the trial about alleged phone—hacking by the publisher of the mirror gets under way. prince harry is one of several high—profile figures bringing claims against mirror group newspapers at the high court. we'll have the latest from the court. also this lunchtime: the archbishop of canterbury makes a rare intervention in the house of lords to condemn the government's illegal migration bill: it is morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the crisis alone and cut our international aid. gunshots. we're with the ukrainian soldiers still holding out in bakhmut — a city that's been under siege for nine months. flash flooding forces people out of their homes in somerset after heavy rain affects many areas

of south west england. and this is the one day of the year when i turned from a serious bbc correspondent into a eurovision cocktail pianist. more details coming up. and coming up on bbc news. treble chasing manchester city are two games away from lifting their first champions league trophy after a kevin de bruyne wonder strike earned them a draw at real madrid. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. at the start of a trial

about alleged phone hacking of several high—profile figures including the duke of sussex, mirror group newspapers has been accused of using illegal methods on "an industrial scale" to get stories. the company, which has previously admitted phone hacking and paying private investigators, said it would never be repeated. prince harry and three other people are bringing claims at the high court against the group that publishes the mirror, the sunday mirror and sunday people. the claimants argue that executives at the company knew about widespread phone hacking — but failed to act. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. prince harry is on a court crusade against newspapers. six weeks ago it was the daily mail titles, than the sun, another third case against tabloids owned by the mirror group. he wasn't in court today, but he will give evidence next month. he is joined in this case by the coronation street actor michael

lavelle, who arrived this morning to hear opening statements. another actorfrom hear opening statements. another actor from the hear opening statements. another actorfrom the soap, hear opening statements. another actor from the soap, nikki sanderson, and fiona wightman, the ex—wife of the comedian paul whitehouse, are also bringing claims. prince harry is suing over 147 newspaper articles which go back long before his marriage to meghan. from the 2000s onwards, the tabloids were desperate for gossip about him and his girlfriend is like chelsy davy, is a report has got access to his private voice mail messages. today his barrister david sherborne said that as a young adult, harry was subjected to blatantly unlawful and appalling newsgathering methods. if he and the other three alleged victims when, many could soon. it makes it much more likely that the mirror will have to accept and settle other cases that are brought before them because the background, the judges determined, before them because the background, thejudges determined, was before them because the background, the judges determined, was that there was widespread activity and that all these payments to private investigators were for illegal activity. in

investigators were for illegal activi . ii' investigators were for illegal activi . ::' ., ., activity. in 2015, a case involving the actress _ activity. in 2015, a case involving the actress shobna _ activity. in 2015, a case involving the actress shobna gulati - activity. in 2015, a case involving the actress shobna gulati and . activity. in 2015, a case involving the actress shobna gulati and in| activity. in 2015, a case involving i the actress shobna gulati and in the company admitting its involvement and they apologised online. the latest trial is about what senior people knew and did. the court heard senior executives including the mirror editor and now tv presenter piers morgan approved unlawful information gathering on an industrial scale. information gathering on an industrialscale. it information gathering on an industrial scale. it was, information gathering on an industrialscale. it was, barristers claimed, the stock in trade of tabloid journalists. claimed, the stock in trade of tabloidjournalists. mr claimed, the stock in trade of tabloid journalists. mr morgan has always denied being involved in phone hacking. this will be a trial which reaches back to a different era, when print was dominant and people actually left voicemails. but decades later, the reputations of the mirror newspapers are on the line. tom symonds, bbc news, at the high court. tom is outside the high court in central london. what is the overall significance on day one of this overall trial, tom? this is going to be a seven—week

trial. it's going to be complicated, with a large amount of evidence, for example from whistle—blowing journalists who once did some of the activities and admit that they did some of these activities. there are going to be e—mails from inside mirror group newspapers and there are going to be receipts of payments to the network of private investigators who were responsible for some of this unlawful newsgathering, as it has been called. mirror group newspapers has admitted that it happened, to be clear. they admitted in 2015 that phones were hacked, private investigators did this sort of work, and stories with unlawfully obtained information were published. this case is really about what the senior executives knew. so that apology which we saw, there was another apology this morning to prince harry specifically. mgm, mirror group newspapers, said it unreservedly apologised and accepted that the duke of sussex was entitled to

