olivia pratt—korbel was fatally shot as one drug dealer chased another. police say what happened brought down the usual wall of silence. with this crime, lots and lots of people on both sides of that criminal line wanted to come forward and speak to us. thomas cashman, who's 3a, will be sentenced next week. the little girl's mother was in court for the verdict. yes! cheryl, how are you feeling? ecstatic. we'll have details of the case heard at manchester crown court. also tonight...

in russia, an americanjournalist is arrested and accused of spying. the white house has condemned the move in the strongest terms. a new blood test, which could save thousands from having unnecessary chemotherapy every year. and the giant business of gaming — we report on tonight's winners at the bafta games awards. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel... we'll have the best of the action from the womens champions league... as chelsea take on serial european cup winners lyon with a place in the semi finals at stake... dealer in liverpool last summer. it was, in the words of the prosecutors, a case that shocked notjust a city, but a whole nation. today, thomas cashman was convicted

of the little girl's murder, which happened when he opened fire while chasing another local criminal. cashman was also found guilty of injuring olivia's mother and of the attempted murder ofjoseph nee another drug dealer. cashman�*s family were ushered out of the courtroom after loudly protesting his innocence. our north of england correspondentjudith moritz reports from manchester. i just want to know what i've done. that's all! all i want to know is what i'm being arrested for. his own barrister called him one of the most hated people in the country. you're under arrest on suspicion of murder and suspicion of attempted murder, twice. this is thomas cashman, the man who shot a nine year old girl dead. the police caught him after a huge manhunt. he'd used two guns, hell bent on murder, but his plan went wrong.

last august, cashman was lying in wait in this liverpool street. the drugs dealer was intent on executing another dealer, called joseph nee. as nee walked along the road, cashman caught up with him. gunfire. he opened fire. he kept shooting at his target... gunfire. ..but then his gunjammed. nee ran for his life. he saw the light from an open doorway and ran towards it. cashman shot again as nee barged in. the bullet went through the door. it hit nine—year—old olivia pratt—korbel in the chest. terrified by the sound of gunfire, the little girl had left her bed to find her mum. cheryl korbel was herself shot as she tried to keep cashman out. you know you've done wrong. so you need to own up. today, she was in court to hear the guilty verdicts.

yes! cheryl, how are you feeling? ecstatic. the murder made national headlines, the shooting of a child cited as a real low, but not a new low. exactly 15 years earlier, 11—year—old rhstones was also shot dead in liverpool. olivia's murder carried the sense of history repeating itself. the shooting provoked a strong reaction within this community. information flowed into the police in a volume detectives say they haven't experienced before. and they say some of those they'd expected to put up a wall of silence, chose to speak out. what we saw with this particular crime, with olivia's murder is people were talking about a line being crossed, almost for those involved in crime, as though there is an acceptable level where you don't talk normally,

that grass culture being embedded. what we saw with this crime is that lots and lots of people on both sides of that criminal line were wanting to come forward and speak to us. but until he was caught, thomas cashman was still terrorising some within the community. he was causing that fear and that intimidation and putting people off. the investigation has shown that once he was charged, people felt more confident and comfortable to come forward. the number of guns being fired on merseyside has fallen significantly over the last decade, though last year there were five deaths in as many months, and cases like olivia's highlight the risk of any bullet being fired. i don't know how many people were harmed as a result of me putting firearms on the street, but no doubt people were harmed and it's something i massively regret. sicarius mcgrath was part of an organised crime gang in liverpool, jailed for violence and gun offences, now rehabilitated.

