tonight at ten... turmoil at the bbc — as gary lineker is forced to step back from match of the day over tweets about the government's asylum policy. ian wright and alan shearer have walked out of tomorrow's programme in protest. in the last hour the bbc said the show will "focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry". gary lineker was told he cannot return until there is a clear and agreed position on his use of social media. the bbc�*s director—general defended his decision. as editor in chief of the bbc, i think one of our founding principles is impartiality — and that's what we're delivering on. but there are questions tonight about the corporation's enforcement of its rules on impartiality — with its chairman under investigation over previous

links with borisjohnson. also on the programme... asylum policy also centre stage at a meeting in paris — where the uk promises france £0.5 billion to deal with illegal channel crossings. the gang who stole £10 million of taxpayers�* money that should have been used to help small businesses during covid. woman shouts. we tell the story of four afghan sisters terrorised by the taliban, now living in safety in germany. and the music from small—town america that's now booming in the uk. and coming up on the bbc news channel... british number one cameron norrie is through to the third round in indian wells. he beat taiwan's wu tung—lin in straights sets.

good evening. the bbc is in crisis tonight, after forcing gary lineker to step back from presenting match of the day over critical tweets about the government's immigration policy. its move led to ian wright and alan shearer pulling out of the programme in solidarity. and the bbc has in the last hour said the show will go ahead with match action, but with no studio presenter or pundit. it comes after gary lineker compared the home secretary's language on people arriving here on small boats with that used in 1930s germany. the bbc�*s director—general tim davie says the action taken against him is proportionate. bbc staff are expected to remain impartial and not express personal opinions in public. some defending gary lineker have said that as a freelance sports presenter, those rules do not apply to him. here's our media

correspondent, david sillito. we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than — we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than 20 _ we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than 20 years, _ we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than 20 years, the - we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than 20 years, the face - we've got big games... gary lineker, for more than 20 years, the face of. for more than 20 years, the face of much of the day, but not tomorrow. he's been taken off air by the bbc and his co—presenters, alan shearer and his co—presenters, alan shearer and ian wright, won't be appearing either as a mark of solidarity with gary lineker. the reason? these tweets, in which he described a statement about immigration policy by the home secretary as, beyond awful, then went on to say it was a measurably retro immeasurably cruel and the language used is not dissimilar to that used by germany in the 30s. the corporation says this breaks their guidelines on impartiality and in a statement said, the bbc has decided that he will step back from presenting match of the day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media. iii and clear position on his use of social media.— social media. if gary lineker breached — social media. if gary lineker breached the _ social media. if gary lineker

