at six, prince harry makes history as he becomes the first senior royal to give evidence in court for more than 100 years. from the witness box at the high court in london, he accuses mirror group newspapers of using unlawful means, including phone—hacking, to find out details about his private life. i details about his private life. have been at the higi prince i have been at the high court where prince harry has blamed mirror group newspapers for causing a lot of upset and newspapers for causing a lot of upsetand pain newspapers for causing a lot of upset and pain in his life. the other main story on the programme tonight... ukraine accuses russia of destroying part of a major dam in southern ukraine, unleashing a torrent of water. and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes but russia says ukraine is to blame for the destruction. shock and surprise as a merger is announced to try to heal the bitter split in the world of golf. we'll have all the details. and worth the wait — the aston martin bulldog finally

does what it was built to do, more than a0 years later. and coming up on bbc news, spurs make ange postecoglou the first australian to manage a premier league team. he joins from celtic just three days after claiming a treble and has signed a four—year deal. to give evidence in court for 130 years, after taking to the witness stand in his civil case against mirror group newspapers. he's accused the publisher of using unlawful methods, including phone hacking, to get stories about him, something they deny. 0ur media editor, katie razzall, has been following the case at the high court in london and has this report. in a cul—de—sac in central london, the world's media... ..focused on itself and one man.

others have settled claims over the years, but here was prince harry, determined to have his day in court, telling those inside a packed court 15 and an overflow annex that every single article written about him had caused him distress and agreeing he had felt hostility to the media, even before he knew about their methods. he was asked about this line in his witness statement... prince harry told the court he was talking aboutjournalists responsible for causing a lot of pain, upset, the press in general and asked if he was in the witness box to put a stop to the madness, the plight, "that is my hope." his case is that specific articles in mirror group newspapers from 1996 to 2011 were based on phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering often by private investigators. today he was questioned about them

in detail. he says the journalist behind this story about visit from his mother was of no news to private investigator and the barrister told journalists could not have hacked his mobile phone as he did not have one back then. however applied, it could have been my mother's. how could have been my mother's. how could journalists know he was that the particular pub as reported in this article, he asked. isn't it likely the celebrity chef owner contact the paper, mr green suggested. and the barrister told them this story up an injury had already been reported by the press association the day before. harry claims that just encouraged association the day before. harry claims thatjust encouraged others to take stories further using illicit methods for that extra information. he says he was often teased at school of these kinds of articles, it caused him paranoia and distress, led him to dump friends, even to distrust his own brother william on this group —— any disagreement linked. mgn denies phone hacking and unlawful information gathering in a civil trial on which a judge and jury will

decide. fin trial on which a “udge and “ury will decide. trial on which a 'udge and “ury will decide. ., . trial on which a 'udge and “my will decide. ., . ., decide. on the balance of probabilities, _ decide. on the balance of probabilities, is _ decide. on the balance of probabilities, is it - decide. on the balance of probabilities, is it more l decide. on the balance of- probabilities, is it more likely than not that daily mirror engaged in phone hacking or is it more likely than not that they didn't, that they are weighing up to see where the balance tilts and it is a slightly different standard and a lower standard if you like. the prince also — lower standard if you like. the prince also had _ lower standard if you like. the prince also had sharp words for former daily mirror editor now tv presenter piers morgan, saying he makes in physically sick and he wants to hold him and others accountable for their vile behaviour. mr morgan denies wrongdoing. it has been an intense day for prince harry, the first time a senior royal has been cross examined in more than a century. and there was more to come. because prince harry will be back here tomorrow morning in the witness box. hejoked as he tomorrow morning in the witness box. he joked as he left that asking the judge, when thejudge reminded him not to speak to anybody about his evidence overnight, and asked if it was ok to chat to my children about

it on face time? the best part of five hours, quietly, seriously, calmly, he answered the questions put to him, questions designed to prove his claim is wrong. in his witness statement, he was brought about his criticisms of the media and he has raised eyebrows and indeed some hackles by describing notjust indeed some hackles by describing not just the indeed some hackles by describing notjust the british press but also the government as at rock. but then prince harry has already broken many of the rules of being a royal, political criticism is just another to add to the list —— at rock bottom. because he has found his calling. he has made reform of the media his life's work, his mission if you like, he really is a prince on a mission. thank you. ukraine has accused russia of deliberately destroying part of a huge dam on the dnipro river to try to hamper its counter offensive in southern ukraine. thousands of people are having to leave their homes in towns and villages as flood waters rise. the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which relies on the river

