sarah rainsford is outside the stadium in nizhny novgorod. the fans are still coming out. have won the world cup. something to cheer about at least. these fans streaming out. both staircases fault. the stadium almost at capacity today. a lot of russian people wearing england shirts, supporting england today. a lot of panama supporters going home disappointed but there was a huge cheer from the crowd as the one panama goal went in. this is their first world cup and their first—ever goal, so they were celebrating, the beer was flying and they were loving that one moment. but england fans had the most to celebrate, six goals, extraordinary. still can't quite believe it. james was inside, we re quite believe it. james was inside, were you expecting anything like this? i was expecting a few goals today, but not as many as that. england played fantastic in the first half, i was hoping for more in the second half. were you hoping for ten? i was hoping for world cup records, nine or ten. ten? i was hoping for world cup records, nine orten. but i ten? i was hoping for world cup rec

sarah rainsford has this report. sarah: this world cup has started how russia wanted, taking the lead against saudi arabia in the opening game of the tournament. it is a positive start for russia for what they hope will be a positive world cup. of course, when russia won the right to hold the world cup in 2010, relations in the world re in a very different state, much better state. nce then, there is a whole string of grievances that many countries in the west have against russia. they include accusations of meddling in elections come accusations between the poisoning of the skripals in salisbury, the war in ukraine, the annexation of crimea. the list is extremely long. vladimir putin, seen in the stadium behind me today, is hoping that politit can be put the equation for the duration of the tournament. he wants the tournament to showcaseis country. there are 11 cities involved in the world cup. there is an awful lot of new ucinfrastrre. there is a huge crowd of people right around the world to be part of the party. t

sarah rainsford, bbc news, nizhny novgorod.m tulsen tollett. coming up in your thursday sport briefing: the women's semi—finals take to the court at the french open in paris, the men's quarter—finals will have to completed due to rain on wednesday and what to do when you're watching a match and a baseball lands in your beer. it's women's semifinals day at the french open and all eyes will be on world number one simona halep against former champion garbine muguruza. not only is there a spot in the final at stake, but the winner will also leave paris as the new world number one. both players looked in good form in their quarterfinals. halep, who's still yet to win a grand slam, had the toughest of them. she came from behind to beat germany's angelique kerber in three sets. sloane stephens takes on fellow american madison keys in the other semi—final. but rafael nadal, is also in action later on thursday. his semifinal with diego schwartzman was suspended because of rain. and the 10—time champion has plenty to do. he's a set down

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.aquarius, is heading for the spanish port of valencia where it's expected to dock on sunday. it follows italy's refusal to accept the vessel which has 600 people on board. meanwhile, a further 900 people have been rescued by spanish coastguards in the waters off morocco. bill hayton reports. spirits are high for the rescue ship to get aquarius and its people somewhere in the western medditeranean. a week ago, they almost drowned off the coast of libya and they have been soaring italy's political battles. now they are headed to safety in spain. on the quayside in valencia, hundreds of humanitarians getting ready to receive them. translation: vulnerable people are travelling on aquarius, and now on the italian vessels including children and pregnant women. there is also a group of people have suffered burns, some of them second—degree burns, due to the mixed water and fuel. in general, medical teams are used to these types of situations and patients are stable. but it is clear that such

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.wo lowest ranking teams in the whole time and playing today. russia ranked lowest, then saudi arabia. —— tournament. there isa saudi arabia. —— tournament. there is a lot of talk about how defensively both sides could play. nevertheless, everything is going according to plan. some of the issues have been raised and have been talked about in russia. it is alljust been talked about in russia. it is all just about how well everything is going, how the stadiums are ready and prepared. i just is going, how the stadiums are ready and prepared. ijust came back from saint petersburg. huge excitement in that city. coming back on the train, it was full of people, fans, and also lots of merchandising as well. you are getting that sense russia is about to be taken over by world cup fever. we will bring you all of the excitement, all of the atmosphere, and, of course, all of the action, when it all starts this afternoon here in moscow. thank you. we will talk to you again later in this programme. j

sarah rainsford reports from moscow.llow taxi turns sharply from a queue of traffic and ploughs into the crowd on the pavement, scooping up and carrying several people along on its bonnet before crashing into a road sign. the driver then leaps out and sprints off, pursued by others in the crowd, including fans in football shirts. translation: there were mexicans, people were screaming. the only thing that stopped him is that he had crashed into the pillar, into the street sign. people who saw him, normal people, detained him. he started driving over people. people were everywhere, they were walking, there was absolutely no room. he was pulled out of the car and he started running. he jumped out and then the witnesses caught him. security is high here in russia, with the world cup under way and thousands of foreign fans visiting. moscow's mayor has called what has happened close to red square "an unpleasant incident," and reports from two russian news agencies suggests the driver might have fallen asleep at the wheel and

