are there signs of agreement in northern ireland? the prime minister is meeting the main political parties to discuss post—brexit trading. rishi sunak is holding talks near belfast, amid speculation that a deal could be reached with the eu. it seems to us that it is very much game on and we are very heartened by that. we are very, very conscious that. we are very, very conscious that a deal can be done should now be concluded speedily. we that a deal can be done should now be concluded speedily.— that a deal can be done should now be concluded speedily. we have not seen the final— be concluded speedily. we have not seen the final text _ be concluded speedily. we have not seen the final text of _ be concluded speedily. we have not seen the final text of an _ be concluded speedily. we have not| seen the final text of an agreement, clearly— seen the final text of an agreement, clearly there will be further discussions between the uk government and the european union but i think_ government and the european union but i think it is safe to say that progress — but i think it is safe to say that progress has been made. we'll have the latest on those talks in northern ireland. also this lunchtime: as more nhs strike dates

are announced in england, a pay rise is offered to health workers in scotland. a man who spied for russia while working as a security guard at the british embassy in berlin is sentenced to 13 years in prison. the information commissioner is to ask lancashire police why they revealed details about the health of nicola bulley, who's been missing for three weeks. 0h, he's found a way through. and in the cricket, a good second day for england has put them ahead in the first test against new zealand. and coming up on the bbc news channel, potential new manchester united owners have until today to submit takeover proposals. bids are expected from countries ranging from qatar to the usa.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister rishi sunak has been holding talks near belfast with representatives of all the main political parties in northern ireland, amid speculation that the government is close to agreeing a new deal with the eu on post—brexit trading arrangements. the northern ireland protocol allows goods to be transported over the border into the republic of ireland, without checks on the northern side. that means goods are inspected before reaching northern ireland, creating a border here with the rest of the uk. but the deal has always angered unionists, who say they've been cut off from the rest of the uk — and until the protocol is changed, they've refused to enter into a power sharing agreement at stormont. in the last few minutes, the dup has said some progress has been made today but there's

still work to be done. our ireland correspondent chris page reports. the prime minister made a trip across the irish sea border, which he is trying to negotiate away. he wants a deal with the eu to help to restore the devolved government in northern ireland. the democratic unionist party says it will continue to veto power sharing what it views as an economic barrier with the rest of the uk is removed. after meeting rishi sunak, the dup made clear it wasn't softening its position. i have indicated to the prime minister that it have indicated to the prime minister thatitis have indicated to the prime minister that it is important, fundamentally important, that he agrees the right deal. i want to hear that brussels will stretch itself to recognise the concerns that we have as unionists. and that this process will correct the wrongs of the last negotiations. london and brussels have been

negotiating over brexit trading arrangements since 2021. under the current system, goods arriving from great britain are inspected when they arrive at ports in northern ireland to confirm they comply with eu rules. that means they can then be moved on into the republic of ireland, which is in the european union, without any more checks on the land border. it is understood the land border. it is understood the new plan would bring in what would be known as a green lane for goods arriving in northern ireland and staying there. those products wouldn't be checked. goods which are headed to the republic of ireland would go into a red lane and would be inspected. the non—unionist parties who met the prime minister said they had the sense a deal was close. he said they had the sense a deal was close. . , , ~ said they had the sense a deal was close. . , , . , close. he was very much in listening mode and came _ close. he was very much in listening mode and came to _ close. he was very much in listening mode and came to hear— close. he was very much in listening mode and came to hear our- close. he was very much in listening mode and came to hear our views i close. he was very much in listening i mode and came to hear our views stop it seems apparent that whilst he was not in a position to brief us about the detail, that things are gradually moving in the direction of a potential deal. but we are not

over the line yet. that doesn't mean that we won't be very soon but there is clearly some heavy lifting still to be done. it is clearly some heavy lifting still to be done-— to be done. it seems to us that it is very much _ to be done. it seems to us that it is very much game _ to be done. it seems to us that it is very much game on _ to be done. it seems to us that it is very much game on and - to be done. it seems to us that it is very much game on and we - to be done. it seems to us that iti is very much game on and we are to be done. it seems to us that it - is very much game on and we are very heartened _ is very much game on and we are very heartened by— is very much game on and we are very heartened by that. we are very, very conscious_ heartened by that. we are very, very conscious that a deal can be done, should _ conscious that a deal can be done, should now— conscious that a deal can be done, should now be concluded speedily. we hope that_ should now be concluded speedily. we hope that will be the case. and then it is a _ hope that will be the case. and then it is a matter for everyone, for each _ it is a matter for everyone, for each of— it is a matter for everyone, for each of the _ it is a matter for everyone, for each of the political parties to step— each of the political parties to step up. — each of the political parties to step up, get back to work and detiver— step up, get back to work and deliver the people here in the north of ireland — deliver the people here in the north of ireland. but deliver the people here in the north of ireland. �* ., ., of ireland. but one of the most significant _ of ireland. but one of the most significant issues _ of ireland. but one of the most significant issues unionists - of ireland. but one of the most significant issues unionists willi of ireland. but one of the most i significant issues unionists will be whether eu law will still take priority in northern ireland. they say they will be examining what rule the eu's highest court will have in any new agreements. this afternoon, the focus is turning to brussels. the foreign secretary james cleverly is meeting the european commission vice president marat shipped a rich —— second. it is fuelling