he's started to work with gang members to turn their lives around. any life is unfortunate if it's lost to any type of crime or any type of violence. but the fact that it's an innocent child in their own home, or going about their business, makes it much worse. and i believe there's many more incidents to come like that. the jailing of thomas cashman may bring some small comfort to olivia's family. i'm on it as well. but, of course, it can't bring her back. her childhood has been cruelly and senselessly snatched away. that can never be repaired. i was inside court room number one when the verdicts were returned. thomas cashman cried as he was convicted. his family shouted out, olivia's family hugged police officers who themselves became

emotional. the police have paid tribute to the key witness in this case, a woman who can't legally be identified, but at whose home thomas cashman turned up on the night of the shooting. she heard him confess and police have praised her in coming forward to them. as for thomas cashman, he'll be back here on monday to be sentenced. judith, many thanks, for the latest on that tragic case in manchester which happened in the court today. an american journalist has been arrested in russia and accused of spying. evan gershkovich, who's 31 and works for the wall streetjournal and is an expert on russia, was working in the city of yekaterinburg when he was detained. the white house has condemned his detention "in the strongest terms". the kremlin claims he was caught "red—handed", but his employer has vehemently denied the allegations against him. mr gershkovich has been remanded in custody for two months pending an investigation. our russia editor steve rosenberg, who describes mr gershkovich as a "highly principled journalist",

sent this report. as he was led from the courthouse, a fleeting glimpse of evan gershkovich, the american journalist arrested in russia and accused of spying for america. he faces up to 20 years in prison. evan gershkovich, now with the wall streetjournal, is an experienced russia reporter. he was detained 1000 miles from moscow in the yekaterinburg. russia's security service claimed he'd been collecting secrets about a defence factory. translation: using the cover ofj being a journalist with a journalist visa and accreditation, this person carried out completely different activities. what he was doing in yekaterinburg was notjournalism. the wall streetjournal said it

vehemently denies the allegations. it called evan gershkovich a trusted, dedicated reporter. the reaction from the white house. these espionage charges are ridiculous, the targeting of american citizens by the russian government is unacceptable. we condemn the detention of mr gershkovich in the strongest, in the strongest terms. the reporter was brought to moscow, to this court. but his lawyer wasn't allowed to see him. "that's the kind of system of justice we have here," the lawyer daniil berman says. "they didn't let me in." well, this is the first time i can remember since the cold war that a western reporter has been arrested for espionage in russia. and that shows not only the level of attention right now between russia and the west, it shows a determination on the part of moscow to silence all criticism. —— the level of tension right now between russia and the west. russian journalists have long been under pressure. mikhail afanasyev went on trial this week. he'd written about russian

riot police refusing to fight in ukraine. and last month maria ponomarenko was jailed for six years for posting about russian attacks on the city of mariupol. now an american reporter is in custody. his case declared top secret. his chances of securing freedom not great. in russian courts more than 99% of verdicts are guilty. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. environmental groups have criticised the government's new strategy to cut carbon emissions because they say it does not do enough to achieve net zero. net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions get re—absorbed by oceans orforests, for example. the uk government's plan has been updated after the high court ruled the existing strategy wasn't sufficient to reach the target of net zero emissions by 2050.

our climate editorjustin rowlatt has the latest. the secretary of state for energy and net zero was channeling his inner churchill in a world war two bunker when he announced his new plan. today, with putin weaponizing energy across europe, our energy security has never been more critical. the plan is supposed to show how the government will cut emissions after it lost a legal challenge by activists last summer. mr shapps has rebranded it to be about energy security. i think it's the flip side of the same coin. so as you get to more renewables, including nuclear, you actually do decarbonise the the whole energy economy. but does today's plan go far enough? in the run up to the un climate summit in glasgow two years ago, borisjohnson boasted of how the uk would make world beating carbon reductions. the cuts in today's report fall

short of that target. they said they were going to cut their emissions — uk emissions — by 68% by 2030 compared to 1990. all the document can say is they'll make some progress towards it. the government accepted today that it hadn't accounted for all the cuts required, but said it would meet its commitment. we will exceed, not fall short, it said. so how will it do it? i've seen first hand the renewables revolution the government says will help deliver low carbon power for the uk. and the rocks below the north sea will be used to store carbon dioxide, captured using technologies the government will help fund. there'll be more solar too, and cash for hydrogen production and a lot more of this — nuclear power. but opposition politicians say the government should go further. they have introduced a new strategy today, very little of what the government has introduced today

is actually new. it's rehashed policies. and reducing emissions isn'tjust about tackling climate change. it's also about the future of the british economy. that's because zero emissions technologies, like the electric vans being produced at this plant in oxfordshire, are part of a new low—carbon industrial revolution that is reshaping how we do virtually everything. factories like this are at the vanguard of a global race. a race the uk is not winning. president biden has brought in generous subsidies for low carbon companies, and this business is moving its production there. and now europe is offering similar incentives. today's plan doesn't include anything like that, raising worries that the uk will fall behind in the competition for these new industries. justin rowlatt, bbc news, oxfordshire.

