this is bbc news. i'm jane hill. the headlines at 5pm: lancashire police have said they believe mum—of—two nicola bulley fell into the river wyre and there are no suspicious circumstances. our main working hypothesis, therefore, is that nicola has sadly fallen into the river, that there is no third—party or criminal involvement and that this is not suspicious. victims have lived through "the worst times", say representatives at a public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and �*80s. us secretary of state antony blinken has postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing after

a chinese surveillance balloon was detected above montana. the government has abandoned plans to house asylum seekers in a pontins holiday park on merseyside. and a warm welcome in south sudan for pope francis, as he continues what's described as a pilgrimage for peace in africa. hello. good evening, welcome to bbc news. lancashire police say they believe that nicola bulley, who went missing while walking her dog,

most likely fell into the river wyre. the mother—of—two, who's a5, was last seen a week ago in st michael's on wyre. air and underwater drones, helicopters, police divers and dogs are being used in the search. we can speak now to our reporter rowan bridge, who joins us from that area. more than a week since her family have seen her, a desperate story. explain more about what the police are saying. explain more about what the police are sa inc. , explain more about what the police are sa in. , explain more about what the police aresa inc. , , are saying. yes, it has been an extremely _ are saying. yes, it has been an extremely difficult _ are saying. yes, it has been an extremely difficult week - are saying. yes, it has been an extremely difficult week for - are saying. yes, it has been an . extremely difficult week for nicola bulley�*s family and for the community here as well. nicola was last seen it week ago. she dropped her children off at the local school and then took her dog for a walk along the river wyre, not far from where i am standing here. through eyewitnesses and also through location of her phone, police have been able to establish much of her movement that morning. there was a sighting of her at about 9:10am, and police were able to establish they still —— she still had her phone

with her at that moment. there was a window when some one found her phone, or police have not been up to establish exactly what happened, but there working hypothesis that was he had fallen into the river and was unable to get out again. they say there is no evidence of her leaving the side of the river and also no evidence anyone else may have abducted her and they say now it is tragically the case of a missing person. superintendent of lancaster police, sally riley, outlined a timeline on which they think it unfolded. at 8:43am last friday, nicola was seen on the river path walking towards the iron bridge. a few minutes later, she was seen in the lower field with her dog willow and her mobile phone, which was on view. at 8:53am, she sent an e—mail to her boss on the phone and at 9:01am, she joined a teams work call.

all of this was normal behaviour for nicola. this was not out of the ordinary and nothing unusual or different happened during those calls and e—mails. at 9:10am, she was seen in the upper field. the dog was off the lead — again, this was normal. the dog was not in its harness and the lead wasn't on the dog, which was all part of nicola's daily routine. at 9:20am, through inquiries we've made, we believe that her phone was on the bench. at 9:30am, the teams meeting ended and nicola's phone remained dialled in. at 9:33am, a witness found nicola's dog willow running between the gate to the field and the bench where the phone was located.

also found by that witness was the dog harness, which was on the grass between the bench and the river's edge. therefore, the time that we are particularly interested in is between 9:10am, the last confirmed sighting, and 9:20am, when nicola's phone was found on the bench. the inquiry team has undertaken a number of dashcam, cctv and ring door bell footages. this has allowed us to eliminate any trace so far of nicola having left the riverside, which is really important. so we believe that nicola was in the riverside area and remained in the riverside area. we remain open to any inquiries that might lead us to question that, but at this time, we understand that she was by the river.

our main working hypothesis, therefore, is that nicola has sadly fallen into the river, that there is no third—party or criminal involvement and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person. this is particularly important because speculation otherwise can be really distressing for the family and for nicola's children. that was superintendent sally riley there from the lancashire force, giving that objective journalists just in the last few hours. let's assess how the police have perhaps reached these conclusions and the work that has been done to find the missing woman, mother of

two young children, of course. i am joined by bob eastwood, former lancashire police chief superintendent. thanks so much for your time this evening. you know the patch well, you worked there for a long time. first of all, just your thoughts on the search that we have seen and how the search that we have seen and how the police this afternoon have reached that very sad hypothesis. it is a very sad conclusion. i think the whole of lancashire and beyond were hoping for some really positive news, that this has really captivated people's attention. i have seen sally riley's interviews, the latest one today, and i think she is absolutely right to take the action she has. i think she has done very well anyway she has kept the public informed and i do not think the police have had any choice other than to break this news. the family first and then to the wider public,

through the media, because of the extensive interest that there has beenin extensive interest that there has been in these circumstances. i have seen myself in social media where people are speculate and all sorts of different things and that cannot be pleasant albeit well—intentioned, for the family to see, and i think listening to sally there, the reason why they have come to this hypothesis is because of the nature and the extent of the investigation that they have carried out, that they know that nicola erie sadly did not leave the riverside and they have been up to prove that. they've also been able to prove that there was no third—party involvement, and i think the conclusion that they have come that she must have, it is rather highly likely, that she has fallen in the river, a very fast—moving river into the irish sea, it is very sad, and i do not think they have been able to come to any other conclusion than they have

