it's thought the charges relate to falsifying business records, to hide hush money payments to a pawn star, in the run up to the 2016 presidential election. lam i am outside the manhattan criminal courthouse. in the coming days donald trump would be fingerprinted, have his mugshot taken and will enter his plea. mr trump denies any wrongdoing, calling the indictment �*political persecution�*. also this lunchtime: a disciplinary hearing decides it cannot be proved the former england cricket captain michael vaughan used racist language against a group of asian players in 2009. is gwyneth paltrow at fault? no. the hollywood actress wins her court battle, over a skiing collision seven years ago. evidence of bullying, harassment and discrimination in every fire and rescue service

in england could be "just the tip of the iceberg" according to inspectors and planting 100 wildlife meadows across historic sites to mark the coronation of king charles. and coming up on the bbc news channel... wimbledon would allow russian and belarusian players to compete as neutrals this summer — lifting a ban in place from last yearfollowing russia's invasion of ukraine. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. donald trump has become the first former us president, to face a criminal prosecution. the precise charges against him haven't yet been made public, but they're thought to relate to falsifying business records, to hide a payment to a pawn star, stormy daniels, during the 2016

presidential campaign. it's alleged ms daniels was paid off, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair. mr trump denies any wrongdoing, calling the indictment �*political persecution and election interference�*. 0ur north america correspondent, john sudworth, has our top story. the masssed ranks of the media say it all. donald trump's provided plenty of big moments in american politics, but few bigger than this — his own imminent arrest. this is an abc news special. now reporting, david muir. we are coming on the air early because of breaking news at this hour. a grand jury here in new york city has handed up an indictment against former president donald trump. the news was confirmed in an angry statement from the former president, blaming his political opponents. the democrats, he said, have done the unthinkable. the case against him centres on this woman,

the porn star known as stormy daniels. ahead of trump's 2016 election win, she was paid $130,000 to stop her going public with claims she had had an affair with him — something he denies. his fixer and lawyer, michael cohen, was convicted over that payment, along with other charges, back in 2018. since out ofjail, he's been giving evidence to the grand jury that's now decided charges are warranted. this is not revenge, right? what this is is about accountability. i don't want to see anyone, including donald trump, indicted, prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, simply because i fundamentally disagree with them. this is all about accountability. he needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds. the big question is whether mr trump knew about the hush money. although his organisation ultimately footed the bill, he's always denied any knowledge. did you know about the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels? -

no. unless he refuses to comply, at some point in the next few days, donald trump will have to come here to new york. he'll be booked and fingerprinted in the building behind me there, have the charges read to him and enter a formal plea in front of a judge. it's an extraordinary moment — the first president in us history to be arrested. the charges have been brought not by federal prosecutors, but by the new york attorney general, alvin bragg, a democrat — now a key figure in the trump campaign's claim that this is politics, notjustice at work. as he eyes the white house again, donald trump may see electoral advantage in all this. his opponents, though, will be hoping that a man who's long overridden the usual rules of the political game is about to be brought down with a bump. john sudworth, bbc news, new york. let's get the very latest from our correspondent, nada tawfik, in new york.

it will be there, of course, that potentially we could see the former president appear next week? that is ri . ht. and president appear next week? that is right- and a — president appear next week? that is right. and a stunning _ president appear next week? that is right. and a stunning scene - president appear next week? that is right. and a stunning scene it - president appear next week? that is right. and a stunning scene it would| right. and a stunning scene it would be. donald trump's lawyers have said don't expect him to appear here in handcuffs, but despite that, just like any other defendant, he will be formally booked, have his mugshot taken, give his fingerprints and then he will have to appear in front of a judge. prosecutors know this is happening against a backdrop where donald trump, his supporters and republicans in dc are saying prosecutors are weaponising the criminaljustice prosecutors are weaponising the criminal justice system. prosecutors are weaponising the criminaljustice system. so the legal and political consequences here are many. 0n legal and political consequences here are many. on one hand, this is a new legal theory that the prosecutors are testing. in the past, trying to get politicians criminally for blurring the line