expectations a deal could be struck within days. while the prime minister has now left northern ireland. he lasted the longest meeting he had here was with the dup and when the dup leader came here to speak to the media about 15 minutes ago he said that as far as he was concerned progress had been made but there was still some way to go. interesting that he also made the point in his words no one should be led by a calendar. so perhaps that was him suggesting to the speculation that a deal could be announced by the eu and the uk early next week, perhaps on tuesday. meanwhile, over in brussels, that meeting between the foreign secretary and the european commission vice president maros sefcovic has taken place and we have had two tweets from those two politicians which are mirror images of each other. mr cleverley saying

intensive work continues. maros sefcovic insane hard work continues. so the message coming from belfast and brussels this lunchtime certainly that a deal maybe coming closer but it is certainly not there yet. chris, thanks very much. chris page with the very latest there on those talks in belfast. a new pay offer has been proposed for nhs staff in scotland. ministers at holyrood have put forward a wage rise of 7.5% this financial year, followed by a 6.5% rise next year, backdated to january. our health editor, hugh pym, is with me. and those figures, that proposal purely for scotland, hugh. that's ri . ht. purely for scotland, hugh. that's right- this _ purely for scotland, hugh. that's right- this is _ purely for scotland, hugh. that's right. this is the _ purely for scotland, hugh. that's right. this is the scottish - right. this is the scottish government coming up with an offer for the next financial year, beginning in april, that is 6.5% backdated on top of the 7.5% already awarded. and the indications from a couple of unions are certainly reasonably positive. unison has said

it is a decent offer and they will certainly consider it very, very carefully. the royal college of nursing has said it will consider the offer. 0n the scottish government has said this will make nhs staff in scotland the highest paid in the uk. now, of course, in england the government at westminster has stuck to its line that the award for the current financial year of around 4.5% for nhs staff is out there and has already been paid and they are not prepared to talk about any increase of that in this current year. they are prepared to start talks on the next financial year and that is what has provoked this wave of strikes. we heard last night that the royal couege we heard last night that the royal college of nursing was stepping up its strike action in england to a 48—hour action at the beginning of march. with no service guaranteed, with walk—outs across the whole piece. we heard to date that unison, it has re—balloted members at ten

nhs organisations where there wasn't a legal mandate first time round and they come on a second ballot, have said they will take action and that includes four more ambulance services. , . ~ includes four more ambulance services. , ., ,, , ., a former security guard at the uk embassy in berlin has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for spying for russia. david ballantyne smith admitted passing secret information to the russian authorities, after being caught in an undercover sting operation. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds is at the old bailey. tom. david smith, a fan of war memorabilia, a security guard at the british embassy in berlin and a spy for russia. motivated by hatred of britain and sympathy for vladimir putin. secret cameras installed by police and m15 helped convict him. here is filming pictures captured by the embassy's cctv system. sentencing him, thejudge said he betrayed the trust placed in him,

betrayed the trust placed in him, betrayed his country and his colleagues. betrayed his country and his colleagues-— betrayed his country and his colleauues. ., , ., ., colleagues. you put all of those staff at increased _ colleagues. you put all of those staff at increased risk _ colleagues. you put all of those staff at increased risk of - colleagues. you put all of those staff at increased risk of harm. | staff at increased risk of harm. they had to be told that their security had been compromised in this way and the level of danger caused by your actions then had to be managed. it has caused some of the people involved and their families understandable anxiety and distress. the families understandable anxiety and distress. , ., ., , ., distress. the investigation started with a letter— distress. the investigation started with a letter he _ distress. the investigation started with a letter he sent _ distress. the investigation started with a letter he sent to _ distress. the investigation started with a letter he sent to a - distress. the investigation started with a letter he sent to a general. with a letter he sent to a general here at the russian embassy. highly sensitive information, including details of british officials in berlin, security passes and documents. and then m15 set up a sting operation. smith was told that a mysterious russian called dimitri was coming to the embassy for a meeting. he was asked to photocopy some documents. it seemed as though a russian defector was about to spill his country's secrets to the