today. and let's not forget, they have spent a week investigating this. the amount of resources that i have seen, from the media, that they have seen, from the media, that they have put into this investigation is absolutely phenomenal. find have put into this investigation is absolutely phenomenal.- have put into this investigation is absolutely phenomenal. and as i said ou know absolutely phenomenal. and as i said you know that — absolutely phenomenal. and as i said you know that area _ absolutely phenomenal. and as i said you know that area well, _ absolutely phenomenal. and as i said you know that area well, and - you know that area well, and i'm interested that you say that that is a fast flowing river because people might have read that we know she could swim and so you look at the pictures, it looks like a beautiful area, logically, you think, couldn't someone save them selves if they tripped, especially as long as you could swim, which we know she could, but are you saying... is that stretch of water more dangerous than it might look, for example? it is uuite it might look, for example? it is quite deep- _ it might look, for example? it is quite deep. the _ it might look, for example? it 3 quite deep. the people searching, the underwater search team searching the underwater search team searching the river, he indicated they have been unable to see but for a very small distance, so they have had to search very carefully. they have had a number of people so they don't

miss anything and it is very deep, it very fast—moving, and we have had a lot of rainfall. all that will add to very treacherous conditions, not forgetting she went missing at the end ofjanuary, it has been absolutely freezing, and the water has been very cold, she would been fully clothed, and assuming she has gone into the water, then it would be very unlikely for anybody to be able to get out under those circumstances.— able to get out under those circumstances. �* ., , ., , ., ., ., circumstances. bob eastwood, we are really grateful — circumstances. bob eastwood, we are really grateful for _ circumstances. bob eastwood, we are really grateful for your _ circumstances. bob eastwood, we are really grateful for your time. - really grateful for your time. thanks so much forjoining us, former lancashire police chief superintendent. the long—running public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and �*80s has been hearing its closing statements. it's now believed that about 30,000 people were infected with hiv or hepatitis c after receiving blood transfusions or taking a drug imported from the us to control haemophilia. the inquiry has taken evidence from 370 witnesses. its recommendations

are expected later this year. here's our health reporter jim reed with the latest. we just wejust had we just had the actual final comments from thejudge, we just had the actual final comments from the judge, who we just had the actual final comments from thejudge, who has been sharing this inquiry, so now essentially be hearing part of the inquiry is over. he made some interesting points. 0ne inquiry is over. he made some interesting points. one thing you said is we are expecting a final report in the summer, it looks like thatis report in the summer, it looks like that is being put back to at least the autumn, and one reason he talked about needing extra time was because if sunday is officially criticised ljy if sunday is officially criticised by the inquiry, there have to be given notice so they can respond —— if somebody is officially concise. and he made clear people would be criticised, which many victims and many families of people who lost their lives will be think for to hear. so we've got that process. and as we said before, various witnesses in this whole process have talked

about, andy burnham, a former labour health secretary, when he gave evidence, he talked about maybe corporate manslaughter charges being necessary in the future. even though this part of the inquiry is over, i don't think we have seen the last of the people and organisations, really, being potentially held to account. that is our health reporterjim reed. we have heard from campaignerjoseph peaty, who was at the inquiry. he's a haemophiliac who found out he'd been infected with hepititus c and hiv, via contaminated blood when he was 17 years old. just heard the last of the oral hearings and the judge's closing remarks. it has been a long wait and we now wait with great anticipation at what he has to say in his report. and perhaps with some trepidation whether the uk government will finally deal with this matter or whether they will continue to kick it down the road as they have done

up it down the road as they have done up until now, and as they have done with other inquiries. what we have heard this afternoon, and it perhaps reflects the intransigence of the government and their failure to make any clarifying statements in the closing hearings, was thejudge's intention to publish another interim report before his final report, and we are hoping for that by easter. we hope and will force the government into some action, perhaps with some interim payments, recognising some of the elements that had not been recognised so far, perhaps children that lost parents, parents that lost children, but then of course, finally, may be in the autumn, we will get the final report and then it remains to be seen with the government will do about that, what

the recordations are and whether they will set about correcting some of the issues, substantial compensation. i think sir brian has the opportunity, if not to say that there should be criminal prosecution, then to at least point the way to the way that they should be dealt with. joseph peaty, who had been at the inquiry. the time now, 12:14pm. the headlines: lancashire police have said they believe mum—of—two nicola bulley fell into the river wyre and there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. victims have lived through "the worst times", say representatives at a public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and �*80s. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing

after a chinese surveillance balloon was detected above montana. the government has abandoned plans to house asylum seekers in a holiday park in merseyside. sefton council, which is run by labour, and the conservative mp for southport, damien moore, had opposed the use of the pontins site in ainsdale. the home office said it would not comment on any individual site. let's speak now to the labour mp for kingston upon hull north, diana johnson, who chairs of the home affairs committee. hello, very good evening to you. so what do you make of this change of heart, as it appears?— what do you make of this change of heart, as it appears? good evening. the home office _ heart, as it appears? good evening. the home office have _ heart, as it appears? good evening. the home office have made - heart, as it appears? good evening. the home office have made it - heart, as it appears? good evening. the home office have made it veryl the home office have made it very clear they want to stop the use of hotels and to use other facilities to house asylum—seekers. the real issue here is that the government need to deal with the hundred and

