live from london. this is bbc news rusian state media says the american journalist, evan gershkovich has been formally charged with espionage. two british—israeli citizens have been killed in an attack in the occupied west bank. earlier, israel launched air strikes on gaza and lebanon — calling it retaliation for several dozen hamas rockets fired at israel. 25 years ago the good friday agreement was signed marking an end to the sectarian violence. but police warn of potensial attacks ahead of the anniversary. but police warn of potential attacks ahead of the anniversary. coming up we speak to a pioneering sri lankan author who has written a memoir tracing herfamily history, beginning with her great—grandmother being allowed to go to school.

here in the uk, this advert posted to the labour party's official twitter account is receiving cross—party criticism. it suggests the prime minister doesn't believe adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison. so far the labour party have stood by the ad. with me is our political correspondent, david wallace lockhart. david just tell us a bit more about this controversy.— this controversy. obviously, local elections coming _ this controversy. obviously, local elections coming next _ this controversy. obviously, local elections coming next month - this controversy. obviously, local elections coming next month andj this controversy. obviously, local- elections coming next month and this labour advert they have put rishi sunak, prime minister, front and centre and talk about the fact that under the conservative government

under the conservative government under 60% of those idols who convicted of sexually assaulting children have not gone to jail. this is labours big push to try and portray themselves as a parties being big on crime. the figures they are talking about is broadly right but going back to 2010. rishi sunak, in 2010, was working in finance and has only been a member of parliament since 2015 and only around the cabinet table since 2019. it's the fact that they took such a sensitive issue and personalise it towards the prime minister is proving controversial and they're getting controversial and they�* re getting criticism controversial and they're getting criticism even from their own side. former shadow chancellorjohn mcdonald whenjeremy corbin was leader of the party he said they should withdraw it. he said the neighbour party was better than this. even the shadow culture

secretary seemed a bit uncomfortable when asked to defend it. she said it might not be to everyone's taste and she stressed she did not have anything to do with bringing the graphic together but that it had a important message when it came to thejustice important message when it came to the justice system. there important message when it came to thejustice system. there been criticism from other politicians, the instance in the vice chair of the instance in the vice chair of the party said it was gutter politics. and sources pointed out that during the prime time. we sir keir starmer was a leader of the labour party, was in the prosecution department so they're having a bit of a go at his record there. is department so they're having a bit of a go at his record there.- of a go at his record there. is this likel to of a go at his record there. is this likely to come — of a go at his record there. is this likely to come down? _ of a go at his record there. is this likely to come down? are - of a go at his record there. is this likely to come down? are they i of a go at his record there. is this i likely to come down? are they likely to remove it? i likely to come down? are they likely to remove it?— to remove it? i think labour are bein: to remove it? i think labour are being staunch _ to remove it? i think labour are being staunch about _ to remove it? i think labour are being staunch about the - to remove it? i think labour are being staunch about the fact i to remove it? i think labour are l being staunch about the fact they will not take this town haven't spoken to people in the parts of their standing by it and actually release further attack ads on the conservatives following a similar

format. perhaps not quite as explosive as this one. some are questioning whether this is the right road for the party to go down but at this point they are seeming to stick by those tactics.— but at this point they are seeming to stick by those tactics. thank you so much for _ to stick by those tactics. thank you so much for bringing _ to stick by those tactics. thank you so much for bringing us _ to stick by those tactics. thank you | so much for bringing us up-to-date so much for bringing us up—to—date on that. the bbc has learned that the scottish national party's audit firm has resigned in the middle of a police investigation into the party's finances. accountantsjohnston carmichael, which has worked with the party for more than a decade, said the decision was taken after a review of its clients. let's cross over to glasgow now where our correspoindent, jamie mcivor is standing by. jimmy bring us up—to—date on this developing situation. the jimmy bring us up-to-date on this developing situation.— jimmy bring us up-to-date on this developing situation. the news that the auditors — developing situation. the news that the auditors had _ developing situation. the news that the auditors had resigned _ developing situation. the news that the auditors had resigned comes i developing situation. the news that the auditors had resigned comes at| the auditors had resigned comes at the auditors had resigned comes at the end of one of the most difficult weeks in the history of the scottish national party. to remind you, the s&p has been the dominant force in scottish politics for more than a decade. much more popular than any of the other major parties in