between their personal finances and campaign contributions has proved to be tricky. if prosecutors are not successful, what will that do to the many more consequential investigations against donald trump? e is for now the frontrunner for the republican primary in 2024, so how will this affect that campaign? indeed, thank you. it's been ruled that allegations made against the former england cricket captain, michael vaughan, that he used racist language while speaking to a group of players, haven't been proved. it follows a three—day hearing, of the cricket discipline commission. the claims stem from a meeting between vaughan, and a group of four players of asian descent representing yorkshire, in 2009. here's our sports editor, dan roan. asa as a former ashes winning captain turned commentator, michael vaughan became a high—profile figure. but for 18 months, accusations of using racist language hung over him after

an allegation by his former york team—mate, azeem rafiq. he denied the claim and after hearing earlier this month, today he was cleared. the disciplinary commission ruled the panel is not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that these words were spoken by michael vaughan at the time and in the circumstances allege. charged by the icb for bringing the game into disrepute and his reputation on the line, michael vaughan stepped back from his commentating for bbc]. azeem rafiq is accused him of saying there's too many of you lot. michael vaughan said... he urged reconciliation but condemned what he called an

inappropriate, inadequate and backwards approach by the ecb saying there had been no winners from the saga. today his lawyer gave this reaction. ., . . , , ., reaction. one of the criticisms that can be made _ reaction. one of the criticisms that can be made around _ reaction. one of the criticisms that can be made around having - reaction. one of the criticisms that can be made around having to - reaction. one of the criticisms that can be made around having to use| reaction. one of the criticisms that i can be made around having to use the proceedings as it is adversarial, it will invite claim and counterclaim, it invites people to call each other liars, because that is the adversarial process that is litigators operate in and that can be very damaging in a very harmful process. be very damaging in a very harmful rocess. h, be very damaging in a very harmful rocess. , , process. the panel said its findings did not undermine _ process. the panel said its findings did not undermine the _ process. the panel said its findings did not undermine the wide - did not undermine the wide assertions of azeem rafiq. yorkshire admitted charges over its original handling of allegations of racist abuse. gary ballance also accepting abuse. gary ballance also accepting a charge. the panel upheld charges against five other players, matthew hoggard and tim bresnan, who withdrew from the disciplinary process. today, rafiq gave me his reaction. . ., , , . reaction. the hearing was very much closure for —

reaction. the hearing was very much closure for me _ reaction. the hearing was very much closure for me and _ reaction. the hearing was very much closure for me and today, _ reaction. the hearing was very much closure for me and today, i - reaction. the hearing was very much closure for me and today, i feel- closure for me and today, i feel very vindicated, seven out of eight charges. for me, it is very important we don't get hung up on individuals, because that is not the way we will solve this issue. yorkshire, which has been trying to prepare for the start of the season, said it needed to accept and take accountability for what it called cultural issues which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged. yorkshire county cricket club is facing a financial crisis as a result of the scandal and it could still be hit with a fine or a points deduction next month when sanctions for the party is found guilty are expected to be handed out, all have the right to appeal. meanwhile, huge relief this for michael vaughan. the scandal has hung over him for more than a yearand scandal has hung over him for more than a year and a half now. it will be interesting to see whether or not he is restored to his broadcasting work by the bbc. he stepped away

lastjune and hasn't worked for test match special since. the bbc has released a statement saying he is currently out of contract but they have remained in touch with their former commentator. as for the game at large, the ecb is braced for a game wide review of levels of diversity and inclusivity in the game, which is expected to find some negative conclusions for the sport. dan roan, thank you very much. the oscar—winning actress gwyneth paltrow has been awarded a symbolic sum of one dollar, after winning a two—week court battle over a skiing incident in utah in 2016. terry sanderson, who's 76, had accused her of crashing into him at a resort and sued for nearly £250,000. sophie long reports from utah. the oscar—winning actress has been present throughout this trial that's been streamed around the world like a reality tv courtroom drama. a "he said, she said, who hit whom" on the slopes of a luxury ski resort —

