tonight at ten — an arrest warrant is issued by the international criminal court for russia's leader, vladimir putin. the court accuses president putin of war crimes since his invasion of ukraine — including the deportation of children to russia. translation: this is a historic decision from which historical i responsibility will begin. the head of the terrorist state and another russian official have become suspects in a war crime. moscow says it doesn't recognise the court. we'll ask what happens next. 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 passport workers prepare to strike, unions say it could affect a million applications. and... england are... man. confidence and spirits are high — as ireland seek to do coming as ireland seek to do up in the sport later in the hour coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel. the iris strike gold on st. patrick's day on the final date of the festival! good evening. 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 icc has ordered the arrest of a prominent political leader still in office. 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. it is a war that he ordered, a war that brought death and devastation, a war that sent millions fleeing for their lives. but it's one that has now left president putin accused of war crimes by an international court and even more isolated on the world stage. 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.

the international criminal court, based here in the hague, alleges the russian leader is individually responsible for the war crime of unlawfully deporting children from ukraine to russia. along with another official. in the chaos that followed the invasion, millions of people were displaced and there have been reports of thousands of children being sent to so—called re—education camps in russia. alleged crimes for which ukraine's president has repeatedly demanded justice. translation: this is a historic decision from which historical i responsibility will begin. the head of the terrorist state and another russian official have become suspects in a war crime. a kremlin spokesman said the allegations were outrageous and unacceptable. the foreign ministry said the arrest warrant meant nothing legally. translation: russia is not a party to the rule of statute _

of the international criminal court and bears no obligations under it. 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. the man investigating these allegations and those against mr putin denied the warrants were symbolic. there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within our court's jurisdiction have been committed. so those that feel that you can commit a crime in the daytime and sleep well at night should perhaps look at history. vladimir putin may never be arrested or appear in court, but it's not everyday that a serving head of state is accused of war crimes and it is a signal from the international community that they will seek justice for what's been happening here in ukraine.

at home, vladimir putin may enjoy some popular support, however staged, but abroad he now faces the possibility of arrest and trial. he probably won't be getting on a plane soon. james landale, bbc news, kyiv. we can speak to our russia editor, steve rosenberg. overall, how significant is this? on a overall, how significant is this? q�*i a practical level don't expect russian police to slap the handcuffs on vladimir putin and dispatch him to the hague. russia, just like america in fact, does not recognise thejurisdiction of the the jurisdiction of the international criminal court, thejurisdiction of the international criminal court, and russia does not extradite its citizens. and yet this is an extraordinary moment. just think about it. the serving president of the world's largest country, a nuclear power, a permanent member of the un security council, the icc has issued a warrant for his arrest over

alleged war crimes, and that makes russia's president even more of a pariah at a time when vladimir putin is still trying to be a global player. we've got the chinese president coming here in three days' time for a state visit. no wonder the kremlin is furious. outrageous, the kremlin is furious. outrageous, the kremlin is furious. outrageous, the kremlin cries, unacceptable, and a former president amitri medvedev, a former president amitri medvedev, a putin ally, referring to the arrest warrant on a social media post today, wrote this. he said no need to explain where this paper should be used, and he followed that with an emoji of a toilet roll. steve rosenberg, thank you. the metropolitan police is expected to be heavily criticised 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. her report will be released next week, but the bbc has been told 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 the abusive officers in its ranks. sirens. 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 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 police powers. —— 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, 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 his crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise 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 iwill 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.

and lucy is here. the met has an awful lot to do, lucy. the met has an awful lot to do, lu . , ., ., , ., the met has an awful lot to do, lu. ., the met has an awful lot to do, lucy. yes, for a start to make sure they haven't _ lucy. yes, for a start to make sure they haven't got — lucy. yes, for a start to make sure they haven't got another _ lucy. yes, for a start to make sure they haven't got another officer - lucy. yes, for a start to make sure l they haven't got another officer who is a murderer like wayne couzens or a serial rapist like david carrick. there's an awful lot of change to happen, because to be absolutely clear this report next week is going to rip the metal part on misogyny, racism, homophobia, culture, leadership training, just a massive amount of failure. but the met has just been resistant or unable to change. if you look back nearly 25 years, you had the macpherson report into the racist murder of stephen lawrence. that declared the met was institutionally racist. louise casey is going to say again the met is racist, perhaps institutionally, and yet a quarter of a century down the line nothing seems to have changed.

sir mark rowley, the commission, does have the backing of the home secretary, even when this report comes out, so at least he has that to try and make the change, but i'm not sure that he has the trust of the public to police, he doesn't have that level of trust in policing from people any more, and the report i understand is going to be what i'm told is a very difficult read, it will be very bad, it will have bad conclusions, and the question is whether the met can save from its own behaviour.— whether the met can save from its own behaviour. , ., ~ , ., _ own behaviour. lucy, thank you, lucy manninu. the former aston villa footballer dalian atkinson died after being tasered, kicked in the head and hit with a baton by police seven years ago. today, a police officer was found guilty of gross misconduct for using excessive force — but allowed to keep herjob. mary ellen bettley—smith's partner at the time, pc benjamin monk, was jailed for dalian atkinson's manslaughter two years ago. navtej johal reports.

