tonight at ten — ahead of the first anniversary of the russian invasion of ukraine, outright defiance from president putin. he tells an audience of tens of thousands in moscow that the conflict in ukraine is entirelyjustified to protect russia's security. translation: there are battles i going on right now on our historical frontiers for our people. courageous warriors are fighting. this is a highly stage—managed, kremlin—choreographed concert. that doesn't change the fact that much of what putin says, and does, does strike a chord with a lot of people here. we'll have details of the putin rally and we'll be looking at the latest military cooperation between russia and china.

also tonight — within the past hour, an off—duty police officer has been shot in the town of omagh, county tyrone. shamima begum, who fled the uk tojoin islamic state when she was 15, has failed to regain her british citizenship. another big supermarket limits sales of some fruit and vegetables — extreme weather is blamed for damaging harvests abroad. and... tonight, the winning streak and coming up on the bbc news channel — chasing the biggest prize the club's yet to win. can manchester city edge closer to the quarter finals of the champions league?

good evening. ahead of the first anniversary of the russian invasion of ukraine, president putin has put on a show of outright defiance. addressing a crowd of tens of thousands in moscow, insisting that his decision to launch military action was entirelyjustified to protect russia's security. mr putin went on to stress that the cooperation between china and russia on the world stage is very important to stabilise the international situation. the americans have expressed concern in recent days that china could provide arms and ammunition to russia, a concern underlined by president biden as he visited poland today. ourfirst report tonight is from our russia editor steve rosenberg in moscow. to russia's largest football stadium they came in their tens of thousands,

not to cheer on their team, but to support their president. from colleges, factories and state enterprises, they had been bussed in specially for a kremlin show, designed to show that russians back president putin and his war in ukraine. irina seems to. "we weren't the ones to start this", irina says. "i trust our president." inside the stadium, the main event. vladimir putin shared the stage with russian soldiers back from ukraine. it was putin who had ordered the full—scale invasion a year ago. from the sound of things, he has no intention of withdrawing his troops. translation: there are battles i going on right now on our historical frontiers, for our people. courageous warriors are fighting, just like the ones that are standing here with us now.

they are battling bravely and heroically. we are proud of them. let's give them three cheers! cheering. this is the picture the kremlin wanted — russia united. it's —15, but as you can see, this place is packed. now, that doesn't mean that russians idolise vladimir putin and are willing to come out and freeze themselves just to support him. this is a highly stage—managed, kremlin—choreographed concert. that doesn't change the fact that much of what putin says and does does strike a chord with a lot of people here. when vladimir putin speaks about russia reasserting itself and challenging the west, when he claims that russians and ukrainians are one people, it goes down well at home. because they think as he thinks. they want what he wants.

they view ukraine as he views and he reflects their... his popularity is not based on the air platform, his popularity is deep—rooted in the russian public opinion and perceptions and this is his strength. away from the stadium, president putin met china's top diplomat. russia and china have close ties. beijing is promising to play a constructive role in resolving the ukraine conflict. for now, the war continues. russians are being told by their leaders that this is a just war, an alternative reality, but can the kremlin sustain it? history will look at it and will look at it badly and we will look bad. whether russians will be able to accept that horrible guilt, i don't know. i hope they can and they will because they will be better for it. and here's a sign, perhaps, that some here are less happy with the direction in which russia is moving.

they didn't stick around to hear vladimir putin's speech — they left the stadium before the president arrived. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. today russia began taking part in a full military exercise with china and south africa off the coast of south africa itself. among the vessels is a frigate equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles. russia is expected to fire artillery, but not the cruise missiles, during the exercises. the frigate admiral gorshkov arrived today in richards bay near durban for the initial drills. south african opposition politicians say the exercises show their government is siding with moscow in the war in ukraine. but officials insist south africa is neutral. our africa correspondent andrew harding reports.

farfrom ukraine. a formidable russian warship, the admiral gorkov, docking in south africa today, bristling with long range missiles and branded unapologetically with the letter v, the symbol of russia's invasion of ukraine. so why is democratic south africa going along with all this, a week of military exercises, and with china too? below decks on the russian frigate, vladimir putin stares from the wall. the captain insists these are just routine drills, nothing provocative. his south african hosts go further, suggesting that this kind of cooperation is actually what russia and ukraine need today.