breached the guidelines, - social media. if gary lineker| breached the guidelines, why social media. if gary lineker- breached the guidelines, why didn't you sack him? we breached the guidelines, why didn't you sack him?— breached the guidelines, why didn't ou sack him? ~ . , ., ., ~ you sack him? we always look to take proportionate — you sack him? we always look to take proportionate action. _ you sack him? we always look to take proportionate action. have _ you sack him? we always look to take proportionate action. have it - you sack him? we always look to take proportionate action. have it kick - proportionate action. have it kick -- have you _ proportionate action. have it kick -- have you kicked _ proportionate action. have it kick -- have you kicked it _ proportionate action. have it kick -- have you kicked it further - proportionate action. have it kick| -- have you kicked it further down —— have you kicked it further down the line? h -- have you kicked it further down the line? ., �* ., ., ., ., the line? i don't want to add to the statement- — the line? i don't want to add to the statement- i— the line? i don't want to add to the statement. i think _ the line? i don't want to add to the statement. i think we _ the line? i don't want to add to the statement. i think we had - statement. i think we had very constructive discussions. the statements clear and that's where we are. statements clear and that's where we are as _ statements clear and that's where we are. as editor in chief of the bbc i think_ are. as editor in chief of the bbc i think one — are. as editor in chief of the bbc i think one of— are. as editor in chief of the bbc i think one of our founding principles is impartiality and that's what we are delivering on. this is impartiality and that's what we are delivering on.— is impartiality and that's what we are delivering on. this is not what gary lineker— are delivering on. this is not what gary lineker was _ are delivering on. this is not what gary lineker was expecting. - are delivering on. this is not what gary lineker was expecting. 0nly| gary lineker was expecting. only yesterday he said he wasn't fearing suspension. d0 yesterday he said he wasn't fearing susoension-— suspension. do you fear getting suspended? _ suspension. do you fear getting suspended? no. _ suspension. do you fear getting suspended? no. and _ suspension. do you fear getting suspended? no. and he - suspension. do you fear getting suspended? no. and he was . suspension. do you fear getting - suspended? no. and he was looking forward to presenting this weekend. one of those furious with the bbc as alastair campbell who now has a podcast produced by gary lineker�*s production company. i podcast produced by gary lineker's production company.— production company. i think this decision is _ production company. i think this decision is driven _ production company. i think this decision is driven by _ production company. i think this decision is driven by an - production company. i think this decision is driven by an utterly l decision is driven by an utterly craven— decision is driven by an utterly craven political— decision is driven by an utterly craven political cowardice - decision is driven by an utterly craven political cowardice at. decision is driven by an utterly. craven political cowardice at the top of _ craven political cowardice at the top of the — craven political cowardice at the too of the bbc_ craven political cowardice at the top of the bbc and _ craven political cowardice at the top of the bbc and that - craven political cowardice at the top of the bbc and that is - craven political cowardice at the top of the bbc and that is whatl craven political cowardice at the i top of the bbc and that is what has led to— top of the bbc and that is what has led to gary— top of the bbc and that is what has led to gary lineker— top of the bbc and that is what has led to gary lineker and _ top of the bbc and that is what has led to gary lineker and this- top of the bbc and that is what has led to gary lineker and this thing l led to gary lineker and this thing about— led to gary lineker and this thing about stepping _ led to gary lineker and this thing about stepping backwards, - led to gary lineker and this thing about stepping backwards, let's. led to gary lineker and this thing i about stepping backwards, let's be absoiuteiy— about stepping backwards, let's be absolutely frank _ about stepping backwards, let's be absolutely frank about _ about stepping backwards, let's be absolutely frank about this, - about stepping backwards, let's be absolutely frank about this, gary . absolutely frank about this, gary has been — absolutely frank about this, gary has been made _ absolutely frank about this, gary has been made clear— absolutely frank about this, gary has been made clear i— absolutely frank about this, gary has been made clear i would - absolutely frank about this, gary - has been made clear i would imagine, he is not _ has been made clear i would imagine, he is not going — has been made clear i would imagine, he is not going to _ has been made clear i would imagine, he is not going to be _ has been made clear i would imagine, he is not going to be presenting - he is not going to be presenting match _ he is not going to be presenting match 0t— he is not going to be presenting match of the _ he is not going to be presenting match of the day _ he is not going to be presenting match of the day because - he is not going to be presenting match of the day because he i he is not going to be presenting match of the day because he is| he is not going to be presenting - match of the day because he is not