the police watchdog has passed a file of evidence to prosecutors to decide whether a metropolitan police officer should be charged over the fatal shooting of a black man last september, in south london. chris kaba, who was 2a and unarmed, died from a single gunshot wound. staff in every fire and rescue service in england have reported allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination, according to a report by inspectors, who say it could be just the tip of the iceberg. they found racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour in a quarter of services, with it often being described as just banter. the labour leader sir keir starmer says his party would freeze council tax in england if there was a labour government. sir keir made the promise while launching the party's local election campaign. 230 councils across england will hold elections on the fourth may. our political correspondent

ben wright has been speaking to sir keir on the campaign trail in wiltshire. the leader of the labour party, keir starmer. labour's high in the opinion polls but may's local elections will be a proper ballot box test of the party's support, strategy and leader. at the heart of these elections is a really simple question. do you think, do you believe that britain deserves better? audience: yes. the setting for today's labour launch signalled ambition, confidence. swindon currently has a tory—run council and two conservative mps. labour hopes its campaign focus on the cost of living will be a tempting sell to voters. trying to find money to cope with everything is near on impossible. gas and electricity prices, rental properties. we need to get back to a situation where we swindonians _ are proud of our town.

after kicking off his campaign, it was down to some door knocking. what does a good result look like for you? they're very important elections for us as we measure our progress from 2019 into the next general election. obviously we want to win as many seats as possible. we're here in swindon, which is very important to us. do you think you can take it? i hope so, and we've got a positive case. labour said they would freeze council tax in england this year if the party was in government now. so it's a fairly meaningless promise, isn't it? it's not theoretical in this sense, because the money we would use, the windfall tax that hasn't been collected, £10 billion, is on the table. the government is choosing not to use it. the government could adopt this policy — it's adopting quite a lot of our policy at the moment — could adopt this, we'd vote for it, and it could happen. keir starmer insists labour is now a changed party, ready for power. the local election results in may will give a sense of whether voters agree. ben wright, bbc news, swindon. the house of commons standards committee has said that the former snp mp — margaret ferrier —

should be suspended for 30 days — for breaking covid laws. ms ferrier admitted putting people at risk after speaking in a debate at westminster — and travelling by train — when she had coronavirus in september 2020. her suspension would almost certainly trigger a by—election in her rutherglen and hamilton west — which she represents as an independent — and is a key target for labour. a criminal investigation is under way following allegations that as recently as 2020 a meat supplier falsely labelled huge quantities of foreign pork as british meat. the national food crime unit is also looking into claims that the company mixed rotten pork with fresh meat and falsified documents to cover its tracks. our business correspondent emma simpson is here. this is a story of alleged

widespread food crime going on over many years widespread food crime going on over many years and widespread food crime going on over many years and it widespread food crime going on over many years and it was widespread food crime going on over many years and it was revealed widespread food crime going on over many years and it was revealed by the publication farmers weekly. it claimed that a pencil at least 2020 a supply had been selling vast quantities of mislabelled pork. it spoke to a number of former employees who also claimed that rotten pork was sometimes mixed in with fresh produce for the meat was allegedly sometimes thawed out on the factory floor, paperwork was falsified, it was all one big fiddle, a source told them. it was also claimed that the meat was then basically sold on to who used it in products such as ready meals, quiches and sandwiches, which may have ended up in many uk supermarkets. the report said that the meat could also have made its way into schools, hospitals, care homes and prisons who were indirectly supplied. as you say, a criminal investigation is under way. tonight the chief executive of the