the republic of south africa, and other countries as well, subscribe to negotiated settlements. maybe we are that country which can assist to bring together different nations who are opposing each other. south africa claims to be neutral regarding the war in ukraine. but the timing of these drills is awkward, to put it mildly. and it's part of a broader trend that's seen south africa's struggling government drawing closer to the kremlin. opposition politicians here are not impressed. it clearly leaves the perception that our government is not neutral. they seem to be giving every opportunity to the russians to showcase their fist, their capability, their military strength. but the truth is that russia is not the pariah here, that it is in the west. right now across africa,

most governments are simply trying to keep their heads down when it comes to ukraine, anxious not to get dragged into the war there on either side. but there's no doubt that today, with these naval exercises, south africa has gifted the kremlin a small propaganda victory. and it's also clear that russian influence on the continent is growing. that influence can be troubling, russian flags waved in places like mali and burkina faso, where the kremlin stands accused of backing coups and undermining democracy. today's russian exercises in south africa have provoked frustration in the west, but they're a reminder that this continent, with its painful colonial history, now wants to keep its options open. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. so these exercises are now due to continue for the next five days of the coast of south africa. the

russians have threatened to raise the stakes are little by doing a training launch on one of their hypersonic missiles, the sort that has been smashing into ukrainian apartment blocks, ukrainian cities for the past year. they are now saying they are not going to do that. in the meantime, western condemnation of south africa's participation in these exercises is continuing from ukraine, from europe and from the americans in particular. they said that south africa is being used by russia for propaganda purposes. but the government here insists it is doing nothing wrong, it is simply treating all sides in this conflict equally. andrew harding, our correspondent in johannesburg. within the past hour, police in northern ireland have confirmed that an off—duty officer has been shot at a sports centre in the town of omagh, county tyrone. our ireland correspondent emma vardy joins us from police headquarters in belfast. what can you tell us about these

reports? what can you tell us about these re orts? ~ ~' ., what can you tell us about these re orts? ~ ~ ., , reports? well, we know this incident ha--ened reports? well, we know this incident happened at around _ reports? well, we know this incident happened at around eight o'clock - happened at around eight o'clock this evening. police are saying a serving police officer was shot. he has been taken to hospital injured. we don't know any more about his condition. local political leaders have been quick to condemn this incident. sinn fein say it's a shameful attack. the dup have called it reprehensible. but of course, here in northern ireland, there is always a continuing security threat against police officers. that is something that dates back to the conflict here, known as the troubles. but today, it is much more rare for police officers to come to harm. the last time a police officer was shot was in 2017, a murder attempt by dissident republican paramilitaries. and in 2011, the police officer ronan curtis was murdered in a bomb under his car. so tonight, this incident will come as a real shock. we don't know any of the details yet behind the attack. all police are saying is that a

serving police officer has been shot and remains in hospital.— and remains in hospital. thanks for the latest on _ and remains in hospital. thanks for the latest on the _ and remains in hospital. thanks for the latest on the incident _ and remains in hospital. thanks forl the latest on the incident in omagh. the latest on the incident in 0magh. emma vardy. shamima begum, who left the uk to join the islamic state group when she was just 15, has lost her battle to regain her british citizenship. shamima begum is now 23. she lives in a camp in northern syria and is barred from returning to the uk. the government says she is still thought to be a security risk. her legal team insist she was a victim of child trafficking, and one of the judges sitting on the special immigration appeals commission agreed there was a "credible suspicion" she has been trafficked. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. in february 2015, eight years ago, shamima begum left gatwick airport with two school friends to go and join the islamic state group in syria. the three of them travelled through a bus station in turkey and were smuggled across the border by a man who, it later turned out,