20,000 plus asylum claims that are in a backlog. that is really causing a problem to the whole system around asylum accommodation, so they need to deal with that post up the prime minister has said is one of his top five priorities for the next year. he says he is going to cut it to 92,000 by the end of this year. that within free up accommodation for asylum—seekers to be able be moved into. asylum-seekers to be able be moved into. , ., . ., ., into. right, but what... what do the government — into. right, but what... what do the government do _ into. right, but what... what do the government do next? _ into. right, but what. .. what do the government do next? how- into. right, but what... what do the government do next? how does - into. right, but what... what do the government do next? how does it . into. right, but what... what do the i government do next? how does it deal the excess numbers which you have described there?— described there? there is an issue about the home _ described there? there is an issue about the home office _ described there? there is an issue about the home office and - described there? there is an issue about the home office and the - described there? there is an issue | about the home office and the way they have dealt with the problem of not processing asylum claims quickly enough and then having to use hotels. hotels are not appropriate for asylum—seekers, they're not appropriate forfamilies, people for asylum—seekers, they're not appropriate for families, people of gone through perhaps very difficult circumstances in their home country, the trauma they have gone through, so what we need is this whole process to be speeded up, for people who are asylum—seekers to get their

refugee status sorted out so they can get on with their lives and for those who are not genuine to be told that and then to be removed, and part of the problem is the government have not got that many removal arrangements in place with other countries, so that is another thing the government need to do. so all the problem is around accommodation at the moment, the bigger issue is the home office having a problem, properly of dealing with asylum, a proper process that is fair and quick stop at the suggestion is this had been opposed by people on both sides of the political divide.— the political divide. there was a lot of local _ the political divide. there was a lot of local concern. _ the political divide. there was a lot of local concern. what - the political divide. there was a lot of local concern. what are l the political divide. there was a i lot of local concern. what are the rules here? how much eseehc in a local counsel, a local community can have when central government proposes something like this? you are absolutely _ proposes something like this? ym. are absolutely right, one of the big problems with the home office that the select committee is aware of is the select committee is aware of is the lack of dialogue between the councils any home office, and often

the home office willjust tell councils with very short notice that they are going to move large numbers of people into their area, and that has to stop. we have to have a much better arrangement between national government and local authorities. there is also issues about dispersal. some parts of the country have taken dispersal. some parts of the country have ta ken lots dispersal. some parts of the country have taken lots of asylum—seekers above my own city of hull being one of them. we have welcomed those asylum—seekers. but in other parts of the country, there are not asylum—seekers, so there is no unfair distribution to start with. that needs to be rectified. i know the government are trying to do that. �* ., , ., ., that. but do you feel local communities _ that. but do you feel local communities should - that. but do you feel local communities should have | that. but do you feel local- communities should have more say, somehow? they should be allowed to put their voice forward, as it were? of course i want local councils and of course i want local councils and local communities to be part of any conversation with the home office, but going back to my original point, theissueis but going back to my original point, the issue is the home office have to get their systems working, get through the backlog and deal with things in a much quicker way, so you don't end up with the large numbers of people that we have got waiting

in hotels for decisions to be made by the home office. that is at the heart of this. by the home office. that is at the heart of thie— by the home office. that is at the heart of this. diana johnson, thank ou for heart of this. diana johnson, thank you for your time _ heart of this. diana johnson, thank you for your time tonight, - heart of this. diana johnson, thank you for your time tonight, chair - heart of this. diana johnson, thank you for your time tonight, chair of| you for your time tonight, chair of the home affairs select committee. a man who was caught on the grounds of windsor castle with a loaded crossbow has pleaded guilty to treason. jaswant singh chail was arrested on christmas day in 2021, after telling a royal protection officer that he was there to kill the queen. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford was at the old bailey. jaswant singh chail appeared by video link here at the old bailey from the high secure broadmoor hospital. he pleaded guilty to three charges. the first was under the 1842 treason act. the offence is intending to injure the queen. the second was possessing an offensive weapon and the third was making threats to kill. he had been stopped in the grounds

of windsor castle carrying a loaded crossbow at 8.10am on christmas day 2021. when challenged by an armed officer, he said, "i am here to kill the queen." in a video that he'd recorded four days earlier and posted on snapchat, he'd said that it was to do with wanting to avenge a massacre in india in 1919. he said, "i am sorry for what i have done and what i will do, i will attempt to assassinate elizabeth, queen of the royal family. this is revenge for those who died in the 1919 jallianwala bagh massacre." he was also carrying a note which said, "please don't remove my clothes, shoes and gloves, masks, etc, don't want postmortem, don't want embalming. thank you and i'm sorry." he will be sentenced on the 31st of march and the judge has asked for reports from two psychiatrists. daniel sa ndford sandford at the old bailey. china says a balloon spotted over the us is a chinese "civilian airship" which had deviated from its planned route. us defence officials said they believe the balloon,

seen above sensitive areas in recent days, was a "high—altitude surveillance" device. but china's foreign ministry said it was used for "mainly meteorological" purposes and it regrets the unintended entry of the balloon into us airspace. it also added china will continue communicating with the us side. america's secretary of state, antony blinken, has postponed his visit to beijing, which was expected to start on friday. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell has the latest from china. it has been quite a dramatic few hours here in beijing, in terms of this balloon and what it is and whose it is. initially, the chinese government said it too was trying to investigate if this balloon, which us officials had said was a sort of spy us officials had said was a sort of spy balloon floating over us territory, was a chinese intelligence gathering device.

