the will spent most of his time in the irish republic. also on the programme... thousands of junior doctors in england thousands ofjunior doctors in england begin a four—day strike, health bosses warning of unparalleled people. the murder of charley bates in somerset — a court has heard how his killer's mother alerted police. what is happening? my son has killed someone. does _ what is happening? my son has killed someone. does he _ what is happening? my son has killed someone. does he know _ what is happening? my son has killed someone. does he know you're - what is happening? my son has killed someone. does he know you're on - what is happening? my son has killed | someone. does he know you're on the -hone? someone. does he know you're on the phone? yeah. — someone. does he know you're on the phone? yeah. he _ someone. does he know you're on the phone? yeah, he is— someone. does he know you're on the phone? yeah, he is here. _ someone. does he know you're on the phone? yeah, he is here. and - phone? yeah, he is here. and manchester _ phone? yeah, he is here. and manchester city _ phone? yeah, he is here. and manchester city cruise - phone? yeah, he is here. and manchester city cruise past i phone? yeah, he is here. and - manchester city cruise past bayern munich in the first leg of their champions league quarterfinal. and coming up on the bbc news channel... england's women continue their preparations for this summer's world cup with a crucial friendly against the tournament's hosts, australia.

in the last hour, the president of the united states has arrived in belfast for a four—day trip to mark the 25th anniversary of the good friday agreement. president biden, who has strong family ties to the republic of ireland, sees the 1998 agreement, which helped end northern ireland's decades—long violent conflict known as the troubles, as part of his own political legacy. speaker president biden says he looks forward to reiterating america's commitment to preserving the peace. tomorrow, he'll deliver a speech at ulster university, speaker before travelling to the republic of ireland for the remainder speaker r of his four—day visit. the trip will also celebrate his own family's roots in the republic. he'll attend events in louth and mayo, where he will visit his ancestral homes. there'll also be official engagements in dublin. he'll then leave for america on friday. our ireland correspondent, emma vardy, is in belfast, where air force one has

just touched down. emma. joe biden is due to arrive at his hotel behind me in belfast city centre any minute now. he is only spending one night in belfast. some people think you might have spent a bit more time here if it hasn't been for the current political instability as northern ireland boss devolved government currently collapsed, but we know the president is keen to show his commitment to this place and its unique challenges. air force one arrived at belfast international and northern ireland's first presidential visit in ten years is under way. time for a short hello with rishi sunak on the tarmac before the president was whisked away for the night. a ring of steel is in place in belfast city centre in what is one of the biggest security operations here of recent years. we've been planning for this for a number of weeks. we've prepared for all

the various contingencies. our style and tone that we'll be delivering around this policing operation will remain a community focused style of policing. presidential visits of the past have held great significance for northern ireland's peace process. you must say to those who still would use violence for political objectives, "you are the past." in 1995, not long after a ceasefire had been declared by the republican armed paramilitaries, the ira, bill clinton crossed belfast�*s peace line to visit the divided republican and loyalist communities, and on belfast�*s falls road came a historic moment. the first public handshake between a us president . and the leader of what many still believe to be _ the political wing of the ira. bill clinton's visit helped pave the way for sinn fein tojoin peace talks. there was some political pressure, wasn't there, for him not to come here? what did that handshake achieve for you? well, it was a very clear symbolic indication to this community, which had suffered grievously, that the president of the usa

was recognising them, and other communities as well, of course. but this stretch of the road, you'd only walk the length of it yourself, somebody died here, either at the hands of british soldiers or the ruc or the ira or the loyalists. and it was...to have a moment of unquestionable symbolism. there's long been a strong connection with ireland for millions of americans with irish ancestry. and there is president kennedy. whenjohn f kennedy visited ireland, he described it as the best four days of his life, and joe biden has often spoken of his family's irish roots. but in washington earlier, he said his focus in belfast would be the peace process and the uk's recent new agreement on brexit. what's your top priority on this trip, sir? make sure the irish accords and the windsor agreement stay in place. keep the peace. that's the main thing. and there's now a little less need for those glasses,

as potus will be waking up tomorrow in a rather less sun—kissed belfast. in the morning, joe biden will have a short meeting with rishi sunak before heading to an event at ulster university with the northern ireland political parties. and the question will be, what will he say to them, given that power—sharing here has been broken down for over a year? an invitation for the president to visit stormont was not taken up, the optics here deemed less suitable, with the devolved government suspended because of disagreements over the brexit arrangements. for this city, it will be a more brief affair than the presidential visits of the past, but still a mark of northern ireland's continuing importance to america in its post—conflictjourney. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. president biden is due to meet representatives of the main political parties in northern ireland tomorrow. the devolved government there was suspended more than a year ago, after the dup withdrew its support, in protest at post—brexit trading arrangements.