to cool its reactors, is also under threat. but russia is blaming ukraine for damaging part of the two mile long dam which is in russian—held territory. 0ur correspondent in ukraine, paul adams, is in the capital kyiv. paul... the dam actually sits between russian —controlled territory to the south and ukrainian held territory to the north and for that reason and because there was a road across the top, giving it some strategic significance, it was always likely to be in someone's sites. now it is gone and each side blames the other. this had long been feared — a gaping hole in one of ukraine's key dams. no longer held back, a vast reservoir emptying fast. flood waters surging downriver. what's left of the dam and hydroelectric plant now barely visible. as the truth of what happened here disappeared under

the water, a war of words about who was responsible. translation: tonight, _ they blew up the dam of the kakhovka hydroelectric power station. it was an absolutely deliberate, prepared explosion. they knew exactly what they were doing. translation: tonight, i the kyiv regime committed another terrorist crime. the kakhovka hydroelectric dam was blown up, which led to the flooding of significant territories. so what's the significance of the nova kakhovka dam? it supplies water to huge swathes of agricultural land, including in crimea, and the reservoir behind it provides water to cool the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant further up river. both areas are under russian control. the reservoir is huge, turning the dnipro river into a vast lake, 150 miles long and up to 1a miles wide. this is what the dam looks like undamaged. 0ur colleagues at

bbc verify said this image of a smaller breach was taken just days ago. but since early this morning, this is what the dam has looked like. thousands of people are at risk from flooding. 15 miles away, parts of the village are underwater, the landscape transformed. whoever destroyed the dam knew this would happen and decided it was worth it. further downstream, floodwaters have reached the city of kherson, the authorities evacuating the elderly as the waters rise. translation: we are afraid of flooding, of course. - we are taking our things higher up and will stay in the higher parts of kherson. these russians must be got rid of quicker, they must be kicked out. this isn't life. they shoot, they cause floods. something needs to be done. 0ne ukrainian mp watched as the river burst its banks. translation: you can see how|

the water is rising by the second. before i started speaking, the water was below me, and now its levels are starting to rise. this was a desperate act, with consequences still unfolding. satellite images, taken before and after the dam burst, show yet another terrible scar on ukraine's ravaged landscape. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. 0ur russia editor, steve rosenberg, in moscow. what are your thoughts at the end of a dramatic day? i tell you what struck me today, today the international community made it very clear that whatever the specific cause of this disaster, it happened because of russia's war. if there was no war, the dam would still be standing and intact. as the united nations put it, it is the devastating consequence of russia's

invasion. a question, does russia care about international criticism? care about international criticism ? the care about international criticism? the answer, no, i don't think it does. last year the russian foreign minister told me russia is what it is and is not ashamed of showing it. in a way, international criticism feeds the kremlin�*s narrative that russia is a besieged fort was surrounded by enemies who are plotting from morning till night to destroy russia. and now already you can see the authorities are using the destruction of the dam to support that narrative, by accusing the ukrainians are being a terrorist having out a attack on the dam

punter and by slamming the west for blaming russia for this disaster. steve rosenberg from moscow, thank 0ur security correspondent, frank gardner, is with me. we seem to be entering a new phase of the war here. what effect will this have on the war? ., ., ., what effect will this have on the war? ., . ., , war? you have to see it in the context of— war? you have to see it in the context of the _ war? you have to see it in the context of the coming - war? you have to see it in the i context of the coming ukrainian offensive, whether that has begun in earnest. their arguments to be made on both sides as to who was to blame because nobody is claiming responsibility, russia can ask why they would do this, they had to evacuate their own troops and denying crimea water. ukraine saying it is destroying our land and territory and people. let's look at the map. if you look at the map, there is the kakhovka dam in the south. the area south of that and to the east is controlled by russia. if we zoom in a bit, we can see the red controlled area which is all russian —controlled. ukraine's offensive needs to punch through that to drive through to reach the sea of azov, the blue bit. 0ne through to reach the sea of azov, the blue bit. one possibility was for them to try to circumnavigate and skirt round the edge of the russian defences but they don't have that option right now, or it will be very problematic because the whole area is flooded, they cannot drive tanks across the dam any more, any armour, so it will be very difficult and dangerous for them to cross this rate stretch of flooded water. they

