a spy working at the british embassy in berlin david smith passed on details of the embassy and its staff for cash payments — but was finally caught out in an elaborate sting by mi5. smith was motivated by anti—uk, pro—russian views. he understood that the information he was collecting was damaging to british interests. also on the programme tonight... a qatari consortium bids to buy manchester united ahead of the deadline which has just passed, meaning there are now two contenders. more questions about lancashire police's decision to disclose personal information about the missing woman nicola bulley — including from the prime minister. and the hollywood star

bruce willis is diagnosed with dementia at the age of 67. and in the capital: how london's firefighters saved 11 lives in turkey. and the doctor whose surgery has never been busier — he tells us about the pressures he's facing. good evening. a spy at the british embassy in berlin has beenjailed for more than 13 years for selling secrets to russia. david smith was caught in an undercover sting which involved fake russian agents — who in fact worked for the british security services. the 58—year—old was passing details to russia of other members of staff, as well as photographs and videos of buildings. police described smith's actions as "reckless and dangerous". our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports.

secretly filmed, david smith, the embassy security guard with an access all areas pass, stealing secrets for the russians. scottish, married but separated, a lover of military memorabilia, the court found he hated britain and felt sympathy for vladimir putin. sentencing him, thejudge said he'd betrayed his country and his embassy colleagues. you put all of those 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. investigators found in may 2020, smith used embassy notepaper to write to the russian embassy offering details of british officials in berlin, security passes and documents.

to gather more evidence, mi5 set up a sting operation involving two russian speakers whose real names have not been disclosed. smith was told that a mysterious russian called "dmitry" 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 met and mi5 and smith fell for it. those supposedly secret documents, they were nothing of the sort, were later found in smith's locker. a covert camera captured smith taking pictures of the visitor on the cctv system. he seemed to hope the russians knew who dmitry was. then another hidden camera captured smith meeting the second fake russian, also sent by mi5. "irina" wanted his help

in identifying defectors. they met the next day. he was arrested in august 2021 in potsdam, close to berlin. police found documents and videos filmed inside the embassy. smith was motivated by anti—uk, pro—russian views. he understood that the information he was collecting was damaging to british interests, probably understood that he was likely to put people at risk of harm and yet he shared it with the russians anyway. and with hundreds of euros found in his flat, police are also sure he did it for the money. tom symonds, bbc news. and our security correspondent gordon corera joins us from scotland yard. gordon, how concerning is this case? david smith was not an a grade spy. he was a security guard who had limited access to secrets and his work was disrupted by the

authorities. i think there were questions about why he wasn't spotted earlier. but i think the significance of this case is it tells us that espionage isn'tjust some cold war throwback but is very much still with us and there are more serious cases. in the last few months, a very serious german intelligence officer was arrested for giving secrets to the russians about the conflict in ukraine. and just yesterday, i was here at scotland yard and heard the head of counterterrorism site now 20% of his workload was linked to what is called hostile state activity, that is things like russian espionage, also the activities of iran and china and that this had quadrupled over the last couple of years. all of that is a sign i think that this espionage is notjust await us but is a growing concern.— espionage is notjust await us but is a growing concern. gordon, thank gordon corera _ is a growing concern. gordon, thank gordon corera reporting. _ a bid has been tabled by a qatari sheikh to buy manchester united. it is the second bid for the football club to be made

public, after businessman sirjim ratcliffe stated his interest last month. our sports correspondent andy swiss is outside old trafford for us now. tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline — tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline for _ tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline for any _ tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline for any bids _ tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline for any bids to _ tell us more. well, 10pm tonight was the deadline for any bids to buy - the deadline for any bids to buy manchester united and as you say, we have had a bid from sheikh jassim bin hamad al thani. he is the chairman of a qatari bank. he is the son of a former president of qatar and says he is a lifelong manchester united fan. in a statement he says his bid will return the club to its former glories, both on and off the pitch. he says his bidders for 100% of the club and will be completely debt free through his foundation. remember, the current owners, the glazerfamily angered remember, the current owners, the glazer family angered the fans by plunging the club into millions of pounds of debt and he says his vision is for manchester united to be regarded as the greatest football club in the world, although he doesn't give any size or amount of

