a british child is among the victims — all under the age of three — the suspect is a syrian refugee. eyewitnesses watched in horror as he also attacked an elderly man before being overpowered by police. translation: all of a sudden, a lady says, "run, run! there is a guy who is stabbing everybody all along the lake. he stabbed some children. run, run!" police say there is no evidence that the motive was terrorism. also on the programme... president zelensky visits flood hit kherson as ukraine and russia continue to blame each other for breaching the major dam. hundreds of wildfires burning in canada — the smoke turns the sky orange along the us east coast — with an apocolyptic smog over new york. west ham's victory parade is about to get under way in east london after they triumped last night winning their first trophy in more than a0 years.

and coming up on bbc news, india in trouble against australia as their captain's dismissed. virat kohli gone forjust 1a after that delivery from mitchell starc in the world test championship final. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. four children are in hospital after they were stabbed in a playground in annecy in eastern france. the victims are aged between one and three. one of them was in a pushchair. an elderly man was also attacked. police have arrested the suspect who they say is syrian, with refugee status in sweden. the attack isn't being linked to terrorism. the french prime minister said the man — who described himself as a syrian christian — had tried unsuccessfully to apply for asylum in france. lucy williamson has sent this report.

today in annecy, toddlers were the targets. the safety of a summer playground shattered by a knife attack. this video gives a glimpse of the horror. the suspect roaming among the slides and climbing frames, a knife clearly visible in his hand. we can't show you what happened next. four children, one of them british, were stabbed here in quick succession, some attacked in their pushchairs, now in a life—threatening condition. the suspect, said to be a syrian christian, was chased through the lakeside tourist spot. before police intervened to arrest him. translation: all of a sudden, a lady says, run, run! there is a guy stabbing everybody all along the lake. he stabbed some children, run, run! i tell the cops, just shoot him, kill him, he is stabbing

everybody. him, kill him, he is stabbing everybody-— him, kill him, he is stabbing eve bod. ., everybody. the suspect had refugee status in sweden, _ everybody. the suspect had refugee status in sweden, meaning - everybody. the suspect had refugee status in sweden, meaning he - everybody. the suspect had refugee status in sweden, meaning he was i status in sweden, meaning he was free to travel within the eu. the french news agency afp is reporting that he was recently divorced and living in a church. translation: we are deel living in a church. translation: we are deeply shaken _ living in a church. translation: we are deeply shaken by _ living in a church. translation: we are deeply shaken by this _ are deeply shaken by this indiscriminate attack. when children are involved, people attached to the core _ are involved, people attached to the core today. — are involved, people attached to the core. today, our whole nation is in shock_ core. today, our whole nation is in shock -- _ core. today, our whole nation is in shock —— attached to the core. france's — shock —— attached to the core. france's national assembly stop their debate on pension reform this morning to hold a minute's silence when the news broke. tonight, that wordless horror hangs over the nation and over the children silently fighting for their lives. we have just got information from the local authorities here that the three—year—old british girl is now in a stable condition. but there is

still no clear motive for this attack. the prosecutor says they are not treating it as terrorism at this stage, that the suspect is not known to intelligence services, has no history of psychiatric illness and was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. but as the scene here by the lake in annecy returns to normal this evening, there are two things preoccupying france. one is the health of those victims, children and adult. the other is the mystery as to why anyone would target nursery schoolchildren in a playground in france. lucy williamson, thank you. ukraine's president zelensky has criticised the lack of help from international aid agencies to deal with the flooding in the southern kherson region after the destruction of a dam on tuesday. it's thought an area the size of merseyside is underwater. mr zelensky visited the area today to see the scale of the flooding. ukraine and russia have accused each other of shelling the area while rescuers tried to save people who are still trapped, our ukraine correspondent

james waterhouse sent this report. a visit with deliberate timing. president zelensky assessing another ukrainian trauma, and all folding disaster in the middle of a war —— an unfolding disaster. he pays medical staff and promised them kherson would be rebuilt. but the russians can do deliberate too. a couple of hours later, the same area was shelled, with a near miss for volunteers doing an already impossiblejob. it's hard to picture an estimated four cubic miles of water until you are in it. victor and vitaly haven't stopped for two days, searching for people trapped. why don't you want to leave? so they

have said, we don't want to leave. there are older people who can't get away. give us your power banks, so they can charge devices. while the water levels have stabilised, they are still dauntingly high. so we are just now passing through two apartment blocks. it feels like a strange theme park ride. because of what we are having to weave through. and yet victor is asking people whether they want to be evacuated. no one yet has taken him up on that offer. and why do you think people don't want to leave their home? because many people are stupid, you know? they think everything will be ok after one day or two days. but it's not ok. every time, more water. when this finally recedes, you wonder what will be left. a war, an