sarah rainsford, bbc news, nizhny novgorod.corded by the bbc. a team filming on a remote island for the bbc one documentary drowning in plastic revealed seabirds there starving to death because there stomachs were so full of plastic that there was no room for food. 0ur science correspondent victoria gill reports. lying to the ocean in search of food. these sea birds are all too often finding and eating pieces of plastic. tens of thousands of flesh fitted chair waters nest on this remote island, hundreds of calamities of the coast of australia. even hear plastic is killing them. scientists are finding young birds with so much of it in their. there is no room forfood. these chicks have starved to death. but the researchers stepped in to save them and this bbc documentary crew filmed up close as the birds had their stomachs flushed out. 0h! it was shocking to see just how much would come out a chick. i mean, we saw 90 pieces come out of one of the chicks on the second night but the scientists were telling us they sometimes pull ou

sarah rainsford, bbc news, kaliningrad.all association has agreed to move the fa cup fifth round to midweek and scrap replays, while one round of the premier league will now be straddled over two weekends. the changes bring the premier league into line with other leading divisions around europe. now, when you eat a bowl of mussels, you expect to be eating seafood, but researchers say they found tiny pieces of plastic in all the samples of mussels they collected from uk seawaters and bought from supermarkets. researchers from the universities of hull and london say more work is needed to understand the implications of digesting the microplastic. here's our environment analyst, roger harrabin. the mighty oceans. nature at its most pristine. but, looks can deceive. human pollution is everywhere. including in shellfish like mussels. these creatures feed by filtering seawater. in the process, they're ingesting tiny bits of human debris. every 100 grams of mussels tested in this study contained an estimated 70 bits of waste. scie

sarah rainsford.mpletely inappropriate. earlier this week, airbus warned it could pull out of the uk if the country exits the single market and customs union, with no transition deal. speaking on the andrew marr show, mr hunt said the government had to stand firm and ignore siren voices. ijust i just thought it was completely inappropriate for businesses to be making these kinds of threats for one very simple reason. we are in an absolutely critical moment in the brexit discussions. what that means is that we need to get behind theresa may to deliver the best possible brexit, clean brexit, and what businesses want, and i was in business for 14 years, what they wa nt business for 14 years, what they want is clarity and certainty. the more that we undermine theresa may, the more likely we are to end up with a fudge that will be an absolute disaster for everyone. that wasjeremy absolute disaster for everyone. that was jeremy hunt speaking absolute disaster for everyone. that wasjeremy hunt speaking earli

that could make a huge difference to the way this world cup goes for england. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsforde england played this evening, and after the final whistle she sent us this. there was a huge roar of applause that came over the roof of the volgograd arena as that second and winning goal went in. huge relief as well for the england fans. there weren't that many of them inside the stadium. perhaps a couple of thousand at most. but they were making noise throughout this game, chanting and bouncing and singing, and no more than at the end when that goal went in in injury time. huge relief for england. the tunisian fans not so pleased. they hoped to hold it to a draw. they have been the ones in volgograd all day singing and celebrating throughout the day in the city itself. probably outnumbering the england supporters here in volgograd. this stadium is around about 16,000 capacity and it was fairly full today. there weren't that many empty seats, which is what some people have been worried about, because many england fans had been worried about coming to volgograd. it's a long way but a

sarah rainsford, bbc news, kaliningrad.he most european location there could be for that russian world cup ina could be for that russian world cup in a russian exclave between poland and lithuania are so is easier for most and lithuania are so is easier for m ost fa ns and lithuania are so is easier for most fans to get to. they have been coming in on buses and charter flights and we are expecting more to come to date as the atmosphere begins to build and i guess the party mood is set to continue. thank you very much. our very own dan's been following all the action in russia and is in moscow for us this morning. good morning, how is the holiday i mean the mulhauser going? it's very hard work! good morning to you all and welcome to moscow. you heard sarah took me about this being england's final group game. we are talking to mark lawrenson. we're going to talk about germany as welcome a big surprise them going home but for england, all the talk is of who you could play from this point on. people at the world cup wall charts

sarah rainsford in nizhny novgorod where fans are streaming out of the stadium after that extraordinarypporters here in newcastle have enjoyed a result they could scarcely have imagined before today. but they will be enjoying it long into the evening. new measures aimed at halving the number of obese children in england by 2030 are announced by the government.