toeing _ match of the day because he is not toeing the — match of the day because he is not toeing the line _ match of the day because he is not toeing the line. the— match of the day because he is not toeing the line.— toeing the line. the bb says it would like _ toeing the line. the bb says it would like to _ toeing the line. the bb says it would like to resolve - toeing the line. the bb says it would like to resolve this, - toeing the line. the bb says it would like to resolve this, buti toeing the line. the bb says it - would like to resolve this, but gary lineker has given no indication he is going to be silenced and he is not bound by the strict rules covering news, but there is a clause in the rules saying if you have a high profile there is an extra responsibility. it high profile there is an extra responsibility.— high profile there is an extra responsibility. if you lack allow the most highly _ responsibility. if you lack allow the most highly paid _ responsibility. if you lack allow the most highly paid presenteri responsibility. if you lack allow i the most highly paid presenter on the most highly paid presenter on the bbc_ the most highly paid presenter on the bbc to— the most highly paid presenter on the bbc to breach _ the most highly paid presenter on the bbc to breach the _ the most highly paid presenter on the bbc to breach the guidelines. the most highly paid presenter onl the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way— the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that— the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that the _ the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that the bbc— the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that the bbc says _ the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that the bbc says he - the bbc to breach the guidelines in a way that the bbc says he has, i the bbc to breach the guidelines in. a way that the bbc says he has, then why should _ a way that the bbc says he has, then why should anybody _ a way that the bbc says he has, then why should anybody else, _ a way that the bbc says he has, then why should anybody else, who - a way that the bbc says he has, then why should anybody else, who is - a way that the bbc says he has, then| why should anybody else, who is paid less, why should anybody else, who is paid less. obey— why should anybody else, who is paid less. obeythe— why should anybody else, who is paid less, obey the guidelines? _ why should anybody else, who is paid less, obey the guidelines? and - why should anybody else, who is paid less, obey the guidelines? and the l less, obey the guidelines? and the bbc has _ less, obey the guidelines? and the bbc has to— less, obey the guidelines? and the bbc has to be _ less, obey the guidelines? and the bbc has to be impartial— less, obey the guidelines? and the bbc has to be impartial and - bbc has to be impartial and perceived _ bbc has to be impartial and perceived to _ bbc has to be impartial and perceived to be _ bbc has to be impartial and perceived to be impartial. l bbc has to be impartial and . perceived to be impartial. find bbc has to be impartial and perceived to be impartial. and for the bbc, perceived to be impartial. and for the bbc. there — perceived to be impartial. and for the bbc, there is _ perceived to be impartial. and for the bbc, there is another- perceived to be impartial. and for the bbc, there is another issue i the bbc, there is another issue hanging over it. its chairman. there is an ongoing inquiry into richard sharp's role in a loan made to boris johnson which has raised many questions about his appointment and impartiality, but this weekend it's all about gary lineker, with presenters lining up to say they will not be replacing him. much of the day will take place tomorrow

with no presenters and no pundits. david, tomorrow's saturday night on bbc what is going to look different from usual. the bbc what is going to look different from usual-— bbc what is going to look different from usual. ., ., . ., , from usual. the announcement was made this afternoon, _ from usual. the announcement was made this afternoon, the _ from usual. the announcement was made this afternoon, the first - made this afternoon, the first thought was, who will replace him? then name after name, it became clear they would not be standing in for him. ian wright, alan shearer, in solidarity they said, with gary lineker. the decision to have no presenter, no pundits, has in many ways been made for the bbc, and it will be a very different programme tomorrow night. the will be a very different programme tomorrow night.— tomorrow night. the focus has, david, all _ tomorrow night. the focus has, david, all been _ tomorrow night. the focus has, david, all been on _ tomorrow night. the focus has, david, all been on gary - tomorrow night. the focus has, david, all been on gary lineker| tomorrow night. the focus has, - david, all been on gary lineker and on match of the day, but this whole episode raises some very big questions for the bbc. absolutely. i mean, the central _ questions for the bbc. absolutely. i mean, the central part _ questions for the bbc. absolutely. i mean, the central part of— questions for the bbc. absolutely. i mean, the central part of this - questions for the bbc. absolutely. i mean, the central part of this is - mean, the central part of this is every year the bbc publishes salaries. top of that list, £i.3 salaries. top of that list, £1.3 million, is gary lineker, and he is more thanjust a million, is gary lineker, and he is more than just a presenter, he million, is gary lineker, and he is more thanjust a presenter, he is very much a face of the bbc and has

