it would make him the were to win it would make him the cheapest horse in recent history to win a gold cup but he will be hampered by the ground because it has been raining, there are storms forecast today, but that rain will not bother the grand national winner noble yates, he willjoin a very elite group if he were able to do the double and he does have a very real chance. now there is also a real chance. now there is also a real prospect of a first ever scottish trained winner, that would be ahoy senior trained by lucinda russell. that relieved a plus tard. ridden by rachael blackmore who made history last year when she became the first female to win the gold cup. and of course i haven't mentioned sir alex ferguson who had the horse that came third last year, protectorate. it goes at 3.30, the best of the best will be riding up the hill behind me and after that we will know who is the gold cup winner. . enjoy it all lizzie. time for a look at the weather.

here's louise lear. how it is looking? we are into s - rinu how it is looking? we are into spring preper. _ how it is looking? we are into spring preper. so _ how it is looking? we are into spring proper, so they - how it is looking? we are into spring proper, so they are - how it is looking? we are into l spring proper, so they are going how it is looking? we are into - spring proper, so they are going to have to _ spring proper, so they are going to have to be — spring proper, so they are going to have to be prepared for everything and as— have to be prepared for everything and as lizzie said, maybe some rumbles — and as lizzie said, maybe some rumbles of— and as lizzie said, maybe some rumbles of thunder, but look at this, _ rumbles of thunder, but look at this, i_ rumbles of thunder, but look at this, i have _ rumbles of thunder, but look at this, i have got the two faces of friday— this, i have got the two faces of friday with _ this, i have got the two faces of friday with me, absolutely beautiful, in northumberland at the moment_ beautiful, in northumberland at the moment and here we could see highest temperatures of 16 degrees, different story first thing this morning _ different story first thing this morning in kent, a lot of showers it morning in kent, a lot of showers [11 was a morning in kent, a lot of showers was a great morning in kent, a lot of showers it was a great start, puddles round as well. that rash of showers is ease i away, as you can see, but more gathering out to the west and it is these showers that may be heading to cheltenham and with some thunder as well. it is mild though, out there, mild forfor all of us, well. it is mild though, out there, mild for for all of us, so as we go through the day, sunny spell, scattered shower, perhaps some heavy, perhaps some with the odd rumble of thunder. look at the the, 13-16 rumble of thunder. look at the the, 13—16 degrees perhaps, just that bit cooler in the far north of scotland.

through the night tonight, it's a pretty messy story, the showers keep on coming, particularly those out to the west, drifting away north and east, a lot of cloud round, acting like a blanket. preventing temperatures falling far, so a mild night by as we go into tomorrow, we do it all given, low pressure never really too far away, and the isobars opening up so the winds will fall light. that means that any showers that we do get, could potentially linger for quite that we do get, could potentially lingerfor quite some time, that we do get, could potentially linger for quite some time, so let us look at those in detail, down to the south and east we could see a rash of showers through the afternoon, sunny spells and shower, odd rumble of thunder. temperatures not as high as today. we are looking at highs of 13 or iii. that is the story as we fusht north. into western scotland there could be more significant rain later on in the afternoon and this area here will intensify and move towards the northern isles by the end of play on saturday. and with the northerly wind starting to kick in it could

turn wintry through the early hours of monday. high pressure build, quietens things down, with the clearer skies that means it will be a chillier start, it is mother's day but what a sparkling sunday in prospects. cloudings overfrom but what a sparkling sunday in prospects. cloudings over from the west as we go through the day but sunday should be drier with more sunshine coming through, fewer showers round and temperatures still peaking at round 8—11; degrees, so if you haven't got the message it looks likely that saturday will be a case of sunny spells and scattered showers, sunday will be a quieter day. ben. thank you. that's all from the bbc news at 0ne, so it's goodbye from me, good afternoon. i'm betty glover with your latest sports news.