chinese government said it was time to find out but urged call him on all sides while they tried to work out what it was. now, the chinese foreign ministry has put out a written statement, and i would just read some of it. according to beijing, this is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological research, so that is for the weather, that it had been affected by the westerlies, westerly winds, and with no steering capability, the balloon had veered off its course. the chinese government regrets the unintended entry of the airship into us airspace and that the chinese side will continue to communicate this with the us government to properly

handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure. caused by unexpected causes, essentially. so now the chinese government is admitting it is one of its balloons, but saying that it is a research balloon, mostly used for weather research. the question of course is the extent to which this will be accepted in the united states, and now, crucially, this new statement has come out days before what was to be a planned trip by antony blinken, the us secretary of state, to china. now being reported that that trip has aptly been postponed. this seems to of been an attempt by the chinese side to try and hold things together, because of course this has caused extra tension, the idea of having a balloon floating over us

airspace at this time, with the capacity to research who knows what, according to the chinese side, the weather, according to the us side, some other types of intelligence gathering, and now we are here to see what the two sides can make of it in terms of what they now have to do to ease tensions on yet another front. like i say, the trip committee planned a trip by antony blinken, was supposed to move relations, to ease tensions and yet here we are again —— the trip committee planned trip. stuck with the two biggest superpowers in the world at loggerheads over a sort of security issue. stephen mcdonell their invasion. 0ur north america correspondent gary 0'donoghue is in washington. it is there for meteorological purposes, gary. what are they saying about that where you are? the

americans _ about that where you are? the americans are _ about that where you are? the americans are not _ about that where you are? tue: americans are not having about that where you are? tte: americans are not having a about that where you are? "tte: americans are not having a bit about that where you are? t'te: americans are not having a bit of that. they stated this morning twice now, both from the state apartment and from the pentagon, that they believe this is a surveillance balloon, that they believe it has the ability to manoeuvre itself, they have just told us that it is floating eastwards. they will not be specific about its position, other than to say it is over the middle of the continent of the united states, which gives a certain out of leeway for speculation, and they will not say with a plan to do with it if it gets over water, because of course the option to shoot it down was rejected i the president of this stuff falling to the ground. it is the size of three buses. but when he gets over water, that may change, but at the moment they are saying very little, other than insisting it is a balloon and also saying very sternly that they regard this as a

clear violation of us sovereignty, of international law, and hence the cancellation of the secretary of state's visit to beijing which was due to go ahead in the coming days. is a curious thing, gary, isn't it? members of the public looking out of the window and seeing it, it is not very subtle, is it? trio. the window and seeing it, it is not very subtle, is it?— very subtle, is it? no, it is not very subtle, is it? no, it is not very secret. — very subtle, is it? no, it is not very secret. is _ very subtle, is it? no, it is not very secret, is it, _ very subtle, is it? no, it is not very secret, is it, if— very subtle, is it? no, it is not very secret, is it, if you can i very subtle, is it? no, it is notl very secret, is it, if you can see it from the ground? there are pictures, which are unconfirmed, i have to say, but they are pictures people say they have taken of it in on —— in montana, from their iphones and other devices. it is pretty big, it does not move very fast, it is a balloon, so it is not very subtle, and the americans say this has happened in the past month but to be honest, it happening on the verge of a visit by the secretary of state,

that would be strange to be planned, so this may be a road balloon even if it was a surveillance balloon. yes, we wait to see. thank you very much, gary 0'donoghue in washington, dc. senior officials from the european union have said "ukraine's future is inside the eu", as president zelensky has been hosting a summit in kyiv. there was no mention of a timeline, but the eu says it will support ukraine and its people against what it calls russia's ongoing war of aggression for as long as it takes. president zelensky has been holding a news conference with eu leaders where he has been also speaking about the fighting. we focus, of course, on ukraine's accession path. your determination to forge ahead is impressive. you're taking important steps, with all the reforms forward, to meet the recommendations and we should not forget you are doing this while you are fighting

against an aggressor. we will continue to support you on every single step. we discussed the details. besides reforms, it is important to have a good track record on implementation. i know you're working hard on that too. and rest assured that your progress be reflected in our important enlargement report that is due in autumn for the member states. translation: no-onel will give away bakhmut. we will fight as much as we can. we consider bakhmut to be our fortress. we consider our heroes who have fallen there, fell there, they are heroes. if we speed up the weapons delivery