was providing information to canadian intelligence. she spent the next four years in islamic state territory, emerging in february 2019, after the caliphate collapsed. she immediately had her british citizenship removed. her lawyers have challenged that, arguing that she was a child victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation, as she was married off within days of arrival to an adult is fighter. in their ruling today, the judges said that they found that this was a case of great concern and difficulty. thy said that there was a credible suspicion that shamima begum had been recruited, transferred and harboured for the purposes of sexual exploitation. they said the idea that she could have conceived and organised the trip herself was not plausible. but in the end, they decided that that did not make the home secretary's decision to take away her british citizenship unlawful. shamima begum's lawyers said the case had been a lost opportunity to put into reverse

a continuing injustice. the outcome that we face is that no british child who has been trafficked outside the uk will be protected by the british state if the home secretary invokes national security. well, i was a security minister in the home office when she lost her citizenship, alongside many other people that posed a direct or a dangerous threat to this country. so i'm pleased the courts have upheld our interpretation of the nationality rules for the country and i think that's the right thing to do. you don't want to see her back in the uk? no. other countries in europe are now starting to bring women and children back from the camps in north—east syria and the government's own reviewer of terrorism legislation says he thinks the uk may not want to continue its policy forever. if nothing else, it would create this sort of awful spectre - of britain's guantanamo.

i'm sure it would be a propaganda coup for britain's enemies. - so i can't believe the uk - is going to be a complete outlier. but even speaking before today's decision, shamima begum clearly had little hope of making it back to britain. what do you think you'll be doing in seven years' time from now? i'll still be in this camp. really? yeah. you don't think you'll be home? nope. not at all? nope. why not? because isis was the worst thing of the 21st century and i was a part of it, and now i have to face the consequences of my actions, and this camp is the consequences of my actions. shamima begum's legal team will continue to challenge the decision, but home secretaries do have huge powers to take away british citizenship when national security is threatened. daniel sandford, bbc news.

tesco is the latest supermarket to limit the sales of some fruit and vegetables because of a shortage of fresh produce. it follows similar moves by asda, aldi and morrisons, while other supermarkets are also reporting problems. but so far, sainsbury�*s, lidl, waitrose and m&s have not announced any limits. the shortages are said to be mainly the result of extreme weather in spain and north africa, which have affected harvests. here's our correspondent, emma simpson. if you've been to the supermarket, chances are you'll have seen this — a shortage of tomatoes, cucumbers and some other fresh veg. and now britain's biggest retailer hasjoined in with placing a limit on how much shoppers can buy. here's the problem. at this time of year, we rely on imports from overseas. we get a lot of tomatoes here from morocco, but it's a white—out, with harvests disrupted. extreme weather is playing havoc with food production. this huge business

is in the thick of it. it's got a base in southern spain — a key food—producing region, which has also been hit by bad weather. they grow food, pack it and distribute it here in the uk and abroad. mother nature is wiping the floor with inflation. if you looked at spain and to some extent morocco, in a nutshell, they didn't have an autumn. they went from a hot summer to a summer to a deep freeze. if you get those extremes in temperature, it's going to affect your crop. i've never seen prices so high for such a long period of time across such a broad range of products. that's because demand is outstripping supply, and our biggest retailers are scrambling for alternatives. but pictures like these on social media showing full shelves on the continent are prompting some to ask whether brexit is an issue. it is the suppliers choosing about where they're going to deliver, so i think the vast majority of retailers in europe, they're getting the product that they need because the retailers

over there are prepared to pay the prices that you need to have products on the shelf. we've become used to buying whatever we want, when we want it, but is that no longer guaranteed? the government insists the uk's food supply chain is resilient, but it could be a few weeks before supplies get back to normal. and it is worth stressing that there are limits in place at every supermarket, and some supplies are getting through. the message is not to panic buy, it doesn't help. energy is another factor here because we have had lower supplies from the netherlands and british growers who haven't been planting as many winter crops because it costs so much to heat greenhouses. the sums don't add up and all this adds to the pressures. studio: emma simpson, business correspondent, thank you. there's still no sign of a deal

on the post—brexit trading arrangements for northern ireland, despite hopes being raised, when the prime minister went to belfast last week. but rishi sunak told mps today that he would "keep fighting" to get a deal. he is trying to resolve issues with the northern ireland protocol — the arrangement signed after the uk left the european union. the protocol meant that goods moving between britain and northern ireland would have to be checked, because northern ireland has a border with the eu and the republic of ireland, and the border is not to have any physical barriers to avoid any return to tensions or troubles. the crunch came injanuary 2021 when the protocol came into effect, and with it the trading checks between britain and northern ireland. that agreement has angered the unionists.