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.in moscow. you are a huge football than. that is why you are there. —— fan. there was a lack of atmosphere and excitement when i arrived and we we re excitement when i arrived and we were worried. that has all changed in the last 48 hours. thousands of fa ns in the last 48 hours. thousands of fans from all over the world have arrived and ta ken fans from all over the world have arrived and taken over the city centre. no matter where you go, there are fans with flags draped around them chanting national songs. even this morning at 5pm there were bars still full of people drinking and having a great time. i even ran ita and having a great time. i even ran it a marry out she banned in red square on the way here at five o'clock in the morningmarry at —— mariachi band. i have to say, we are waiting for the buildup to come here. we are waiting for the first game and excitement to kick off. lots of conversations about the security. people are in a great mood 110w. security. people are in a gr

sarah rainsford, bbc news, nizhny novgorod. certainly getting into the spirit. party time!ack bear had to be freed by police after finding itself trapped inside a car during a hunt for scraps of food. the footage released by the placer county sheriff's office shows the creature stuck inside a vehicle near a campsite at california's lake tahoe. the bear is in the back of the car there. and there he goes, hejumps out. thankfully he was not hurt. in slow motion he leaps through, the glass will be a bit of a danger! but the security officer does a good job running away. you would not want to get too close. they are both fine. la ke get too close. they are both fine. lake tahoe. if you go down to the la ke lake tahoe. if you go down to the lake today... more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for premier league and championship clubs to allow safe standing at football matches in england and wales. earlier this year, a pilot scheme at west bromwich albion was rejected, but now the government says the "time is right" and on monday, mps will debate the issue. marta

thank you very much, sarah rainsford in moscow.ns, does it feel free because no fan has any expectation? absolutely, we have been booking to stay for as long as england the world cup, we will be out there for the duration, we do not know of that will be three weeks five. but i think anything past the group stages will be about. expect the coming of the programme, ally simcock from the football supporters association, sarah rainsford, our correspondent in moscow, and ron hogg, the police and crime commissionerfor hogg, the police and crime commissioner for durham and hogg, the police and crime commissionerfor durham and a hogg, the police and crime commissioner for durham and a former police officer. coming up... the couple making paddleboards out of rubbish to highlight the blight of plastic pollution on our waterways. and there is the paddle board. they have used that to get across vast oceans, iam have used that to get across vast oceans, i am told. we will speak to them between ten and 10:30am. thank you for your many comments a

laura: sarah rainsford reporting. soccer's governing body hopes that this year's tournament will improve its image after years of corruption. in his new book, "red card: how the u.s. blew the whistle on the world's biggest sports scandal," ken bensinger explains how the illegal dealings came to light he joined me on the show earlier. just remind us of what was the scale and the depth of the corruption uncovered at fifa. ken: there is aware that one of the prosecutors used, it isve endemic at level of the sport, from the highest high in a zÜrich, where fifa is headquartered, all the way down to the small soccer association, there was the same repeated kinds of corruption, on every level. laura: how did the fbi get involved? fifa inot exactly based in the united states. ken: that's right. it is a circuitous story, but the fbi got involved based on a tip from none other than o in 2010er steele, told an fbi agent in london that there was something afoot with russia's bid for the world cup, and fifa in general was of furth

sarah rainsford is in moscow. —— sarah raynsford is in nizhny novgorod. england played there.ories at major tournaments and certainly not by that scoreline. that is right. the fans you can see behind me, these are the panama fans hanging around the stadium. the england fans have headed straight to the bars in town because they have a massive amount to celebrate. for the panama team, this was their first goal at the world cup, for england, six reasons to celebrate, and a great atmosphere at the stadium in nizhny novgorod. six times the crowd had reason to cheer as they saw their side put in the kent of performance they could not have dreamt of. every world cup match reveals more about this england team. from tunisian resilience, now they faced panama's passion. for them, just being here is the climax of a journey. england are just getting started. the header from john journey. england are just getting started. the headerfrom john stones has gone in. inside eight minutes, john stones' goal had beaten off the tension. soon after, farallonjesse lingard brought the transformer. a p