scotland. dominant performances in scottish elections and uk general elections in recent years. the parties funding aim and principles aim to achieve scottish independence which they became close to the referendum in 2014. a police investigation into the snp finances became nearly two years ago and on wednesday police began a search at the house in the east of glasgow where the former chief as good executive, peter marla, and the former first minister, nicola sturgeon lived. the bbc has now found out from various sources within the political and business worlds that the auditors have resigned. the auditors were the contents ofjohnson and carmichael and we understand that resigned before peter marla was arrested on wednesday. he was arrested, question and released without charge. the snp said they are in the process of finding new auditors. this matters

because major political parties in the uk are required to submit yearly accounts. the snp has untiljuly to submit its accounts otherwise the electoral commission could impose a fine or put in its own auditors so the pressure is not on the snp to find new auditors quickly.- find new auditors quickly. jimmy thank ou find new auditors quickly. jimmy thank you so _ find new auditors quickly. jimmy thank you so much _ find new auditors quickly. jimmy thank you so much for— find new auditors quickly. jimmy thank you so much for that - find new auditors quickly. jimmy i thank you so much for that update. kamala harris will travel to tennessee on friday to meet lawmakers the day after the state's house of representatives expelled two democrats for breaking decorum during a gun controldemonstration, according to media reports. republican legislators in the us state of tennessee on thursday voted to expel two democrat members from the regional house of representatives. it came after they took part in a protest for stricter gun laws. justin pearson and justin jones exited the state house of representatives to loud cheers from the gallery. a third democrat, gloria johnson, narrowly survived the vote.

now, let's discuss the us withdrawal from afghanistan , who could forget the chaotic pull—out and those scenes at kabul airport in august 2021 , which resulted in the taliban takeover of the country. well now, the us presidentjoe biden�*s administration has blamed the way in which the withdrawal panned out , on his predecessor, donald trump. a 12—page summary of the report says mr biden was "severely constrained" by mr trump's decisions , including a 2020 deal with the taliban to end the war.mr trump responded that the white house was playing a "disinformation game". i have been speaking to writer and journalist ahmed rashid and former us member of congress, peter meijer. firstly, ahmed rashid was reminiscing the sudden us withdrawal in 2021. it has been there had been a long negotiation in qatar between the taliban and the americans. and what was going to be made very clear was that the afghan government of the day, led by president ashraf ghani, did not have any role to play in it.

and that is deeply annoying. and it seems to be that the afghan military was not being consulted either as to what could a withdrawal mean for them and how it would be carried out. and what we had was this agreement between the americans and the taliban that the americans would withdraw their troops and equipment as swiftly as possible. and there was, i think, the military, the us military nato, a lot of diplomats were all hoping for a more staggered withdrawal, perhaps over three months or six months or a year even. but what was the result of president biden�*s decision was a very quick, hasty withdrawal, which, of course, created panic in afghanistan, strengthened the taliban and allowed them to sweep through the country and telling the government soldiers that they should leave or be

prepared to be killed. i'm just going to bring in congressman myer. i mean, peter, the fact is that then this report comes out, 12 pages are pointing the finger of blame on donald trump and his administration for striking certain deals with the taliban. your response to that report? well, the way the report suggests it is that president biden had no options, that his hands were completely tied when he came into office. we had 2500 troops on the ground in afghanistan. and now the doha agreement had a may 2021 withdrawal date. president biden changed that twice by withdrawing from afghanistan, which, for the record, i supported under president trump, i supported under president biden. but withdrawing from afghanistan was a campaign promise that president biden was fulfilling. the idea that he was some passive bystander during this, that there was no other way this could have gone down, is ludicrous. it's shameful the way that this