his bid. one potential stumbling block is a qatari consortium already owns another major european club in paris saint—germain we understand that this consortium regards itself as entirely separate, so they don't believe they would be any conflict of interest. qatar of course has just hosted the world cup, although many fans here will be concerned about the country's human rights record. we are expecting other bids to emerge. the british billionaire jim radcliffe has still expressed an interest and is still the early stages but this is a significant move. �* , . , stages but this is a significant move. , ., rishi sunak has met leaders of northern ireland's political parties in a bid to end the deadlock over the post—brexit trade deal known as the northern ireland protocol. the prime minister said there was still work to do but sources suggest an agreement could be reached as early as next week. under the protocol, which came into force in 2021, goods are checked to see that they comply with eu rules before entering northern ireland, effectively creating a border here in the irish sea.

it means those goods can travel freely from northern ireland to the republic of ireland, which remains in the eu, avoiding a hard border between the two. that has always angered unionists in northern ireland, who say they've been cut off from the rest of the uk. until the protocol is changed, they've refused to enter into power—sharing at stormont, leaving northern ireland without a government. our ireland correpsondent emma vardy has the latest. it's divided communities, while the dup collapsed the government over it. the tensions over the northern ireland protocol have had consequences for everyday lives. today, i had positive conversations with political parties in northern ireland about our ongoing discussions to resolve the northern ireland protocol. it's clear that we need to find solutions to the practical problems that the protocol is causing families and businesses in northern ireland, as well as address the democratic deficit.

in belfast, rishi sunak met the parties privately. sinn fein, who support the protocol arrangements, were reassured by what he had to say. it's clear now that significant progress has been made and we're very heartened by that. we now want to see a speedy conclusion of matters and above all else, we want to see the institutions restored, government restored here in the north. his last and longest meeting of the day was with the dup. remove the barriers to trade . within the uk internal markets. there's been scepticism over whether any deal will go far enough to reassure the most staunch unionists that northern ireland's trading position within the uk has been fully restored. i want to hear that brussels l will stretch itself to recognise the concerns that we have - as unionists and that this process will correct the wrongs. of the last negotiations. i do not believe that anyone should

be led by a calendar. _ i am fundamentally focused on getting this right. - the prime minister may use today's talks to strengthen his hand on getting any final concessions from brussels, but his presence here shows we're at the end game. so what do we know about what's likely to be on the deal? an area of conflict has been the role of the european court ofjustice for resolving disputes. the uk government wants it at arm's length. there's expected to be some form of green and red lanes, so goods staying in northern ireland from great britain can face less checks. businesses are hoping it will mean much less paperwork for getting goods over the irish sea, but it's not yet clear how it would all work in practice. while for some companies the protocol brings advantages, getting changes matters to businesses like this one. they've been unable to get certain ingredients overfrom britain because suppliers don't want to deal with the red tape

created by the protocol. so the northern ireland menu is different to the smoothie menu in london? yes. because you cannot get the same goods out here? yes, yes it's very frustrating because what it means is we've got to have a different menu than almost the entirely smoothie factory international business. but there are businesses like our own where itjust doesn't quite work for. this is a big moment for northern ireland for more than just trade. having no government affects many areas of life. there's no guarantee one would be restored quickly but getting a new deal on the brexit arrangement is seen as a first step. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. the prime minister has said he is "concerned that private information was put into the public domain" by lancashire police about the missing woman nicola bulley. it comes as the information commissioner said he would ask the police whether the disclosures were necessary. nicola bulley disappeared three weeks ago today after dropping her two children

at school in st michaels on wyre. our correspondent danny savage reports. three weeks ago, nicola bulley vanished. we've learnt more about her state of mind this week, but she's still missing. there's just nothing you can do. you know, you just feel so helpless. this man found nicola's phone on the riverside bench on the morning they began looking for her. when my wife got to it, it was locked. but there was a wallpaper on the phone with, you know, the couple on it. who i'd seen on many, many times walking. the last three weeks have changed this village, too. alongside police, unwelcome amateur investigators have appeared alarming the community. people have been walking up to houses to peer in, trying door handles, making unwelcome and quite vile telephone calls to parish councillors. so it has had a very negative impact on the community beyond that of obviously nicola going missing