been a lightning rod for this issue of impartiality which the director—general has made an absolute cornerstone. you've got to remember there are dozens and dozens of people who present bbc programmes. among them, some ex cabinet ministers who may still have political opinions. who does this apply to, who does this not apply to? there are large parts of the audience who think this is just bowing to political pressure. the central issue this weekend is gary lineker. the bbc would dearly like to find a resolution to this, but both sides don't look as though they are going to budge. reeta.— are going to budge. reeta. david, many thanks. _ are going to budge. reeta. david, many thanks, our— are going to budge. reeta. david, many thanks, our media - are going to budge. reeta. david, - many thanks, our media correspondent david sillitoe. the issue of small boat crossings has also been central at a meeting in paris between rishi sunak and the french president emmanuel macron. they agreed to redouble the effort to try and stop such crossings to the uk, with the french leader saying tackling migration needs to be a joint effort. as part of that, britain is to double the amount of money it's giving to france to tackle channel crossings — almost £500 million over

the next three years. that will go towards a new detention centre in france. the crossing last year. our political editor chris mason reports now from paris. heading overseas by train, the early service to france, arriving in the courtyard of the elysees palace... is france a friend or foe, prime minister? ..a reminder that relations have been bumpy of late. but look at this, a warmth in the parisian breeze, pleasantries and handshakes, arm in arm, hand in hand. the two leaders met for an hour and 20 minutes, although we were eased out rather sooner. later, they almost gushed in mutual admiration. i believe today's meeting does mark

a new beginning, an entente renewed. speaks french. the french president said the summit was exceptional and a moment of reunion, of reconnection. and the prime minister set out why they thought a new deal for dealing with migrants was necessary. emmanuel and i share the same belief, criminal gangs should not get to decide who comes to our countries. within weeks of my coming into office, we agreed our largest ever small boats deal. and today, we've taken our cooperation to an unprecedented level to tackle this shared challenge. today's new deal will see more than double the number of personnel deployed here in northern france. this will be paid for in part by the uk more than doubling its annual funding for this. some of the money will help build a detention centre in france too. although it won't be fully up and running until the end of 2026. all part of the efforts to cut

the number of people trying to cross the channel like this. the same question to you both, if i may, do you think you will ever be able to arrange a deal where migrants leaving france for the uk are returned to france? what you've seen today is an unprecedented level of cooperation on tackling the shared challenge, because that is what it is. it's a shared challenge. and going forward, there will be more that we can do. we started that last november, we built on it today. first, i think we focus on what we have to do in the short run. second, it is not an agreement between uk and france, but an agreement between uk and the eu, because to be in agreement are no more in a situation to be implemented. so this is something now to be negotiated. in other words, a returns agreement isn't happening. brexit has been something of a stone in the shoe of uk—france relations for years, but the prime minister hopes he has shaken it out. with his personal relationship with the president and that

new brexit deal for northern ireland which has improved relations with the european union. but, on the issue of small boats, rishi sunak acknowledges there is no simple solution to resolve the issue. and remember, this is one of his key promises — resolving the issue. personal relationships aren't everything in diplomacy, but they do matter. bromance under a shared brolly tells you rather a lot about how things have changed. but ultimately, it's what it delivers that really matters. chris mason, bbc news, in paris. our europe editor katya adler is in paris. how do you assess the significance of today? how do you assess the significance of toda ? ~ ., ., , , of today? well, one of the biggest significance _ of today? well, one of the biggest significance this _ of today? well, one of the biggest significance this is _ of today? well, one of the biggest significance this is this _ of today? well, one of the biggest significance this is this meeting i significance this is this meeting happened at all. it comes after five years of cancelled high—level

summits, and all of those post—brexit rows about vaccines and migrants and fishing rights. what we saw here in paris was a very public resetting of relations between two great allies, more than that, it felt like the uk's very public resetting of its relations with its wider european allies. rishi sunak said again today, the uk has left the eu but hasn't left europe. think about the backdrop, russia's invasion of ukraine, increased wider security concerns, rising and is and inflation as well. —— rising energy prices. these are cross continental challenges and the leaders think they can better tackle them together. the uk and france are europe's biggest military powers inside nato so if they work together they can tackle these challenges so much better together. rishi sunak is known here as a brexiteer, but he's also seen as a pragmatist. today, he

