at six, a jury at the inquest of a mental—health blogger who took her own life at a psychiatric hospital in greater manchester says neglect contributed to her death. 26—year—old beth matthews was able to order a poisonous substance online from russia and swallowed it in front of staff. her death was completely unnecessary. we've been tragically let down by the priory, who we believed were providing a safe place for beth and the care she needed. tonight, we can reveal two other people died at the hospital in the months before. also on the programme: the hollywood star alec baldwin is charged over the death of cinematographer halyna hutchins, who was shot dead on the set of rust.

more than £2 billion in levelling up cash for projects around the uk — the government defends how it's been shared out. as britain sends more missiles to ukraine, we have a special report from the front line that's seen the bloodiest battles of this war. and battles of this war. a five set up a bit, and incredible and a five set up a bit, and incredible comeback for andy murray at the australian open on for almost six hours. his longest ever match. coming up on the bbc news channels, huge changes are coming in rugby union as the are a few bands above the waist tackling. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

the jury at the inquest of a young blogger has concluded that she died from suicide contributed to by neglect. beth matthews, who was 26, ordered a poisonous substance from russia, had it delivered to her secure ward at a private hospital run by the priory group in greater manchester, and then swallowed the contents in front of staff. she had told them it was a protein powder. the jury at manchester south coroner's court said the evidence showed "inadequate care of a highly vulnerable patient." tonight, we can reveal two other women died at the hospital in the months before, as angus crawford reports. a place where the vulnerable... i am honestly shocked that i even made it out alive. ..could be cared for and protected. i wouldn't even put an animal in there.

but that's not what happened here. something occurred in a place - where she was supposed to be safe. victims of a system that failed. all i can say is they've got blood on their hands. deseree, lauren and beth. beth matthews, who loved speed and sailing. but after a suicide attempt, coping with life—changing injuries, she became a mental health campaigner... that day was was the lowest point of my life. ..gaining tens of thousands of followers. admitted to this psychiatric hospital in march last year, she bought a poisonous substance online, had it delivered, and swallowed it in front of staff. i feel let down, i know beth felt let down. something occurred in a place where she was supposed to be safe that should never have been allowed to happen. today, an inquestjury concluded neglect contributed to her death. the priory had shown inadequate care of a highly vulnerable patient.

the passing of beth that day was wholly avoidable and her death was completely unnecessary. we have been tragically let down by the priory, who we believed were providing a safe place for beth and the care she needed. with hundreds of millions of pounds in nhs contracts, the priory group is the biggest single private provider of mental health services in the uk. this unit was recently rated as "good", but we've learned of two other deaths here which raise serious questions about patient safety. deseree fitzpatrick struggled with her mental health too and was admitted to the same hospital as beth in january last year. full of life, lovable. but she was given the wrong medication by staff and choked to death in her sleep. we've obtained cctv from her inquest. carers didn't notice for hours that she was already dead. they wrote that she was breathing.

these checks didn't cause her death, but the coroner said they were grossly inadequate. if my daughter didn't go in the priory, she'd be still alive today. as soon as she put her foot in that priory, they killed her. they've got blood on her hands, and i am not going to let this go until i getjustice for my daughter. hi, so i'm in currently hospital, and my mum's coming to visit me. and this is lauren bridges, 20 when she died at the same hospitaljust weeks after deseree. this is my daughter, lauren, isn't she just beautiful? - her family hope her inquest next month will give them answers, too. i completely went... well, i was going to say back to square one, but worse. meredith was just 15 when she was admitted to the same priory hospital in cheadle. i never felt safe. seven years later, she still can't forget her time there. she even started a petition to have it closed down. the longer it's open,

and the longer things aren't getting done, the more people are going to die, basically. and i can't have that on my conscience. the priory group wouldn't comment on lauren's inquest till it's complete, but for deseree and beth said, "we apologise unreservedly for the shortcomings in care and want to express our sincere condolences." "the safety of our patients remains our utmost priority, and we immediately took action to address the issues raised." three young women. all died in an eight—week period at the same priory hospital — a place where they hoped they'd get better, thought at least they might be safe. angus crawford, bbc news, stockport. wout faes story, terrible story, raises three really important questions. forthe families

raises three really important questions. for the families of those three young women, terrible loss, but questions about whether the deaths could have been prevented. for the priory, a question about safety and care, and remember that the priory group is the biggest single private provider of mental health services to the nhs. and the nhs itself, questions there, because the nhs services themselves are no strangers to some of these kinds of terrible incidents. so i think the deaths of these three young women will only add extra weight to calls for a full public inquiry into the state of mental health services for some of the most vulnerable people in society. you'll find organisations offering help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline, and there's a special programme all about beth matthews on the bbc iplayer — the lives she saved. the hollywood actor alec baldwin is being charged with the involuntary manslaughter