sarah rainsford, bbc news, volgograd. time for a look at the weather with tomasz.n off from the usa and are on their way towards raf marham in norfolk where they will be based and i am told they will be based and i am told they will be based and i am told they will arrive this evening. the first of the new f35 lightning aircraft, taking off from south carolina and being flown by the newly re—formed 617 squadron they will land in norfolk tonight. i will leave you with a look at the weather. it has been a fine day across most of the uk with lots of sunshine around and not a lot of change in the coming days. the sun is very strong, as strong as it gets at this time of the year with high uv levels across many southern and western parts of the country. not in northern england near the north sea coast, temperatures here have been quite a bit lower. these are the evening values. still around 20 at a pm in the south. this evening a lot of clear whether, apart from the eastern areas where there will be a fair bit of cloud and much of that will filter inland so that means th

we can speak to our correspondent sarah rainsford who's in volgograd. of tunisian fans, is it starting to look a bit more balanced? not really. the other thing is that a lot of the people i see ina thing is that a lot of the people i see in a england shirts are not from england, there are a lot of russian people wearing england shirts. there are people wearing england shirts. there a re lots of people wearing england shirts. there are lots of tunisian fans. there are people with russian flags as well, an arsenal shirt over there, a real mixture of shirts but the england fa ns mixture of shirts but the england fans are in the minority. the tunisians have been singing and dancing in the city centre here in volgograd and lighting their flares and making quite a noise. being that fa ns and making quite a noise. being that fans have been more low—profile and there is a pretty good reason, one reason is 2016, the euros and the violence there with russian fans and another reason is the politics, the political atmosphere between the uk and russia at the moment

sarah rainsford with the latest on the world cup.nment is due to announce the wording of a compromise amendment to the eu withdrawal bill — which would strengthen the hand of parliament in the event that brexit talks break down. theresa may was forced into a compromise — when she faced defeat on a commons vote on a so—called meaningful vote on tuesday. 0ur chief political correspondent, vicki young, joins me now. do we have the wording and do we have any sense of the response to it? we thought there would be an agreement by five o'clock. this has to be tabled for technical reasons by five o'clock today in order to be considered by the house of lords on monday. remember that the government only won the vote on this because it said to be remain conservatives on their side, don't worry, we will sort it out and we will please you. that is what the negotiations have been about. it is about ultimately, whether parliament can prevent the uk leaving the eu with no deal. this is what conservative rebels are trying to get to. so we have had co

let us hear from our correspondent sarah ra i nsfo rd from our correspondent sarah rainsford who hashat goal went in. there are not many english bands in that stadium but a couple of thousand may be huge roar of relief as much as anything, i guess, has that second harry kane goal went in. i was watching it as it went in. fantastic relief for england. the tunisian player is worth their heads in their hands, they could not believe they had conceded so late on. we are just saying that goal now. yes, a lot of shouting in the ground today has been from russian fans who have come to watch the match and they were shouting for russia, neither england or tunisia! but the england fans have been singing and dancing and chanting throughout. a huge roar of applause and relief as that harry kane header went into the net. we are seeing pictures of what must now be the last seconds of the game. four minutes of injury time. that is it, it is all over. 2—1 to england against tunisia and volvo grad. despite the absence of england fans, has the adam szubin lively then? despite the absence of england fan

so, ahead of the england game, sarah rainsford visited volgograd to discover what kind of welcome awaits image of power and defiance. mother russia, calling on the nation to stand firm against the enemy. the monument to the brutal battle of stalingrad is now a place of pilgrimage. and it looms over the site where england's world cup bid will begin. but the alliances of world war two have been forgotten by some here. translation: i'm wearing this because the west is russia's enemy. they want to kill us all. i see that they hate us. that talk comes from a new national assertiveness. vladimir putin's russia now parades itself as a global force to russia now parades itself as a globalforce to be russia now parades itself as a global force to be reckoned with once again. hailing the soviet victory over the nazis as a key part of that. but this resurgent russia insists it is no threat. ian volgograd, the mayor turned to a guide to show off his city, spruced up guide to show off his city, spruced up to welcome the world —— in volgograd. i want people who may be a bit wary to come to love russia

well, our correspondent sarah rainsford was mingling with the fans at volgograd.that second and winning goal went in and huge relief for the england fans. there weren't that many inside the stadiums. but they were making a noise throughout this game. they we re noise throughout this game. they were chanting, they were bouncing and they were singing and no more than at the end as that goal went in in injury time. huge relief for england. the tunisian fans, not so pleased. they hoped they could have helped this and they would be the ones all day you have been singing and setting off flares and celebrating throughout the day in the city itself. cobleigh outnumbering the england supporters. this stadium is a roundabout 45,000 capacity and it was fairly full today. of course, many england fans have been worried about coming here to volgograd, it's a long way, but also because of that violence two yea rs also because of that violence two years ago. the atmosphere here has been great and peaceful. people celebrating in the city and here in the stadium tonight. there is a