they say this is damaging the union of great britain and northern ireland, and they won't allow devolved government in stormont to be restored unless it's changed. our political editor chris mason has the latest. what does brexit mean for every part of the united kingdom? and what can westminster do about it? they are the questions at the heart of the row about the protocol. critics say it hampers trade within the uk and needs to change. can you get a deal through, prime minister? are you being blocked by the dup and your own party? the thing is, some of the critics of the existing rules fear the changes they think the government has negotiated with the european union aren't good enough. hang on a minute, says rishi sunak, there's no deal yet with brussels. we are still in active discussions with the european union, but he should know that i am a conservative, a brexiter and a unionist and any agreement we reach needs to tick all three boxes.

will he confirm that to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland, the deal he is negotiating is going to see northern ireland continue to follow some eu law? mr speaker, i think the honourable gentleman isjumping ahead. we are still... we're still in intensive discussions with the european union. almost 25 years ago, the good friday agreement set up power—sharing government in belfast. but the democratic unionist party walked out of it a year ago in protest at the protocol, saying it detaches northern ireland from the rest of the uk. will he assure me that he will address these fundamental. constitutional issues and do so not just by tweaking the protocol, - but by rewriting the legally binding treaty text? -

i have heard loud and clear when he says he wants and needs these issues resolved so that he has a basis to work with others to restore power—sharing, and i know that that is genuine. rishi sunak is in an almighty bind here. to be fair to him, there's a reason he is the fourth prime minister to wrestle with the quandaries of northern ireland, borders and brexit. sorting it out is not remotely easy. but he has made things tougher for himself with all of the talk of a deal with the european union, then encountering opposition and now, from the government, prevarication. this former conservative leader is one of many tory mps who say the prime minister must secure more from the eu, or there is little prospect of the democratic unionists returning to devolved government in northern ireland. how potentially politically perilous could this be for rishi sunak? northern ireland is always perilous for every single government that i have ever seen, labour or conservative. it doesn't matter how much technical fiddling you do on exports and imports,

it's the good friday agreement that has to stand. if that is in jeopardy, then the deal doesn't stand and it doesn't work. and so tonight, the negotiations over northern ireland and brexit trundle on. chris mason, bbc news. talks have started between the royal college of nursing and the government at westminster to try to resolve the long—running dispute with nurses in england over pay and conditions. but as those talks were getting under way, a separate health union announced another day of strikes next month involving more ambulance workers and, for the first time, the people who transport blood supplies for the nhs. our health editor hugh pym is here with more details. is there any sign of a breakthrough in any of the disputes? fist is there any sign of a breakthrough in any of the disputes?— in any of the disputes? at least talks not in any of the disputes? at least talks got under— in any of the disputes? at least talks got under way _ in any of the disputes? at least talks got under way between i in any of the disputes? at leastl talks got under way between the in any of the disputes? at least - talks got under way between the rcn and health secretary steve barclay, covering england, and i'm told they will continue tomorrow so presumably

some detailed negotiations have got under way but both sides have adopted a policy of no running commentary. elsewhere, the dispute continues. other health unions are frustrated, even angry that they were not invited into this talks process. they say they have heard nothing from government today. we are looking to get more ambulance strikes we know in march and today the extra date from unison, march eight, with some ambulance services that have not had strikes before and just like nhs blood and transport. then the british medical association, it has a mandate for strikes of 72 hours forjunior doctors. the bma says it discuss today with parliament health officials, which it says was very disappointing with nothing on offer on the table. ministers say they want a meeting with the bma over the junior doctors dispute. the union response is, if that doesn't happen soon then they will confirm strike dates. , ., ., dates. hugh pym, health editor, thank yom _ the entire future of steel making