of the cinematographer halyna hutchins, who was shot dead on the set of the film rust. the film's armourer will face the same charge after a gun that the actor discharged on set was found to contain ammunition. sophie long has the latest from los angeles. the frantic efforts to save halyna hutchins in the moments after she was shot. it was during rehearsals on the set at a ranch in new mexico when the shootings and death depicted on the 19th century western they were filming became all too real. alec baldwin was holding the gun that discharged the bullet that killed him. he was also one of the film's producers. he now faces two charges of involuntary manslaughter. in a statement, the actor's lawyer said, this decision distorts arena hutchence�* tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of

justice, mr baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun or anywhere on the set. the film's armourer, who loaded the gun, hannah gutierrez—reed, faces the same charges. first assistant director dave halls has pled guilty to negligent discharge of a deadly weapon. the santa fe district attorney said, on my watch, no—one is above the law and everyone deserves justice. is above the law and everyone deservesjustice. lean hutchence was survived by her young son and husband. after reaching a settlement in a wrongful death suit, he said filming of rust would resume. the criminal charges are a devastating impact for mr baldwin. he has always denied responsibility for the death, saying he had been told the gun was safe. his lawyer says they will fight the charges and they will win. well, we are told the charges will be formally filed before the end of the month and alec baldwin will not

be arrested ahead of his court appearance. the charges that he faces, though, could potentially result in a five year prison term. his lawyers say, though, he is not responsible for the tragic death of halyna hutchins and they will fight the charges and they believe they will win. the prime minister says the north of england will receive more money per person than the south in the latest round of levelling up spending — one of the government's key policies to try to spread public money more evenly across the uk. critics have pointed out that large sums of money are still being given to the south east of england and london. in this latest round of funding, wales comes out top in cash per person. just over £2 billion is being given to 111 areas in the uk. the port of dover gets £16 million to improve efficiency. there's £50 million for a new train line between cardiff bay and cardiff central station. and £50 million goes to the eden project in morecambe in lancashire to help regenerate a derelict site on the seafront into an eco—tourism attraction.

the view from here will soon look very different. the prime minister admires plans to build a new eden project — an eco—tourism attraction overlooking morecambe bay that has just been given a huge dollop of levelling up funding. absolutely brilliant news! ministers, like michael gove, said today it will bring economic sunshine into a coastal area that has struggled in recent years. but at a q&a for morecambe locals, rishi sunak defended hefty hand—outs to areas in the south of england too. i think the funding that you're all getting per person out of this levelling up fund is twice per capita what london and the south east is getting, and that should give you guys the confidence that when we talk about delivering levelling up, spreading opportunity across the country, that we really mean it. it's not the only controversy surrounding the latest list of awards. there are winners and losers, with the decisions made by officials in westminster.

labour says it would replace the current system. i don't think anyone looking at this process, tory mps are up in arms today, lots of people around the country who lost out completely, i don't think anyone thinks the system is fair. while the conservative mayor of the west midlands, andy street, said the bidding and begging bowl culture of the funding process was broken. and then there's the wider context. for some councils, this is a substantial pot of money which could actually give some quite big improvements. but it's important to see the context. this comes off the back of a decade of cuts to local government which fell hard on poorer places. back at morecambe�*s west end playhouse, i met matt, chelsea, vanessa and rob, enthused by the eden project news. the town is buzzing today, absolutely buzzing, but we've got to hope that it does filter down, it does trickle down. matt, you're a labour party member. is this still a party political issue, do you think? no, it's a town issue,

and i think everybody is really excited, the eden project is absolutely brilliant. the thing is, though, that we do need to build around that. does it bother you that the south east and london are getting a large slice of this levelling up cash? i don't care, we are getting a slice of the pie. it's a massive boost for morecambe, but we've got to think of it| as the start of the journey, not the final thing. transport is a bigger issue for me, in many ways, _ and i think levelling up has to address that. i there is not the north—south divide for me, it's the east—west. - borisjohnson put levelling up at the heart of his promise to voters at the last election — a pledge to shrink the wealth and health gap between north and south. morecambe is one of today's winners, but people across the north of england and midlands can see levelling up money being shovelled into london and the south east. given too the fact that local government spending has been deeply cut since your party took power, isn't there a big gap between your rhetoric on this and the reality? i wish we could say yes to everybody, my life would be, gosh, enormously easy, if i could do that.