food standards agency said based on what they know so far there is no indication that food is unsafe or there is an increased risk to consumers. but she also warned that the risk of food fraud may be increasing because of huge pressures are cost pressures in the food chain. so i think it's fair to say this is their most significant investigation to date since the horse meat scandal which rocked the food industry ten years ago when horse meat was discovered in beef products. horse meat was discovered in beef roducts. �* ., . ., ., products. and there, once again, many thanrs- _ products. and there, once again, many thanks. emma _ products. and there, once again, many thanks. emma simpson, i products. and there, once again, | many thanks. emma simpson, our business correspondent. the national bus strategy for england is meant to provide more services outside london, simpler and cheaperfares, more bus lanes, and greener and more accessible buses. but a group of mps is now warning that more funding and more ambition is needed, if the strategy is to deliver as intended. the bus sector is in a "tough spot", according to transport experts, and passenger numbers outside london have been in decline for decades. our correspondent alex forsyth has been to cumbria,

to explore the transport challenges facing rural communities. on a rainy afternoon in cumbria, i met schoolteacher sam as she finished work. hello, sam. hi. like many who live here, sam's totally dependent on her car to get around. it's really hard for people who haven't got cars. there's a train which takes about 30 or a0 minutes to walk to, which is fine, but that's it. that's pretty much our only public transport. she lives in broughton—in—furness, a rural town where the nearest station's a couple of miles away and there are just two buses a week. hi, joe. hiya. hello! for sam's 16—year—old son, joe, who's currently looking at college options, the lack of transport is having an impact on the choices he's making. it's challenging because i have to decide on whether i want to do the travelling. whether it's worth it. it does affect their choices when they choose what course they want to do.

it's fairly easy if you want to do a—levels — there's a bus that goes to the sixth form of a school — but if you want to do a more vocational course, then it involves a long journey. so what would make a difference? buses, really. cumbria's vast nature is what makes it attractive, but also means it's not commercially viable to run frequent buses everywhere. the county council stopped subsidising them nine years ago, and they recently missed out on a bid for government funding. for many tourism businesses, like centre parcs on the edge of the lake district, recruiting staff has been a huge challenge because they simply can't get to work. here they now provide their own buses, bringing in 500 housekeepers from across cumbria every week. cumbria is huge, and even before the pandemic, recruitment has always been a challenge. any initiative that can help get staff to work will help us maintain our staffing levels. and without the staff — they're our number one asset — we're not going to have a business.

it's notjust here in cumbria. transport�*s an issue across many rural communities. the government has put money into buses, supporting them through the pandemic, keeping fares down, and some councils have funding for improvements. but when it comes to unlocking economic growth and spreading opportunity, then finding transport solutions is key. morning, everyone! all: morning! this community has stepped up to provide its own, forming a charity to raise funds to keep this south lakeland bus service going. it's vital for those who use it, likejoy and lynn. it keeps the villages connected. we all become friends, and it's just a wonderful thing. as people get older, they can't drive. they have to give up the cars, and then they stay in. but this bus gives them another life. there are other community buses

like this, and car clubs. the council's got a transport plan and has been given funding to trial on—demand minibuses. thank you. but it still feels like a long road to a truly connected county. alex forsyth, bbc news, cumbria. a blood test that can detect traces of cancer cells could enable thousands of bowel cancer patients to avoid unnecessary chemotherapy. a major trial is being carried out in the uk, involving 1,600 people. many patients with stage three bowel cancer — which means it has spread to the lymph nodes — will be cured by surgery alone, but until now doctors have been offering chemotherapy to patients just in case. this blood test could change all that. in the uk, bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer. nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with it every year. our medical editor fergus walsh reports. the c word is a big word to live with. it's a year since ben cooke

was diagnosed with bowel cancer. i haven't taken a single day off work, which has been incredible. after successful surgery, patients like ben are usually offered intravenous chemotherapy to mop up any cancer cells that might be remaining. but a new type of blood test showed he was cancer—free. right, what shall we do? a big, enormous, chelsea blow—dry? so, ben, who runs this hair salon in chelsea, was spared the toxic side effects, which can include nerve damage to the hands and feet. work for me is my therapy, as such. i love going to work, i love myjob, i'm very lucky to do what i do. and if i'd have had the intravenous, i feel like i wouldn't have been able to have carried on. but the fact that i didn't have any tingling or anything in my hands has just been an absolute blessing. a deep breath in, sharp scratch. so, how can a blood test tell if a patient

