutes, then run to safety place and listen to children, girls... a lot of screams. and listen to children, girls. .. a lot of screams.— lot of screams. as we finished talkin: , lot of screams. as we finished talking, another _ lot of screams. as we finished talking, another warning. - lot of screams. as we finished talking, another warning. the| talking, another warning. the sirens are blaring again, the emergency services are continuing their work but everyone else is now trying to take shelter wherever they can. there is a bunker close by. inside

we find the man responsible for the security of ukraine. your country has had four months of russian attack. we are talking in an underground bunker, there is another alert at this moment. when can the stop? how can it stop? i alert at this moment. when can the stop? how can it stop?— stop? how can it stop? i think it should be _ stop? how can it stop? i think it should be putin _ stop? how can it stop? i think it should be putin death. - stop? how can it stop? i think it should be putin death. by - stop? how can it stop? i think it should be putin death. by our. should be putin death. by our efforts or by the efforts of the russian people. d0 efforts or by the efforts of the russian people.— efforts or by the efforts of the russian --eole. ,., ,, ~ �*, russian people. do you think putin's death will be — russian people. do you think putin's death will be soon? _ russian people. do you think putin's death will be soon? i _ russian people. do you think putin's death will be soon? i hope _ russian people. do you think putin's death will be soon? i hope it. - russian people. do you think putin's death will be soon? i hope it. a - death will be soon? i hope it. a short drive _ death will be soon? i hope it. a short drive away _ death will be soon? i hope it. a short drive away they _ death will be soon? i hope it. a short drive away they were - short drive away they were treating the injured from yesterday's attack. sales assistant maxime tells us there were 100 customers in his door but he doesn't remember anything after the strike, but his wife victoria recalls everything. she explains her husband called her and said he was trapped in the fire and

smoke and couldn't escape, but somehow he did. back at the shopping centre we are invited inside to witness the destruction. we have just been told that this area was home to wait number of different shops, a pet shop, a pharmacy over there, a toy shop and it was in this place, just around here, that they found the greatest number of bodies. they say they recovered 11 people. g7 leaders say the attack on the shopping centre was a war crime. ukraine says it is terrorism and russia continues to claim that it doesn't target civilians. nick beake, bbc news, kremenchuk. the head of nato has warned that the world will be more insecure if

russia wins in ukraine. he and stoltenberg was speaking at a summit in madrid that is expected to increase the number of troops on high alert. from madrid, katya adler sent this report. the murder of more innocent civilians by russia yesterday in ukraine is concentrating minds and hardening resolve here in madrid, where nato leaders are gathering. the madrid summit will be a pivotal summit in a more dangerous and unpredictable world. ukraine now faces a brutality which we haven't seen in europe since the second world war. and it's notjust about ukraine. nato is ramping up its rapid reaction forces from 40,000 to 300,000, like these french paratroopers, ready to support native countries close to russia, feeling very exposed. we can't defend ourselves alone. we will never be alone, strong. so we have to have, like,

friends and allies. finland and sweden agree. they've asked to join nato after years of preferring life on the outside. look at finland's long border with russia. hello. thank you so much for taking the time. moscow's aggression has shocked them. we realised that we have to make a change. - well, it appeared that russia is ready to try to invade - a neighbouring sovereign country. is this a no—turning—back moment, do you think, or do you think that your neighbour, russia, further down the line, can be seen as a strategic partner once again? it takes time. decades, i guess, at least. russia's foreign minister warned today the west beefing up its defences and supporting ukraine would just prolong kyiv�*s agony. and that is the delicate balancing act here. all nato countries agree russia is the aggressor,

ukraine must be helped militarily, but to what extent? that's where there's disagreement. should russia be given such a bloody nose, it thinks twice in the future about acts of aggression? or if vladimir putin feels pushed in a corner, is there a risk that he'll escalate, even making good on a threat to use nuclear weapons? trying to keep nato allies together isjoe biden, eagerly awaited here. europe's security has been thrown upside down by putin, but one thing hasn't changed — when this continent is in crisis, it still relies heavily on washington. katya adler, bbc news, madrid. the new head of the british army, general sir patrick sanders, has warned that president putin's invasion of ukraine represents the greatest threat to european peace and democracy in decades.

the defence secretary ben wallace has urged the prime minister to increase spending on the uk's armed forces. chris mason has been travelling with the prime minister and you spoke to him about this on the plane. he and you spoke to him about this on the lane. ., ., .,, the plane. he said nato was the indisputable _ the plane. he said nato was the indisputable guarantor- the plane. he said nato was the indisputable guarantor of - the plane. he said nato was the i indisputable guarantor of european security, that it had never been more vital but this debate rages around defence spending with the head of the armed forces and the defence secretary suggesting it needs to rise, the defence secretary saying over the last few generations it has been allowed to travel on the head of the armed forces comparing it with the build—up to the second world war, such is the threat he perceives from russia, so the prime minister said defence spending will go minister said defence spending will 9° up minister said defence spending will go up this year to 2.3% of national income, more than the 2% target set by nato and plenty of nato members do not make that target but prices

are rising, inflation is soaring and the government has acknowledged it will break a manifesto commitment to increase defence spending by more than inflation every year, so some are worried that there was smoke and mirrors going on as far as how the government is defending its defence budget. is this summit gets under way, one central question will be defence spending and whether nato members are spending enough to face up members are spending enough to face up to the threat of russia. in texas at least 46 people have been found dead in an abandoned truck on the outskirts of san antonio. a fire official said 16 people, including four children, had also been taken to hospital. the truck was found just over 100 miles from the us—mexico border and is a popular route for smugglers. three people have been remanded in custody. our correspondent will grant reports. the sight which greeted the emergency services when they opened the abandoned trailer was beyond grim.

