today at six, an arrest warrant is issued for the russian president vladimir putin by the international criminal court. it accuses vladimir putin of war crimes since his invasion of ukraine — including the deportation of children to russia. the judges have reviewed the information and evidence submitted by the prosecutor, and determined that there are credible allegations against these persons for the alleged crimes. moscow says it doesn't recognise the court — we'll ask what happens now. also tonight: racist, sexist and homophobic — the metropolitan police is expected to be highly criticised in a damning new report.

is your summer holiday in jeopardy? as possible workers prepare to strike, unions say it could affecti million applications. tackling peanut allergies — new research suggests giving young babies a tiny taste of smooth peanut butter could dramatically cut the number of children who develop reactions. and the businesswoman jacqueline gold, who transformed the lingerie chain ann summers into a multi—million pound brand, has died at the age of 62. and coming up on the bbc news channel... four have been beaten — now ireland just need a fifth win to claim another grand slam, but overcome england, and it'll be their first achieved in dublin. hello and welcome to the bbc news at six. the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russia's leader vladimir putin for war crimes.

the court says there are grounds to believe that president putin is personally responsible for the deportation of thousands of children from ukraine to russia, since last year's invasion. it's the first time the court has ordered the arrest of a prominent serving political leader. moscow dismissed the announcement as "outrageous", saying it doesn't recognise the jurisdiction of the court. our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports from ukraine's capital, kyiv. vladimir vladimirovich putin, president of the russian federation and now alleged war criminal. accused — along with a senior official — of illegally removing children from ukraine, accused by this man's court. the judges have reviewed the information and evidence submitted by the prosecutor and determined that there are credible allegations against these persons for their alleged crimes.

the indictment from the international criminal court says the russian leader is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children from unoccupied areas of ukraine to the russian federation since february last year. and there are reasonable grounds to believe mr putin bears individual responsibility. the court, based here in the hague, said the alleged crimes were still ongoing, so it was making the arrest warrants public to try to prevent more children being deported. in the chaos of the war, with millions of people displaced, there have been repeated reports of thousands of ukrainian children being taken to russia or russian—held territory, some forcibly, some tricked. a kremlin spokesman said the allegations by the icc were outrageous and unacceptable. the foreign ministry was utterly dismissive.

translation: russia is not a party to the rome statute| of the international criminal court and bears no obligations under it. russia does not cooperate with this body, and possible recipes for arrest coming from the international court will be legally null and void for us. these are only the first arrest warrants. more are expected for the killing of civilians here in bucha and elsewhere across the country, where russian forces have been accused of rape, torture and indiscriminate shelling. ministers said mr putin would be brought tojustice. i would expect rhetoric, brinkmanship, but at the end of the day, we've seen it all before with other violent despots and dictators, and in the end, a large number of them cannot sit out the indictment from an international court for the worst crimes

against humanity. here in kyiv, ministers expressed satisfaction, that, as one said, the wheels ofjustice returning in a historic moment for ukraine. it may be that this is a symbolic act, it may be that mr putin is never arrested or ever faces a court, but it is still a significant moment. it is not every day that a serving head of state is accused of war crimes, and it is a signal that the international community will seekjustice for what has been going on here in ukraine. at the very least, vladimir putin is unlikely to be travelling to countries that sign up to the criminal court, for they would have an obligation to arrest him the moment he gets off the plane. james landale, bbc news, kyiv. our russia editor steve rosenberg is in moscow — how significant is this? well, from a practical point of view, don't hold your breath. a

russian police are not going to be putting handcuffs on vladimir putin and dispatching him to the hague. russia does not recognise the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. russia does not extradite its own citizens. however, this arrest warrant does send a strong message, and the message is that there arejudges strong message, and the message is that there are judges in the hague who consider vladimir putin allegedly responsible for war crimes. that makes the russian president even more of a pariah and he is now, at a time when vladimir putin is still trying to play the global statesman. we have the chinese president arriving here in three days' time on a state visit. the kremlin is absolutely furious. outrageous and unacceptable, said vladimir putin's spokesman tonight. and a former russian president, dmitry medvedev, a putin ally, when he was referring to the arrest warrant on social media, he wrote this — "no need to explain where this — "no need to explain where this paper should be used", and he