and at what cost? this is hard because i don't like going through this scene. he said he broke four ribs and has permanent brain damage, but she said she suffered, too. he has deterred you from enjoying the rest of what was a very expensive vacation? well, i lost half- a day of skiing, yes. right, 0k. he said he was hit from behind. i heard something i've never heard at a ski resort and that was a bloodcurdling scream. just can't do it, it was... aaagh... and then, boom. but she gave a different version of the collision. i was skiing, and two skis came between my skis, l forcing my legs apart. and then there was a body pressing against me, - and there was a very. strange grunting noise. so, my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening, . i thought, "am i...? is this a practicaljoke?

is someone, like, doing something perverted? i this is really, really strange." late—night hosts turned the case into comedy. he's a bumbling optometrist. she's a celebrity mogul. they collide on a ski mountain and neither one can remember what happened? this christmas, see hallmark�*s newest hit, goopsy daisy, a ski accident of the heart! applause and cheering. thank you. but no—one was laughing here. mr sanderson�*s lawyers tried to paint a picture of an entitled celebrity lacking in care for the little people. and ms paltrow�*s legal team said he wanted to hold her accountable for the unwanted effects of ageing and exploit her high profile and wealth. was gwyneth paltrow at fault? no. after a trial lasting nearly two weeks, it took the jury just two hours to decide that it was not ms paltrow but mr sanderson who had been responsible for the crash. as the actress and influencer left court she went to see the man whose accusations had brought her here and said, "i wish you well." sophie long, bbc news,

park city, utah. the uk has signed a trade deal to help boost exports to 11 countries across asia and the pacific. the agreement includes australia, japan and mexico. britain already has trade deals with all but two of the countries. our global trade correspondent, dharshini david, is here with more details. yes, it's not the catchiest of titles, cptpp, but what it is, it has a fairly massive club, 11 nations stretching from australia all the way to vietnam, peru, mexico and the whole idea is, they won in every £8 generated and it is meant to make it easy to trade, invest in each other and tear down the barriers. but we already have deals with most of the nations here. so evenif with most of the nations here. so even if you count the fact this could mean cheaper chocolate from mexico, cheapervacuum could mean cheaper chocolate from mexico, cheaper vacuum cleaners from

malaysia and increased opportunities, the government reckons it will add just 0.08% to our gdp in ten years. put it another way, 8p extra for every £100 to produce or earn in that time. not major, but compare that with the four percent which the forecasters say we could have lost because of leaving the eu. to achieve this, we have had to have some lengthy negotiations and make sure our farmers are protected and food standards are upheld. you may ask why go to this trouble? the trade secretary has been saying it is all about the longer term potential. think of it as buying a start—up. you wouldn't buy a small company like that and expect it to be delivering on the day. you are thinking about the potential and we have got in early. yes, many of those countries we already had deals before... had deals with before. but actually cptpp brings new

elements to it which we didn't have. we are looking at a group of fast—growing nations on the could be greater opportunities in the future when it comes to digital, services trade and other nations queueing up tojoin as well. trade and other nations queueing up to join as well. it is notjust about economics, the idea is, this gives us more of a say in a club on the other side of the world which could include china. are we going to let them join or are we going to say, these are the rules you have to play by? this is not a get rich quick scheme, but it is a significant move, a pivotal wait for —— from europe towards asia pacific region. inspectors have found widespread bullying, harassment and discrimination, in every fire service in england. a new report includes examples of male firefighters telling a female colleague they would rape her, and a senior officer using a racial slur. the home office has described the findings as "deeply concerning". our home affairs correspondent,