our political editor, chris mason, is in belfast. it's a short trip forjoe biden to northern ireland butjust sum up its potential significance. this visit has been pencilled into the diaries of diplomats on both sides of the atlantic for the best part of a year now, such is the significance of this anniversary, 25 years on from the signing of the good friday agreement, and this evening the visit is under way. we can show you some additional pictures of the president getting of air force one in last half an hour or so, shaking hands with rishi sunak, who was on the tarmac to greet him, in the wind and occasional rain in northern ireland this evening. they will have a meeting face—to—face in the morning ahead of the president chris bridge that emma was referring to. as you say, the visit to northern ireland by the present as opposed to the wider trip to the republic is

actually pretty short, all of the diplomatic conversations over the last year about this moment. he will be here for around 15 hours, around half of which he'll be in bed. i think the political impasse locally is played into that. there can't be some grand moment of smiles, the restoration of power—sharing devolved government in northern ireland, because that restoration has not yet happened. the new deal, as far as brexit and northern ireland is concerned, also known as the windsor agreement, has made this trip easier to nail down, but the absence of the restoration of devolution has probably meant a smaller scale series of events that we might have otherwise seen. by tomorrow afternoon, the president will be on his way to the republics, the prime minister will be en route back to london for rishi sunak will be back here next week for further commemorations. thank you, chris mason in belfast.

thousands ofjunior doctors in england have begun a four—day strike, with nhs leaders warning it could be the most disruptive in health service history. a three—day walk—out last month meant more than 175,000 treatments and appointments were cancelled. the fallout from the current industrial action is expected to be worse. today's strike began at 7am, and will run until 6:59 on saturday morning. junior doctors' pay is complex and changes as they progress, in the first decade of their career. after qualifying, basic pay is almost £30,000, and this can be topped up by overtime and extra payments for working unsocial hours. with about seven or eight years' experience, they'll have moved up five pay scales, and with specalist training, can expect to earn a basic salary of between £50,000 and £60,000 a year. the union representing junior doctors is asking for a 35% pay rise, saying this will restore wages to 2008—2009 levels, taking account of inflation.

but the health secretary says that's unreasonable. in a moment, we'll take a look at the advice issued to the public today, but first, here's our health editor hugh pym. overworked! underpaid! junior doctors on the picket line at milton keynes university hospital. what do we want? pay restoration! the strike said to be the most disruptive so far. nojunior doctor cuts! so why are they out for a second time this year? do you know, it's a really difficult decision as a junior doctor to strike, and i've actually felt a lot of agony about deciding, as have many of my colleagues. but at the end of the day, we have had significant pay degradation. is it reasonable to ask for a 35% pay rise? i support all of my colleagues in the health sector who are striking for pay increases. my wife's a nurse, and so between the two of us, our real—time pay is being degraded amongst two salaries. we need to find some space for you... - at the same hospital in november, here's what we saw,

a crowded corridor with ambulance staff waiting to hand over patients at a&e. and here's what it looked like this morning. everything a lot quieter. some patients possibly staying away, knowing there was a strike on. the hospital says consultants have stepped in, some cancelling their leave. we have the rotas covered over the next four days. obviously, for any unexpected sickness, or if any major event happens, then we will have to make sure that we are able to cope with that, and i have to be honest and say that things are quite tight. emergency care has been maintained, but it's a different story for non—urgent treatment. usually here at outpatients, every seat is occupied, but today, very few are. the hospital has cancelled more than 200 appointments, and that's just for one day of this strike. the operation was due to take place on the 14th. at another hospital, jackie was due to have breast

reconstruction surgery this week, three years after a mastectomy, but it was cancelled because of the strike. i'm just really, really upset that it's off. i don't know when it's going to be rescheduled. i've got a husband who's also now been diagnosed with cancer, who is also going to have to have chemotherapy, and i needed that operation to go ahead so that i can look after him. # wejust want fair pay...#. while striking doctors have been vocal in making their case... # tell me why...# ..the health secretary is adamant that their demands are unrealistic. we are ready to have discussions with them, but clearly, a demand for 35%, over £20,000 for some junior doctors, is not fair or reasonable, and that is why we've not been able to make progress so far. the junior doctors argue that mr barclay should put forward his own pay offer. i would urge him again and ask anyone that is in contact with him