there will be no all—english champions league final this season, but two very tricky ties for chelsea and manchester city in the last eight. the draw has been made — chelsea face holders and record ill—time winners real madrid in the quarterfinals. it's the third successive season they've met in the competition. chelsea beat real in the semi's on their way to winnin the trophy in the �*20—�*21 season. before losing 5—4 on aggregate last season in the quarters. meanwhile, for manchester city boss pep guardiola it's a reunion with his former club. city — who have never won the champions league before — will play six—time winners bayern munich. they've not met competitively since 2014 when guardiola was in charge of the german club. tough routes for both premier league teams but exciting. michael brown has been speaking on the football news show. chelsea on the football news show. are going to have to fi something chelsea are going to have to find something possibly different to what

they have been doing in the premier league. we have seen how they have struggled and limped across, not necessarily scoring goals. can't decide on the team etc. confidence in adversity last year it when it didn't look like they were going to get through, and then a wonderful return. i'm really looking forward to the game. it will be really good for chelsea. they have to have that confidence if they are going to have a result. �* , ., ., , ., ., ., a result. and if you are guardiola lookin: a result. and if you are guardiola looking right _ a result. and if you are guardiola looking right now— a result. and if you are guardiola looking right now by _ a result. and if you are guardiola looking right now by in _ a result. and if you are guardiola looking right now by in munich, l a result. and if you are guardiola - looking right now by in munich, what do you do? mi looking right now by in munich, what do ou do? �* ., looking right now by in munich, what do oudo? ., , do you do? all of the players will have been _ do you do? all of the players will have been around _ do you do? all of the players will have been around many- do you do? all of the players will have been around many a - do you do? all of the players will i have been around many a meeting, do you do? all of the players will - have been around many a meeting, and i'm guessing what that was going to come our way. an event for pep guardiola, but the pressure is mounting on manchester city to win the champions league, as you know. manchester city supporters will have a little smile and natural. manchester united will meet spanish side sevilla in the quarterfinals of the europa league.

the club are hosting potential buyers this week and today ineos and their majority shareholder sirjim ratcliffe has been at old trafford, where our sports editor dan roan is for us. the saga further potential takeover of manchester united has been running for several months, but the last 24—hour is has been a really crucial stage in this journey. yesterday we saw the qatari bid and arrival here at old trafford further talks with bankers and united chiefs. we are told it went well. it lasted about ten hours. sheik yasin did not turn up in person but his senior advisers did. british billionaire, ownerand senior advisers did. british billionaire, owner and founder of ineos, as you can see. this morning, as he arrived and went into old trafford where the players arrived here. at the stadium, later he went for a tour into the megastore.

didn't seem to purchase anything, not yet anyway. he is desperate to end the club and has supported it since being a boy. that's what separates him and marks him apart from the qatari delegation that was here yesterday. crystal palace have sacked boss patrick vieira after a run of 12 matches without a win. they lost 1—0 at brighton on wednesday, their third defeat on the bounce, and even though they are twelfth in the premier league, they are just three points above the relegation places. palace fan and podcast host robert sutherland joins me now. is this the right decision? i would say that on the balance of things it probably is. the performances just have not been good enough, especially in an attacking sense. defensively we do a good job, the team does not concede that many goals, but when it comes to scoring goals, but when it comes to scoring goals that surround creating chances

and not taking them. ultimately, that has been the biggest issue for patrick vieira. imina that has been the biggest issue for patrick vieira.— patrick vieira. who would you like to relace patrick vieira. who would you like to replace him? _ patrick vieira. who would you like to replace him? that— patrick vieira. who would you like to replace him? that is— patrick vieira. who would you like to replace him? that is a - patrick vieira. who would you like to replace him? that is a really. to replace him? that is a really difficult question _ to replace him? that is a really difficult question purely - to replace him? that is a really. difficult question purely because they don't seem to be that many great candidates available. the club have appointed paddy mccarthy in the interim who is their under 23 coach and is highly rated within the clubs. he is also a former palace legend, so in terms of the best possible outcome right now, i think it is not a bad idea to have him in charge. but really, i think the club have got some serious searching to do to find a manager to replace. i've heard that roy hodgson is one of their candidates as well. if he comes back, patrick vieira was brought in to replace him. it would be... ~ ., , ., .,