appropriate compensation. that is about one specific claim to do with an investigator looking at prince harry's behaviour in a nightclub. but mirror group newspapers continue to fight this case and they will be fighting throughout. tam to fight this case and they will be fighting throughout. tom symonds at the hiuh fighting throughout. tom symonds at the high court- _ the archbishop of canterbury has said that the government's illegal migration bill is "isolationist" and risks doing "great damage" to the uk's reputation. the bill is being debated for the first time in the house of lords, with ministers insisting that the legislation will reduce the number of small boats crossing the channel. 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas reports. illegal migration bill. this legislation is one of rishi sunak�*s key policies, but the criticism from some in the lords today has been withering. it some in the lords today has been witherina. , ., ., , , withering. it is isolationist. it is morally unacceptable _ withering. it is isolationist. it is morally unacceptable and - withering. it is isolationist. it is- morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with the crisis alone

and cut our international aid. and what if other countries follow suit? the unhcr has warned that the bill could lead to the collapse of the international system that protects refugees. is that what we want? rishi sunak�*s promise is to stop the boats. last year some 45,000 people crossed the passage and this way. the bill would mean anyone arriving in the uk by this or any other irregular route would be detained, denied the right to asylum and deported. the government says it must be able to control the country's borders and decide who to allow in. , , ., _, allow in. ours is a welcoming, compassionate _ allow in. ours is a welcoming, compassionate and _ allow in. ours is a welcoming, compassionate and generous. allow in. ours is a welcoming, - compassionate and generous nation. we have offered our homes and communities to nearly half a million people seeking protection since 2015. we have safe and legal routes available to people from any country in the world. for available to people from any country

in the world-— in the world. for people in most countries. _ in the world. for people in most countries, very _ in the world. for people in most countries, very limited - in the world. for people in most countries, very limited numbersj in the world. for people in most - countries, very limited numbers can access those routes. the government has said it will look at creating new ones. and from the home secretary suella braverman, there was a warning to the laws today. writing the times, she told them this was a government manifesto commitment in 2015, with a pledge to take control of our borders. however, the last manifesto didn't mention limiting asylum claims, promising instead, we will continue to grant asylum and support to refugees fleeing persecution. the government says controlling immigration is will of the people. but many of in the lords are critical of its asylum plans and they could seek to amend, even delay this legislation. no panic, a liberal democrat peer and former police officer, has suggested the lords should try to stop the bill entirely. lords should try to stop the bill entirel . , , , ., entirely. this bill seeks to systematically _ entirely. this bill seeks to systematically deny - entirely. this bill seeks to | systematically deny human entirely. this bill seeks to - systematically deny human rights to a group of people desperately seeking sanctuary. this bill would

breach international obligations under the un conventions of refugees, the rights of the child, the reduction of statelessness and the reduction of statelessness and the european convention against trafficking. the european convention against traffickinu. a , the european convention against traffickin-. , , , the european convention against traffickinu. , , , , trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to — trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to go _ trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to go so _ trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to go so far— trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to go so far as - trafficking. many peers may be reluctant to go so far as to - trafficking. many peers may be - reluctant to go so far as to support a motion to block the legislation, but it still faces much opposition among the lords. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. it is nine months since russia began its siege of bakhmut. it has been one of the war�*s deadliest battles, but ukrainian troops have visited capture and are still holding out. as you can see here, the city is on the front line. our defence correspondentjonathan beale sent correspondent jonathan beale sent this correspondentjonathan beale sent this report from the outskirts of bakhmut. a rare pause in this, the longest, bloodiest battle of the war so far. butjust a few hundred metres away,

the russians are still waiting, still trying to encircle the city of bakhmut nearby. ukraine's president calls it a fortress of ukrainian morale. but like these trenches, it's under attack every hour of every day. go! go, go! let's go down. bakhmut�*s been under siege for more than nine months. we'll have to wait a little bit. so we've been now shelled by the mortar. as you can see, it was pretty damn close. but eugene demonstrates its continuing resistance. let's go. quickly. so we're going to shoot back right now. try to kill some of them.

let's get out of here! let's go. it could be said 1,000 times, but this is our country and our land. like, what else can we do? well, you could give up bakhmut and just move back? for us if we would retreat, for example, yes, we could save a few lives. but then we will have to assault back. and we could lose much more lives. so we need to stand here to them. but even defence is taking many ukrainian lives, young and old.