administration refuses to take responsibility for what occurred. and even as recently as three weeks ago, you had the secretary of defence, lloyd austin, saying he has no regrets at all for how the withdrawal went and that no one had been held accountable or had taken any responsibility or face any severe repercussions for those consequences. well, when you when you speak to anyone from the biden administration, they say that they are proud that they were able to evacuate over 100,000 people in the chaos that followed at kabul airport when when the taliban reached when the taliban reached the gates of the capital and then entered the city. no, i mean, i had seen some of the best of american leadership on the ground at hamid karzai international airport. i went there with a colleague of mine, unauthorised to better understand that situation. and what the men and women on the ground did was incredible. it was heroic, and it makes me so deeply proud. but the fact that they were put

in that situation in the first place is a continuing shame and embarrassment. so, yes, we can be proud on the logistical success of that evacuation. but again, it's not a question ofjust what happened during those two weeks on the ground. it was how we found ourselves in that woeful situation to begin with. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. hi, my name is 0llie and i love seals. so, i'm cutting my here to raise money for skegness nature land and donated it to the little princess trust. how long have you been growing your hair for? my whole entire life. i've barely even had my hair cut short so i wanted to do it for the seals and for people who... and the little princess trust, for people who have cancer who need wigs.

he's never had short hair. he's had trims to keep it in good condition but he's never had it, since school, above his shoulders, it's always been very long. his aim was to grow it down to his bum. so... yay. i'm very impressed with him. and i am really proud of him. he's very excited to do it. i'm back with a new hairstyle. feels exciting. you're live with bbc news. in the 1860s, sri lanka broke away from tradition by allowing girls to have a secular education and go out of their homes. yasmin azad — a sri lankan author — has written a memoir which traces her family history, beginning with her great—grandmother going to school and finishing with her own story. yasminjoins us now from massachusetts.

thank you forjoining us. i was going through your memoir and it is a very raw and personal look at your childhood. i suppose in many ways the conviction contradictions as well. , . ~ the conviction contradictions as well. , ., ,, ., ., well. yes, thank you for having me. as ou well. yes, thank you for having me. as you said. — well. yes, thank you for having me. as you said. it— well. yes, thank you for having me. as you said, it begins _ well. yes, thank you for having me. as you said, it begins in _ well. yes, thank you for having me. as you said, it begins in 1887 with l as you said, it begins in 1887 with my great grandmother being enrolled in school. she was a muslim. i write about my childhood in a traditional muslim community. when that happened it was pretty radical because no muslim girls were allowed to go to school and that somebody should be sent out of their home to spend half a day in an institution that was run by christina —— christian missionaries was unheard of. from what i hear it cost a bit of backlash but eventually but that took on and more and more muslim girls were taken to school and they

were taken out before puberty. i vote the 1940s, they were allowed to remain and when i went to university in 1969, it was also revolutionary again and i was one of the first in the cohorts of muslim girls to go to university. my father who was almost, not very illiterate, had about two years of schooling, he didn't know what to make of it when i asked to leave home and go and live in a residential campus to study. live in a residential campus to stud . �* , ., live in a residential campus to stud . �* _ ., ., live in a residential campus to stud. �* _ ., ., ., live in a residential campus to stud. _ ., ., study. and by doing that do you think ou study. and by doing that do you think you pave _ study. and by doing that do you think you pave the _ study. and by doing that do you think you pave the way - study. and by doing that do you think you pave the way for- study. and by doing that do you think you pave the way for laterj think you pave the way for later generations within the community to get an education? especially those who came from very orthodox muslim backgrounds?— backgrounds? right. iwouldn't sayi alone ave backgrounds? right. iwouldn't sayi alone pave the _ backgrounds? right. iwouldn't sayi alone pave the way _ backgrounds? right. iwouldn't sayi alone pave the way because - backgrounds? right. iwouldn't sayi alone pave the way because there i alone pave the way because there were other muslim girls to our own that time, maybe even a few before