dozens of people had been trapped inside the unventilated lorry with no drinking water in blistering a0 degree heat. among the dead lay a handful of survivors, including several children. they were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. the patients that we saw were hot to the touch. they were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion. no signs of water in the vehicle, it was a refrigerated tractor trailer. we're not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there. none of us come to work imagining that. the republican governor of texas was quick to blame the biden administration for the tragedy, accusing president biden of failing to enforce the law. yet the drug cartels which run these networks have abandoned vehicles with migrants inside many times before along the us—mexico border, though rarely with so many victims. trailers like that, it's going to get at least,

if it's100 outside, it goes to about 125 degrees inside. without water, without air, with nothing, it's ridiculous. ijust can't understand how drivers can do that. the migrants' journey from central america to the united states is often described as treacherous or risky. well, there can be no clearer example of that risk than this — being left in a suffocating, airless truck at the side of the road, and no clearer illustration of the callousness of the criminal gangs who operate these people smuggling routes into texas. as the authorities continued to sift through the scene this morning, many families who fear their loved ones may have been in the truck now face an awful wait. yet with conditions in central america so dire, many more young people won't be deterred from trying to reach the us by this latest tragic attempt. will grant, bbc news, san antonio, texas. the time is 18:18. our top story this evening:

scotland's first minister announces plans to hold a second independence referendum next year. and coming up, the population of england and wales grows by more three million — we get the results of last year's census. mixed fortunes for the british players on day two at wimbledon but heather watson battles through after an emotional 3—set win over germany's tamara korpatsch. ajudge in the united states is to sentence ghislaine maxwell later tonight. she was convicted by a jury in new york in december on five charges including sex trafficking and grooming girls beween 1994 and 2004. our north america correspondent nada tawfik reports.

ghislaine maxwell is still waiting to hear her sentence. she came into court wearing a prison uniform with her ankles shackled and supporting her ankles shackled and supporting her way two of her sisters and her brother. so this morning this has been a lengthy sentencing procedure as both sides battled out what the appropriate sentence would be. the judge guidelines went up to at least between 15 to 19 years in prison but she does have the ability come at the discretion to impose a sentence much larger than that so that is by no means the final sentence for ghislaine maxwell. the judge also revealed that she will consider additional victims when it comes to sentencing, virginia roberts, the accused of prince andrew who settled earlier this year without admitting any wrongdoing and always maintaining his innocence along with another woman who goes by the name

of melissa. so these women were not part of the original case and did not testify but they will be considered as victims here and that will increase the sentence for ghislaine maxwell but this is certainly a major date for the victims who feel that they have now been vindicated in the caps of what has been such a hard profile trial followed around the world. because of the sordid nature of the crimes and because of the extreme power and money behind it all. this has certainly been a roller—coaster ride for the victims as they have fought for the victims as they have fought for decades to getjustice. so they are hoping that this gives them just that, a small piece of closure and accountability. metropolitan police has been put in special measures after a series of failures being heavily criticised over the way it handled high profile cases like the murders of sarah everard. daniel

sandford is with me now. what will this mean? it sandford is with me now. what will this mean? ., , sandford is with me now. what will this mean? . , ., ., sandford is with me now. what will this mean?— this mean? it means another very difficult and _ this mean? it means another very difficult and embarrassing - this mean? it means another very difficult and embarrassing day - this mean? it means another very difficult and embarrassing day for| difficult and embarrassing day for the metropolitan police as it is moved to the highest level scrutiny by the policing inspectorate. it has been moved into what has been described as special measures and only three other police forces have ever been put in special measures, humberside police, cleveland police and greater manchester police. they will have to produce a policing improvement plan to be presented to a pleasing performance oversight group and then they will be checked against that plan regularly and given advice by the college of policing he scotland yard which sent detectives across the country to advise other forces but now it itself is going to be given advice and all this at a time when it does not have a leader after the sacking of cressida dick after some high—profile scandals. this will further which isjust in high—profile scandals. this will further which is just in the police and will be a huge task for the new