followed that with an emoji of a toilet roll. followed that with an emo'i of a toilet roll. ,, .,, , ., ~ toilet roll. steve rosenberg, thank ou. the metropolitan police is expected to be heavily criticsed for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour, in a damning new report. baroness louise casey was appointed to examine the force's standards and internal culture, in the wake of the murder of sarah everard by a serving met officer, wayne couzens. the draft is "very serious". it's understood the home secretary has had talks this week with the head of the force, sir mark rowley, and will back his leadership to reform it. our special correspondent lucy manning has been speaking to former partners of policemen — who say the met fails to deal with abusive officers in its ranks. they used to be in uniform, until they were convicted. since wayne couzens was arrested, more met police officers have been sentenced, many for sexual offences or violence against women.

the force has faced criticism that it can't deal with complaints against its own officers. i think it's easier to let these police officers stay than try and get rid of them. sally — not her real name — was the partner of a met police officer. they met when he investigated a crime she was the victim of. last year, she told the met he'd domestically abused her, and misused police powers. how do you feel that they have dealt with him, given the fact he is a police officer? well, they haven't dealt with him, have they? he's still working. he's still getting paid. he's still going to get his full pension. get everything he asked for. he is now going through the met�*s misconduct system, on restricted duties. i think, ioo%, if he had attacked me and he wasn't a police officer, he would have been arrested, and taken and carted off. where are you on being able to trust the met? i don't. i don't trust the police at all.

and i do not understand why we report allegations against police to other police officers. there is no place in the police service for an officer like him. absolutely not. the met boss has accepted he is unable to sack hundreds of officers, and the bbc understands the casey review next week will heavily criticise the way the met tolerates wrongdoing and puts its own people ahead of the public. do you believe the head of the met when he says they are going to do better? no, sorry. prove it. prove it by actions. don'tjust stand there and give us a load of old words. we want proof that you're going to act on those words. you're brought up to believe the police are there to protect. the police should be there to protect. - that's what we pay taxes for. but theyjust seem to protect themselves.

natalie claims her ex—husband, a met officer, coercively controlled her. she struggled to find the right avenues to complain to the force to get them to take action. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her anonymity. i've been in police stations. i've spoken to policewomen who squeezed my arm and looked compassionate, and told me this time it would be sorted, you know? it was unacceptable. you know, and then like i said, you hear nothing. and it then makes him worse. he's bolstered by this, isn't he? he's enabled, and protected. what more do you think the met needs to do now? own up. i think they need total reform. we will take the most robust action against officers that are found to have committed these crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise that we are in a bad place. but we are committed,

and absolutely determined, to turn that around, and we are going to do so. i completely understand that people will often feel nervous or hesitant to go to the police to report a crime committed by the police. but it's clear it's notjust about a few officers who've been sentenced. the entire force will face serious accusations of racism, misogyny and homophobia, its reputation and ability to regain trust in serious doubt. lucy manning, bbc news. and lucy is here. what does the met need to do? i'm sure that is exactly what sir mark rowley, the commissioner, is thinking about this weekend. firstly, not have a murderer, wayne couzens, in its ranks. not have a serial rapist, david carrick, in its ranks. that would be a good start. what it actually needs as massive change. this is going to get slammed in this report for misogyny, racism, homophobia. but the met has been resistant to change for so many years. it's nearly 25 years since