uk. but dmitry was working for the mat and m15 and smith fell for it. those supposedly secret documents, they were nothing of the sort, were later found they were nothing of the sort, were laterfound in they were nothing of the sort, were later found in smith's locker. and the covert camera captured smith taking pictures of dmitry on the cctv system. then another hidden capture camera captured smith meeting another secret russian sent by m15. smith met meeting another secret russian sent by m15. smith met her meeting another secret russian sent by m15. smith met her the meeting another secret russian sent by m15. smith met her the next meeting another secret russian sent by m15. smith met her the next day. he was arrested, his locker at the embassy search along with his home. police found documents and videos filmed inside the building and money. smith spied for cash and a hatred of his country. and what damage has he done? well, he was just a security guard, he had no access to high—level military secrets. you might regard him as a b

list spy. but because he did pass over the details of embassy staff, their addresses and phone numbers, their addresses and phone numbers, the embassy had to review the safety of every single member of staff in an operation costing more than £800,000. and of course nobody could be entirely sure what the russians learnt and what effect that might have in future. jane. tom symons, thank you. the information commissioner is to ask lancashire police to explain why information about nicola bulley�*s health was made public. the 45—year—old disappeared three weeks ago while walking her dog by the river in st michael's on wyre. yunus mulla is in the village. this intervention by the information commissioner, that is part of growing criticism really off that decision to release health information.— decision to release health information. , ., . ., ., information. the search for nicola bulle is information. the search for nicola bulley is now _ information. the search for nicola bulley is now into _ information. the search for nicola bulley is now into its _ information. the search for nicola bulley is now into its third - information. the search for nicola bulley is now into its third week. | bulley is now into its third week. lancashire police have been criticised for disclosing nicola's struggles with alcohol and the

menopause with a number of groups questioning whether that kind of detail should have been made public this stage of the police investigation. now, the home secretary suella braverman had asked for a an explanation. we understand she is not said to be satisfied with the response she has got now we have john edwards, the information commissioner, who said that police can disclose this kind of information if it helps them to investigate crime but they would have to have reasons to justify that. and that is why he is going to be writing to lancashire police to ask how they have reached this decision. nicola's families say that nicola would not have wanted this kind of detail released but they have been kept fully informed. what they want is the media and people to stop speculating about her private life and to focus on this investigation to find her. this remains a huge police investigation for a missing person, unprecedented

they say with a huge team of detectives are looking at hours of cctv recordings. of course that search has now been extended up the estuary into morecambe bay. they say this is still a missing persons investigation, they don't think anyone else is involved. yunus mulla, anyone else is involved. yunus mulla. thank — anyone else is involved. yunus mulla, thank you. _ a survivor of historical child sexual abuse, who was assaulted by her then trampoline coach, is demanding that british gymnastics repay her for decades of therapy because of its failings in its handling of what she calls the biggest case of sexual abuse in the governing body's history. it comes after last year's independent whyte review found systemic abuse in the sport. the woman, whose name we've changed to protect her identity, has been talking to our sports correspondent natalie pirks. this report contains some distressing details. archive: supreme in the diving events, brian phelps... - he was a british sporting superstar. at 16, already has a brilliant past and undoubtedly has i an even better future.

in 1960, brian phelps won 0lympic diving bronze at the age ofjust 16. commonwealth games golds followed, and in 1979 he was a finalist in the bbc�*s hit show superstars. but while millions watched they had no idea of the horrors happening to emma. phelps was abusing her in the basement at the gym he'd set up with his wife. we went through horrific things. every element of the worst that can happen to a little girl when they are in the hands of a paedophile. i think a little part of your soul, when something that brutal happens, breaks off, and that stays there. emma was five when she says phelps began raping her. she was 12 when she finally found the strength to leave the 0lga gym, a british gymnastics club in poole. a garden now covers where the basement once was.