stefan's comrades call him dad. at 61, he's still half the age of the ancient maxim gun he's firing. but he too was seriously injured, hours after we left his position. too dangerous to enter into the cauldron of the city itself, we tried to get a view from the distance. this is it. bakhmut is burning. a line of tower blocks pretty much all that's left standing. in a bunker, they direct artillery fire to support their infantry, their last line of defence on the western edge of the city. this drone feed of bakhmut tells you a scene of utter devastation. not a building left here in the city that hasn't been either destroyed or damaged.

and itjust tells you how fierce this fighting has been. wagner? are they mostly wagner fighters? yeah. the us estimates more than 20,000 russians have been killed in the last five months, many of them here in bakhmut. miroslav tells me they don't care about their people. as we watch two russian soldiers, he says theyjust advance in vain hope. his comrade adds, "they walk towards us with no fear". he says they must be on drugs. russia hasn't given up yet. their artillery is still firing, but not as frequently as in the past. ukraine hopes bakhmut will have

exhausted their enemy, as they now prepare for their own offensive. but it also shows taking ground can prove even more costly. jonathan beale, bbc news, bakhmut. the former prime minister of pakistan imran khan has been remanded in custody for 8 days on corruption charges, after he was arrested yesterday in a move that sparked protests across the country. at least eight people died in clashes. a conviction would disqualify imran khan from standing for election. 0ur pakistan correspondent caroline davies sent this report from islamabad. burning into the night. protests from lahore, karachi, peshawar. this was the singed aftermath, the reaction to imran khan's arrest yesterday. but the unrest is far from over. morning in islamabad.

police blocked roads into the compound where imran khan was due to appear in front of a judge. some party officials were stopped at the gates. have you spoken to him since yesterday? we have no access. that is why i'm demanding access. we are being denied access. beyond the boundaries of the compound, imran khan's supporters began to gather. this is the path through towards the police line. that's the police compound. and the supporters of imran khan have broken through, blocked up a large amount of the road. and you can see here the clouds of tear gas as the police are trying to attempt to stop them from getting any closer. imran khan's party, the pti, said they wanted protests to continue, but to be peaceful. we saw supporters arrive with sticks and stones. they've shelled on us, says this man, referring to the metal tear gas shells. this is what we've brought to fight against them. you seem to be prepared, we ask.

"we're going to bring shotguns and pistols next time if they keep shelling on us like this", he replies. protests reignited in peshawar, too, with the crowd chanting, "imran khan, your supporters are numerous". in islamabad behind the police line, imran khan faced two corruption cases. on one, he was formally charged and pled not guilty. the full trial will now begin on the second. 0n the second, he was told he would be remanded for eight days in police custody for investigation. against this febrile backdrop, pakistan is waiting to hold national elections while its economy teeters on the brink. the question of who will run pakistan is one neither side is willing to back down from. caroline davis, bbc news, islamabad. the time is 13:16. our top story this lunchtime. the trial about alleged phone hacking by the publisher of the mirror has got under way.

prince harry is one of several high—profile figures to bring a case against mirror group newspapers. and here i am in liverpool getting ready to plate your requests at a very special eurovision piano party. i am getting in some last—minute practice. coming up on bbc news. we hearfrom britain's paralympic canoe champion charlotte henshaw who has called for more to be done to help women who suffer with endometriosis, after it took years for her to be diagnosed with the condition. thousands of people die every year in the uk with no—one by their side. some patients will never have a visitor from the time they're admitted to hospital until they pass away. but a group of volunteers is working to change this. they're called the butterfly volunteers, and they co—ordinate

people who make time to sit, read and be with people in theirfinal days. jo black has more. 0n the ward with sue and carol at the norfolk and norwich hospital. they're butterfly volunteers, people who provide companionship for patients who are near the end of life. some have no family at all, others have relatives who can't visit for long periods of time. it's very rewarding. ijust wanted to give something back, but actually you get far more in return than you ever give. some of the patients that they help are entirely lucid. others are unconscious. but butterflies will sit by their bedsides, dedicated tojust being there. if you've got a little bit of love that you can actually pass on to somebody else, that's how i see it, and somebody that needs you just to give them some comfort, whether it's just holding their hand, talking to them, reading to them, singing with them.