me, but yes. it began a movement, and now so many years later, many muslim girls go to university or have postsecondary education and especially in the urban areas it's not uncommon at all for muslim girls to have higher education. i not uncommon at all for muslim girls to have higher education.— to have higher education. i suppose the book also _ to have higher education. i suppose the book also looks _ to have higher education. i suppose the book also looks at _ to have higher education. i suppose the book also looks at the - the book also looks at the complexities of this muslim community. for example, iwas looking at the fact that community. for example, i was looking at the fact that your grandmother and mother discarded the headscarf but years later their daughters and granddaughters chose to wear it as a form of identity. so, it looks at the challenges and ways in which young women in that community from a muslim background, their understanding of their religion and relationship with it evolved as well.— religion and relationship with it evolved as well. , . ., , �* , evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now, evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now. even _ evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now, even though _ evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now, even though it's _ evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now, even though it's my - evolved as well. yes. was i'm trying to now, even though it's my story i to now, even though it's my story and my family, i roast against the backdrop of a movement that took place across the muslim world. if you look at the internet in the

19605, you look at the internet in the 1960s, there are pictures of african girls who look like they might be in paris. there are many skirts, and none of them are wearing he jobs. what interested me most is —— hijab right in the younger generation go back to the hijab. find right in the younger generation go back to the hijab.— right in the younger generation go back to the hijab. back to the hi'ab. and why certainly in the case back to the hijab. and why certainly in the case of _ back to the hijab. and why certainly in the case of the _ back to the hijab. and why certainly in the case of the african _ back to the hijab. and why certainly in the case of the african girls, - in the case of the african girls, evenin in the case of the african girls, even in the last 20 years question mark things change for them but for whatever reason, it continues to reverse. 0bviously, because of the takeover of the taliban but that kind of extremist mindset remains. yes. i know, so, iwould diverge kind of extremist mindset remains. yes. i know, so, i would diverge a little. when i came to the united states about 40 years ago, 425 years i worked as a mental health counsellor and that's when i began to look back at the muslim community i had left in many ways metaphorically in terms of ideology and belief emma and working with,

especially women here who were mentally ill and i realise that there was something very valuable in there was something very valuable in the muslim community that i had not paid adequate attention to. which is, their emphasis on community and connection because i feel any mental health worker will tell you, any kind of mental health in this is exacerbated when you have loneliness and isolation and that is what i was seen over and over again with the clients i work with.— seen over and over again with the clients i work with. and, of course, ou clients i work with. and, of course, you were able _ clients i work with. and, of course, you were able to _ clients i work with. and, of course, you were able to relate _ clients i work with. and, of course, you were able to relate to - clients i work with. and, of course, you were able to relate to it - you were able to relate to it because of what you were going through inside your home but what you would then with outside of your home. , �* you would then with outside of your home. , ~ ., �* , you would then with outside of your home. , ~ ., �*, , home. yes. and that's it. sometimes ou have home. yes. and that's it. sometimes you have to — home. yes. and that's it. sometimes you have to move _ home. yes. and that's it. sometimes you have to move away _ home. yes. and that's it. sometimes you have to move away from - home. yes. and that's it. sometimes i you have to move away from something like a community to see it with fresh eyes. so, i worked, like a community to see it with fresh eyes. so, iworked, especially with the women who were be diagnosed

with the women who were be diagnosed with borderline personality which is a very challenging diagnosis. as i said, i thought when you looked at muslim communities very often at the distance you see patriarchy and oppression of women but i came said see that's not the whole story. that is definitely there, you think of what is happening right now in afghanistan and iran, but there is also the other side that women, especially, have deep connections and have a huge supportive network in terms of family and community thatis in terms of family and community that is very beneficial for some i suppose we outside of that, sometimesjudge that as suppose we outside of that, sometimes judge that as something very black and white, a patriarchal society a person young girls and women but actually it's much more nuanced and complicated than that for some absolutely nuanced and unfortunately, like in february of this year, the centers for disease control in the united states without a study that then 60% of teenage