— that is, the long—range weapons — then we won't only get away from bakhmut, we will de—occupy donbas, which was occupied since 2014. we have precise needs, specific needs, and we thank all the states which are on this way close to us — presidents —— president zelensky and ursula von der leyen. 0ur correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse, analyses the significance of today's eu—ukraine summit. these diplomatic visits and an afternoon in kyiv are often a show of unity, but the keyword this afternoon was integration. you had president zelensky flanked by two of the most senior officials in the european union, and in the words of charles michel this afternoon, he said, "let's make this happen," in relation to ukraine's potential membership. ursula von der leyen was keen to strike a more cautious tone, when she said the process was goal—driven, not based on duration, and i think president zelensky privately knows that this is a process which is likely to take years.

but there is a broader political game for him here, which is, in striving tojoin the european union, it's ukraine effectively exercising its sovereignty, reflecting the political will of the people, which for the last few years has been tojoin bodies like the european union and nato. and it's that sovereignty that continues to come under threat on a daily basis, so there is a lot at play on what is such a loaded subject for ukraine. james waterhouse in ukraine. the ftse 100 index of the biggest stocks listed in london has closed at a new record high, of 7,901. the previous high was... let's pause and take a look at the weather prospects. here is tomasz

schafernaker. hello. well, the weekend is here, and you might be hoping for a dose of decent weather — and i can tell you, it's actually not looking bad at all for most of us. it should be a dry and bright weekend most of the time — and in fact, come sunday, actually turning really quite sunny across much of the uk. but at the moment, a lot of cloud across the country, and that's how it'll stay through the evening hours into early saturday. in fact, cloud thick enough to produce a little bit of drizzle here and there, just a few breaks in the cloud — but mild air over us right now and a very mild saturday morning for the time of the year. temperatures between 5—9 celsius — so certainly no frost this coming night. so here's tomorrow's forecast — actually a lot of cloud in the morning, but the cloud will thin through the course of the afternoon, so some bright or sunny spells developing. however, in northern ireland and scotland and possibly the lake district later on, there will be some rain, at least temporarily, sweeping through as we see this cold front arriving. bye— bye.

hello, this is bbc news, i'mjane hill. these are the headlines.... lancashire police have said they believe mum—of—two nicola bulley fell into the river wyre, and there are no suspicious circumstances. victims have lived through "the worst times," say representatives at a public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and �*80s. us secretary of state, antony blinken, has postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing after a chinese surveillance balloon was detected above montana. a warm welcome in south sudan for pope francis, as he continues what's described as a "pilgrimage for peace" in africa. we'll talk a bit more about those stories in the coming half hour. now

let's find out about what's happening in the role of sport with becky. good evening. uk athletics is calling for a change in legislation to ensure the women's category is lawfully reserved for competitors who are recorded female at birth. it comes after world athletics proposed allowing transgender women to compete in female international track and field events, with surpressed testosterone levels. 0ur sports correspondent alex capstick has more. this follows a review by uk athletics of the participation of transgender women in the female category. it began back in 2021 and they have concluded that it isn't fair for trans women to compete in female events. they say the suppression of testosterone doesn't remove a physical advantage gained by athletes who have gone through male puberty. they are also unsure whether it's safe for transgender women to take testosterone women to ta ke testosterone suppressa nts. women to take testosterone suppressants. so what they want to do instead is create an open category which will include men and

athletes of all sexes while the female category will be protected and restricted to only athletes who were born female. but there is a problem looming, they say — the chairman of uk athletics says he fears they would lose any legal challenge, and they want to change the british equality laws because of the british equality laws because of the gender recognition act which allows people with gender recognition certificates to be allowed to be treated as females for allowed to be treated as females for all purposes, and that includes sport. now some have said the 2010 equalities act addresses that issue and allows for the protection of the female category in sport. but clearly uk athletics are not convinced by that. in a statement, the lgbtq+ campaign group stonewall say...

meanwhile, fairplay for women say... and that they expect the uk althletics "will soon have the legal clarity they need." the start of the six nations is now less than a day away, and england are making theirfinal preparations for their calcutta cup match against scotland. it will be new head coach steve borthwick�*s first match in charge. england are looking to beat scotland for the first time since 2020. borthwick says he's picking his squads based on club form and that's meant a return for 35—year—old prop dan cole, who could win his 96th cap more than three years after his last appearance.

you get older and your life and your career, and you realise you haven't got many games left, so to play in the first game of the year of the tournament for us is very exciting, there's definitely a buzz when you play at twickenham. you feel that anticipation in the air. looking forward to that buzz again. britain's men's tennis team have one of their toughest tests this evening. and over the weekend, they're playing columbia in the davis cup near bogota, which means it's at altitude and because of that, they have to use pressure less balls to combat the thinner air. gb have by far the stronger line up, with dan evans due to play in both the singles and doubles. but playing over 2,500 metres above sea level using different balls and on a clay surface which won't suit the british team means it's going to be very difficult for them to try to reach september's group stage. you can watch it on the bbc iplayer this evening at 8pm.