to urge him to come to the table in an open and honest way so that we can ultimately bring this dispute to an end as quickly as possible. claps don't pay the bills! the bma is currently balloting junior doctors in scotland over possible industrial action. the union is calling on the welsh government to improve a pay offer. meanwhile, at westminster, as striking doctors and others staged a demonstration, the two sides seemed as entrenched and as far apart as ever. hugh pym, bbc news. the nhs england says to cope with the strike, it's prioritising resources to protect life—saving care. the advice to the public is to only use 999 or go to a&e if it's a life—threatening emergency, like signs of a heart attack, stroke or serious injury. for all other medical concerns, the guidance is to use 111 online as the first port of call. do attend hospital appointments as planned, unless you've been contacted and told otherwise.

meanwhile, gp practices will continue to be open during the strike. the nhs says the public can also play its part, by checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours. the uk will remain the worst—performing major economy in the world this year, according to the latest forecast from the international monetary fund. the imf has released its world economic outlook report in washington, which predicts the uk economy will shrink by 0.3%, before growing by 1% next year. our economics editor, faisal islam, joins us now. why is the uk at the back of the queue again, it seems? aha, why is the uk at the back of the queue again, it seems?- why is the uk at the back of the queue again, it seems? a few weeks aao, there queue again, it seems? a few weeks ago. there was _ queue again, it seems? a few weeks ago, there was cautious _ queue again, it seems? a few weeks ago, there was cautious optimism i ago, there was cautious optimism that the world economy had turned a corner on three years of rolling crises, from the pandemic to supply

shortages to some brexit factors for the uk and then that energy crisis. but what happened here last month in the us, in terms of the fragility of the us, in terms of the fragility of the financial system, is casting a shadow not so much that it's out of control here but what else may be lurking in the shadows of the financial system at a time of rising interest rates. in the uk, the chancellor, with a glass half full, says, well, the imf is now predicting that the economy will be having a milder downturn than it predicted injanuary, in line with what we are seeing in germany, but it's true to say it is the worst prediction for this year in the g7 major economies and across the g20, which includes india, china and sanctions hit russia. when the chancellor arrives in the us to speak to finance ministers tomorrow, the big talk will be about the global economy, that shadow from financial fragility, global economy, that shadow from financialfragility, and global economy, that shadow from financial fragility, and also concerns about a trade war over

industrial subsidies.— concerns about a trade war over industrial subsidies. faisal islam re ”ortin. the business lobby group, the cbi, has sacked its director general after an investigation into workplace misconduct. the allegations involve a female employee. tony danker described the claims against him as "distorted", but says he recognised he unintentionally made a number of colleagues feel uncomfortable. our business editor simonjack has the latest. our director—general, tony danker. tony danker was the head of a group representing 190,000 firms, employing millions of people, but his own employment came to a sudden end this morning, following an investigation into his conduct towards a female employee. the cbi board said... "tony danker is dismissed with immediate effect "following the independent investigation into specific "complaints of workplace misconduct against him. "the board has determined that his conduct fell short of that "expected of the director—general". mr danker responded on social media this morning, saying this...

the exact findings of the report remain unpublished, but this brewer in suffolk said it was reviewing its membership. adnams is a medium—sized business. it employs around 500 people. more than half of those are females. how would i have been able to have said that we're remaining members of the cbi in that situation? so it was right, i think, that we reviewed it, but it's also right that we give the organisation a chance to put its house back in order. the cbi also announced three other employees had been suspended pending further investigation, with police involvement into allegations of serious sexual misconduct, unconnected to mr danker and predating his time in office.

it promised a root and branch review of its culture, governance and processes, and appointed a new director—general, former cbi chief economist rain newton—smith, now charged with fixing a reputation crisis. i think this is also a wake—up call to all of us in business to look within our own organisations and make sure that such inappropriate behaviour, as clearly has been happening in the cbi, can't happen in our organisations and are rooted out once and for all. the cbi exists to do two main things — lobby people, mainly the government, in the interests of its nearly 200,000 member firms, and promote and spread best practice within those companies. despite today's changes, with an ongoing investigation into serious allegations, it's not really in a position to do either. cbi events like the one last year are a key interface between government and business, but today number 10 said it would extend its pause in dealing with an organisation that describes itself as the most effective

and influential voice for business. the biggest crisis in its near 60—year history is not over yet. simon jack, bbc news. a 19—year—old man has beenjailed for life for murder, after his mum alerted police that he'd stabbed another teenager to death. joshua delbono attacked charley bates, who was 16, during a fight between two groups in radstock in somerset. danjohnson has the story. this is charley bates, a 16—year—old stabbed to death in a somerset car park lastjuly. he was with six friends that evening when two cars turned up, and an argument, said to be over a debt of just £20, escalated. charley was stabbed in the chest byjoshua delbono. he claimed he was acting in defence of his friend. and this is the moment he was reported by his own mum.