invasion by russia which takes everything. james waterhouse, bbc news, kherson. ukrainian officials are now warning of the long—term consequences of the dam's destruction on agriculture and infrastructure. our diplomatic correpsondent james landale is here to assess the scale of the damage. the destruction of the kakhovka dam is more than just a short—term humanitarian crisis. the united nations is warning of "grave and far—reaching consequences" for thousands of people who live in this region — and notjust those who've lost their homes. these infrared, satellite images show the scale of the flooding downstream — before and after the dam burst — you can see just how much land has been inundated on both sides, flooding towns, washing away crops. this was the town

of oleshky on the russian occupied east bank and this is what it looks like now. but there's also a risk of pollution from oil and chemicals caught up in the flood, and danger from landmines washed away from known locations. and there are wider consequences too, upstream. of course, there's carnage for fish and other wildlife, but there'll also be a shortage of drinking water — especially in towns like zaporizhzhia... and potentially long term devastation for farming. both sides of the front line relied on the reservoir for irrigation. and ukraine's agriculture ministry says without the water, more than a million acres of land could become like a desert. there are military consequences too. russia feared ukraine might counter attack across the river but there is no road across the dam any more and the floods make any kind of amphibious assault harder, so russia's western flank is now more secure. perhaps most importantly, this humanitarian disaster is a massive distraction for ukraine's commanders as they begin to test russia's defences elsewhere along the front lines ahead of any

counter—offensive. james, thank you. the prime minister, rishi sunak, has been holding talks with president biden at the white house today. they have been discussing the war in ukraine and the challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence. our political editor chris mason reports. but on the key issue of the economy, a free trade deal has not been agreed. our political editor chris mason reports. rishi sunak, arriving at the white house this afternoon. here it is, always a big moment for a british prime minister visiting the white house, especially office visit. he is here to talk about ukraine and economic cooperation in a dangerous world, the threats of russia and china in particular. mr president - mr president! _ china in particular. mr president - mr president! mr _ china in particular. mr president - mr president! mr prime minister. | mr president! mr prime minister. peasantry is in the oval office, the president quickly correcting himself when he called rishi sunak a

president himself by accident. figs president himself by accident. is nato allies, we are working together to help provide collective defence of all of us. i hope we can further strengthen our economic relationship.— strengthen our economic relationshi -. ~' ., strengthen our economic relationshi. ~ ., ., �* relationship. one thing i know won't chance is relationship. one thing i know won't change is the _ relationship. one thing i know won't change is the strength _ relationship. one thing i know won't change is the strength of _ relationship. one thing i know won't change is the strength of our - change is the strength of our partnership and our friendship. we will put _ partnership and our friendship. we will put our— partnership and our friendship. we will put our values front and centre. _ will put our values front and centre. as _ will put our values front and centre, as we have always done, to deliver— centre, as we have always done, to deliver for— centre, as we have always done, to deliver for the british and american people _ deliver for the british and american people. and deliver for the british and american --eole. �* , deliver for the british and american --eole.�* , ,, .., people. and is the so-called special relationship — people. and is the so-called special relationship still _ people. and is the so-called special relationship still in _ people. and is the so-called special relationship still in good _ people. and is the so-called special relationship still in good shape? - relationship still in good shape? real good shape, the president replied. but at the last election, the conservatives said they wanted a free trade agreement with america. that isn't happening. the prime minister says the world has changed. i think you have to look at the macroeconomic situation. it has involved — macroeconomic situation. it has involved since then and it's important that economic partnerships evolved _ important that economic partnerships evolved to— important that economic partnerships evolved to deal with the opportunities and threats of today. if opportunities and threats of today. if you _ opportunities and threats of today.

if you look — opportunities and threats of today. if you look at what's happening now, we face _ if you look at what's happening now, we face more threats to our economic security, _ we face more threats to our economic security, so— we face more threats to our economic security, so it's important that actually, — security, so it's important that actually, the uk and the us are talking — actually, the uk and the us are talking about how we strengthen our resilience _ talking about how we strengthen our resilience. , , ., ., . , talking about how we strengthen our resilience. , , ., , �* talking about how we strengthen our resilience. , �* ., resilience. diplomacy isn't all high-powered _ resilience. diplomacy isn't all high-powered meetings - resilience. diplomacy isn't all high-powered meetings and l resilience. diplomacy isn't all. high-powered meetings and big high—powered meetings and big decisions. the prime minister made it to a baseball match last night, having spent time trying to persuade senior democrats and republicans that freeing up trade with the uk was worth their while. the simple truth is, the conservatives said at the last general election that they wanted a full free trade agreement with america, and what they are talking about today is well short of that. downing street say the world has changed since then and it has, but bluntly, president biden didn't want to do a full deal. and shortly, we will hearfrom want to do a full deal. and shortly, we will hear from the president and the prime minister again in a news conference on what they have agreed, and what they haven't. president biden rishi sunak have beenin president biden rishi sunak have been in talks now here for about two hours. what is also on the agenda? artificial intelligence, the