the macpherson report into the racist murder of stephen lawrence that found the met was institutionally racist. we will hear again from baroness casey that the met is racist, perhaps institutionally so. so what has changed in nearly a quarter of a century? not very much. the commissioner does have the advantage of the backing of the home secretary, who will support him despite this report, but does he have the backing of those who he polices? does he have their trust? can the met save itself from its own behaviour? . , ~ ., can the met save itself from its own behaviour? . , a, ., ~ can the met save itself from its own behaviour? , a, ., ~ , ., a police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct for using excessive force on the former footballer dalian atkinson — but has been told by a police disciplinary panel that she can remain in herjob. dalian atkinson died after being tasered by police and kicked in the head outside his father's house in shropshire in 2016. pc benjamin monk was jailed for manslaughter in 2021. the panel

today heard that mary ellen bettley—smith repeatedly struck the former aston villa player with her baton after he'd been tasered to the ground. our midlands correspondent navtej johal is in telford — what's been the response? dalian atkinson made his name scoring goals in the 1990s, but he died in august 2016 aged just 48. the panel here heard how pc engine and monk and pc mary ellen bettley—smith, who were in a relationship at the time, had responded to a 999 call. they arrived outside mr atkinson's father's home to find the ex—footballer in what was described as the grip of a psychotic episode. he died after being kicked at least twice in the head by pc monk, who was jailed for manslaughter for eight years in 2021. today the

independent tribunal found three strikes by becky smith were lawful, but it found further blows were, in his words, unnecessary, disproportionate and unreasonable in all circumstances and therefore unlawful. despite that, the 33—year—old has kept herjob and instead been handed a written warning. but mr atkinson's sister says she was disappointed with the outcome. . g ., ., ., ~ , ., there are warnings of possible disruption to summer holidays as more than a thousand passport office workers prepare to strike for five weeks from early next month. the union representing the workers says there will be a "significant impact" on an estimated one million passport applications during that period. our employment correspondent zoe conway is with me: thank you, jane.

it's the job of 1,900 people to examine people's passport applications. the pcs union says more than 1,500 of them could go on strike — 200 of them joined the union today. they'll be striking for six days a week for five weeks starting on april 3rd at offices across the uk. the dispute is mostly about pay — the government has given civil servants a 2—3% rise this year — the pcs civil service union says it should be more like 10%. the union says it has a multi—million—pound fund to pay striking workers their wages throughout the five weeks. i would rather not have a single day of action and the government's got two weeks before the passport offices come out on strike. and the question i'd like them to answer is why have they had talks with the health unions and reached a settlement? why are they having talks with the education unions but they refuse to have talks with their own workforce? the people they rely on to deliver every— the people they rely on to deliver every single aspect of the budget jeremy— every single aspect of the budget jeremy hunt announced this week.

so, what will the impact be? it normally takes up to 10 weeks for people to get their new passport. it says it doesn't plan to adjust that advice. it also says it is working on it, hence a contingency plan and it is open to talks with the unions. this traveller certainly hope so. i the unions. this traveller certainly ho -e so. . ., the unions. this traveller certainly hoe so. . ., ., hope so. i travel two or three times a month. hope so. i travel two or three times a month- i — hope so. i travel two or three times a month. i need _ hope so. i travel two or three times a month. i need the _ hope so. i travel two or three times a month. i need the passport- hope so. i travel two or three times a month. i need the passport for. hope so. i travel two or three times| a month. i need the passport for my work but there is nothing that can be done to get the passport quicker. and now if there are the strikes then that is obviously going to make things worse. in then that is obviously going to make things worse-— things worse. in some of the other -a things worse. in some of the other pay disputes _ things worse. in some of the other pay disputes there _ things worse. in some of the other pay disputes there has _ things worse. in some of the other pay disputes there has been - pay disputes there has been progress. teachers's unions and the government are now negotiating. on the railways, a rail strike is going ahead tomorrow by guards and station staff but another dispute affecting maintenance and signal workers might get resolved in the coming days. meanwhile, the bbc understands that junior doctors in england will meet