thenjosh came to the phone. josh's mum took a really important and brave decision to call the police at that point and to tell them what had happened, which i think for any parent must be an incredibly difficult thing to do. but, you know, i do thank herfor doing that. it was definitely the right thing to do. delbono shouted, "don't mess with us again", then drove off to get rid of the knife and burn his clothes before going home. he'll serve at least 21 years for a crime that ended a schoolboy�*s life and stunned this small town. danjohnson, bbc news, bristol.

in what's been described as the biggest leak of classified material in recent years, dozens of secret us documents have been circulated on the internet. much of the information relates to the war in ukraine, including details of uk special forces operating on the ground. there's also evidence of the extent to which america spies on its allies. the us has warned the breach poses a very serious threat to national security. our defence correspondent jonathan beale is here. this is highly embarrassing for the us military — with dozens of highly classified documents about the war in ukraine appearing on the internet, some of which have now been seen by the bbc. so what do they tell us? first, they give details of some of the strengths and vulnerabilities of both sides. some of it's familiar — such as casualty figures — with the estimated numbers of soldiers killed and injured. again, they suggest russia's

are higher. much more sensitive though is some of the detail of ukraine's preparations for an offensive. there are maps showing the position of ukraine's air defences, with details of where they may be running low on some ammunition. there's a timetable for the arrival of western military support, such as tanks and armoured vehicles. and the documents, which date february and march, also include a pessimistic us view of the coming offensive — stating it's likely ukraine will only achieve "modest territorial gains". there are also documents that are potentially compromising for allies. one details the number of western specialforces troops in ukraine — there's 97, from five nations. it shows the uk has the largest number — 50. but there are no details of what they're doing.

officially, the uk says it has no boots on the ground in ukraine. but the ministry of defence also refuses to comment on the activities of its special forces. tonight, it warned of "serious inaccuracies in the documents published." but the leak of these documents is still embarrassing for the us, with officials there admitting some are genuine. the bigger question now is, could it prove to be more damaging for ukraine, as it prepares to launch a new offensive? thank you, jonathan. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories. the coroner investigating the death of nicola bulley, the 45—year—old woman who went missing while walking her dog in lancashire injanuary, has requested police divers return to the river close to where her body was found. her disappearance led to a huge police search operation in and around the river at st michael's on wyre.

the man suspected of being the british army's most important agent operating inside the ira during the troubles has died. freddie scappaticci, nicknamed "stakeknife", always denied he'd worked undercover. he left northern ireland in 2003, after media organisations alleged he left northern ireland in 2003. around a million smokers in england will be given a free vaping starter kit to encourage them to kick the habit. but the government has rejected a proposal to increase the age people can buy cigarettes. our medical editor fergus walsh is here with all the details. there's no doubt about the harms of smoking. it is the biggest single preventable cause of ill health in the uk. a quarter of all cancer deaths are linked to smoking. back in 1974, 45% of adults in britain smoked. by 2021, that had fallen to 13%. but in england alone, that equates to around six million people. the target in england is to get rates below 5% by 2030.

a review last year said it would not be achievable without urgent action. the government plans in england today include free "swap to stop" vaping kits for a million smokers, and up to £400 in vouchers for pregnant women to stop smoking. it's estimated nearly1 in 10 pregnant women, 50,000 per year, still smoke during pregnancy. there'll also be a crackdown on the sale of vapes to children. vaping can play an important role in helping the government achieve its smoke—free 2030 ambition, because vaping is effectively a double—edged sword. on the one hand, we don't want children to develop an addiction to any substance at a young age, but on the other hand, for adults, vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. we asked smokers in sheffield what would make them quit. i'm just so used to the cig, and also, when i've had vape before, i've had the vapes but then i've

gone back to cigarettes because... i don't know, they just taste better. l i think it's the best idea to vape, . because cigs are becoming about £12 and they're going to go up soon, arent't they? - it's force of habit now, so... i've been smoking for about 30 years. the government rejected a proposal to increase the age you can buy cigarettes from 18 by one year every year until no—one can legally buy them, as new zealand has done. in contrast to smoking, vaping levels are soaring. more than four million britons vape, including around 9% of 11— to 15—year—olds in england, even though it's illegal to sell vapes to under—18s. vaping is important to help adult smokers quit, but we don't want to see children taking up vaping. enforcement is really important, but what's needed as well is changes in regulations. at the moment, these products are far too appealing to children and far too cheap for children to get hold of.