regulation of these supercomputers that become cleverer than you or me. also, northern ireland, devolution to northern ireland and restoring devolved government to northern ireland, something the president wants to bring up with the prime minister, we are told. but central to the discussions, as we have been reflecting — economic security and economic cooperation. that news conference involving the two men is getting under way inside the next hour. chris, thank you. health services across the uk are struggling to provide safe and effective care for cancer patients. the royal college of radiologists — which represents many cancer doctors — is warning that the situation is a "ticking time—bomb" because of what it calls "chronic staff shortages". here's our health reporter, jim reed. the bike was good. nothing happened to it, you know what i mean? the bike came off pretty great. it wasjust me! kevin broke his ribs in a bike accident last year. the scan also picked up a growth on his kidney. no, i didn't know anything. i didn't know what it was or anything at that time. you didn't know it was cancer?

no, not at all. he blurted it out and i was like, "whoa, hang on a minute. i have to step back here". injanuary, he was told cancer surgery should start in a few months, but it's nowjune and he's still on the waiting list. the anxiety that goes with it and the depression that follows certain times and situations when you just think, you know, i go to the front door, or i come in from work and there's no post. there's no envelope that says nhs on the top. there's nothing there, all the time. and i'm like, "oh!", you know? doctors say patients are often facing a series of delays, from diagnosis and testing to surgery and chemotherapy. there is no evidence of recurrent disease below the diaphragm, full—stop. across the uk, cancer targets are being missed as hospitals struggle to shift a backlog caused in part by covid. doctors say one key reason is a shortage of staff. we're really concerned for patients. we're really concerned that if we don't do something about this, the delays are going to get longer.

some of the biggest staffing gaps are in rural parts of north wales, the midlands and north scotland. ministers across the uk say investment is being made in staff and equipment. in england, a plan to grow the nhs workforce is due in weeks. all this comes, though, as demand has been soaring. in blackpool in lancashire, for example, the number coming forward for cancer checks is up 60% in the last five years. and that rising trend is only expected to continue as the population gets older, putting even more pressure on nhs services. we're just going to take a look and take a photograph. at this clinic, they've had to change the way they work. last year, richard was one of the first to have images of his suspected skin cancer taken by a medical photographer. this is a very suspicious—looking lesion. these detailed images can be shared and checked quickly, a technique known as teledermatology.

i dread to think what we would be like without teledermatology, in all honesty. i think we'd really be struggling and wouldn't be meeting any of our cancer targets and meeting the needs of our patients in the area. come in and take a seat. how are you? half of us will get cancer in our lifetime. doctors say new ways of working and more staff will both be needed so more people like richard can hear news like this. that's fantastic, there's nothing concerning, so that's good. fantastic, it's good to be signed off. jim reed, bbc news, blackpool. a jury has been shown the moment a metropolitan police sergeant was shot in a holding cell in south london by a man who'd been arrested in 2020. louis de zoysa denies killing matt ratana with a gun he'd hidden in an underarm holster. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. the moments before the shot was fired thai—

the moments before the shot was fired that killed sergeant matt ratana. ., ., , , ratana. the revolver in louis de zo sa's ratana. the revolver in louis de zoysa's hand- — ratana. the revolver in louis de zoysa's hand. he _ ratana. the revolver in louis de zoysa's hand. he had _ ratana. the revolver in louis de zoysa's hand. he had been - ratana. the revolver in louis de i zoysa's hand. he had been stopped on the street at about 1.30 in the morning. police found seven bullets on him. they searched him and his bag but did not find the anti—revolver the prosecution say he was carrying. he was handcuffed behind his back and put in a police van. the prosecution say that during the journey to the custody suite, louis de zoysa must have got the gun out of a hidden holster. at the station, matt ratana took his temperature to make sure he didn't have covid symptoms. then moved him to a holding cell where he asked an officer to search louis de zoysa again. that was when the gun appeared from behind the suspect�*s back. what the jury saw next on the