like ben is free of cancer? it looks for tiny fragments of tumour dna circulating in the bloodstream. if there's none present, there's a low risk the cancer will return. these blood tests, or liquid biopsies, are part of a revolution in the diagnosis and monitoring of cancer. they're being trialled in the uk across lung, breast, as well as bowel cancer, and can detect minute fragments of tumour dna, months, even years before they'd show up on a scan. ben has regular check—ups at the royal marsden, which is leading a trial of the blood test across dozens of hospitals. your cancer was diagnosed in the caecum, in the right colon. the results could transform the way thousands of bowel cancer patients are treated in the uk every year. i hope through this trial that we generate the evidence

to show that this technology, liquid biopsies, can be used to spare patients with stage three bowel cancer unnecessary chemotherapy after their bowel cancer surgery, because they don't need it. chemotherapy still has a vital role in treating cancer. but if this blood test trial is successful, it will mean less aggressive treatment for thousands of patients every year, as well as saving the nhs money. fergus walsh, bbc news. the king has been given a standing ovation by the german parliament in berlin, as he became the first british monarch to address the body. he delivered his speech mostly in german and spoke of a "special bond" between the united kingdom and germany. but he also said the scourge of war had returned to europe with russia's invasion of ukraine. he speaks in german

translation: the scourge of war is back in europe. i the unprovoked invasion of ukraine has inflicted the most unimaginable suffering on so many innocent people. countless lives have been destroyed. freedom and human dignity have been trampled in the most brutal way. his majesty the king speaking in berlin earlier today. tonight, the most talented and successful performers, directors and developers in the gaming industry are being recognised for their work at the bafta games awards. millions of adults in the uk are gaming every day. and it's very big business, bringing in almost £5 billion a year in the uk and at the same time supporting around 73,000 jobs. the rate of participation is quite an eye—opener. 86% of people aged 16 to 69 have played games in the past year. our gaming correspondent steffan powell reports from tonight's ceremony. a night to dress up, celebrate

and reflect on the successes of the past 12 months. but this is also one of the few annual moments to tell the broader public that those successes are more than just economic. industry representatives here tonight think the event is a chance to talk about its cultural impact as well. with representatives of 45 nominated games, ranging from big blockbuster titles made by hundreds of staff... aliens! ..to smaller independent ones created by handful, ones created by a handful, tonight displayed the variety on offer in gaming. good evening, my fellow game fanatics. welcome to the bafta games awards. bafta is a name that carries weight around the world which has helped legitimise the work of the industry over the past 20 years. but the best british game category

is always a particularly special moment. and this year it was 1970s inspired rollerblading shooting game rollerdrome that won. when they said the name out loud i couldn't believe it. like, i was almost instantly in tears. i am a crier, i'll admit that. but yeah, like, i didn't really have anything prepared. in any category nominated anywhere is amazing. but it's great to be in such a broad category. so many different genres of games being considered from loads of great british developers. and yeah, it's really wonderful to be nominated by the judges. big winner on the night, however, was a massive surprise. vampire survivors, an independent game, beat out the competition of god of war ragnarok which won six other golden masks, but missed out on best game. it means vampire survivors nowjoins a prestigious company as winner of one of the most important awards gaming has to offer. there were audible gasps when

vampire survivors won best game tonight but perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, the bafta games awards loves showing up a shock result, using this platform to promote smaller independent games alongside blockbuster ones as well. juries were clearly captivated by its rewarding play style and old school visuals. but despite that, still a surprise. back to you. this thank very much. time to have a look at the weather. good evening. it was the four worst day of the year so far today, temperatures in suffolk got close to 17.8 celsius —— it was the warmest day of the year so far today. there was some sunshine but also some heavy showers and tonight we have more persistent rain arriving in association with this world of cloud. this is an area of low pressure, named by the french weather service storm martis because it will begin to bring strong winds

for the channel islands, southern coast