commissioner will be appointed in august to try to rebuild that trust. daniel sandford, thank you. now a look at some other stories making the news today. a former nazi concentration camp guard — identified asjosef s — has been given a five—yearjail term for assisting in the murder of thousands of prisoners at sachsenhausen near berlin. the oldest nazi criminal ever to stand trial in a german court, he had always claimed he worked as a farm labourer during the three years he had acted as a camp guard. lewis hamilton says "archaic mindsets need to change" and have no place in formula 1 after three—time world champion nelson piquet used a racially offensive term to refer to him in a podcast. the brazilian, who's 69, has also been condemned by formula 1, hamilton's mercedes team and motorsports' governing body. england's world cup—winning captain eoin morgan has confirmed his retirement from international cricket. under morgan, england's performance was transformed. they won the 2019 world cup and reached the top

of the one day rankings. morgan said it "hasn't been an easy decision" but "i believe now is the right time." the population of england and wales has soared to a new high of almost 60 million in the past decade. the results of the 2021 census show the population has grown by more than 6%. the survey, which is carried out every 10 years, asks people to answer questions about themselves, their household and their home to build a detailed snapshot of society. our home editor, mark easton, has been having a look at the results — what do they tell us? where were you last year on march the 21st? the number of people who answered that question with england was 56,489,800. experts had thought it would be higher. 57 million was the official projection. in wales the population

was 3,107,500, also a little lower than expected. add in northern ireland which published census data a few weeks ago and the best estimate for scotland, their census results will be next year, and you get a uk figure ofjust under 67 million. this map shows how much population has changed since the 2011 census — the darker the blue, the bigger the increase. if it is yellow or orange the population has actually fallen. and given that how much money local councils get is based on the best population figures, so there will be some worried headscratching in a few places, notably parts of wales and the north east, but also in the richest local authority in the country, kensington and chelsea, which saw its population fall by 10% in ten years according to the census. how come? well, one theory is that because the census was conducted in the middle of the pandemic, some of the wealthier residents had gone to their second or perhaps their third homes. look where population

generally increased most — an arc from dorset through the cotswolds and around to cambridge and peterborough. might this be evidence of a covid escape from the big cities? if it is, then some councils will be arguing that the census is warped by the strange behaviours of the health emergency. a couple of other quick points — this won't be a surprise, but the country is getting older. one person in six was aged over 65 on census day in england and wales. in north norfolk, over here, though, it was one in three. meanwhile, the proportion of the population aged 15 and under is falling. some challenges ahead. and 23 is the big number today at wimbledon. rafa nadal has begun his quest to win his 23rd grand slam title and serena williams who already has 23 will take to centre

court this evening to play her first singles match since she picked up an injury at wimbledon this time last year. joe wilson is there. year. joe wilson is there. more british opportunity _ year. joe wilson is there. more british opportunity than - year. joe wilson is there. more british opportunity than ever i year. joe wilson is there. ire british opportunity than ever on the first tuesday today and we have a couple of players who have defined the standards of modern tennis and one young woman who might now seems to be unbeatable. let's start there. february seems a long time ago, doesn't it? that was the last time iga swiatek lost a tennis match. she enforces her dominance with that forehand. the polish world number one was up against a qualifierfrom croatia on centre and jana fett was beaten in one hour 15 minutes. strong. wimbledon is a different challenge, but that's 36 victories in a row. across the court, three for the ever changing moods of nick kyrgios, who wanted spectators to be ejected after he'd heard them make critical comments. remove them from the crowd. well, kyrgios was locked in an intense match against pauljubb, a 22—year—old from hull,

who was still breaking the australian's serve deep into the fifth set. oh, no! the match didn't deserve to be settled by a mistake, but it was — just out 7—5 in the fifth. kyrgios through. he did acknowledge his opponent had played exceptional tennis. and there were british victors — ryan penniston in straight sets. it's his singles debut at wimbledon. for all heather watson's experience, winning a match here still stirs emotions. i think i've just had a really rough couple of years, like so many people have, so this means a lot. nice moment for court one, especially heather's mum. right, to the order and routine of the most successful men's player ever — precision. two of rafael nadal�*s 22 grand slam titles have come this year. he's managing a chronic foot injury. he's dealing with opponents.

so good against argentina's francisco cerundolo, he almost had to apologize. but two sets down the world. number 41 began to respond, reminding us it's a match. oh, goodness me. nadal with some work to do. jack draper has gone through a potential champion matteo berrettini is out with covid. and serena williams prepares to give us the entertainment for the evening, so hard to know what to expect. we just saw that glimpse of her at eastbourne in the doubles but let's hope whatever happens this evening at this year it does not end in tears. joe, thank you very much. time for a look at the weather, here's stav danaos. good evening. we had uninterrupted

tennis today at wimbledon and there was a east west divide with many western areas dry and windy. tomorrow we are all in the sunshine and showers regime and the wind a little bit lighter. this low pressure brought that wet and windy weather today. pressure brought that wet and windy weathertoday. bringing pressure brought that wet and windy weather today. bringing heavy and persistent rain and place particularly through wales, north—west england and south—west scotland. further east it has been dry with sunshine. through this evening and overnight the rain slowly moving east. fizzling out in some areas but still some heavier breasts as it pushes the east. behind it clear spells and some showers but temperatures coming up from the subtropics so no lower than 12, 14 degrees. so tomorrow we start off with more rain which clears through and then we are into the regime of sunshine and showers, some

of those heavy or thundery in