ministers next week for a preliminary talks about their pay dispute. thank you, sorry conway there. hugh pym our health editor is here. jane, nhs england has said that around 175,000 operations and appointments in england were cancelled because of the three—day strike byjunior doctors earlier strike by junior doctors earlier this strike byjunior doctors earlier this week. and it affected all forms of care, emergencies as well as planned work, so consultants in hospitals, senior doctors had to be redeployed to cover the juniors and that resulted in all these cancellations. nhs england has added that if you look at that total, 175,000, it was more than all the postponements and disruption caused by previous strikes involving ambulance staff and nurses and so on. and they say this is absolutely unprecedented. the british medical association representing doctors

though said it wouldn't have happened if talks at taken place before now. but as we have just heard from so eat there will be talks next week. i think it will be talks next week. i think it will be talks about talks, which may or may not lead to more substantive negotiations. our top story this evening: an arrest warrant has been issued for russia's president vladimir putin — the international criminal court accuses him of war crimes in ukraine. coming up, the favourite galopin des champs takes the gold cup at cheltenham. coming up on the bbc news channel... no wins in 2023 — patrick vieira is sacked by crystal palace. a run of 12 matches without a victory has left coming up on the bbc news channel... them just three points above the premier league relegation zone. giving babies between four and six months old tiny tastes of smooth peanut butter could dramatically cut peanut

allergies, according to a new study. researchers say the current guidance on when to introduce solids to a baby's diet needs to change — and that avoiding foods that can trigger an allergy is the wrong approach. peanut allergies have been on the rise in the uk, with one in 50 children now believed to be affected. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. a spoonful of smooth peanut butter twice a week, mixed with breast milk if preferred. so he really seems to like the peanut butter. yeah. this is how doctors say babies can be safely introduced to peanuts. whole and chopped nuts should never be given, as they're a choking hazard. but when should parents start? one in 50 children in the uk is allergic to peanuts, and it can be life threatening. there's been a three fold increase in recent decades, partly driven by faulty advice to avoid peanuts altogether until the age of three. that was dropped in 2009.

the current official nhs advice is that introducing peanuts should begin at around six months as part of weaning. but a study by allergy experts says it should begin earlier, between four to six months. they estimate peanut allergy could fall by 77% if this was done. that would mean around 10,000 fewer children with a peanut allergy each year in the uk. so we know that if babies eat peanuts, the gut sees that as harmless, and the body doesn't develop an allergic reaction to them. if you contrast that with a baby that first sees peanuts on the skin, the body then tends to develop a peanut allergy. splash, splosh... sienna is two and a half and allergic to peanuts. her mum followed official advice and she wasn't fed them early

on but now wishes she had been. if we'd been given that opportunity, it would have been completely different. you know, everyday life would be a normal situation, the same as it is for her brother, and we just wouldn't have to worry about her as she's getting older and making sure she's safe as well. we're going to do some bubbles on your arm, 0k? and then when they're all there, we're going to go pop, p°pr p0p: p0p: p0p- yeah. yeah? sienna is now being tested for other possible allergies. the researchers are urging the nhs to change the guidance to recommend peanut products are introduced between four and six months... pop the bubbles. ..and say it would make a huge impact on safeguarding the health of children in years to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. now a look at some other stories making the news today. three people who died following a car crash in cardiff were all pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, an inquest heard today.

rafeljeanne, eve smith, and darcy ross were discovered on march 6th — two days after they'd been reported missing. further postmortem tests have been carried out to determine the causes of death. two other people who survived the crash in hospital. aldi has given its store employees another pay increase, joining other companies who have boosted wages because of a labour shortage. the supermarket group will lift starting pay to £11.40 an hour nationally and to £12.85 in greater london, from july. tesco has made similar moves recently, as firms try to retain staff struggling with high living costs. the battle to become the new owners of manchester united is heating up. britten's richest man tojim ratcliffe visited old trafford today as part of his efforts to buy the club. yesterday a qatari delicate spent ten hours there. it follows an