in the first place. details about nicola's mental health and alcohol issues were made public by detectives. but did they say too much? the information commissioner says lancashire police will have to explain. they can release information where it's necessary to do so to achieve a legitimate law enforcement objective. but they need to be able to demonstrate that it was necessary and we might ask them about that once the investigation has concluded. this peaceful coastline is now the focus of police searches. officers wait for a falling tide before starting their patrols, hoping to find some answers out here for herfamily. danny savage, bbc news, lancashire. a new pay offer has been proposed for nhs staff in scotland. ministers at holyrood have put forward a wage rise of 14% over two years. the royal college of nursing has said it will recommend the offer to its members. our health editor hugh pym is with me. enough to solve the situation

in scotland at least? well, it is beginning to look like it. the new scottish government for the next year is a 6.5% pay increase, coming on top of the 7.5% already awarded this year. one union unison said it welcomes this offer and there royal college of nursing has said it will recommend it to its members and that is really significant because the rcn has not in this current dispute recommended any offers so far by any of the administrations in the uk. so a real contrast to what is going on in other parts of the uk. in england, the award was around 4% on average to nhs staff. the government says it will not go any higher because of affordability. the rcn is threatening to escalate its strikes and has set new dates. unison said todayit and has set new dates. unison said today it had mandates from ten more organisations with members, including four ambulance services, to take further strike action. in wales, the gmb union said today its

members at the ambulance service they had voted to reject an offer from the welsh government. maw; from the welsh government. many thanks. from the welsh government. many thanrs- hugh _ from the welsh government. many thanks. hugh pym. _ police in the city of karachi in pakistan are back in control of their headquarters, hours after it was stormed by taliban militants. explosions there was a grenade attack, a series of blasts and a fierce gun battle — seven people have died. it's 12 days since devastating earthquakes hit parts of turkey and syria, and this cctv footage has emerged of the moment the first one struck in the middle of the night. it's from a petrol station at the epicentre in gaziantep in southern turkey. you can see shelves shaking and people running for their lives as buildings nearby collapsed. this satellite image of that neighbourhood shows the extent of the devastation there,

and there is fury over why so many buildings collapsed. the turkish government is accused of accepting billions of dollars in payments for approving buildings that didn't meet earthquake safety standards. this is one of the apartment blocks in that neighbourhood. 136 people living here were killed when it collapsed. the bbc�*s europe correspondent nick beake has spent the past few days investigating why so many died here. night and day, they've been waiting for a miracle. but there is 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 contractors.

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. first, we go to the petrol station next door. their cctv footage shows how first the lights shake, then people run — before a blanket of dust and debris envelops everything. a community ripped apart in seconds. "everything is gone", emel weeps as we meet her. before revealing this... 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. other people we meet here tell us we should try to track down a former security guard called bahattin. here's why. he took this video in the minutes after the collapse. "can anyone hear me?", he shouts. in all, he rescues seven people. it turns out he too was worried about this building. 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. this is a crime... opposition politicians say tens of thousands have paid with their lives. 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 complex has been arrested. his lawyer tells us the building was well constructed. the local authority says there were no formal complaints, and so no inspections

have ever been carried out. president erdogan argues it was not possible to prepare for such a big disaster and that his opponents are telling lies. but in light of this story, one replicated across this country, how many in turkey can truly sleep soundly tonight? nick beake, bbc news, gaziantep. some homes could be without power this weekend after storm otto swept through northern areas of the uk. winds of up to 80 miles an hour were recorded in parts of northern scotland where transport was heavily disrupted and some schools were closed. roads were blocked by fallen trees in parts of north yorkshire where high—sided vehicles also struggled in the strong winds. a woman who says she was repeatedly sexually abused as a child by a former trampoline coach has told the bbc that she wants british gymnastics to pay her and others

for decades of therapy costs. it comes after an independent review last year found systemic abuse in the sport in the uk. brian phelps went to prison in 2008 for abusing three children, serving six years of a nine—yearjail sentence. 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. commentator: supreme in the tower diving event, brian phelps... _ he was a british sporting superstar. ..who at 16 already has a brilliant past and undoubtedly has an even greater future. in 1960, brian phelps won olympic diving bronze at the age ofjust16. 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're 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 olga 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. the medal—winning diver turned paedophile — - but why did it take i