can't do it with tanks so this has completely upset the strategic chest board in the south of ukraine. whoever did it, it is forcing a lot of recalculation on both sides. thank you very much. now a look at some other stories making the news today. all boat operations from bournemouth pier have been suspended as a precaution following the deaths of a 12—year—old girl and a 17—year—old boy last week. sunnah khan and joe abbess died in hospital after an incident last week. an inquest heard a "suggestion" that a riptide led to the pair drowning. the independent office for police conduct says a police motorcyclist who was part of the duchess of edinburgh's security escort could face criminal charges over a collision last month. helen holland, who was 81, was seriously injured after being hit by the officer's vehicle. she died in hospital two weeks later. the mp margaret ferrier, who's been sitting as an independent, has been suspended from the commons for breaking covid rules. she was expelled from the snp in 2020 because she'd travelled

on a train when she knew she had the virus. the suspension could trigger a by—election in her constituency of rutherglen and hamilton west. a surprise merger has been announced this afternoon to try to heal a bitter split in the world of golf. the pga tour has agreed to merge with the saudi—backed liv circuit after a year of unprecedented disruption in the men's game. our sports editor, dan roan, reports on the shock and significance surrounding the new deal. for the last year it has been tearing the world of golf apart, bankrolled by saudi arabia, the rebel temple in a series leigh wood some of the biggest stars of the game away from the traditional tours and sparking an unprecedented dispute but today came news of a shock merger and an end to their feud put in a joint statement, the pga tour, dp world tour and saudi public investment fund hailed a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf on a global basis, with a

new collectively owned for—profit entity, vowing to work together to best feature and grow team golf going forward. notably, the announcement said would be followed by a mutually agreed end to all pending litigation between the participating parties. featuring huge prize money, a short three day format and a team element, those behind liv claimed its innovations would attract new audiences but critics saw it as an attempt to seize control of the sport. i hate what it's doing _ seize control of the sport. i hate what it's doing to _ seize control of the sport. i hate what it's doing to the _ seize control of the sport. i hate what it's doing to the game - seize control of the sport. i hate what it's doing to the game of. seize control of the sport. i hate i what it's doing to the game of golf, i hate it. we what it's doing to the game of golf, i hate it. ~ . , , ,., i hate it. we legal dispute in both the us and _ i hate it. we legal dispute in both the us and europe, _ i hate it. we legal dispute in both the us and europe, where - i hate it. we legal dispute in both| the us and europe, where several temp on a golf at lost a case over the fines and suspensions they faced for playing in the series. the the fines and suspensions they faced for playing in the series.— for playing in the series. the time was riaht for playing in the series. the time was right for _ for playing in the series. the time was right for all _ for playing in the series. the time was right for all three _ for playing in the series. the time was right for all three parties - for playing in the series. the time was right for all three parties to i was right for all three parties to come together and there is no question that all three partners share the appetite to get a deal done. figs share the appetite to get a deal done. �* , ., share the appetite to get a deal done. a ., , , done. as for the players, there was a mixed reaction. _ done. as for the players, there was a mixed reaction. phil— done. as for the players, there was a mixed reaction. phil mickelson, l a mixed reaction. phil mickelson, one of the highest profile temple

nacra golf is treated... 0ther nacra golf is treated... other leading pga tour players committing to come as a surprise with two—time major winner collin morikawa saying i love finding out morning news on twitter. input and sergio garcia were among several top liv players who walked away from the dp world tour and became ineligible for the ryder cup but they could now return —— ian poulter. is already the chairman of the saudi owned newcastle united, the pf governor, will now chair the new merged entity which will reinforce concerns by human rights campaigners that the country's investment in golf is just sportswashing and many in the sport, the peace deal will come as a relief. the time is 15 minutes past six. our top story this evening... prince harry makes history, the first senior world to appear in the witness box in his case against mirror group newspapers. and warnings over huge rise in gonorrhoea and syphilis, as sti diagnoses reach their highest

levels in decades. and at 6:30pm, the push for pcsos but can the met to persuade lerner to sign up for neighbourhood policing? and west ham prepare for a big game, the first major european final in half a century. so many children under the age of 18 are now using vapes that it's fast becoming an epidemic. that's the conclusion of doctors at the royal college of paediatrics and child health who have called for disposable vapes to be banned amid concerns they're damaging young people's health. latest data suggests that one in five 15—year—olds were using e—cigarettes in 2021. and there's been a rise in 11 to 17—year—olds experimenting with vaping, from 7.7% in 2022 to 11.6% of that age group this year. then there is an environmental impact. it's estimated that at least 1.3 million disposable vapes