footage is a flash from the muzzle of the gun and then sergeant ratana falling backwards. he is immediately dragged out of the cell to be given medical treatment. dragged out of the cell to be given medicaltreatment. in dragged out of the cell to be given medical treatment. in the first volley there are three shots, then a struggle on the floor, then a fourth shot is fired after about 16 seconds. thejury shot is fired after about 16 seconds. the jury has shot is fired after about 16 seconds. thejury has been shot is fired after about 16 seconds. the jury has been told shot is fired after about 16 seconds. thejury has been told it is the fourth shot that causes the brain damage to louis de zoysa. in the dock he sat watching from a wheelchair. thejury the dock he sat watching from a wheelchair. the jury has the dock he sat watching from a wheelchair. thejury has been wheelchair. the jury has been told he still has problems talking and understanding what is said. he accepts he fired the gun but says he's not guilty of murdering sergeant matt ratana because he was suffering an autistic meltdown at the time the gun was fired. daniel sandford, bbc news, northampton crown court. the time is just after quarter past six. ourtop the time is just after quarter past six. our top this evening... four very young children have been stabbed by a man in a playground in france — a british child

is among the victims. and coming up — 90 years since the first recorded sighting coming up on bbc news... just 2a hours after winning the europa conference league trophy, west ham captain declan rice looks to be leaving the club. chairman david sullivan has told the bbc he promised rice a move away if he gave us all this season. wildfire season. thousands of people have been forced from their homes. but the effect of these fires is being felt by millions of people along the east coast of america as the thick smoke drifts south. take a look at this timelapse. new york city yesterday as pollution intensified and the sky turned an apocolyptic colour. this is two o'clock in the afternoon. from new york, here's

samira hussain. a blurry look at the manhattan bridge. the day is onlyjust starting in new york city, but the haze continues to linger from the day before when the city was engulfed in a thick orange fog. today, many heeded warnings about the hazardous air quality. commuters wore masks — seemingly back to the covid days. smoke from several hundred wildfires burning across canada continued to blanket the northeastern united states with dusty, polluted air. the blazes have already burned more than 3.8 million hectares of land, an area 12 times the ten—year average for this time of year. officials in new york city advise people to stay indoors. this normally very busy park was strangely quiet. how surprised are you by just how empty it is? yeah, it was a little shocking, actually.

i thought maybe i shouldn't be out here. not only the park, but all of our, you know, sidewalks are empty. it's reallyjust quiet. it's kind of eerie. it smells like barbecue. it's giving me bad headaches. despite that, some opted to give in to their passions. i do feel on some level, i'm being kind of an idiot. i'm just...it�*s like i'm just choosing to indulge my own naivete. everything's going to be ok! but some were already feeling the effect on their health. british actressjodie comer was forced to halt a matinee performance during her one—woman broadway show after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the polluted air. for a second day in a row, poor visibility caused flight delays and cancellations at several major us airports. even private businesses that cater to children and tourists closed because of the hazardous air quality. now, it's only the beginning ofjune, which means

wildfire season is only now getting started. and that means these hazy days of summer could become much more frequent for new yorkers. samira hussain, bbc news, new york. well, as those fires burn in canada, scientists in the united states have warned that there could be more extreme weather and temperature records this summer and next summer. that's because of the el nino climate phenomenon, which sees warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the pacific ocean near the equator. the weather pattern that last occured in 2018 and 2019 impacts weather all over the world. the nurse lucy letby, accused of murdering seven babies, has denied killing an infant to get the attention of a doctor. she's been in the witness box for a 13th day, at her trial in manchester. she's also accused of attempting to murder a further ten babies at the countess of chester hospital in 2015 and 2016. she denies all the charges. our north of england correspondent, judith moritz, is outside the court for us now.

yes, we can't name the doctor in question because of a court order. the prosecution here have described him as lucy letby�*s boyfriend, she disputes that but says she loved him as a friend. nickjohnson casey has been leading the prosecution and cross—examining the nurse and today he asked her had tried to get the doctor's attention. she said she didn't. is that why you sabotaged one of the babies, he asked her. no, she said. did you used to enjoy being in crisis situations with this doctor? he asked her. no, she said. did it give you something to talk to him about and message him about? no, she said, we were friends. lucy letby has been asked about all the babies in this case but today she was examined about two brothers. a third triplet doesn't feature in the trial but the two baby brothers do,

they are known as child o and child p. nickjohnson said, you injected air into his stomach, into his circulation through a violent mechanism, you inflicted an injury on his liver. she said no to all of that. then he said, but these things all happened on your watch, didn't they? yes, the nurse agreed. she denies all of the charges she faces here at manchester crown court, and the nurse has been in the witness box here since the start of may. we expect her to be back here again giving evidence tomorrow. judith, thank yom _ the way millions of people shop for food has shifted massively since the pandemic. shoppers are visiting supermarkets less and are spending more on cheaper own label brands — a change being driven by factors like the cost of living crisis. our wales correspondent hywel griffith has more. from aisle to aisle, we all love a bargain, but how and where we look