be... would you be happier for a hodason be... would you be happier for a hodgson came — be... would you be happier for a hodgson came in _ be... would you be happier for a hodgson came in to _ be... would you be happier for a hodgson came in to replace - be... would you be happier for a hodgson came in to replace him| hodgson came in to replace him though? i hodgson came in to replace him thou~h? ., , hodgson came in to replace him thou~h? . , ., , though? i have mixed feelings. i was ha - though? i have mixed feelings. i was happy when — though? i have mixed feelings. i was happy when he _ though? i have mixed feelings. i was happy when he left — though? i have mixed feelings. i was happy when he left because - though? i have mixed feelings. i was happy when he left because things i happy when he left because things were stagnant and stale, but with roy hodgson you know what you're getting. he will make the team worked really hard and it will be formulaic and strong. he will have a strong unit. i think the issue with us not scoring goals is not because we are not as strong defensive team or a strong team defensively, it's literally because we're not creating chances, and roy hodgson had that problem too, so i am not sure that would solve the problem. goad problem too, so i am not sure that would solve the problem. good luck on sunday. — would solve the problem. good luck on sunday. big _ would solve the problem. good luck on sunday, big game _ would solve the problem. good luck on sunday, big game against - would solve the problem. good luck l on sunday, big game against arsenal. carlos alcaraz will meet jannik sinner in the semi—finals at indian wells later. the 19—year—old spaniard came through his match with canada's felix auger—aliassime, winning 6—4, 6—4 overnight. alcaraz will return to number one in the rankings if he wins the tournament. the other semi is daniil medvedev against frances tiafoe. no problems for the women's world

number one iga swiatek in her quarter—final. she beat sorana cirst—aya in straight sets. the defending champion plays wimbledon champion elena ry—bakina next. the winner of that will play the winner of maria sakkarri against aryna sabalenka in the final. for more on these and other sports stories, you can go to our website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. there you'll find full coverage from the final day of cheltenham where the first race is just underway. five sport extra is also the place to go for coverage as they build up to the gold cup at 3.30. but from me it's goodbye for now. thank you very much. doctors' leaders and government ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england.

unions representing health workers, including nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics, are recommending their members back a 5% pay rise following months of industrial action. with more detail here's our health editor hugh pym. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! it was an unprecedented series of strikes by nhs staff, starting in december. two weeks ago, intensive talks with ministers began in england and now health union leaders have agreed to put a new pay offer to members in a ballot. for this financial year, there'll be a one—off payment of at least £1655, for the lowest paid workers, with larger amounts for more experienced nhs staff. and there will be a pay rise of 5% in the next financial year, beginning in april. this offer that is on the table has been hard won by health workers. we would have liked to have seen this significantly earlier, and we could have avoided all of the disruption over this winter. that said, what we have wanted all along is to give health workers

a choice between taking strike action and having a credible offer on the table. but apart from saying some of the money will come from the existing department of health budget, the government has not given much detail on the funding of the offer. we're being clear that as part of the discussions we have, this will not come from areas of the budget which impact on patients. so those were part of the terms of the discussions that we had. that was the nature of the negotiation, and that was part of the mandate i received from the prime minister and from the chancellor. a strike byjunior doctors in england this week affected all forms of care including emergencies. many hospitals cancelled operations and appointments. yesterday the health secretary wrote to the british medical association offering to meet. the doctors union said it was willing to do so. but he said before he will only discuss the sort of deal offered to other health unions. the bma has called for 35% wage rise to compensate for inflation over 15 years.

so while a preliminary meeting looks likely, the possibility of further progress is more uncertain. nhs providers, representing trusts in england, said there must be urgent movement on talks with thejunior doctors and both sides needed to re—double their efforts. hugh pym, bbc news. a police officer is facing the sack after being found guilty of gross misconduct, for using excessive force when she repeatedly struck an ex—footballer with her baton after he was tasered to the ground. the tribunal found mary ellen bettley—smith, a west mercia police officer, acted wrongly when she struck dalian atkinson three times with her baton in august 2016. the former aston villa striker was also kicked at least twice in the head by her colleague, pc benjamin monk. he later died following the incident outside his father's home in telford. a senior russian—appointed official in an occupied

part of eastern ukraine has said the battle for the town of bakhmut remains very difficult. denis pushilin, who heads russia's proxy administration in donetsk, told russian state television there was no sign that ukrainian forces were planning to withdraw. the city has been the scene of a gruelling struggle that's lasted for more than seven months. two ukrainian army brigades defending the city's southern flank recently gave the bbc access to their positions, as fierce fighting continued in and around the city. they say russian casualties far outweigh theirs, but that the enemy is using new techniques to try to seize the city and the surrounding countryside. 0ur correspondent quentin sommerville sent us this special report. in war�*s uncertain journey, fates are decided in the unlikeliest of places. ukraine has drawn a line in the mud, and that line is bakhmut.