when you grow up with it, you don't know initially that it's not normal. i didn't know anyone else was receiving the same treatment that i was there. i didn't discover until an evening in 2008 when his face appeared on the evening news. newsreader: the medalwinning diver turned paedophile, - but why did it take i so long to catch him? survivors are asking the same question. revered as an 0lympian, phelps escaped a charge of exposing himself to a child in the north—east just weeks before winning commonwealth gold in 1966. more accusations were made in the 90s but it wasn't until 2008 when he was finallyjailed for nine years, serving six, for his crimes. brian phelps told this court that he was "a bit of a sex addict," but that none of his victims, aged between just six and 15, had ever said no or told him to stop. he admitted 42 counts

of indecent assault and gross indecency on three girls, but even though he was charged with rape he has always denied it. brian phelps, who lives with his wife in france, has also denied all allegations in this piece and told the bbc he never even entered the basement. he added that in 2008, when he "dived from famous sportsman to infamy," the child protection team looked for "victims who had slipped through the net, with zero response." emma says she knows of 15 survivors of phelps's abuse but believes there could be more. now with the help of lawyers she's demanding british gymnastics pay her back for therapy and fund a centre to help abuse survivors. it's about redirecting the shame, the deep, deep shame that exists in ourselves. and redirecting that back to where it belongs, which is everyone who was complicit in all of the things that happened to us. british gymnastics told the bbc it is "truly sorry for any abuse

that has taken place" in the sport. and said emma has received "extensive one—to—one support" from its safeguarding team. it added... there's nothing historic about 0lga for us. there were catastrophic failures across multiple institutions that contributed to what happened to us. the way we were just taught to ignore pain and suffering, that completely alters the trajectory of our lives. if you have been affected by child sexual abuse, or sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call forfree, at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077. our top story this lunchtime... rishi sunak is meeting members of the main political parties in northern ireland amid suggestions that progress has been made

in securing a new agreement with the eu on post—brexit trade. still to come, we have a special report on the british nationals travelling to ukraine to fight in the conflict. and coming up on the bbc news channel, new zealand prove to be stubborn opponents but england are just about on top with a 98—run lead after the second day of the opening test. a young boy has been pulled alive from under rubble in turkey nearly 11 days after the earthquake hit. rescuers worked through the night in hatay province to find him. there were cheers of celebration when he was pulled free. but despite the handful of tales of remarkable survival, there are many, many more of terrible loss, and there's now growing anger about why so many

buildings collapsed. more than 100 arrest warrants have been issued in turkey in connection with unsafe buildings, and the government has been accused of turning a blind eye to poor quality construction. 0ur correspondent nick beake has been investigating and is close to the epicentre of the quake in gaziantep. the turkish president says there is no way they could have prepared for two earthquakes of this size but for years now successive governments have made millions by allowing property developers to buy these so—called amnesties for buildings that were put up illegally. so as well as showing the brutal power of nature, this disaster is also exposed many human failings, and some people are saying that it is actually criminal negligence or even manslaughter on an industrial scale. here over the past few days we have been putting together one the story which sadly seems to be reflected

right across the country. night and day, they've been waiting for a miracle. but there's no sign of one. their relatives lived in the most expensive part of this city. that meant nothing, as their apartment block turned to dust. emre, whose five loved ones are missing, says so many people are to blame. translation: they have the blood of the people who died _ here on their hands. it's not right to scapegoat the contractor. the ones who approved this building are responsible, together with the government and the state. the next morning, we come back to try to find out why these four blocks collapsed, while all around others stood firm. we learned from officials on the ground that at least 136 people have died here. a community ripped apart in seconds.

"everything is gone," emel filik weeps, before revealing there had been concerns that water was weakening the building. translation: it was an accident waiting to happen. _ six months ago, the head of the residents' association told us about the problems of the building. she said our buildings might collapse at the smallest earthquake. "let's strengthen the pillars," she said. but nothing happened. neighbours tell us a former security guard at the complex could give us more information. translation: | witnessed - the defects with my own eyes. when i touched the concrete columns, it would crumble to dust in my hands as though it wasn't concrete at all.

the iron was rusting in the columns. the rainfall was damaging and corroding the iron. in the middle of all this death and destruction, we need to remind ourselves that, these days, homes can be built or strengthened to withstand earthquakes of this magnitude. 2a years ago, this country got a big wake—up call when more than 17,000 people were killed in a previous quake. since then, the turkish authorities have failed to protect their people — whether it's those living in new builds or in older properties, too. opposition politicians say tens of thousands have now paid with their lives. in the civilised countries, earthquakes happen and people don't die. unfortunately, in turkey, these kind of earthquakes happen every ten years, and people die, and they say it is a destiny. no, it is not a destiny. if we just do what the science

says, nobody dies. a man connected to our particular complex in gaziantep has been arrested. his lawyer tells us he's done nothing wrong, and the building was well constructed. the local authority says no complaints were made, and so no inspections were ever carried out. president erdogan says it was not possible to be prepared for such a disaster. but in light of this story — one replicated across the country — how many in turkey can truly sleep soundly? nick beake, bbc news, gaziantep. nearly one year on from the russian invasion, ukraine says a steady stream of british volunteers are continuing to enlist with its military, despite warnings from the uk. foreign office not to travel to ukraine. they're serving in a number of different battalions, but the risks are high.