girls have said they have seriously considered suit considered suicide. that is such a worrisome statistic. what happened? and concurrently, there are studies about the death of despair and loneliness and the lack of connection and mental health. even when, as you say, there is the support network within, certainly i have travelled back and forth to afghanistan and the depression that young girls feel there because they have been pushed out of school and pushed out of the public eye. behind—the—scenes, they do find a way to support each other. yes. behind-the-scenes, they do find a way to support each other. yes. you know, that — way to support each other. yes. you know. that is _ way to support each other. yes. you know, that is the _ way to support each other. yes. you know, that is the strength, - way to support each other. yes. you know, that is the strength, i - way to support each other. yes. you know, that is the strength, i think, | know, that is the strength, i think, all of the muslim community. the religion itself focuses and community as i think very few others do. there is nothing in religion that if you die without having

estranged from his siblings, there be dire punishment. 0n the other side, always to stand with people and think of community and your family. it does have its downsides because there is a certain benefit that comes with independence but we can't just dismiss that. that comes with independence but we can'tjust dismiss that. i feel like oppression shouldn't blood—soaked oppression shouldn't blood—soa ked what oppression shouldn't blood—soaked what good about the traditional site for some indeed.— for some indeed. yasmin azad and our for some indeed. yasmin azad and your book. — for some indeed. yasmin azad and your book, thank _ for some indeed. yasmin azad and your book, thank you _ for some indeed. yasmin azad and your book, thank you for _ for some indeed. yasmin azad and your book, thank you forjoining i for some indeed. yasmin azad and j your book, thank you forjoining us on the programme. your book, thank you for “oining us on the programme._ on the programme. thank you for havin: on the programme. thank you for having me- _ you're watching bbc news, we now say goodbye to our viewers across the world the s club seven singer paul cattermole, has been found dead

at his home in dorset aged 46just weeks after the pop group announced a reunion tour. police say there were no suspicious circumstances. members of the group have said they're devastated. here's laura tra nt. # s club. # there ain't no party like an s club party...# they were one of the biggest bands of the late �*90s and early 2000s, famous for their upbeat, catchy hits. # reach for the stars...#. in february, paul and his s club 7 bandmates announced their reunion to mark the band's 25th anniversary. they were planning an 11—date tour of the uk and ireland later this year. we're still determining what we're going to put in the set list for the show. the tour was to include nostalgic favourites like reach, bring it all back, and never had a dream come true. 46—year—old paul cattermole died at his home in dorset yesterday. the cause of his death is unknown. police say there are no suspicious circumstances. it's a huge shock. news like that comes through and you sort of have to check it twice because it's a part of so many people's childhoods as well. itjust seems...

well, it is incredibly untimely. in a statement, his s club 7 bandmates said they were "truly devastated" and that there were "no words to describe the deep sadness". "we are all so lucky to have had him in our lives and thankful for the amazing memories," they said. paul cattermole had previously spoken about difficulties he faced in the years after the peak of the band's fame. i went bankrupt and i had to give all that money back. you had tax problems. tax problems, paid it off, owed about 30... the lawyer fees on that were 46. all the money on that tour went to pay that bill off and i had to do the nextjob that came in because it's showbiz. s club 7's fan base stretched as far as australia. worldwide, they sold more than 10 million albums.

earlier i spoke to culture writer, hannah verdier. paul is such an integral part of the group. he was really charismatic, fun character, and he brought so much enthusiasm and personality to them. 46 years old, as you say, a comeback tour and something like this... we were just saying there in our introduction that the family say they say there's no suspicious circumstances here. but is the cause of death known as yet? no, it isn't. and i think it'd be really wrong to speculate at this point. yeah, but again, but so young, so upsetting for so many fans who were waiting for this comeback. yes, exactly. and obviously, now there's a question mark over whether the tour dates will begin in october. but i think to people of a certain age, s—club is such a precious band and in a way that one of the biggest pop bands that the uk has produced, as you said, 10 million records worldwide. they also had a film, tv show, one brit awards, four uk number ones. they really were great and people

look at them as bubble gum pop, but they were such a hard working band as well. and yeah, i mean, you know, i grew up in australia and we knew the band. so, as you say, a huge british band, but also they had tv shows in about 100 countries. they did, yes. and miami seven, because they were meant to be a sort of cheeky modern version of the monkees. and i remember going over when they were filming in la, they're filming one of their shows and, you know, the monkees would turn up and just be seeing what was going on. so they were sort of loved globally and they actually broke america. they had a top ten hit, which a lot of bands, of course, don't do, but would love to. they were loved in asia. they were really global. and i think they shouldn't be underestimated. no, absolutely not. just tell us a little bit more about this comeback. obviously, this is a setback, a shock, and we don't know if that will continue the tour in october. butjust the lead up, the talks around this.