let's speak to sarah rainsford who's outside the nizhny novgorod stadium, where the match is being playedhe england fans, is fantastic. there is a packed stadium at nizhny novgorod, the brand—new city stadium, 45,000 seats, very few of them empty for this game and a massive cheer coming from the england stand every time a goal went in. 5—0 england. we were speaking to the fans going into this game and some of them were saying that they thought that kane would score a hat—trick. 0ne that they thought that kane would score a hat—trick. one of them said, 5-0 score a hat—trick. one of them said, 5—0 england. we said, norway, far too optimistic. they could make it more. we have been hearing cheering since the beginning of the second half. england could score again. panama not looking particularly pleased. they knew they were the underdogs going into this game. they have been singing and dancing and waving their flags and cheering on their team but this was nothing like they were expecting going into this. they hoped they could hold england toa they hoped they could hold england to a draw. it h

it‘s a city that was closed off to foreigners until just a few weeks ago, as sarah rainsford reports.l fans from all over, enjoying the party. there‘s even the odd england supporter. for now, though, it is the fans from panama that are most conspicuous. and some, like the lopez family, are confident ahead of the england match. what‘s your score prediction? 3-0. 3—0 to panama? ooh! you‘re optimistic! many england fans have been put off coming to russia by the politics between the uk and this country, but one thing has become clear with this world cup — that russia is doing everything in its power to show its best face to the world. so the covers have finally come off the onion domes and the embankment is open at last after years hidden behind a giant fence. that‘s where we found two england fans, though their journey from moscow wasn‘t the easiest. seven hours in the back of a transit van from moscow to nizhny. really excited for tomorrow. like, should be a really good game. we should win as well. like, seeing england win at the world cup — not many people can say they have done that.

sarah rainsford is at the nizhny novgorod stadium — she caught up with some england fans ahead of then a considerable cab ride to make the match on time. it isa it is a long journey, six hours from moscow. probably the longest taxi i will ever take. but we are here. what is the atmosphere like. fantastic. it is great to see the england fans and the ruckses being hospitable. this what you expected? no, when i told people back home that i was going to the world cup, most people thought i was going to be in trouble. but it has been good. and how about you. where have you come from? we came together. we went to stalingrad first. and everyone's been very friendly. that is what you we re been very friendly. that is what you were expecting from russia? yes, i think we were happy to come. we knew it would be quite well organised and a lot of happy people. obviously, this is an important game for england. any predictions? it is suppose to be a comfortable win. probably about 5—0. suppose to be a comfortable win. probably about 5-0. kane hat rick. we will smash them. harry kane, hat trick we wo

sarah rainsford reports. these england fans took the easy route to russia. i2 our charter flight direct to kaliningrad. it is the westernmost venue for this world cup. high-5. supporters found a warm welcome at the airport. i found growing confidence in the england team. do you follow england if they do well and carry on? lesson, i am not getting back on that plane. i will escape work and just deal with that, i'm afraid. it will be too big an opportunity. i will stay until we are out, i think. and how long might that be, do you reckon? to the final, of course. but this match is bya final, of course. but this match is by a beach on the baltic, and the fa ns by a beach on the baltic, and the fans are making the most of that. the belgians fully kicked out, despite the heat wave, and the california goal who is backing england. he makes me follow england, so... england. he makes me follow england, so... and this time it has meant such a bad team to follow, right? so far, so good. hopefully we will qualify, at least. we will see where we go from there. things like

let‘s speak to sarah rainsford, who‘s outside the nizhny novgorod stadium where the match is being played a big crowd. they have been pouring in. still coming in. we havejust over half have been pouring in. still coming in. we have just over half an have been pouring in. still coming in. we havejust over half an hour to go. a big crowd from panama, england and russia. a lot getting their faces painted. the england and russia. a lot getting theirfaces painted. the match will ta ke theirfaces painted. the match will take place in this new stadium here. i found four men who are going to be in the crowd who come from the uk. you have got here by taxi from moscow. how was the journey?“ you have got here by taxi from moscow. how was the journey? it was a long journey, six hours. probably the longest taxi i will ever take what is the atmosphere like? fantastic. it is lovely to see all the england fans and the russians being so hospitable. that is what you expected? no, wen i told people, people thought i was going to be in trouble. but it has been great. how about you, where have you come from?