are thrown away every week in the uk — that's a rate of two per second. here's our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. everyone does it. it's hard to not be around it. it tastes a lot better, it smells a lot better and it looks better than cigarettes. it is cheaper than cigarettes and rechargeable. - at preston lodge high school in scotland, a student discussion about vaping. this lesson has been set up in a bid to tackle the trend but teachers say they are losing the battle. with vaping, it is flooding the classroom and the kids and it is too big a problem for us to deal with on such an individual basis. we have quite a blanket approach to trying to deal with it but we're not winning that. disposable vapes come in an array of flavours, including sour apple, cola and strawberry watermelon. in the past few years, their popularity among children has risen sharply, despite it being illegal to sell them to under—18s. the royal college of paediatrics and child health is warning that

childhood vaping is fast becoming an epidemic. it is very clear children and young people, i believe, and the college believe, are being ruthlessly targeted by businesses. we simply do not know yet if you vape for ten, 15 or 20 years. what health impact that could have on you. the doctors insist disposable vapes should be banned but those from the vaping industry say the problem is a lack of law enforcement. the issue here is the actual availability of these products through retailers that don't do age gating, and frankly, the fines are ridiculous. and campaigners say single—use vapes are the most effective way to help adults stop smoking. in england, the government's consultation on reducing childhood vaping ends today. it will have to decide how to balance help to quit cigarettes with concerns about children. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. the lobby group the cbi, which represents thousands of british businesses,

has secured the backing of its members for a package of proposed reforms following a crisis that threatened its future. 93% of those who voted supported the plans. the vote follows a series of allegations of serious sexual misconduct that rocked the organisation and prompted many businesses to end their membership. our business editor, simonjack, reports. for nearly 60 years the cbi has been a cheerleaderfor for nearly 60 years the cbi has been a cheerleader for business.— a cheerleader for business. growth lived everyone. _ a cheerleader for business. growth lived everyone. lobbying _ a cheerleader for business. growth lived everyone. lobbying the - lived everyone. lobbying the government, _ lived everyone. lobbying the government, promoting - lived everyone. lobbying the | government, promoting best lived everyone. lobbying the - government, promoting best practice. but a string of allegations and sexual and other misconduct at the cbi itself plumbs the group into a crisis that has lifted paralysed. high—profile members including john lewis, natwest and bmw terminated the membership and good on foot today but the programme of reforms set out by new leadership got the public backing from other big names

including siemens, microsoft and sse. 0ne chief executive on his way to build told us why he was backing the cbi. i to build told us why he was backing the cbi. “ to build told us why he was backing the cbi. ~ g; :: , , ., the cbi. i think 30 things. first or the cbi. i think 30 things. first or the are the cbi. i think 30 things. first or they are good _ the cbi. i think 30 things. first or they are good organisation, - the cbi. i think 30 things. first or they are good organisation, i - the cbi. i think so things. first or| they are good organisation, i don't think they are rotten. also i think they are a really effective organisation at talking to government, they have been in the past and i think it should be against upright of members that voted, 371 or 93% voted in favour. the cbi won't disclose how many members were eligible to vote but the new leadership welcomed the result. it the new leadership welcomed the result. . , , the new leadership welcomed the result. , ., ., , result. it has been so great to see the overwhelming _ result. it has been so great to see the overwhelming vote _ result. it has been so great to see the overwhelming vote of - result. it has been so great to see the overwhelming vote of support| the overwhelming vote of support from our — the overwhelming vote of support from our members. we take nothing for granted _ from our members. we take nothing for granted but they really show their_ for granted but they really show their support the programme of change — their support the programme of change. we have already implanted it and i am _ change. we have already implanted it and i am absolutely determined. we have listened, acted and now we are going _ have listened, acted and now we are going to _ have listened, acted and now we are going to he — have listened, acted and now we are going to be the best business organisation both inside and out. this should be seen as a beginning

not the end of its mission to re—establish the trust of its members and influence with the government. it seems inevitable cbi will emerge a smaller organisation and staff here are bracing themselves for cuts to its 300 strong workforce. in the past government engagement was a given. tonight a government said rebuilding trust was a matter for the cbi and it would engage with business groups where appropriate. a cagey response to a winded group. simonjack, bbc news. more than 80% of the world's opium — the main ingredient of heroin — used to be produced in afghanistan. but last year it was banned by the taliban. the bbc has found evidence that the taliban government has had major success in cracking down on opium poppy cultivation. that's backed up by satellite images which, according to experts in the uk, show that opium farming is down by as much as four—fifths in a year. but in a country reeling from an economic crisis, farmers say this is another blow. yogita limaye has sent this

report from afghanistan. men who were once fighting for this land now control it. and they're enforcing the diktat of their leader. we've been given rare access to the taliban's campaign to eradicate poppy in nangarhar province. we have to get to more remote areas near the border with pakistan to find standing crop. so the field to the right, that's already been destroyed. and we're walking to another one, which they are in the process of destroying right now. this field belongs to ali mohammed mir. i asked him why he defied the ban. translation: if you don't have enough food in your house - and your children are going hungry, what else will you do? if we grew wheat instead, we won't earn enough to survive.