i am appealing to chief nurses across the country in every type of environment. you need this service. it is essential for patients and families, and nobody should ever be left on a ward, in a side room, waiting for somebody to sit with them in their last hours of need. peter harrison from norfolk lost his wife, christine, last april. she was 75, a grandmother and a former teacher. in 2017, she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological condition. last year, she suffered a stroke and was admitted to hospital. in her last days, butterfly volunteers sat with christine during times when peter could not be there by her side. and i think if i'd stayed there too long in the hospital, i think it probably would have been too much for me being with her all that time.

and so it was a relief to know that there was more than me talking to her. i think that's the important thing. the charity which supports these volunteers is called the anne robson trust. anne died in a care home, but days before she was in hospital. an outbreak of norovirus meant her family couldn't visit her on the ward. her daughter believes she would have found this a lonely and frightening experience. it's the saddest thing in the world, isn't it, to think of somebody lying in a hospital bed or in bed at home, or anywhere really, and dying on their own. so what we say is no—one deserves to die alone. some people might choose to, but if you don't, we'd like to make sure that there's somebody there to be with you, to hold your hand. it's reallyjust to make sure, you know, you're not on your own. many of us fear that one day our loved ones and even ourselves could end up dying alone. these volunteers have already helped thousands of people, and they hope to offer comfort to many more.

jo black, bbc news. the independent mp andrew bridgen has joined actor and activist laurence fox's reclaim party following his expulsion by the conservatives. he had made controversial claims about covid vaccines including comparing them to the holocaust. mr bridgen told a news conference in central london the "mainstream parties cannot be part of the solution" and that he "will not be the last" mp tojoin reclaim. he also rejected calls for him to resign and seek re—election under his new party label, saying he believed there would be a general election soon. donald trump has said he will appeal after being found to have sexually assaulted a woman, in a civil case in new york. the former us president abused a journalist, ejean carroll, in a department store in the city in the 1990s. he was also found liable for defamation — after calling the writer's accusations "a hoax and a lie".

jessica parker is in washington. jessica, what does this mean for mr trump's political future? the needed consequences are that he has been ordered to pay $5 million in damages and as you say he is going to appeal and he has come out in competitive style saying it is all part of a witchhunt and he did not even know ejean carroll. 0f not even know ejean carroll. of course the jury in the case clearly did not agree but the question is how this plays out in the widerjury of public opinion because donald trump wants to be president again. his political campaign has been building momentum. it is early days but polling suggests is the frontrunner to secure the republican nomination. and he has a base that is very loyal to him but he cannot win an electionjust is very loyal to him but he cannot win an election just with that base so the question is how that plays out with voters beyond that. that is

something that some republicans who want to kickjoe biden out of the white house may be thinking about and something that opponents within the republican party will be able to point to as well because this is not the only potential legal battle that donald trump is facing. and there is a dangerfor him that donald trump is facing. and there is a danger for him that this verdict could alienate some voters or others mayjust be could alienate some voters or others may just be fed could alienate some voters or others mayjust be fed up with the political drama surrounding him. but all being said he remains a dominant force in both arabic and politics and he has defied political norms before. , ,, and he has defied political norms before. ,, ., ~ and he has defied political norms before. ,, ., ,, ., ~ and he has defied political norms before. ,, ., ~ ., ~ a major incident has been declared in somerset following flash flooding, after heavy rain. houses have been evacuated in north cadbury, queen camel and surrounding villages — with some areas also hit by mudslides. the environment agency has warned that furtherflooding is possible. 0ur west of england correspondent danjohnson has been speaking to some of those affected. this is what hit villages across devon and somerset yesterday

evening, rivers and streams bursting their banks after hours of intense storms. north cadbury in somerset has never seen anything like this before. five o'clock last night. caroline's garden disappeared under it. so did the cars. i think it did get above these hedges. and then the worst. i don't think we ever thought it would actually come in the house. the fire brigade rescued us about eight o'clock. friends were on the phone all the time, phoning and checking on us. i said, "we can't even get out of the house", because it was flooded. it was coming around the side. the whole of this became the river, so we just had to stay until it had receded a bit. this is how it started, with hours of unseasonally heavy rain that submerged some villages and forced many people upstairs, some even sheltering in lofts until they were rescued by the emergency services. and here's how some devon