only this week a fifth british fighter was confirmed to have been killed. the bbc has had exclusive access to a group of men who've been on the frontline since the early days of the conflict. they've spoken about the sense of purpose that comes from serving alongside ukrainians. emma vardy reports. this is the life of a british volunteer on the front lines of ukraine. explosion. whoa! a round from a russian tank misses him by inches. everyone ok? it's landed right next to me. i can't hear nothing. i can't hear a thing. ukrainian officials say 20,000 international volunteers have traveled to help defend the country and that british fighters make up one of the largest groups in the international legion. but there are others also now fighting in a number of different battalions on the front lines. and they've spoken to newsnight and our world about their experiences. seen a facebook advertisement, it was all in ukrainian, but i translated it. it said, "we'll give you a month's training and we'll send you out on the front line,

you'll be fighting in the kharkiv district." 30—year—old james from yorkshire traveled to ukraine having had no previous military experience. it's legal to enlist in the ukrainian military. fighters get a contract and can receive a wage. but the british government has advised strongly about the risks. they needed help, so, and i knew i can fight. that's what i were trained to do. those that do have combat experience are seen in ukraine as bringing valuable skills. we met james chadwick who, aged 21, quit his role with the british army to go. the ukrainians feel like, it makes them feel like they're not alone, like, we are there. we are helping them fight. and much of the fighting involves old school trench warfare. we were 600 metres from russians at all times. it was literally our tree line, their tree line and a field in between. social media platforms like tiktok mean we have a greater insight into life on the front lines than ever before. videos posted by british volunteers can get millions of views.

whatjust happened to your rifle? got shot. entrance, exit. butjoining the war can end in tragedy. when craig mackintosh from norfolk travelled to ukraine, his family had little warning. i thought at first, why would you do that? why would you leave everyone and not tell anyone? and then i thought, wow, what a courageous thing to do. but they were to receive devastating news. police came to inform craig's family he'd been shot by a russian soldier. it hurt. most people die of cancer or common illness, not being shot out at war. six weeks later, his body was repatriated to the uk. i don't know, ijust didn't believe it. didn't feel real. ukrainian military officials say a steady stream of volunteers are still signing up to join them.

and many british fighters see travelling to ukraine as a cause which comes with comradeship and adventure, but those in the conflict and families at home can pay a heavy price. emma vardy, bbc news. you can see more of that story on newsnight tonight, or on the bbc iplayer right now — search for brits in battle: ukraine. 30,000 homes are without power in north eastern scotland as storm otto causes disruption. about 60 schools are closed and there are delays and cancellations on public transport. rececca curran is in aberdeen. it may look like a beautiful day here in aberdeen but storm otto has certainly left its mark in places in scotland but particularly here in the north—east. winds of up to 80 miles an hour have been recorded. 120 miles an hour if you are

standing at the top of cairngorm mountains. it has left thousands without power. the ecotricity company saying 30,000 remain without power. if you live in a rural community you might expect to be without power for much of the weekend. trains and buses and ferries have all been affected. some injuries as well, a driver taken to hospital after their bus left the road. another man was taken to hospital after being hit by a sign when he was filling up his car with petrol. this weather warning has now been lifted but another one comes into place tonight for snow and ice and that affects most parts of scotland. . . . . and that affects most parts of scotland. , . . ., ., and that affects most parts of scotland. , . . . ., ., ~ and that affects most parts of scotland. , u. ., ., ~ , ., england's cricketers have ended day two of the first test against new zealand at mount maunganui with a lead of 98 runs. the tourists had earlier bowled the hosts out for 306, with tom blundell scoring a century. here's patrick gearey. between the bay oval�*s gentle grassy slopes, england were digging new zealand a hole. neil waggoner tempted into a bad shot. daryl

mitchell confused into not playing one at all. zoom out and england were well on top, more than 200 head because of every kiwi run had to be grafted, crafted. tom blundell was beginning a long, hard shift, mindful that there were english traps everywhere. the dangerous devon conway fell into that one, all part of ben stokes' plan. a strategy that's transformed the experience of watching england, whatever the scene, whatever the score, they will attack. ollie robinson put them on the brink of a decent first innings lead, but still batting, still working, tom blundell. that steered him past 100, working, tom blundell. that steered him past100, hard work working, tom blundell. that steered him past 100, hard work rewarded. and now some freedom to have fun. by the time he was out on 138, new zealand were only 19 runs behind. game on, lights on. traditionally a time to bat with caution. not england. this is a team that doesn't overthink, mostly. new zealand searched for clues. then suddenly,

one down. three letters, out, ben