for one is changing. the pandemic brought a huge shift in the way that we all shop. it looks like rising prices seem to have driven us away from the stores too. in 2019, the average household made 18 trips a month to buy groceries. that's down to 16, but vitally, how much we spend filling the trolley has gone up. from essentials to the occasional extravagance, overall food costs have risen by nearly 20% over the last year. what we are shopping for has changed too. people are more price conscious than ever, bypassing some big names to pick up own—brand products. back in 2005, 45% of grocery sales were own—brand, but by the end of last year, that had reached over half at 51%. here, everyone wants to be a savvy shopper. i pretty much just shop for own brands, because i don't really see the difference in quality versus price. so you get more for your money? yeah.

definitely own brands and whatever is on offer and whatever is reduced. and if it is reduced, i will buy it on the day and stick it in the freezer. and sometimes you get things at half—price. supermarkets have had to react. matt runs a chain in south wales which hasjust launched its own loyalty scheme. i think the move is more of the instant gratification and seeing that discount. "i'm a cardholder, what can i get here today now?" rather than trying to build a stash of points that you can spend later. of course, people want convenience too, but fewer of us are going on to the internet to do our shopping. at its peak in february 2021, more than 15% of grocery spending was online, but that fell to less than 12% at the end of last year, when some people went back to their traditional shopping trip. more of us are now likely to start that shop at one of the discount supermarkets, but few people buy everything under one roof as they try to make the best of their budget.

hywel griffith, bbc news. this was the west ham team last night... after they won their first trophy for more than a0 years last night. and they are still celebrating! they beat italy's fiorentina 2—1 in the final of the europa conference league. our sports correspondentjoe wilson — is in east london. this carnival is good—natured but chaotic. in theory this is where it will start in about half an hour. we are expecting the streets to be closed to traffic, as yet they are not. i have met a few people who will remember when west ham won the cup final in 1980 but lots of people don't and i think it has a deeper significance when you have success after decades of waiting. the goal in the dying minutes, the skill and drama of it should be remembered as

a great sporting moment. everybody around me here and the club would also condemn the actions of supporters who threw the objects on. the club though is trying to embrace the atmosphere and i have spoken to fans who were in prague last night who would remind us to praise the behaviour of the majority of west ham fans in the town. what is going to happen? in theory at about eight o'clock in a town hall in east london, declan rice, the captain, just like bobby moore in 1965, will lift aloft a european trophy for these fans. sophie, letsjust hope we get there! joe, thank you. it's 90 years since the first recorded sighting of the so—called loch ness monster — a story from the highlands that has become famous around the world. nessie's existance has never been verified, but now nasa is being asked to help. lorna gordon reports. the tranquil water of loch ness, home to a mythical monster. those who go out on boats here always on the lookout

for anything unusual. there are plenty of hiding places here for the fabled beast. loch ness, it's said, contains as much water as the lakes of england and wales combined. steve feltham has dedicated his life to solving the mystery of the loch ness monster, and believes he saw it once too. it was like waves going that way across my vision, and the waves were maybe a foot and a half high. something shot through like a torpedo. i'm still waiting for the second glimpse of something, so it's not as easy as i thought. second glimpse... 30 years on. i know! why? what is the appeal? why do you do this? it's the chase, it's the hunt. it's the possibilities. something black there. where? by that white house. _ can you get it? no. there's been more than 1,000 purported sightings recorded over the past 90 years. you're a big part of this story, adrian. those who've investigated

the phenomenon celebrated at the revamped visitor centre, opening to the public. would you say you're a sceptic or a believer, then? i'm sceptical, but i'm not cynical. there's a difference. the team behind the loch ness centre has now asked nasa for help in determining once and for all whether nessie really exists. lorna gordon, bbc news, at loch ness. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. and that is quite an image. it's going to get warmer and warmer, isn't it? it going to get warmer and warmer, isn't it? , ., ., ., isn't it? it is, loved or hated. some really _ isn't it? it is, loved or hated. some really don't _ isn't it? it is, loved or hated. some really don't like - isn't it? it is, loved or hated. some really don't like the - isn't it? it is, loved or hated. | some really don't like the hot weather at all but the temperatures are set to climb over the next few days and the humidity will make it feel particularly uncomfortable overnight. we have the risk of thunderstorms which is not a bad thing. we don't want the thunder and lightning but we want the rainfall.

for our parks and gardens. this is the first sign