schoolkids were ferried home. now, there's a lot of clearing up to do. i was talking to several residents who have been here 30 years and they haven't seen anything as bad as this. there's all this rubble to clear up as well as the mud, and the concern is that there is probably sewage in that as well. and then, of course, there's the impact this has had on people's homes. we met emily, who sounded close to giving up hope. we're basically homeless at the moment. we're staying with friends. i've got no words, to be honest. you don't know what's going to happen next? no idea. just along the road, sisters alice and louise are determined to salvage their catering company. it's taken us five hours to get everything out of our storeroom before we can even begin to wash and clean, move water. 0ur van is probably written off. the water came so high that it's gone in the back of the van.

this was localised flash flooding that ruined some properties and barely touched others. but there is a warning — more could now be on the way. danjohnson, bbc news, somerset. and they've cracked on with the queen appear, busy at clearing the streets this morning. and to some extent you may not realise that there has been a problem but then you look at homes and piles of rubble in front gardens and the devastation people have suffered. it will take a long time for those families to get over what rushed through this village and many others like it yesterday. the river is down beneath the road and you can hardly see it now but yesterday it was right appear to the level of the hedges. people are never seen anything like it before and they will hope they never do again but there are weather warnings in place and the rain has started again in the past 30 minutes. danjohnson, thank you. thousands of people

are already in liverpool for the eurovision song contest final on saturday, which the uk is hosting on behalf of last year's winners ukraine. the contest attracts fans from all over the world — including our very own russia editor steve rosenberg. you may know steve is an excellent pianist — with encyclopedic knowledge of eurovision tunes. he's flown to liverpool for the contest and today is entertaining people at a bar in the city by taking requests... i'm hoping he'll take mine in a moment, but first, just a word about how he got hooked in the first place. plays scales. you know, i think i started out pretty normal, really. when i was a kid learning music, it was all about the classics. then one saturday night, i saw this... and my life was never

the same again. # finally facing my waterloo... #. eurovision blew my mind. the colour, the costumes and, yes, even the music. so many different styles, so many languages. and ifound myself trying to work out the notes to the songs on the piano. like save your kisses for me. plays tune. so while some kids at school were collecting coins or stamps, i was secretly collecting eurovision hits. plays tune.

i think i can play around 300 eurovision songs from memory. weird? a little bit, maybe. but in a world that feels as if it's been turned upside down, for me, tinkling a little abba or katrina and the waves is a great way to de—stress. and i've been lucky enough to combine work and play. as a bbc correspondent, i've reported on the odd eurovision. and i do mean "odd" eurovision! fantastic! we all have our favourites. steve, you're taking requests! you must be exhausted but i thought we should start being patriotic and talk about the home entry, the uk entry.

talk about the home entry, the uk ent , ~ entry. absolutely, mae muller. i like it. a little — entry. absolutely, mae muller. i like it. a little bit _ entry. absolutely, mae muller. i like it. a little bit of— entry. absolutely, mae muller. i like it. a little bit of mae - entry. absolutely, mae muller. i like it. a little bit of mae muller| like it. a little bit of mae muller for wishes, like it. a little bit of mae muller forwishes, i hope like it. a little bit of mae muller for wishes, i hope she will do well in the contest.— for wishes, i hope she will do well in the contest. and among the other favourites is — in the contest. and among the other favourites is sweden, _ in the contest. and among the other favourites is sweden, it _ in the contest. and among the other favourites is sweden, it is _ in the contest. and among the other favourites is sweden, it is an - favourites is sweden, it is an interesting one. lovers of eurovision love sweden because of abba and there is a woman hoping to win for a second time? she abba and there is a woman hoping to win for a second time?— win for a second time? she was a winner in 2012. _ win for a second time? she was a winner in 2012. euphoria. - win for a second time? she was a winner in 2012. euphoria. tattoo | win for a second time? she was a l winner in 2012. euphoria. tattoo is her song this year. it goes like this... she is the favourite to win the contest this year. i she is the favourite to win the contest this year.— she is the favourite to win the contest this year. i love the song but to be honest _

contest this year. i love the song but to be honest i _ contest this year. i love the song but to be honest i was _ contest this year. i love the song but to be honest i was not - contest this year. i love the song but to be honest i was not sure l