addressed the french president as my friend. this is a very stark contrast to his predecessor, liz truss, who said she wasn't sure if he was a friend or a foe. it's a new tone for these new beginnings. katee tone for these new beginnings. katya adler, tone for these new beginnings. katya adler. many — tone for these new beginnings. katya adler, many thanks. _ they were government loans meant to help keep companies afloat during the covid pandemic, but billions of pounds were defrauded in the government's bounce back loan scheme. now a bbc investigation can reveal the inside story of a criminal gang who stole more than £10 million of taxpayers' money. they laundered tens of millions more. after a final court case which ended today, a total of ten people have now been sentenced. our correspondent angus crawford has the details. bags full of cash. bundles of dirty notes. they even needed a safe. now after a series of court cases, the inside story of the gang that stole £10 million of taxpayers money. i've never seen anything like it.

it is the biggest one i know of, it's the biggest one i've seen and it's probably going to be the biggest one we'll see for a long time. when covid shut down the economy, the chancellor announced the bounce back loan scheme. today, we announced a brand—new loan scheme... £50,000 on offer for small firms with few questions asked. the gang used a network of bogus companies to make hundreds of claims. ringleaders, artem terzyan and deivis grochiatskij, received long prison sentences. they have strong links to lithuania and we've learned that directors of two of the companies used in the fraud are still living there. and here they are — yekaterina kobrina and povilas bartkevicius, a model and a chef. we just want to ask you where the money went? what money? the money from the bounce back loans.

your name is on a company, bart solution, yes? and that received £10 million in your name. yes, your name. i don't know anything. if i had some money or 10,000, i didn't work two jobs here. povilas tells us he has no idea his name was being used in this way. next, we tracked down yekaterina. nice to meet you. yeah, nice to meet you. i ask her about the company in her name. but i don't know anything and you should ask other people. no comments, only with my lawyer. we have no idea if either of them knew what those companies were being used for and the national crime agency says the investigation is over. it was a colossal sum of money gone

to some very bad people. lord agnew was the government's counterfraud minister, until he resigned. appalled by the loss of billions of pounds from the scheme. i'm worried that there is still a reluctance to grip this with real vigour. so, as we stand, do we think that those at the top of the government have learnt the lessons of the bounce back loans scheme? i would like to hope so, but i'm not convinced. so, where does that leave us? we've found two people whose names were on the companies which were used for the money laundering and the bounce back loan fraud, but we just don't know if they had any idea where the money came from and where it went to. and as for that money, are we going to find it? is the british taxpayer going to get it back?

it looks highly unlikely. loans which kept firms afloat also made criminals rich. angus crawford, bbc news. and you can see the full story on the bbc iplayer. that's the chef, the model and the missing millions. police in the city of hamburg in germany say a gunman has killed seven people, including an unborn child, at a religious service forjehovah's witnesses. they say the attacker, who was a former member of the community, acted alone — and took his own life. jenny hill has the details. in the quiet of a city suburb, a man prepares to kill. caught on a mobile phone as he peers through a window, readies his gun. inside, jehovah's witnesses had gathered to worship. oblivious to his presence, his intentions. gunshots. translation: l was filming - with my phone and only realised through the zoom that someone was shooting at the jehovah's witnesses.

by the time police arrived, he was inside, a deadly rampage under way, but then he turned his gun on himself. it has emerged that he once belonged to this community, but he had left the jehovah's witnesses on bad terms. translation: this is a horrible act, a very cruel deed. - we have seen a few things in hamburg, but a mass killing on this scale is new to us. we knew it from tv, but we didn't imagine it could happen in our city. and he brought terror to the streets. casualties rushed to safety, no time for stretchers, at this point, no one knew whether he was acting alone. by first light, a terrible tally, seven people shot dead, among them, an unborn baby. bodies brought out as investigators scoured the building. revelations emerging too.