announcement that the current owners were considering selling. jacqueline gold, the businesswoman who was credited with transforming the ann summers lingerie chain, has died. she was 62, and was being treated for breast cancer. jacqueline gold turned the company from four backstreet shops into a mult—million—pound brand with branches across the uk and championed women in business, as emma simpson reports. ann summers started as four slightly seedy —looking sex shops frequented by men. jacqueline gold transformed this business into a female friendly household name.— this business into a female friendly household name. this is one of our baby dolls- -- _ household name. this is one of our baby dolls... playing her— household name. this is one of our baby dolls... playing her part - household name. this is one of our baby dolls... playing her part in - baby dolls... playing her part in the baby dolls. .. playing her part in the sexual— baby dolls... playing her part in the sexual liberation _ baby dolls. .. playing her part in the sexual liberation of- baby dolls... playing her part in the sexual liberation of women | baby dolls... playing her part in . the sexual liberation of women and the sexual liberation of women and the high street as well. and that made her one of the most successful and well—known business women in the uk. and she did it following her instinct. , , , , ., instinct. this is 'ust brilliant, isn't it? that _

instinct. this isjust brilliant, isn't it? that women - instinct. this isjust brilliant, isn't it? that women were i instinct. this isjust brilliant, i isn't it? that women were just instinct. this isjust brilliant, - isn't it? that women were just as isn't it? that women were 'ust as interested — isn't it? that women were 'ust as interested in i isn't it? that women were 'ust as interested in sexy * isn't it? that women were 'ust as interested in sexy laundry _ isn't it? that women were just as interested in sexy laundry as - isn't it? that women were just as. interested in sexy laundry as men. isn't it? that women were just as i interested in sexy laundry as men. i remember going to the board meeting looking for investment for my idea. it was an all—male board and one of them is had looked this isn't going to work women aren't even interested in sex. , , , in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere _ in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere for _ in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere for women - in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere for women to - in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere for women to go - in sex. oh, yes, they were. there was nowhere for women to go on| in sex. oh, yes, they were. there i was nowhere for women to go on the high street to buy sexy underwear or aduu high street to buy sexy underwear or adult toys. jacqueline gold built ann summers into a majorforce in british retail, a company led by women, for women. one laundry boss said she was a trailblazer. she absolutely _ said she was a trailblazer. sie: absolutely paved said she was a trailblazer. 5ie: absolutely paved the way said she was a trailblazer. 5il: absolutely paved the way for women to feel empowered in the bedroom and the boardroom and really brought female sexuality into the mainstream. hervision female sexuality into the mainstream. her vision and her commitment to championing women, which i find so inspiring, and which i think will be her legacy.

jacqueline gold was honoured with a cbe in 2016 for entrepreneurship and helping women in business. she died just weeks after her father, weston co—chairman david gold. he gave her a start in the business but with ann summers she made it her own. jacqueline gold, the businesswoman who has died at the age of 62. now, we can all settle in for some comic relief tonight, the annual fundraiser which started back in 1985. a host of stars, from danny dyer to kylie, are taking part in the evening of comedy and music, all to raise money to help with issues including homelessness and food poverty. it's being broadcast from salford — and with less than an hour to go, let's speak to one of tonight's presenters, joel dommett.

jol, evening to you. remind us how important this evening is. filth. jol, evening to you. remind us how important this evening is.— important this evening is. oh, it is so important. _ important this evening is. oh, it is so important. it— important this evening is. oh, it is so important, it really _ important this evening is. oh, it is so important, it really is. - important this evening is. oh, it is so important, it really is. the i so important, it really is. the money goes so far. i've just found out in the last couple of days when we have been rehearsing to show how important your money that you donate is. and it is going to be a fantastic night. we have got so much going on, it is so brilliant. personally, it is wonderful for me. i grew up like many people growing up i grew up like many people growing up on the sofa watching at home. it is a real treat.— is a real treat. tell us more about what we can _ is a real treat. tell us more about what we can expect. _ is a real treat. tell us more about what we can expect. we - is a real treat. tell us more about what we can expect. we have i what we can expect. we have got loads. what we can expect. we have got loads- we — what we can expect. we have got loads. we have _ what we can expect. we have got loads. we have zara _ what we can expect. we have got loads. we have zara larson, tom grennan, sketches from kylie, a love island sketch. we have got loads going on. me, paddy mcguinness, zoe ball and david tennant and a studio audience that is filing in as we speak. it is filling up now. so a little sneak peek for you but it is