the taliban go armed and in large numbers. there have been instances of clashes with angry locals. afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium. the taliban are accused of profiting from it when they were fighting against foreign forces and the former afghan regime — a claim they deny. but now, from what we've seen and from satellite images, there's evidence of an unprecedented reduction. this is helmand province. it used to be afghanistan's opium heartland. wheat now stands where poppy was grown.

this man tells us that in this taliban stronghold area, farmers have all but complied with the order. translation: we are very upset. we can't meet our families' needs. i've had to take a loan. hunger is at its peak and we haven't got any help from the government. we met the main spokesman of the taliban government, who told us they banned opium because it's harmful and goes against their religious beliefs. farmers say they're not getting any support from your government. how do you plan to help them? translation: opium causes a lot of harm. | we call on international organisations to help. but then, at the same time, you're making the operations and the funding of aid agencies in this country extremely difficult by the ban on afghan women working for them. you can't have it both ways. they shouldn't link humanitarian issues with politics. the whole world is affected by opium addiction. for now, the taliban appear to have accomplished what no one else could. but there are questions about how long they can sustain it. yogita limaye, bbc news, kandahar.

there've been sharp rises in sexually transmitted diseases in england, with a record number of cases of gonorrhorea last year and the highest levels of syphilis since the end of world war ii. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here. fergus. after a dip during covid these sexually transmitted bacterial infections are back with a vengeance. there were more than 82,000 cases of gonorrhoea last year in england. that's up 50% on 2021. and it's the highest number since 1918, the year the first world war ended, when cases began being recorded. as for syphilis, there were more than 8,600 cases last year, that's the largest number since just after the second world war. chlamydia was the most commonly diagnosed sti, with almost 200,000 cases recorded, with the 15 to 2a age group most likely to get an infection.

the uk health security agency says only some of the rise can be accounted for by increased testing. it says condoms are the best defence, and warns that stis are not just an inconvenience, they can have a major impact on your health, and that of your sexual partners. there are concerns that gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and at risk of becoming untreatable in future. the terrence higgins trust said cuts to sexual health services were making a bad situation worse, with many people struggling to get appointments. sophie. fergus, thank you. this is the aston martin bulldog. it is the only one, in fact. it was built in 1979. its mission was to become the first production car to achieve a top speed of 200 miles an hour. more were supposed to be built but the project was too costly

and was shelved before the supercar could reach its milestone speed. the car was sold and ended up in storage. but today, more than a0 years later, it finally achieved what it was built to do. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon was there watching. shejoins us from she joins us from the track now. this really is a unique car and it really has been lovingly restored. the reason why this run took place on this very remote scottish airfield is because of this vast stretch of unused taxiway. it is so remote the driver of the car was warned in the safety briefing to look out for rabbits and deer. there have been some minor modifications. it has a rollbar to protect anyone inside and that is because today was all about speed. this was designed to be the fastest car on the road when it was originally built. it never reached its long hoped—for 200 mph potential until today that is.

it was the only one of its kind ever built. the concept aston martin bulldog, a testament to british design, innovation and engineering. but we won't be doing it for speeding today. no, good to know. the challenge hitting 200 miles an hour and also breaking. i've got three straw bales on this direction to use. so i've got some reference points of where i can start to think about braking. is it slowing down this? yeah, yeah, yeah. for me. yeah. so i don't want to be whistling past you guys down this end of the runway and off into the fields down there. emergency exit. today was about realising a promise made a0 years ago come true. this is very exciting to me. i'm nervous. i'm excited. doi do i have butterflies? yes. but hopefully i've brought a big enough net. and i think today is about making dreams come true.

after decades, the waiting was over. the angular supercar restored to its former glory. powering down the track. taking moments to reach and exceed its goal. i don't know. i have no idea. i'll go check. yeah. richard gauntlett oversaw the restoration. his father ran aston martin when on cost grounds plans to put the car into production were cancelled. a lot of people talk about their childhood posters. well, this is my childhood poster, made real with huge parts of my family history and meeting this original team and a lot of hard work. in fact, it took more than 7000 hours of work. but for those involved, it was also a labour of love. this unique car finally realising its potential.

lorna