many remain concerned about the dramatic rise in vaping among children. although far less dangerous than smoking, its potential long—term harms are unclear. fergus, thank you. fergus walsh, there. australia beat england's lioness is 2-0 this australia beat england's lioness is 2—0 this evening in brentford, ending a 30 match unbeaten run for serena weidman�*s side. the game marked 100 days before the start of the world cup to be held in australia and new zealand. —— sarina wiegman�*s side. in the champions league, manchester city put three goals passed by munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal at the etihad stadium. manchester city, reigning champions of england, a team chasing three major trophies. not even the rain could dampen the mood. come on, city! although when it comes to european football's biggest prize, they're yet to make that big splash fans are so desperately crave. fans so desperately crave.

city boss pep guardiola was facing a familiar foe in thomas tuchel, and a bayern munich side who've won the champions league six times. signed earlier last summer, erling haaland has scored 44 goals in 38 games. a better connection, and it may have been a5. ten minutes later, the deadlock was broken. spanish midfielder rodri from distance. 0h, oh, what about that? power, precision. pick that out of the net. a goal up and dominant for much of the first half, the home side were close to a second goal. the bayern munich keeper, though, showing improvisation and razor—sharp reflexes. midway through the second half, haaland pounced on a defensive mistake. he found silva at the far post, who found the roof of the net. the rain pouring in, and so were the goals. haaland from close range this time, goal number 45 of the season. a dream performance and result, butjust half—time in the tie. pep guardiola with the advantage

over an old foe and his former team. make no mistake, this was a statement result for manchester city. they will travel to germany confident but keen not to be overly so. remember, pep guardiola has won nine major trophies with this club, except the champions league. it is the one he and the fans really want. he has been so close before. is this the year they finally realise that dream? thank you, nesta mcgregor at the etihad stadium, there. there are yellow weather warnings in place for western parts of the uk, which means disruption is expected. heavy rain and gusts of up to 60mph are due to batter some coastal areas, like here in porthcawl, in south—west wales, with winds of up to 50mph possible inland. a second warning has been issued for northern ireland, along with the south of england and wales from tomorrow. we are going to get more of a detailed forecast now.

as you said, there are warnings out. why, we have got a really vicious area of low pressure because of this strong jet stream that you can see which has been pushing their clout and developing this into quite a nasty spell of stormy weather. to come. as we head through the already, we have had gusts of 60 or morning hours, expe weather. nasty spell of stormy weather. already, we have had gusts of 60 or 70 mph and a lot of rain which 70 mph and a lot of rain which developed and moved its way enduring developed and moved its way enduring today. we have had significant today. we have had significant rainfall for many. as you can see, rainfall for many. as you can see, this is how it looked earlier. it is this is how it looked earlier. it is starting to sweep away now and starting to sweep away now and strong wins but turning to snow on strong wins but turning to snow on the scottish mountains. as i say, the scottish mountains. as i say, those winds impactful but quite a those winds impactful but quite a bit of wet weather through the night bit of wet weather through the night in the north, progressively turning in the north, progressively turning to snow on the hills, even a few to snow on the hills, even a few showers following further south showers following further south could be a bit wintry. a cold enter could be a bit wintry. a cold enter the night, but mostly frost free the night, but mostly frost free because of the winter. but chili and because of the winter. but chili and bright to start tomorrow. really, it bright to start tomorrow. really, it is the calm before the storm because is the calm before the storm because another bout of very strong wind, if another bout of very strong wind, if anything, a bit stronger than today, anything, a bit stronger than today,

to come. as we head through the to come. as we head through the morning hours, expected to morning hours, expected to batter parts of the south and west, across wales and southern england as well, gusts inland, 50 mph, as clive said, unusual, 70 mph, possibly more around some of the coasts, that is a severe gale and a pretty blustery