going to be great. iiigiith little sneak peek for you but it is going to be great.— little sneak peek for you but it is going to be great. with their credit cards we hope! _ it's been another dramatic day of horse racing at the cheltenham festival, where fans flocked to see the iconic gold cup race this afternoon. the race was won by the favourite, galopin des champs, who battled to victory in a competitive race. lizzie greenwood—hughes has been watching. always loud, always proud to be the home ofjump racing. and this year cheltenham has defied the cost of living crisis with tickets the gold cup day selling out in the fastest time ever. this is the start of a potentially historic weekend for the irish and on saint patrick's day at the cheltenham festival where better place to get the celebrations under way? place to get the celebrations under wa ? :, :, , . :, place to get the celebrations under wa? :, :, , :, way? come on the irish, come on the green guys! —

way? come on the irish, come on the green guys! come on! _ way? come on the irish, come on the green guys! come on! unlucky, i green guys! come on! unlucky, england, in dublin tomorrow! well, we'll have to _ england, in dublin tomorrow! well, we'll have to see _ england, in dublin tomorrow! well, we'll have to see about _ england, in dublin tomorrow! well, we'll have to see about the - england, in dublin tomorrow! well, we'll have to see about the rugby. come the big race though it seemed a bravemansgame had all the luck. but hot favourite first made his move over the last fence and galloped to victory —— galopin des champs it is galopin des champs galloping his way to gold cup glory. he galopin des champs galloping his way to gold cuo glory-— to gold cup glory. he was 'ust so cool in behind i to gold cup glory. he was 'ust so cool in behind all i to gold cup glory. he was 'ust so cool in behind all the i to gold cup glory. he wasjust so cool in behind all the time, i to gold cup glory. he wasjust so cool in behind all the time, let i to gold cup glory. he wasjust so | cool in behind all the time, let the race unfold and he just pulled out when he thought he needed to pull out and the horse answered his call for psion winners at cheltenham are brilliant but the gold cup has an extra spice about it. a bit of pressure on this lad coming in as well everyone talking about him and things. it didn't go smoothly early but he dug very deep to win today. it is being hailed as one of the best gold cups ever and yet another mullins win in a golden age for

irish horse racing. lizzie greenwood—hughes, bbc news, cheltenham. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. because it is friday i'm going to start with some good news, a sign of spring. because wherever you are across the uk the sun will not set before 6pm between now and october. those sunset times really have been getting later and later, 6pm sunset tonight at the most easterly point in the uk. setting just about now at penzance in west cornwall. another sign of spring is that there is enough strength in the sun right now to generate some big showers and thunderstorms. which we have seen today. you can see those moving across our radar picture. i think the thunder and lightning will tend to ease off overnight but some of the showers are set to continue. because it stays quite miles out there it will be misty and murky, large amounts of cloud. 2 degrees

for lerwick but more generally five to 9 degrees to take it into tomorrow morning and we start the weekend, it doesn't look too springlike does it? low pressure in charge. underthe springlike does it? low pressure in charge. under the centre of that low with light winds where we see those big showers and thunderstorms popping up big showers and thunderstorms popping up again they will be quite low moving —— slow—moving, some sunny spells in between for england and wales although noticed this slightly more persistent rain across the far east and at the same time a band of rain swinging across northern ireland and the good part of scotland. north to south at temperatures between six and 14, maybe 15 degrees. into the second half of the weekend we look to the south—west and this ridge of high pressure and that offers us a window of something a little bit drier and for a time writer. for most of us a bright start on sunday. england and wales keeping hold of sunny spells but cloud rolling into western scotland and northern ireland with some rain. relatively mild, a little bit cooler up towards the north of the uk. into next week not a

particularly spring outlook, quite a