but unfortunately we can't, and there will always be people who feel upset about that. but what i'd say is that people have been talking about these things for years, but this government is actually delivering the things that people have been talking about for long time. but with an election less than two years away, there isn't long for rishi sunak to prove that levelling up rishi sunak to prove that levelling up can deliver what it promised. ben wright, bbc news, morecambe. train operating companies have made what they say is their "best and final offer" to the rmt in a bid to break the deadlocked dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. it comes as thousands of public sector workers are on strike today across the uk. let's take a look at which areas are affected. nurses in england are walking out for the second day in a row as part of a dispute over pay. bus drivers in parts of london are also staging a round of industrial action. teachers in parts of scotland are continuing their 16—day wave of rolling strikes. and more than 1,000 ambulance workers across wales are striking over pay and conditions in the first day of action by the unite union.

0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith reports on the impact of that strike. fervent in freezing conditions. these workers say their fight isn't just for pay, but for the future of their ailing service. december saw the worst—ever performance and the highest—ever demand for the most urgent calls in wales. kerry says she's sick of being stuck outside hospitals, unable to hand over patients. sometimes we can be on the back of an ambulance for a whole shift. 0ur radios are constantly going, emergency calls which we cannot attend. by the end of the shift, we're still sitting with that same patient, waiting for cover. to settle the strikes, a wales—only deal has been discussed with the health unions, but ministers say they can't afford their demands of a permanent inflation rate pay rise. that offer of a one—off patient from the welsh labour government last week didn't satisfy these ambulance workers or any of the other health workers around wales.

nurses, midwives, physiotherapists are all planning further industrial action. this dispute shows no sign of settling. the offer is still on the table. the health minister said she wants to settle — and soon. what we're talking about is money that is in this year's budget, that we can't move into next year's budget. if it's not picked up, it will be lost. as the dispute rumbles on, people like victoria are left worrying whether they can still call on the ambulance service. in november, she dialled 999 when her daughter niamh, who has autism, suffered a seizure. no ambulance came, so a friend helped rush them to hospital. it's hard knowing that when you make that phone call, there is a chance that they won't be able to respond to you, because there is only a certain amount that they can do over the phone. so i knew that... i knew that i had to get her there. not everyone supports these strikes. but there are plenty more coming,

with these paramedics set to return to the picket line on monday. hywel griffith, bbc news, pontypridd. the time is 6:17. our top story this evening: ajury at the a jury at the inquest of the mental health blogger who took her own life at a psychiatric hospital in greater manchester says neglect contributed to her death. manchester says neglect contributed to her death-— to her death. today i am announcing i will not be — to her death. today i am announcing i will not be seeking _ to her death. today i am announcing i will not be seeking re-election. - i will not be seeking re—election. and still— i will not be seeking re—election. and still to — i will not be seeking re—election. and still to come... new zealand's prime minister announces she is stepping down, saying she does coming up on the bbc news channel, angling's topping their group at the men's hockey world cup to make it to the last 16 india, but debutantes wales are out. britain

is sending hundreds more missiles to ukraine to help drive back the russian invasion. nato leaders have been meeting today and agreed to supply ukrainian forces with much more equipment. the uk has led the way in terms of main battle tanks, promising 14 challenger 2s. but the ukrainians say they need more. germany are deciding whether to allow the export of its leopard 25 in greater numbers. this is where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has been taking place — around the town of soledar in the east of the country. 0ur correspondent andrew harding has been to the front line, and his report contains some scenes that you may find difficult to watch. incoming artillery fire as we arrive close to the front line. a lot of incoming. a quick run for cover. we're in an area where russian and ukrainian infantry now appear to be fighting at close quarters. i'm going through remains of a house

here, hit by a shell. towards the ukrainian position. we're just hearing small arms fire as well as this heavy artillery fire, which means that the russian lines are very close. in fact, we're hearing they're just maybe a kilometre away across the fields behind me. ukrainian troops firing from the outskirts of the nearby town of soledar. they're clinging on here. but soledar itself is now in russian hands, the kremlin's first significant victory in months. you've lost territory here, you've lost soledar? we have a quite tough situation here, so, but it's a controlled situation anyway. sometimes it's really better to take a step back, but destroy the enemy.