yes. so last month, they... it was quite a surprise, i think, for fans, because the fans are now of a different older generation and they announced that all of them would be getting together. they toured as a three different formations, but they were all back together, all absolutely ready for it and all really appreciating it, i think, because the first time round they were so tired, they were jet lag the whole time, but now they can look back. they've had their lean years and they're ready to go again. so it's just such a shame. it really is. and i know you say that most people thought that they were just a pop band, but frankly, they were pure pop, weren't they? and theyjust produced the most glorious music. they did. and that's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. cathy dennis wrote a lot of the hits for them. there are rumours that she sang some of them as well, but couldn't possibly comment on that. but as a package, the whole seven of them, they worked so well together and they were real friends too. and so, you know, here we are. i mean, we don't really have much more information this this broke

in the last couple of hours. so we just really don't have any more details about how this all unfolded and what next for the band. but i really hope that they take their time and regroup if they feel ready, because i think the fans would support them still going on tour. and i think it'd be an emotional time, but i think it would be a lovely tribute too. culture writer, hannah verdier now here's the weather with. ben rich hello there. sunny skies have been the story of this good friday for most parts of the uk, including here for our weather watcher in monmouth. now, i can't promise it's going to stay this sunny through the rest of the weekend. there will still be some sunny spells, but generally a bit more in the way of cloud and some rain arriving later in the weekend. now, on the earlier satellite picture, you can see a lot of cloud that's been lurking in the north sea. some of that now is rolling inland and out towards the west,

frontal systems waiting in the atlantic, which will eventually bring some outbreaks of rain. so as we go through tonight, we will see more of this cloud rolling in across eastern scotland and eastern england. and at the same time, some fog patches could develop through parts of the midlands and down into southeast england. elsewhere, some clear spells which will allow temperatures to drop. we're going to get quite close to freezing in places, so some of us will see a touch of frost to start saturday morning. but on balance, saturday, still a fine looking day. some spells of sunshine, but more cloud across parts of eastern scotland and eastern england. i think that cloud will tend to retreat towards the north sea coast, but where the cloud does linger, it'll make it feel really rather cool. temperatures there in aberdeen maybe only getting to around eight degrees celsius. further west, sunny skies and highs of 15 or 16, but we will see more cloud into northern ireland, a very weak frontal system that could bring the odd spot of rain here during saturday night. and then into sunday, here comes another weather front and this one will have a bit more energy about it. so we will certainly see

the cloud thickening up across northern ireland. some rain here by the afternoon, perhaps eventually into western scotland, west wales, the far south west of england. but ahead of that, some spells of sunshine, some areas of cloud, but with a strengthening southerly breeze, it is going to feel warm. temperatures could get as high as 16 or 17 degrees. but through sunday night, this frontal system pushes eastwards, taking outbreaks of rain with it. i think the most persistent rain will mainly be confined to the overnight hours, but some will linger in eastern england for a time on monday morning. could be quite a wet day across the northern isles, elsewhere, sunny spells, yes, but also some showers, some of which could be heavy, possibly with some hail and some thunder and slightly lower temperatures, typically between ten and 15 degrees. and then as we head deeper into next week, quite a change, actually. some spells of rain and the chance of gales.

hello, i'm sarah campbell. you're watching the context on bbc news. russian state media says the american journalist evan gershkovich has been formally charged with espionage. two british—israeli citizens have been killed in an attack in the occupied west bank. earlier, israel launched air strikes on gaza and lebanon — calling it retaliation for several dozen hamas rockets fired at israel. 25 years ago, the good friday agreement was signed, marking an end to the sectarian violence. but police warn of potential attacks ahead of the anniversary.

we start tonight with reports on russian state media that