that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you in sportsday at 6.30pm. up to a0 countries could boycott the next olympic games over russian and belarusian participation, making the whole event pointless, said poland's sport and tourism minister. his comments came after poland, lithuania, estonia, and latvia jointly rejected an international olympic committee plan to allow russians and belarusians to compete in 202a. the ioc says a boycott would only "punish athletes" — it plans to allow russia and its ally to compete under a neutralflag. in an interview with the bbc, the polish sports minister, kamil bortniczuk, said it's important western countries stayed united in their boycott of russia. translation: | think it | would be deeply unjust if, as a result of an armed aggression

of one state against another, the attacked state bore consequences and the attacker enjoyed themselves at international events. we remain in constant contact with our uk friends, and it's the british government who are tasked with dealing with the us and canada, because of the long—standing uk—us special relationship. we are also in communication with our regional partners in central and eastern europe. 0n the 10th of february, we will meet with our partners at a conference initiated by uk. we the will decide how far we should move in our opposition to ioc�*s decision on russian and belarusian participation in the olympics. i don't consider it possible for a scenario where dozens of states, with the uk and us at the forefront, refuse to participate — and ioc considers it more important for russians and belarusians to compete, even under a neutralflag. i think a civilised country should

not accept open aggression of russia on ukraine. if we stay united, we won't give ioc any choice, and it's russia who won't be the olympics. officials in the north east of india say they have arrested more than 1,800 people on charges of marrying, or arranging marriages, to under—age girls. the minimum age of marriage for women in india is 18, but the law is often flouted. the un estimates that india is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, with nearly 1.5 million underage girls getting married every year. with more details, i'm nowjoined by our south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan. good to see you. that number is still staggering, that figure of one and a half million. give us the context, how big a problem is that

it is this number changing at all? it is a huge problem, especially in small towns and rural areas where many families, low income family groups because of any number of reasons go through this, marrying the daughter before the age of 18. if you look at states like central india, what happens if you have 2—3 daughters at home? the primary aim of the parents would be to get them married at the earliest. it's not about getting them jobs immediately or giving them education. we've had a number of cases where the girls were called to the teachers, probably 15—16 —year—old, wanting to complete their a—level studies but their parents are now forcing them to get married. from a societal point of view, they want to get the married because they don't want their daughters to go with somebody else or marry outside the cast. also the more they keep for them, it is an economic issue because you have to pay down and give them gifts. so

there are various factors here — during covid, millions lost their jobs, like migrant labourers, and they started going back home hundreds of kilometres away. they were stuck for two years and had their daughters at home — so they don't want to face any social issues, so they get them married. but i must say this is very unusual for a state to carry out such a massive crackdown, like what's happening in asam and taking action. why is that this one specific state that's doing this?— that's doing this? various governments _ that's doing this? various governments have - that's doing this? various governments have been l that's doing this? various - governments have been doing it that's doing this? various _ governments have been doing it and also carrying out various campaigns. and i must stress that in the 1960s and 70s, and two thirds of the women probably would get married under the age of 18 — now the numbers have come down to 25, thanks to very strong laws there, and also campaigns brought by the government and nongovernment entities. now somebody would raise questions on a majority of these areas where the rates are being conducted are muslim

dominated, and it's a hindu nationalist government. but the chief minister of the state categorically said we've arrested priests from both the hinder hindu community and muslim clerics. so these are very important because... so it is cutting across various communities, hindu, muslim, christian and indigenous communities. what he described as unpardonable crime against women — it causes health issues for women's, you get married before 18 to get pregnant, the mature noodle —— the infant mortality rate there. by the age of 21, you have 2—3 kids and you're not able to do anything. the chief minister of the state warns that we should be aware of that, now they will and for the law properly

—— enforce the law properly. the governments and state governments have been very proactive, but this is one sending out a clear message to societies that this cannot carry on. . �* , to societies that this cannot carry on. ., �* , ., , , on. that's really interesting. the numbers are _ on. that's really interesting. the numbers are coming _ on. that's really interesting. the numbers are coming down - on. that's really interesting. the numbers are coming down from, on. that's really interesting. the i numbers are coming down from, as on. that's really interesting. the - numbers are coming down from, as you said at the beginning, the asam is an example — is there a drive, a move or willingness to keep driving that number further down for other states, perhaps to follow us some's lead? ., , , ., , , ., lead? one of the best examples would be aaivin lead? one of the best examples would be giving them — lead? one of the best examples would be giving them education _ lead? one of the best examples would be giving them education and - be giving them education and awareness. so if these women get jobs, it improves the economic conditions, especially women and industrial estates with very high literacy rates, the numbers are much less. so what is important here is awareness. two, education to the families — that's where the

schoolteacher plays a major role, they keep telling these children, in case your parents are forcing you, please tell us because i cannot happen. in many occasions, schoolteachers talk with the parents and allow them to finish their a—levels, then go to a factory and work so they can be economically independent. the main worry is about, how do i get my daughter married? if you ask any indian family, the first priority would be if you have daughters, get the married, marriage is the most important thing in the family. so thatis important thing in the family. so that is why awareness and education are key to bringing the numbers down. , , ., down. very interesting, thanks so much for now. _ the energy regulator 0fgem has called on companies to suspend the forced installation of pre—payment meters for customers who are in arrears with their bills — and the association representing the firms has said the metres should never be put into vulnerable households. it comes after an undercover investigation by the times saw debt agents breaking into homes

to fit metres. here's our business correspondent, emma simpson. the undercover story of debt collectors breaking into the home of a single father with young kids to fit a prepayment meter. 0fgem has now asked all energy suppliers to hit the pause button on forced installations. but one former boss says the regulator should have acted sooner. it's been brewing for quite a while and i think that anybody in the industry will have seen quite a large increase in the number of prepayment meters that have been installed, and i think that should have set off alert signals at 0fgem, and 0fgem should have required that the companies were making the due processes and the right checks to make sure the customers who were vulnerable were not having prepayment meters forced on them. we had a text from a mum who said this had happened to her daughter just the day before...