then, after that, to make attack and to already crush enemy completely. we destroy each day 50, 100 enemy people. ukrainian drone footage appears to back that up. a russian position here coming under artillery attack. several wounded russian soldiers visible in the aftermath. ukraine is losing men, too. it's not clear exactly how many, but medics insist morale remains high. they are tired, they are cold, they are wounded. but they ask me, man, doc, when can i return to my boys? they don't say, oh, thanks, god, i'm wounded now i can relax and so on. no. careful, careful. very active front lines this morning. the ukrainians have withdrawn, but they're now trying to pound russian positions as hard as they can to prevent them

from advancing here and encircling the next bigger prize, which is the town of bakhmut, which the ukrainians have been defending fiercely for months now. ok, let's go. time to leave a fluid front line that is costing both sides so much. andrew harding, bbc news near soledar, ukraine. andrew harding there on the front in ukraine. new figures show the number of disabled people living in england and wales has dropped as a proportion of the population compared to ten years ago. data from the 2021 census, released by the office of national statistics, also showed that although there were fewer unpaid carers, many of them were caring for longer. 0ur disability correspondent nikki fox has been taking a closer look. the census in 2021 gave a snapshot ofjust how many disabled people

there were in england and wales. so first off, let's look at the numbers for england — and as we can see, the number of disabled people has increased by 400,000 to 9.8 million. but if you take into account the rise in population, the proportion of disabled people has actually decreased. in 2011,19.3% said they had a disability but last year it was only 17.7%. and the numbers vary across different areas. blackpool, for example, had the highest proportion of disabled now,lets take a look at wales. people at 24.7%. now, let's take a look at wales. the census found that there are 670,000 disabled people living there, which is just over 21% of the population. and this also shows a drop from just over 23% ten years ago. 0verall today's figures have surprised many disability charities who were expecting numbers to go up. they're warning the figures

could actually be higher because at the time the census was taken, it wouldn't have captured the number of people who are currently living with long covid. the 2021 census also looks at the numbers of unpaid carers. it found five million people over the age of five carry out some form of unpaid care work across england and wales. 1.5 million of them are doing this for more than 50 hours a week, and charities are saying that many of them are struggling. we'll have more analysis on this in the coming months when we get more detail from the office for national statistics, which will include details like what kinds of disabilities someone has, their age, and the number of young carers there are. so we'll keep you updated. thank you. new zealand's prime ministerjacinda ardern has shocked her country and the world by announcing that she's decided to step down next month, saying she no longer has "enough in the tank" to lead the country.

shaimaa khalil reports from the capital, wellington. she's been at the forefront of politics in new zealand for nearly six years, becoming something of a globalfigurehead. but today, jacinda ardern shocked the nation and the world, announcing she's standing down. i will not be seeking reelection. it was an emotional press conference in which she said she no longer had the energy to go on as leader. i know what this job takes, and i know that i no longer have enough in the tank to do itjustice. her legacy today has been praised at home and abroad. this job takes a toll on you as a person and on your family as well, especially when you are a woman and there are maybe different standards for women. ms ardern was the youngest head of government in the world when she was elected prime minister in 2017 — just 37 years old at the time. her premiership has been tested time and time again.

she led the nation's grieving after the christchurch terror attacks in 2019, in which 51 people were killed, and was praised for her decisiveness and empathy. she also steered the country through the covid—19 pandemic. thanks to an early and strict lockdown, new zealand has had one of the lowest death rates globally. but it's also led to some criticism. this resignation was delivered in the trademark jacinda ardern style — personal and heartfelt. the prime minister said that while the last five and a half years with the most fulfilling of her life, she admitted that for her, it was now time. i think she's done an amazing job with the situation she's been put in. no, it was time for her to go and no—one in their right mind would've voted for her, surely. overseas, she's definitely viewed very well, - whereas i think internally, she's probably maybe lost the| public's acceptance a little bit. and let's keep moving! her centre—left labour party

will elect a new leader and a new prime minister on sunday. they'll take over in february. politicians are human. we give all that we can for as long as we can, and then it's time. and for me, it's time. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, wellington. all quiet on the western front, a world war one epic adapted by netflix is dominating this year's bafta nominations. the german—language film has received 1a in total, the first film to get that many nominations since the king's speech more than a decade ago. our culture editor, katie razzall, looks at this year's contenders. leading the charge with 1a nominations, all quiet 0n leading the charge with 1a nominations, all quiet on the western front. visceral and very human. this first world war story's from the nominations include best film and best director. it is