in the uk is at risk following the decision by british steel to shut its coking ovens in scunthorpe, with the loss of 260 jobs. the company, which is chinese—owned, said an "unprecedented" rise in energy costs was to blame, along with demands to be a greener industry. our business editor simonjack has the story. an exciting future — 4,000 jobs secured and over £1 billion in new investment. that was the promise three and a half years ago, when chinese firm jingye bought troubled british steel out of public ownership. today, workers were digesting plans to close ovens that turn coal into coke, with 260 job losses. it's disappointing news. hopefully, the job losses that are announced, there should be hopefully some redeployment for them with the ageing workforce on the site. do you think we seem to go from crisis to crisis in the steel industry? what's the problem? they're saying it's energy prices at the minute. obviously, the rising cost of living — it uses a lot of electric,

running a plant like this. unions fear today's announcement won't be the last and thatjob cuts here will ripple right through the supply chain. well, our fear is that the recent. announcements are probablyjust the tip of the iceberg. and if it closes, i would see scunthorpe as being - almost on its knees. british steel's chinese owners don't deny they are looking to cut costs further, which the unions fear could mean hundreds more redundancies. in fact, they say the entire future of uk steel—making is on a knife edge. now, in the past, the government has said that steel making is a strategic interest that it wants to preserve. but recently, the new business secretary said it wasn't a given that the uk needed a domestic steel—making industry, which is sending alarm bells ringing here in scunthorpe and at port talbot, in south wales. uk steel production has been steadily falling over decades and our output is now less than a quarter of what it was 50 years ago.

world steel production is now dominated by china, which produced a billion tonnes of steel last year, with the uk producing less than 1% of that, atjust six million tonnes. steel industry bodies say energy costs are 60% higher here than in germany, for example, and that means the uk just can't compete. unless government absolutely addresses this problem, then we won't have that competitive business landscape in the uk and, therefore, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that we'll be priced out of the market. the government said today's news was disappointing given negotiations are ongoing to provide british steel and port talbot owners tata with around £300 million each in support. but those offers are conditional on long—term job guarantees and are tied to decarbonisation goals the firm say will cost billions. they haven't proved enough to stop jobs leaving this site today. simonjack, bbc news, scunthorpe.

to football now, and as they continue their preparations for this summer's world cup, england's lionesses have retained the arnold clark cup, thrashing belgium 6—1 in bristol. it takes their unbeaten run to 29 matches. our sports correspondent, natalie pirks, was watching. # man, i feel like a woman... the lionesses�* party keeps on rolling. from wembley to bristol, the european champions sell out everywhere these days, and fans are excited for the summer. can england really win a world cup? yeah, definitely. we've got it in the bag. a mix of experience and youth talent. i i'd say they've got. a really good chance. definitely. it's ten out of ten, we are going to win. but before their date with destiny, belgium stood in england's way. their red flame was extinguished early. and in for england, chloe kelly. belgium offered little in attack but were proving stubborn in defence.

it was just before half—time, with a helping hand from russo, when the captain popped up to double england's lead. forced in at the back post, leah williamson. after the break it was much of the same, and when ella toone's shot was spilled at the feet of kelly again there was only one possible outcome. mary earps was caught cold at the end with the best goal of the game, but it was a mere consolation for belgium, as leah williamson added a flourish for england's sixth. their third trophy under sarina wiegman extended their unbeaten run to 29 matches with two games left before they summer of reckoning. their summer of reckoning. just two games left in april before they head to the world cup, the tournament they have never won and have fallen at the semi hurdle at the last two attempts. but something magical is happening under sarina wiegman. they remain unbeaten under

her and many believe they are the best side in the world right now, a bold claim but one fans hope comes true in sydney in august. studio: natalie pirks in bristol, thank you. time for a look at the weather. here's helen willetts. i wanted to start by showing the stargazers what they are possibly not missing. we havejupiter and venus in the sky with the crescent moon in amongst all the cloud and rain we have seen today because of the story was we had some appreciable rain, the first for some time, and also a significant drop in the temperature behind the weather fronts so for the likes of north—east wales, 13 yesterday and ate today, average for the time of year but it has been so mild it was very noticeable. the raggedy looking weather front is sitting to the east, lots of showers following behind. showers bringing flakes of snow over bodmin moor at the moment so cold air is digging southwards, perhaps a smattering on the hills as