june kelly, has that story. the majority of firefighters are dedicated to helping the public, says today's report. but the inspectors also found bullying, harassment and discrimination in all of the 44 fire and rescue services in england. and in a quarter of them, there was racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour. the scale of the problem is no surprise to gareth dawes. he served for 21 years with london fire brigade which was criticised in a previous report. it says it has already brought in changes. the problems came from the top, it came from a lack of awareness, it came from a lack of ability to self reflect and see how they played their part within the harm that is caused. it came from again pointing downwards and looking for bad apples instead of looking how the part they played in the system allowed this behaviour and sometimes promote this behaviour to happen. the report, which covers

areas across england, found that in one case a senior officer used a racially offensive word when talking about a colleague, describing it as having a laugh. in what was said to be anotherjoke, two male firefighters told a female colleague they were going to rape her and the three of them acted out a rake together. out a rape together. and homophobic abuse was written on one firefighter�*s locker. we found that people felt unable to report those sorts of things. they were worried that if they did report poor behaviour or they raised concerns, they would be ostracised or vilified or their careers would be limited. better background checks, tougher penalties for offenders and a more diverse workforce are just some of the changes the inspectors want to see. the home office described the report as deeply concerning and said reform was urgently needed. june kelly, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime...

former us president donald trump is to face criminal charges after an investigation into payments made to a porn star before the 2016 election. doris, come on. and we'll tell you why a sleepy cow from the isle of white has become the latest social media sensation. coming up on the bbc news channel... former england cricket captain michael vaughan has been cleared on the "balance of probabilties" over using racist language towards former yorkshire teammate azeem rafiq. the cricket disciplinary commission said the case against vaughan wasn't proved. the environment agency has found large amounts of raw sewage were discharged into england's rivers and seas last year, but the volume was down on the year before. untreated effluent, including human waste, wet wipes and sanitary products was released into waterways more than 300,000 times. that's a 34% reduction

in the duration of spills since 2021 due to drier weather, not the actions of water companies. 0ur science and environment correspondent victoria gill has more from west yorkshire. braving the chilly water of the river wharfe. do you do this every day? for the wild swimmers here in ilkley this river is a lifeline. we don'tjust swim together, we talk together, we drink together, we eat together, we go away together. the whole network of swimming is very, very important to my life. that was so much fun. but beneath the surface there is a problem. we are keeping our heads above the water. i wouldn't want to put my head in this because i think the risks are too great. just half a mile away raw, untreated sewage is regularly released into the river. so this is where it comes out, down here.

it'sjust a grill so it means that solids can come out as well. in an effort to have their river cleaned up, campaigners are lobbied to have this stretch of the water officially designated as a bathing site. that means the environment agency has to test and monitor the quality of the water. members of the public when they come to ilkley, because it is designated as bathing water they think the water is clean. the tests actually show that the water quality is poor. how do you feel then about the state of this river now? it is very frustrating we should be seeing the quality of the river come before the profits of companies. the water company is investing in the wharfe. this £13 million pipe will divert much more rain water and sewage away from the river and store it underground ready for treatment. have water companies done an unacceptable amount of ecological damage to the rivers? i don't think any water company can say that their activities don't do harm to a river, but what we are trying to do is to do less. would you swim in the river around here? i would swim in the river

when i think that it's a sensible time to do so. when is a sensible time. when it has just rained i wouldn't think it was a good time to go swimming. pollution in the river wharfe isn't hidden under the surface any more, it's a problem that runs through the heart of this community. victoria gill, bbc news, ilkley. russian and belarusian players will be allowed to compete at wimbledon this year. they'll appear as "neutral" athletes after the all england club lifted a ban imposed because of the war in ukraine. 0ur tennis correspondent, russell fuller is at wimbledon. russell, how do the folks where you are explain this given the fact the war is still going on? the? are explain this given the fact the war is still going on?— war is still going on? they will acce -t war is still going on? they will accept that — war is still going on? they will accept that the _ war is still going on? they will accept that the situation - war is still going on? they will accept that the situation in - war is still going on? they will- accept that the situation in ukraine has not materially changed at all, but they point to differences from when they first made this decision 12 months ago. broadly what they have decided is that russian and