from the nominations include best film and best director.— film and best director. it is a war or anti war _ film and best director. it is a war or anti war film _ film and best director. it is a war or anti war film without - film and best director. it is a war or anti war film without heroes. l or anti war film without heroes. it's reallyjust about or anti war film without heroes. it's really just about young or anti war film without heroes. it's reallyjust about young boys who are blinded by political propaganda and go to war thinking of it as an adventure.— it as an adventure. sitting here next to you _ it as an adventure. sitting here next to you and _ it as an adventure. sitting here next to you and if _ it as an adventure. sitting here next to you and if you - it as an adventure. sitting here next to you and if you go - it as an adventure. sitting here next to you and if you go back| next to you and if you go back inside — next to you and if you go back inside and _ next to you and if you go back inside and following you inside... the banshees 0f inisherin, the tale of feuding friends, has ten nominations with colin farrell and brendan gleeson among the acting nominees of the film. i just brendan gleeson among the acting nominees of the film.— nominees of the film. i 'ust don't like ou nominees of the film. i 'ust don't like you know * nominees of the film. i 'ust don't like you know more. _ nominees of the film. i just don't like you know more. mrs - nominees of the film. i just don't like you know more. mrs wang, l nominees of the film. i just don't i like you know more. mrs wang, are ou with like you know more. mrs wang, are you with us? _ like you know more. mrs wang, are you with us? the _ like you know more. mrs wang, are you with us? the sleeper— like you know more. mrs wang, are you with us? the sleeper hit - you with us? the sleeper hit everything _ you with us? the sleeper hit everything everywhere - you with us? the sleeper hit everything everywhere all. you with us? the sleeper hit| everything everywhere all at you with us? the sleeper hit - everything everywhere all at once everything everywhere all at 0nce also has ten, taking travel through different universes to another level with michelle yeoh on the best actress shortlist. elvis with nine nods including best actor could make history if its cinematographer becomes the first woman ever to win that category. it’s becomes the first woman ever to win that category-—

that category. it's been a long time but it is getting better. _ that category. it's been a long time but it is getting better. i think- but it is getting better. i think there's more inclusion and representation of women in the camera department now. on-screen women being — camera department now. on-screen women being celebrated _ camera department now. on-screen women being celebrated as - camera department now. on-screen women being celebrated as best - women being celebrated as best actress include cate blanchett. as for the film that saved cinema after covid, top gun: maverick only picked up covid, top gun: maverick only picked up four technical nominations. commercial success it seems no guarantee of bafta glory. and now to andy murray and the most extraordinary comeback at the australian open — a five—set epic that just finished at five past four in the morning. it was murray's longest—ever match. almost six hours, and he won it. andy swiss reports. a roar of exhaustion and elation. andy murray is no stranger to the remarkable, but this was something else. when he lost the first two

sets to australia's thanasi kokkinakis, at 35 it seemed another grand slam hope was slipping away. but murray has an iron will to go with his metal hip, and if ever a point could sum up his career, it would be this. time and again he looked beaten... but of course murray never is. it looked beaten. .. but of course murray never is.— looked beaten... but of course murray never is. it is ridiculous! and while _ murray never is. it is ridiculous! and while he — murray never is. it is ridiculous! and while he milked _ murray never is. it is ridiculous! and while he milked the - murray never is. it is ridiculous! and while he milked the crowd, | and while he milked the crowd, kokkinakis lost his cool. after serving for the match, that was the third set gone as murray rolled back the years. it was gutsy, it was glorious and two sets all. now it was murray's longest ever match, but after gone 4am in melbourne it was all worth it. after gone 4am in melbourne it was all worth it-— all worth it. he is officially superhuman! _ all worth it. he is officially superhuman! the - all worth it. he is officially superhuman! the word - all worth it. he is officially l superhuman! the word epic all worth it. he is officially - superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close- — superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close- a _ superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close. a victory _ superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close. a victory to _ superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close. a victory to defy - superhuman! the word epic doesn't come close. a victory to defy time, | come close. a victory to defy time, logic and belief. i come close. a victory to defy time, logic and belief.— logic and belief. i don't know how i

manared logic and belief. i don't know how i managed to _ logic and belief. i don't know how i managed to get — logic and belief. i don't know how i managed to get through _ logic and belief. i don't know how i managed to get through it. - logic and belief. i don't know how i managed to get through it. i - managed to get through it. i did start playing better as the match went on. and yes, i have a big heart. , ., ., , heart. delight then for him and his watchin: heart. delight then for him and his watching mother, _ heart. delight then for him and his watching mother, judy. _ heart. delight then for him and his watching mother, judy. another. watching mother, judy. another extraordinary chapter in one of british sports most extraordinary careers. andy swiss, bbc news. i hope he manages to get some sleep now! time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. this morning we had some snow showers across manchester airport and it caused a brief disruption, but into the afternoon the showers moved to the east of the pennines, can you believe it? in county durham just a few hours ago we had heavy snow showers. it was a brief spell that moved their wayjust to the south of newcastle as we speak. then some showers coming in across scotland, falling as rain close to the coast but still snow to higher ground here. as we go overnight, we are still likely to see the risk of some showers running through the north sea, and where we have had

showers today or snow melt, there could be icy stretches