no matter the hardship, the enemy must not pass. this ground must be held. winter has given way to early spring. they hope it might slow russia's advance. the thing is, it complicates the job for both parties. the enemy has difficulty attacking, because nothing moves in the mud. nothing except tank tracks... ..and army boots. the mud's unreal. it pulls you this way and that way. it's a trap for men, for vehicles. it makes moving around this battlefield almost impossible. and for the soldiers of the third separate assault brigade, it means going the long way round.

moving as fast as the territory allows. they're in range of russian guns. we're told to keep low. stop, stop! there's a russian outpost around here. these trenches are new, but warfare along this front is antiquated. below ground, these are dugouts that their grandfathers would recognise. but by digging in, they've tied up russian forces here and held bakhmut longer than many expected. but it isn'tjust the conditions that are basic. this is a 21st—century war, being fought with 19th—century weaponry. it's a maxim machine—gun. 120 years of history

of killing russians. a weapon from the first world war, used in the third world war. sporadic gunfire. right, we are heading right to the very forward position. we can hear shelling right now and automatic gunfire. there's more shelling. they get attacked here on a daily basis. translation: there are the enemy positions, so let's move very fast. i 0k. almost every day, some shells from artillery. we can see the craters all around here. there is a fresh crater, right there. we've got to go, we've got to go. there's hardly any tree cover here, the men are exposed. gunfire.

and the russians have found them. 0k, move, move. you can go in the car, because it's a little bit hotter here. keep down. gunfire. the russians are only 500 metres away. that's automatic fire. all along this line there's grenade fire, automatic gunfire and tank fire. translation: it's really dangerous there, bullets are flying everywhere. that kind of fire is every day here. seven months, more than seven months into this battle, it's created a wasteland. this is the longest battle of the war so far.

to the north, and to the east, and here in the south, russia's been making gains. but it's costing them. the ukrainians say that for every one soldier they lose, russia loses seven. but still they hold on here. and bakhmut is a town that no—one believes has strategic value. but to russia and to ukraine, it matters in this war. translation: this is not| a strategic question for us. we are just ordinary soldiers. but this is our land. if we lose here, then do we retreat to chasiv yar, to sloviansk, then all the way to kyiv? however long it takes, two, four, five years, we have to fight for every piece of ground. so, every tiny step of land needs to be defended, even as they toil under waves of attack from russian prisoners sent by wagner group.

translation: we were in combat every two hours. l as far as i understand, they were wagner. we were fighting them, and without over estimating our achievements, i would say a single company was killing 50 of their men a day. we checked the figures, they are awful numbers. they are outgunned and outnumbered but, for now, unyielding. in bakhmut, like in the rest of this war, they have grown used to the odds being against them. quentin sommerville, bbc news, on the outskirts of bakhmut. scientists in scotland say they've solved the mystery of why people from the orkney islands, off the northeastern coast of the country, may be more susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer. it's all about a gene variant — which is already known to increase the risk of those cancers — being more common in people of 0rcadian heritage.

laura goodwin has the details. people have lived here on the island of westray for many thousands of years. in part, the community's deep connection to their roots have helped scientists solve a 25 year medical puzzle. an increase in family history of breast cancer first noticed by the screening services in 0rkney. now a team of geneticists have come to the island to communicate their findings face to face. around one in 1,000 women across the uk have a brca1 variant. the study found one in 100 people with 0rkney grandparents have this particular variant. the historical nature of small island communities means there is some shared ancestry and researchers have been able to trace its origin back hundreds of years to westray. linda hagan can map her own westray family tree for many generations. i lost my sister four years ago, she was younger than me, to breast cancer and an aunt, a well—loved aunt who died when she was 46.

so it has affected our family and there are cousins as well who have had breast cancer. although this is news that we don't want to hear, it is important for us to know what is going on in the hopes that some maybe further treatment or at least a recognition of what could happen if we carry the gene. karen scott has already been tested for the gene due to herfamily history of breast cancer. she didn't have it, but hopes other women will be tested. 0rcadians are all over the world. this is a massive discovery and hugely important for the health of every individual in 0rkney, and the generations to come. there are other communities within the uk that have a known prevalence of brca gene variants, but identifying founder mutations like this is rare.