police confirmed they once investigated and dismissed a tip—off that the attacker who legally owned a gun was mentally unstable. this is a city in mourning, but it is a country in shock too. shock which deepens with every fresh distressing revelation. and one question persists here — why? jenny hill, bbc news, hamburg. members of scotland's largest teaching union have voted to accept a pay deal, and end their strike action. 90% of union members voted to accept the agreement which will mean a 7% pay rise backdated to last april, and an additional 7% by next january. teachers in wales have also called off two days of planned strikes to consider a new pay offer from the welsh goverment. in england two days of strikes are still planned.

did fail to raise enough money to cope with rising interest rates. —— it failed. the king has made his youngest brother prince edward the new duke of edinburgh. it is a title strongly associated with theirfather, prince philip, who was duke of edinburgh for more than 70 years, up to his death in 2021. prince edward will hold the title for his lifetime. teachers and children are warning of the dangers of vaping, after reports of a big rise amongst the under—18s — for whom it's illegal. although the nhs says they are far less harmful than cigarettes for adults who are trying to quit smoking, there are fears that a generation of young people who've never smoked are increasingly getting hooked on the nicotine in vapes. our health editor hugh pym reports.

this school has a problem. right, so this is our vape sensor that we had installed at christmas. the headteacher is trying to stamp out vaping. we've noticed a real reduction, 16 cases or alerts on the first day down to one or two a week. he wanted to show us the scale of the challenge and the numbers involved. so these are the ones that we've confiscated and these ones really are my least favourite. they're branded as sweets. connor, leon and oscar see themselves as addicts. two of them started vaping at 12. they bring a new flavour out. you want to try that. and itjust keeps going so on and so on. you're buying nicotine and you're really like, you're spending your money on nicotine and stuff. like, it's not something you can stop that easy. it controls the whole way that you think. but like i said, i would literally go out and meet someone if i hadn't had one for a few days and crave it. but the boys say that unlike them, children who've never smoked are now starting to vape.

year 7s are going on to it. but they're going on to vapes, just sort of social life. not because they used to smoke, and it's not because i've been brought up in a house, smoked or whatever. so what measures are being taken on the high street to restrict supplies of e—cigarettes to under—18s? some retailers say they're doing everything they possibly can to avoid underage sales. it's illegal to sell to children. andy says he's always on the lookout for fake id, but some other retailers are less responsible. if we spot an adult buying for kids, we'd ban them for life. you know, we do everything we can, basically. there's £2,500 fine if you get caught selling to under—age. but i just wish they'd enforce it or double it. cheers, cole. cole is a regular at the shop. he says he's often mobbed by children waiting outside. there are groups of them. they come up to you and just go, "go in there for me. "go and get this for me. "here's the money, will you go in and get this for me?"

and it'sjust if i do it, i'll get banned. and i don't want to get banned and i would never do it because they're underage. back at the school, they say health warnings for children must be stronger. these vapes are helping people quit smoking and that's a good thing for their health. but we're not talking about children that were smoking and start using electronic cigarettes. they're actively up—taking the vapes as a lifestyle choice. hugh pym, bbc news. early last year, a video emerged of a young woman in afghanistan screaming for help, as security officials of the country's taliban rulers came to arrest her. tamana paryani and her sisters had taken part in protests in support of women's rights. since the taliban seized power in 2021, girls have been excluded from secondary education and universities. a strict dress code has been imposed, with women told to wear the hijab in public. and there are restrictions on work — recently women were banned from working for aid agencies. our correspondent yalda hakim has been following the story of tamana and her sisters over the past year, from their arrest and imprisonment —

to fleeing afghanistan and finding refuge in germany. a young woman's cry for help. these images recorded on the activist�*s phone, then uploaded onto facebook, went viral. the taliban were attempting to arrest her and her sisters. translation: they started kicking the door. it was terrifying. i felt as if they were kicking my heart. i thought they'd rape me and my sisters. i wanted to escape. i jumped out of the window. their crime — demanding basic rights, like education, at a protest in kabul. their apartment was ransacked and they spent a month in prison. after their release, i travelled to kabul to find out what happened to them. translation: i thought the prison