belarusian players at wimbledon will be able to compete in the way they are at the other grand slams, the australian open, the french open and the australian open, and they will be classed as neutral athletes. they will have to complete a personal declaration, which they fell 12 months ago was not viable or enforceable. in the declaration players will have to say they are not receiving state funding and they will not show any support for the war. the other issue quite clearly is the financial side of things and the damaging consequences to the british game and they point to the threatened viability of the entire grass court season if the all england club and the lawn tennis association continue to ban players from russia and belarus. this will be welcome broadly speaking by the players who were not in favour of their fellow competitors being discriminated against, but not by the ukrainian players. there is one who said in the last couple of weeks that she feels there is an ethical conflict every time she faces a

russian or a belarusian player. she said she suffered a panic attack before coming up against irina sabalenka in california earlier this month. . ~ sabalenka in california earlier this month. ., ~' ,, sabalenka in california earlier this month. ., ~ ., ., thank you for that. the 0ldham coliseum will have its final curtain call tonight as the historic theatre closes after 138 years because of funding cuts. the venue helped launch many household names like sarah lancashire and suranne jones. special guests featuring in tonight's show include christopher eccleston and maxine peake. cast members from pantomimes performed at the theatre down the years will also return to the stage. the prime minister's been out campaigning in darlington, ahead of local elections next month. he's highlighting more funding to tackle potholes, and new powers to try and ensure utility companies repair roads after they've carried out works. great to be out today meeting all our local council candidates for the local elections here. the conservatives locally are delivering for the north—east, and teesside in particular, and today we are announcing more money for potholes.

we all hate them, the government is putting more money into fixing them, tens of millions of pounds across teesside to fix potholes and repair roads and actually some new powers we are announcing today to clamp down on utility companies who are not repairing the roads. new figures from the nationwide building society suggest house prices have fallen at their fastest annual rate in 14 years. the lender says they were down by 3.1% in march compared to 2022. the figures, based on the lender's own data, show that property prices have now fallen for seven months in a row. businesses are warning they will have to cut working hours due to high energy bills ahead of government help and scale back. on saturday firms will get a discount on prices as the government says the current scheme which cuts costs is too expensive. like thousands of businesses this

pizzeria in prestwich is facing rising energy costs, a new contract signed last year saw it rise to 40p, subsidised by the government. when that support ends tomorrow they will be paying all of 70p per unit, five times more than last year. fiur times more than last year. our contract runs _ times more than last year. our contract runs out _ times more than last year. our contract runs out at _ times more than last year. oi" contract runs out at the wrong time. we were searching around to find the best deal and at the time it was either close or take what was on offer at the time. we wanted to open a year ago but obviously with the prices through the roof we had to stop. 50 prices through the roof we had to sto . _ ,, ., , prices through the roof we had to sto. w . ., prices through the roof we had to sto. ,~' . ., , , stop. so this kitchen and pub in stockort stop. so this kitchen and pub in stockport remains _ stop. so this kitchen and pub in stockport remains a _ stop. so this kitchen and pub in stockport remains a work - stop. so this kitchen and pub in stockport remains a work in - stockport remains a work in progress. plans to serve food are on hold because of energy bills. it is sad that we _ hold because of energy bills. it is sad that we have _ hold because of energy bills. it is sad that we have just had to postpone everything in order to get to the _ postpone everything in order to get to the point of making it financially viable.- to the point of making it financiall viable. ,, . . financially viable. since october businesses _ financially viable. since october businesses have _ financially viable. since october businesses have been _ financially viable. since october businesses have been getting i financially viable. since october - businesses have been getting support with energy cuts. their bills have been capped, but that scheme has