women with the same variation have already been found across the uk and america, which means their roots most likely lead back to 0rkney. laura goodwin, bbc news. if you stayed up to watch the oscars on sunday you'll know that this was one of the standout moments of the night. this award is the second most important event of the day because it is this man's birthday. he is up here in a suitjacket. we'd like to take this opportunity to sing for james. they sing happy birthday

that was the cast of an irish good by picking up an oscar that was the cast of an irish good by picking up an 0scarfor their film. it's been a huge week for them but last nightjames and the team were back in northern ireland for their official homecoming party. emma vardy was there, too — and she sent this report. sorry about your mother. set on a farm in rural northern ireland, an irish goodbye tells the story of estranged family brought back together by loss. i told you, i'm staying here to look after the farm. i'm not getting stuck here for the rest of my life, mothering you. the big success achieved by this small cast and crew has not only brought pride for northern ireland's film industry but been life changing forjames martin who worked in a belfast starbucks while taking on acting jobs and celebrated tonight with his father. being at home to see my family

and friends, which is really good. you know, we wanted to create a character that was well—rounded and the disability was the bottom of the list of interesting things. the film deals with the tensions between the brothers over what will happen to james's character after their mother's death. and as the first actor with down's syndrome to win an oscar, it's also highlighted the issue of diversity in films and james hopes the writers and directors of the big screen will become more open to storylines which involve disability. it's really down to the actors themselves, really. but i think we should be included because it doesn't matter what disabilities is out there, as long as we connect, that's the main thing. i think what's crucial is for representation, it's like not making the disability the main event. james is such a multifaceted guy, i know so many others with down's syndrome and other disabilities,

their disability isn't what defines them. and i think representation for representation's sake isn't enough, you've got to try harder and work better, give people meaty roles, juicy roles. after the glitz and glamour of the awards, james says the next stop is to bring that 0scar home to his drama group in belfast. i've done it! they hope the next project will be a feature length film and believe it was northern ireland's characteristic dark humour which helped win over the academy judges and bring a bit of red carpet prestige back home. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. martin will be with you from two o'clock in the afternoon. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. it's been a rather grey and gloomy start across kent this morning. as

you can see from the puddles, quite a significant sharp showers here. from the north and east of county durham we've had sunshine. she is likely across england we could see the highest temperatures through the remainder of the afternoon. as you can see, sharp showers easing their way from the south—east. a cluster of showers developing more widespread through northern ireland which will gradually push their way up which will gradually push their way up through south—west england and wales for the remainder of the afternoon. an afternoon of mixed fortunes, sunny spells and showers continue for most. wind coming from a southerly direction, to that generally there is temperatures between 13 and 16 celsius. slightly cooler in the far north of scotland. a messy mix as we go through the night. we can quite a lot of cloud around. some of these quite heavy, but the cloud will act like a blanket and prevent those temperatures from falling too far. it will be a mild start to the weekend, temperatures widely between

five and nine celsius. low pressure control is a story for the time being. the first half of the weekend will stay pretty unsettled. this is it could bring more persistent rain by the end of the day for the fourth north—west. scattered showers, starting off pretty grey and gloomy for the south—east. lighter winds on saturday, and some of the showers could be quite slow moving. can't rule out the odd rule rumble of thunder. temperatures between six and 1a celsius. not quite as warm as friday. in terms of that rain, it is going to continue to track its way steadily northwards over to the northern isles, and the winds will pick up on the back edge of that. we could see for a time some snow, should not cause too much of an issue. that will ease away on sunday. sunday will be quite a day as a ridge of high pressure builds. a good deal of driving weather and a few showers around before the rain

arrives into northern ireland by the end of the day. top temperatures for the afternoon ranging from six to 1a celsius. take care.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week for talks with president putin. but ukraine's foreign minister tells the bbc that he doesn't think the talks will result in an end to the war. ido i do not think china is, has reached the moment it once too, where it is ready to arm russia, nor do i think that this visit will result in peace.

markets rise after the announcement of 30 billion dollar rescue package for the embattled first republic bank in the us.