guard was going to kill us. - i tried to move out of the way, but he attacked me. he came up and kicked my head. then i fainted. after hitting me a few times, he went for samina and he hit her too. he warned us that if he hurt us again next time, it would be worse. even though they were set free, the fear remained. almost every night, tomana moved from house to house in kabul, relying on the goodwill of friends to keep her safe. translation: i wear this to feel safe because the taliban - won't recognize me. i can no longer sit outside in a public space. they love to cause problems and keep you under surveillance. i have to move from this place. eventually, they decided to flee afghanistan and they agreed to film their journey for the bbc. hiding under burqas, tamana and her sisters made several attempts to flee by land to pakistan and failed. they finally made it across the border. after a week of uncertainty,

germany offered them asylum. translation: even now, - when i close the bedroom door, i think of the taliban smashing the doors and windows of our house. even though i think the doors here are stronger than kabul, i'm still anxious and need to sleep in a room where the doors and windows are secure. while tamana and her sisters are now safe in cologne, their struggle is not over. translation: | didn't just come | here in search of my own freedom. my escape is the start of my battle with the taliban. i'm hopeful that one day i can return to my own country and have the kind of life i have here without the fear of terrorists. while tamana and her sisters are now safe in cologne, their struggle is not over. they say they'll never give up the fight for the rights of afghan women and girls still living in afghanistan under taliban rule. yalda hakim, bbc news.

now, it may surprise you to know that country music is the fastest—growing genre in the uk. last year, country songs were streamed a record 1.4 billion times here. that's up nearly fourfold from five years ago. this weekend sees the tenth c2c country music festival taking place in london, glasgow and dublin. felicity baker has put on her cowboy boots and gone along for the ride. he sings. country music is here. the genre best known for tunes about love, heartbreak and pickup trucks is seeing a huge surge in popularity across the uk. # everybody got a small town anthem #. now country music is bringing its own distinct identity to these shores. i feel like the thing that is always

going to set country music apart is the ability to say what a lot of people are thinking in song form. there's something really true and really authentic about it. and so many of us write from legit experience, you know, whether it happened to us or whether it happened to a family member or a friend. those are the songs that really just speak to people. with all the stetsons and cowboy boots, you might think you're in nashville, but this is c2c festival being held in london, glasgow and dublin this weekend. now in its tenth year, it attracts some of country music's top stars and it's the biggest festival of its kind outside the us. i love guitars. i love hats. tassels, boots. i love it all. silly cars, big stakes, country music, wide open spaces. that's what it's allabout, isn't it? the songs really like - take you somewhere and they tell you a story. i love that about country music. that's the main thing i love. and obviously, you know, love a cowboy boot. - love a cowboy.

# no, don't touch my v8 engine with the windows tinted...# turns out the artists love it just as much as we do. i always tell the uk fans honestly that they are my favourite audience to play in front of in the world, and london is my favourite city to play in, in the world. and that's high praise because i'm from the states. it's notjust us artists taking the scene by storm. ward thomas were the first country act to have a chart topping album in the uk. country music is now the biggest growing genre of music in the uk officially. is that real? that is so exciting! well, that is so exciting. that's so exciting. i mean, it's proof. you can see here at the c2c it is getting bigger and bigger every year, like more stages are coming up. it's really exciting. it's catching on. # when the world is lost, something's found...# so the uk is embracing the boots, the hats and the rhinestones. is this just the beginning? felicity baker, bbc news.

hundreds of schools across the uk have been closed today, as heavy snow caused widespread disruption and misery for motorists. drivers heading across the pennines were stuck for up to seven hours overnight after heavy snowfalls on the m62 motorway — at one point there was 17 miles of congestion. the a66 between brough and bowes was closed until lunchtime, with traffic queuing up to use the road. barnard castle in county durham woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow, although much of it has melted over the course of day. time for a look at the weather — here's alina jenkins. lots of snow in the forecast over the past few days. this was powys, wales, lovely to look at but no good at all if you need to travel through it. snow in the forecast this weekend. it'll start that are mild for many. the area of pressure that brought us that weather is now

clearing away into the north sea. something quieter tonight