and she then told them how she found out. she's been in hospital- for three weeks and i went up to her house last night, | just to check on her mail and to make sure her house was ok, and i thought somebody _ had broken in. if she comes home and feels that somebody can get into her housej without her permission, _ when her door's locked, you know, next time she's in a psychosis, she's going to be thinking - about that and that's going to be detrimental to her health. - the company involved is looking into her case. it stays in there, it stays on the machine. prepayment meters are more expensive than direct debits. you have to pay up front too. customers should only be forced onto them as a last resort. but the surge in energy costs mean many more people are falling behind with their bills. citizens advice says more than 3 million people across great britain ran out of credit last year because they couldn't afford to top up their metre. and more than two million are being disconnected

at least once a month. the whole system needs to be rewired so the regulation of the energy market starts with the principle that the greatest protection is in place for the most vulnerable households. we're one million miles from that, so good the temporary injunction on forced installations. but we need a whole root and branch review of prepayment so it works for householders — notjust for suppliers concerned about bad debt. the regulator is already looking into the use of prepayment meters. it's also now telling all suppliers to get their house in order to protect their most vulnerable customers. emma simpson, bbc news. lancaster believes say the mother of two fell into the river wire and there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance —— lancaster police. victims have lived through the worst

times, say representatives at the public inquiry into contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s. the us equity of state has postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing after china and —— chinese surveillance balloon was detected above montana. large crowds have welcomed pope francis on his arrival in south sudan, at the start of what the vatican is calling a pilgrimage of peace. the pope wasjoined at the airport injuba by the leaders of the churches of england and scotland. together on this historic visit they are seeking to promote reconciliation in a largely christian country that has been ravaged by tribal conflict since it became independent 12 years ago. pope francis is honouring a 2019 promise to visit south sudan, when in a dramatic gesture, he kissed the feet of the country's rival leaders at the vatican. merchuma is our correspondent in the south sudanese capital, juba.

the people of south sudan and the leadership of south sudan, they hope and pray that this is it, because it's really a big deal to have the three top religious figures in the country right now. being in south sudan, you can feel the air, the difference, the expectation of the people, their happiness that the leaders are here, the question is what happens at the end of the trip? will they go back to normal? a divided country, a country that there is a lot of conflict, or will this turn the tide for the country? a lot of expectation and hope comes with the three leaders being here. these are problems which have persisted for a really long and come around issues of leadership, who should lead the country, who should take the top leadership, it has led to issues like postponing elections for a couple of times. there is a lot of resources in south sudan, it is an oil—rich country, that is also one thing causing a lot of fighting

between communities. it is a multitude of things making people in south sudan fight and yes, it's a big task for leaders to forge a path to make people ci to i and ease things down. —— to make people see i to i. the fashion designer paco rabanne has died at the age of 88. he was best known for his 1960s work, which included metallic ensembles and space—age designs. his death was confirmed by puig, the parent company of his brands, which said he had "marked generations with his radical vision of fashion and his legacy will live on". they're known as hull's headscarf revolutionaries — and today people have been on a walk to raise money to honour them. campaigners want a statue built in honour of the group of women who fought for, and secured, safety improvements on fishing vessels after three hull trawlers were lost

in a matter of weeks in 1968. jo makel has more 0n the dock, there was a child stood there ten years of age. they were waiting for one of the ships that hasn't come back. what is in that child's mind? nobody knows. and it seems these shipowners that don't care. angry, emotional, formidable. lillian wanted action. in the winter of 1968, hull had been stunned — three trawlers sunk within a matter of weeks. lillian, christinejensen, mary and yvonne lincoln led a successful campaign to improve safety at sea, sometimes taking on the law and the dismisses nurse of the trawler owners.