cost the taxpayer £18.4 billion, so from tomorrow a new scheme start, offering a discounted rate instead, estimated to costjust £5.5 billion for the coming year. but with some saying their bills could rocket by more than 400%, it is feared 300,000 small businesses might need to restructure, downsize or even close. good news, officialfigures confirm today that at the back end of last year the uk economy grew marginally by 0.1%, expelling fears it would tip into recession. as inflation is expected to come down, costs could follow. but to get the economy going businesses need to grow first and at the moment confidence is in short supply. since 1987 jack masters in leicester have prided themselves on producing low carbon knitwear, like christmas jumpers. producing low carbon knitwear, like christmasjumpers. but energy producing low carbon knitwear, like christmas jumpers. but energy prices are expected to triple this year and expansion plans have gone into reverse. to expansion plans have gone into reverse. ., ., , ., ., reverse. to save money we have had to reduce the — reverse. to save money we have had to reduce the usage _ reverse. to save money we have had to reduce the usage on _ reverse. to save money we have had to reduce the usage on our— reverse. to save money we have had to reduce the usage on our gas - to reduce the usage on our gas boiler down from five days to four

days and production cut down from five days to four days in some areas. in the next 12 months we need to severely reassess where we need to severely reassess where we need to invest. money spent on gas and electric cannot be set spent on employing new staff or investing in capital assets. employing new staff or investing in capital assets-— capital assets. some energy intensive — capital assets. some energy intensive industries - capital assets. some energy intensive industries like - capital assets. some energyl intensive industries like steel capital assets. some energy - intensive industries like steel and glass makers will get a larger discount. there are calls for energy companies to now negotiate with companies to now negotiate with companies if they are trapped in expensive contracts, was for some these next few months could be make or break. a hundred wildflower meadows are to be created or enhanced at historic sites across england in celebration of the king's coronation. around 97% of the uk's meadows have disappeared since the 19305, with many of the patches still left being unprotected. 0ur correspondent phil mackie is in kempley in gloucestershire. what are the plans where you are?

this is one of the existing wild flower meadows that english heritage already owns. its aim over the next ten years is to increase the number to 100. the reason they are doing this is because it is in saint mary's churchyard in gloucestershire, in other words it hasn't been farmed. the field behind would have looked like this perhaps 100 years ago, but it doesn't any more because of farming methods. these wild flower more because of farming methods. these wildflower meadow, which were all across the country at one point, have disappeared. 0ne all across the country at one point, have disappeared. one of the key thing is they are trying to do is restore as many as possible. there is an english heritage has announced it today is because it is the king's coronation coming up and he is particularly interested in wild flower meadows and he is interested in that. i would say the best time to come and see them is not on a wet friday in march we might see a few daffodils. come out in may and june when the weather is a bit nicer and there are a lot more things to see.

absolutely, it is glorious. phil mackie in gloucestershire. social media has spawned many unlikely stars with their videos going viral right around the world. well, now in breaking moos there's a new tiktok sensation, doris a dairy cow from the isle of wight. graham satchell explains why she's become, a global phenomenon. you are a character aren't you, doris? this is doris, licking the head of farm hand john brodie. john says she's more human than cow. as nice as it is to see you, why have you come back in here? the so—called daily doris videos have gone viral on social media. you are a mischief maker. leave my coffee alone, please. everyone's out, everyone's getting ready for milking, except for doris. in this video, doris pretends to still be asleep so she can get out of milking. doris, come on. doris, come on. i can see your ears moving. i can see your ears moving. come on, i can see your eye, yeah. one to do anything. come on, i can see your eye, yeah. she likes to take it easy, she likes to take it easy, does doris, bless her. does doris, bless her.

she is usually the last she is usually the last one to do anything. i think she thinks by hanging back she'll get a bit more fuss and attention. she really loves a bit of, you know, a bit of fuss, yeah. do you hate... buzzer sounds. ..getting up in the morning? so does doris. the story has gone round the world. this report is from cnn. and online, people have fallen in love with the lazy cow. "i am doris, let that girl sleep". "i identify as doris, my spirit animal". doris is actually pretending to be asleep. she isn't really asleep. john says he'll continue to post videos from the farm on the isle of wight, milking the attention for all its worth. graham satchell, bbc news.