so long to catch him? survivors are asking the same question. revered as an olympian, 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, where he was finally jailed 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's always denied it. brian phelps, who lives with his wife in france, has also denied all allegations in this report and told the bbc he never even entered the basement. he added that in 2008,

when he dived from fame as a sportsman to infamy, the child protection team looked for victims who'd slipped through the net with zero response. emma says she knows of 15 survivors of phelps' 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. "our reform 25 action plan clearly sets out how we've learnt "from the past, including working with survivors "to develop restorative support." there's nothing historic about olga 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 the issues raised in that report, details of support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call forfree, at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077. five former police officers in the united states charged with the murder of tyre nichols have pleaded not guilty. mr nichols' death in memphis last month sparked protests against police brutality. he died three days after police were filmed beating and kicking him. around 2,000 people held a candlelit vigil near warrington this evening for murdered teenager brianna ghey.

members of the transgender community came together with residents in the village of culcheth, half a mile from where the 16—year—old was found on saturday. two 15—year—olds have been charged with her murder. president zelensky has called for allies to speed up sending weapons to ukraine to help defeat russia. in a direct address to western leaders gathered in germany, he warned that dithering and delays threatened his country's security. our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports from munich. ukrainian troops on the front line in bakhmut. a moment to rest and eat before the next russian assaults. their fate, top of the agenda for world leaders gathering in munich, a chance for them to hear once again from, well, you know who. he wants more tanks, he wants more ammunition, and he wants them fast. there is no alternative to speed

because it is the speed that the life depends on. delay has always been and still is a mistake. this is part of what he is talking about, ukrainian troops being trained how to use western air defence systems to protect their skies. france's president appeared to heed president zelensky�*s call, telling the conference russia must not and could not win the war. translation: we needj to intensify our support, to increase our effort in order to help ukrainian people so that ukraine itself can launch a counteroffensive. but what of germany? its chancellor urged nato allies to deliver the battle tanks they had promised ukraine but... translation: we will continue to strike a balance between - providing the best possible support for ukraine

and avoiding an unintended escalation. caution must take priority over hasty decisions, and unity over going it alone. that caution is a source of frustration in kyiv. the western ministers here assure me their tanks, their artillery shells, will arrive in time for any russian offensive. many lives depend on them being right. james landale, bbc news, in munich. the hollywood actor bruce willis, star of die hard and pulp fiction, has been diagnosed with dementia at the age of 67. his family says he has a form of the disease which affects his ability to speak and write. our medical editor fergus walsh has more. may day, terrorists have seized the nakatomi plaza. this channel is reserved for emergency calls only. do i sound like i'm ordering a pizza?! as a wisecracking action hero cop, the die hard films made bruce willis a hollywood superstar.

come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs... but he gave up acting last year due to aphasia, a brain condition which made it hard for him to communicate and deliver his lines. now, his family says the condition has progressed to frontotemporal dementia. a statement from his wife, emma heming, his ex—wife, demi moore, and daughters from both marriages said it was a cruel condition which could strike anyone. frontotemporal dementia affects the lobes at the front and the side of the brain and causes problems with language, behaviour and personality. it can lead to people acting impulsively or inappropriately. it's among the most common forms of early dementia.

most cases are diagnosed in people aged 45—65, unlike alzheimer's, which usually affects older adults. it's a progressive condition and currently there are no treatments that can slow it down. specialists say tens of thousands of people in the uk are living with less well—known forms of dementia. yes, this diagnosis draws attention to the many, many different forms, over 100 different types of dementia that are out there and the importance that getting the right diagnosis has for finding the right support at the right time, meeting other people in the same boat and getting to contribute to research efforts to really find a treatment for these different conditions. welcome to the party, pal. bruce willis' family said continued compassion, understanding and respect would enable him to live as full a life as possible. fergus walsh, bbc news. so, as we've seen, there's been some fierce weather from storm otto in parts of the uk today. here's ben rich.