—— divisiveness. do you expect any sort of revolt? i don't know, frankly the ordinaryj fisherman is sick of these women interfering in their business. but the women became heroes. now people want them to have their own statue. it is visual. if it's in a central space, it lets the next generation know what they did. they did more than trade unions and politicians did in a century. they changed the face of health and safety for ever, all over the world. they are walking, taking in the four women's homes. there is a long way to go to raise the £100,000 needed, but they believe it is another campaign worth fighting for. jo makel, bbc look north.

the carbon footprint of football is huge — but the game has a new plan to tackle it. tomorrow, the first—ever green football weekend will spotlight climate change at fixtures across the country, with clubs, players and fans taking part — as nesta mcgregor reports. port vale might play their actual football in england's third tier but they are top—five in the uk when it comes to trying to save the planet. as part of green football weekend, players like funso 0jo and fans can collect points for the club by scoring green goals for things like ditching single—use plastics, swapping the bus for a bike, or beef for broccoli. the midfielder has completed more than 260 activities this season, which organisers say could equate to half a tonne's saving of carbon emissions. i go on walks, i see plastic and pick it up. if i can bring a change to five young kids it's going to make a change in the world and there's hundreds, thousands of footballers so if we all do our bit and get some

more awareness and education out there we can do something. this weekend teams across the footballing pyramids, including manchester united, liverpool and tottenham are making the issue of climate change part of their match day agenda, as will championship leaders burnley. sunday league games are affected all the time by pitches being flooded, people get trains cancelled because of the heat. the players talk about what they do as individuals, or as the full team, it can only serve as a positive to make people think. football has come and continues to use its reach to effect social change, tackling racism, homophobia and now climate change, which could be its biggest challenge yet. football at the moment - is an unsustainable practice. looking at the fixture schedule would be a good start. - you know, we are seeing games every three days. | it's incredibly intensive and that| obviously means that clubs have to rely on more carbon intensive|

forms of transport like air travel. turning down your heating and wearing more in the layer up challenge is another way fans can get involved in the green football weekend. 0rganisers say we all have a part to play — a green goal might score points for your team, but it's a win for everyone. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. now here's a cautionary tale about letting children play with your phone — a six—year—old in michigan in the us has managed to order more than £800 worth of takeaway food from his dad's mobile. mason stonehouse fancied a snack while playing — multiple orders later, and the stonehouse family was inundated with pizza, sandwiches and so much more. karen morrison explains. this is a six—year—old with a very big appetite for spending. i gave him my phone to play, and i wasn't paying attention,

i was watching my show. mason stonehouse spent more than £800 within minutes, using a delivery app on his dad's phone. he made multiple orders from several food outlets. pizzas and rice and chilli cheese fries. i looked out the window and he popped up and said, "who's here? who's here?" and cars were coming in the driveway while cars were leaving the driveway. i looked down at my phone and it said "chase fraud alert, $439 for pizzas." and then he tipped 25% on every single order. but mason's actions had consequences. his parents raided his piggy bank to repay some of the money. they took my money. how much money did you have in your piggy bank? _ 115. and how much do you have now? uh...0ne dol—... uh, one cent. this is my lesson, you know, first and foremost, and hopefully parents out there see and learn from this. the main takeaway, think twice about who you give your phone to. karen morrison, bbc news.

absolutely brilliant! not if you have to pay the bill, obviously. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. hello. it's been quite a cloudy day for most of us today. but this weekend overall, it's actually not looking bad at all. saturday still a little overcast for most of us, but come sunday, i think the sun will be out, and it should feel quite pleasant. so here's the forecast, then — at the moment, this evening, mild air is still spreading across the uk, and will be in place across the country during the course of saturday. but after that, saturday night into sunday, a change in the wind direction, and we will see colder air establishing itself across the uk. now here's the cloud at the moment, or in the last few hours or so — you can see quite a uniform, thick sheet of cloud across the country, broken up here and there. and that's how it'll stay through the course of the evening and overnight. so just a few clear spells here and there, and actually the cloud will be thick enough across some western areas to produce a little bit of light rain or drizzle. no frost this coming night,

temperatures will range from around five celsius in lerwick, to about nine celsius in stornoway — and for most of us it'll be somewhere in between, so mild for the time of the year. here's saturday morning starts off pretty cloudy, but some glimmers of brightness already developing. notice that across northern ireland and scotland here, for a time, there will be some rain as this cold front moves in gradually from the northwest. temperatures will be around double figures, i think, right across the board. now, that rain won't last for very long — and in fact, as it makes itsjourney further south, it will mostly fizzle out by the time it reaches, say, the peak district, and also wales and the midlands. so the south of the country will not be getting rainfall tomorrow. now the big area of high pressure will stick around for a few days, it's also an intense area of high pressure — so strong, really anchoring itself across the uk, light winds. we're right in the centre of that high pressure, and you can see the winds blowing around it. so here in the centre, with the light winds and sunny skies, it will actually feel quite pleasant.

even though the temperatures are going to be a little bit lower — i think we're talking about eight celsius for most of us — it should feel fairly pleasant. now the high pressure isn't going away anywhere in a hurry — it does mean, though, that we could have some misty, foggy mornings into next week. and of course, with clear skies and light winds, that does mean a touch of frost first thing, as well, across many parts of the uk into next week.

today at six, police say they believe a mother of two who's been missing for a week fell into the river while walking her dog. nicola bulley was last seen next to the river wyre in lancashire, but despite a major search, no trace of her has been found. our main working hypothesis, therefore, is that nicola has sadly fallen into the river, that there is no third—party or criminal involvement, and that this is not suspicious. her partner says they have not lost hope, despite living in "perpetual hell" since her disappearance. we'll bring you all the latest. also on the programme: a balloon in the skies over america

prompts a diplomatic row between the us and china, with claims and denials of spying.