he'd made his name scoring goals. this one, perhaps his most famous, was a premier league goal of the season, but dalian atkinson died in august 2016 aged just a8, killed by a police officer. a disciplinary panel heard how pc benjamin 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 in telford in shropshire to find the ex—footballer appearing in what was described as "the grip of a psychotic episode". pc monk was jailed for manslaughter in 2021, having tasered mr atkinson and kicked him in the head. the panel heard that while pc bettley—smith was not responsible for his death, she repeatedly struck the former aston villa player with her baton. previously, the panel had been told she perceived that he was trying to get up. but several civilian witnesses recalled that mr atkinson was not moving and was not resistant.

the independent tribunal here found three initial strikes by bettley—smith with her baton that evening before monk's kicks, were lawful, but it found further blows, in its words, were unnecessary, disproportionate and unreasonable in all the circumstances, and therefore unlawful. the 33—year—old was found guilty of gross misconduct. despite that, she has kept herjob and instead been handed a final written warning. i am disappointed, really, with the outcome, because i did feel that it was serious enough, you know. at the end of the day, i suppose they look out for their own, it seems, so i'm not saying that all police are bad, that's not the case at all. i don't think in these circumstances, it's the police looking after their own. we've got one police officer injail and another police officer subject to a sanction, but we got it wrong and there's been terrible consequences in these

circumstances and we need to learn and reflect to rebuild and build that confidence with the public. dalian atkinson's family, though, have struggled to rebuild. they say they've been shattered by his death. navteonhal, bbc news, telford. there are warnings tonight of possible disruption to summer holidays as more than a thousand passport office workers prepare to strike for five weeks from next month. the union representing the workers says there will be a "significant impact" on an estimated i million passport applications during that period. it's the job of 1,900 officials to examine people's passport applications. the pcs union says more than 1,500 of them could go on strike. they'll walk out for five weeks from the first week in april, across the uk. the government has given civil servants a 2—3% rise this year. their union, the pcs, says the increase should be closer

to 10% and that it has a multi—million pound fund to pay striking workers 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 single aspect of the budget that jeremy hunt announced earlier this week? and if you have a passport, your troubles might not be over if you're planning to travel through heathrow�*s terminal 5 — security guards there are to strike over easter in a dispute about pay. they'll walk out for 10 days from 31st march. the airport says it's offered a10% pay deal, and has contingency plans to keep the terminal open. and staying with industrial action — more has emerged this evening about the impact of this week's

walkout byjunior doctors. our health editor hugh pym is here. what do we know about what the significant impact was? hhs what do we know about what the significant impact was? nhs england has said that — significant impact was? nhs england has said that 175,000 _ significant impact was? nhs england has said that 175,000 operations - significant impact was? nhs england| has said that 175,000 operations and appointments in england were cancelled because of the junior doctors' strike over three days earlier this week. the walk—out has affected all forms of care including emergencies, so there had to be a lot of redeployment within hospitals. senior doctors and consultants moved across to cover the juniors, consultants moved across to cover thejuniors, hence the consultants moved across to cover the juniors, hence the scale of the disruption. nhs england has said this is on an unprecedented scale, because that figure of 175,000 is more than all the cancellations associated with the strikes before, with ambulance staff and nurses. the british medical association, representing doctors, said this wouldn't have happened if there had been serious pay talks before now. tonight, things have moved forward a

bit. the health secretary steve barclay will meet bma representatives next week. i think it is talks about talks. preconditions have to be ironed out, but it could possibly but not necessarily need to serious negotiations.— necessarily need to serious neuotiations. ., ., negotiations. our health editor, huh negotiations. our health editor, hugh pym- _ introducing babies to smooth peanut butter when they're between four and six months old 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. peanut allergies have been on the rise in the uk, with one in 50 children now thought 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 threefold 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, his image was one of the defining moments of the war in iraq — which began 20 years ago this weekend. ali abbas was just 12 when he lost his parents and his brother in a missile strike that caused him life—changing injuries. photos of him lying in a baghdad hospital moved the world, and ali was brought to britain for medical treatment — where he's stayed, and become a british citizen. our correspondent caroline hawley has been to meet him. few iraqis carry deeper scars from the invasion than ali abbas. his father had been desperate to see the end of saddam hussein's dictatorship. we were farmers. my father was saying that when he see the americans coming, he'lljust make, like, a party for them. he'll make a barbecue. you know, we werejust

hoping for a better life. we were thinking that getting rid of saddam, we will have a good future for iraq. but it's never happened. i never know any family that they haven't lost a loved one, you know? ali's family had fled the capital, baghdad, for safety, but returned thinking the worst was over — just hours before their home was hit by a rocket. i remember the house collapsed on us. the fire everywhere. ihear my... my mother screaming, and my father also. it was terrible. i felt the fire burning my body and my arms. so this picture was the first picture when i arrived in hospital. i remember my neighbour was telling me that when he pulled me out of the rubble, you know, that... because my arm was so badly burned. so when he pulled me out,

one of my arms came off. ali now has a precious new family member. hello! his five—year—old son, yusef, who's with his mother in baghdad, though ali hopes to bring him here. when i go back to iraq, he's always spoiling me, you know? he doesn't let me do anything. he is trying to be my carer, you know? he's taking good care of me. yeah. if i'm trying to do something with my feet, he'lljust say, "no, daddy, i'll do that for you. you don't have to do it." he likes going out with me in the car a lot. you know, he likes my driving. i try to live independent. i do many things, i can write with my feet. i can use the phone. i can also hug him with my feet, you know. so it's ok with that. i just want to make a good future for my son, you know? and i hope also maybe i can

create my own charity one day and help people who are like in my situation, you know? i have been through very difficult times, especially just after the injury. i have to deal with it without parents and without arms. so it was very difficult in the beginning. and i always thank god for what i have got. so i think of the positive things. ali abbas ending that report from caroline hawley. jacqueline gold, the businesswoman who took the ann summers brand from the back streets to high streets all over britain, has died at the age of 62. she'd been having treatment for breast cancer. our business correspondent emma simpson look back at her life. 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 is one of our babydolls...

playing her part in the sexual liberation of women and the high street as well. and that made her one of the most successful and well—known businesswomen in the uk. and she did it following her instinct... this is just beautiful, isn't it? that women were just as interested in sexy lingerie as men. i remember going to the board meeting where i was looking for investment for my idea. it was an all—male board and one of the board members turned round and said, "look, this isn't going to work, women aren't even interested in sex". oh, yes, they were. it's hard to believe now, but when this business got going, there was nowhere, really, for women to go on the high street to buy sexy underwear or adult toys. jacqueline gold built ann summers into a major force in british retail, a company led by women, for women. one lingerie boss says she was a trailblazer.

she absolutely paved the way for women to feel empowered in the bedroom and the boardroom and really brought 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, west ham co—chairman david gold. he gave her her start in the business, but with her ann summers parties and high street shops, she made it her own. emma simpson, bbc news. the businesswomanjacqueline gold, who's died at the age of 62. sport now — and appropriately on st patrick's day, there was irish success at cheltenham this afternoon. the favourite, galopin des champs, won the gold cup in a dramatic race. jockey paul townend led the irish—trained horse to victory,

pulling clear of bravemansgame and conflated after the final fence. and ireland's success is predicted to continue tomorrow as rugby union's six nations tournament concludes in dublin. the irish are firm favourites to beat england to complete the grand slam. our sport correspondent andy swiss reports from dublin. st patrick's day in dublin, when a city turns into a street party, but they will be hoping the celebrations here have onlyjust begun because tomorrow, rugby could mean more revelry and victory over england and a grand slam will be ireland's to toast. cheers! how confident are you about the grand slam tomorrow? very confident. extremely. england are rubbish, man! very confident. ireland will play impeccably. how big is the buzz in dublin for tomorrow? oh, my god, it's going to be a weekend to remember,

a weekend to remember. i'll have the best weekend of my life, please god. and who can blame their belief? ireland have been untouchable so far this six nations. four wins out of four, and in thrilling style. some 50,000 fans will be inside the stadium to see whether ireland can make history. they've never clinched a grand slam here in dublin, but glory is now within their grasp. there's also family pride at stake. ireland's head coach andy farrell is the father of the england captain owen, once a youngster celebrating with his dad, now international rivals. we don't ask questions that put the other person in too much of a predicament. i know he's travelling over today. he's not staying too far from our house, actually. the grandkids are coming over today as well, so we'll see if we can

squeeze them to cheer for ireland. as for farrelljunior, well, england will start as huge underdogs after they were thrashed by france last week. but for both his opponents tomorrow and his dad, he says there's he says there's nothing but respect. they're flying at the minute. they're not number one in the world for nothing, and i think regardless, there's definitely a lot of pride in ourfamily for thejob he's doing. commentator: these days do not come often... and so, ireland expects. five years after their last grand slam, they'll be hoping for another spectacular finish. andy swiss, bbc news, dublin. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. well, it is looking very mixed through the weekend, just as it was

today. we had some spells of sunshine, but we also had some of these huge, impressive shower clouds that popped up and gave some heavy rain and even some flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder in places. right now, we have still got some showers about, one clump of heavy rain close to the far south—east of england. we will keep some showers going elsewhere as we head through the night. there will be some clear spells, but generally a lot of cloud and quite misty and murky conditions. for most of us, it is going to be a mild night, a mild start to the weekend, but with this area of low pressure in charge. the winds will be light, so when you see the big showers popping up again, they will be slow moving. at the same time, more persistent rain will work across south—east england and east anglia, just as it did today. even where we see sunshine, we will have showers, some of it will be heavy and sundry. there will be dry

gaps between, so the showers are hit and miss, but