the bbc‘s moscow correspondent, sarah rainsford, is in volgograd.d, which was fought right here and england fa ns was fought right here and england fans have been paying their respects here and the chairman of the fa joining them. so that is this morning. the focus will turn towards the stage later in the day. kick—off at local time, evening time here, so it will be a lot cooler when it is boiling hot. fans trickling in, they have been coming from moscow today by train and by plane. and at the moment, the atmosphere is extremely warm and very welcoming for them. thank you. and the england team have been posting this morning because they have this new approach to engage people more. asking for support. we'll be looking ahead to that match throughout today's programme, including a chat with the former england midfielder frank lampard, in moscow, in just a few minutes. 0ther other news now. theresa may will give more details on her promised £20 billion cash boost for the nhs in england today, as she comes under increasing pressure to explain where the

talk to our sport news correspondent, natalie prirks who at the nizhny novgorod stadium first to sarah rainsfordhe day with the england fans. i would imagine it was deafening at the end. it was. the raw, six times we heard that today. nothing like we we re we heard that today. nothing like we were expecting. the england fans celebrating like they never thought they would and the celebrations have continued here tonight and the panama fans have also been enjoying the moment because for them it was their first world cup and first ever goal in the world cup. they have been dancing in the street as well. the england fans have the most to be pleased with and i am joined by some fans, mark and alex, originally from sunderland although you have come from canada. what was it like? we did not expect that. we hoped for it but we did not expect it. we came from canada, it was amazing. our first time seeing england play live, we watch them on tv and it was a dream come true. a hat—trick for harry kane. when your captain is scoring, he is leading and when he is leading, your players play the best. everyone i

but as sarah rainsford reports, in kaliningrad, some locals are determined to prove them wrong.ssian street. kaliningrad is almost ready to welcome the team here and crowds of fans. some locals are even taking them into their homes. nicolai shows me the space he's offered three england supporters for free. and from the decor, it's not ha rd to free. and from the decor, it's not hard to guess why. his visitors should feel quite at home with this bathroom. the flat could be a squeeze, bathroom. the flat could be a squeeze, with nikolai's girlfriend living here too. but on match night, nicolai tells me he doesn't think his guests will be sleeping much anyway. you wanted it for free because? because it's fun, it's not about money, it's about football, it's about friendship. we're not frightening! no, we don't have bears and guns in every room! kaliningrad was part of germany before world war two, and it still looks and feels quite european in parts. but this exclave is now part of russia, and some in britain still have concerns about fans‘ safety at the world cup. this official call

daughter in salisburyjust the latest in a series of hostile acts blamed on russia, our correspondent sarah rainsfordrt of welcome awaits the england team. she is the image of power and defiance. mother russia. calling on a nation to stand firm against the enemy. the monument to the brutal battle of stalingrad is now a place of pilgrimage. and it looms over the site where england's world cup bid will begin. but the alliances of world war ii have been forgotten by some here. translation: i am wearing this because the west is russia's enemy. they want to kill us all. i see that they hate us. but russia insists it is no threat. in volvograd, the mayor turns tour guide to show off his city. spruced up to welcome the world. i want people who may be a bit wary to come to love russia, he told me. so there's plenty of this now. and fans who say the political chill won't affect the football. there's no politics. with love from russia! there's a lot invested here in putting on a good show. at this new ground the russian cup final was the last test game ahead of the england match. for russia this match is all a

earlier we spoke to sarah rainsford, our moscow correspondent, who told us about the city of nizhny novgorodascinating because it was a closed city in the former soviet union. it is in fact the fifth biggest city in russia so not a small base by any means but the centre is pretty compact. you can see over there is the main site in town, the kremlin, nizhny novgorod has its very own kremlin, a job other sites that people who flooded into nizhny novgorod for the games here have been touring round, taking in the cultural spots as well as the bars and cafes. this is a city that has been transformed by the world cup, as russia as a whole has, but particularly nizhny novgorod. in soviet times this place was com pletely soviet times this place was completely closed to foreigners. it was a place where they built tanks and atomic submarines and foreigners just were not welcome here. in fact they were prohibited. it is a long time since the soviet union collapsed but this really was not a tourist destination. i think that has changed and maybe with the world cup more people will come here. very hot in

but first, sarah rainsford is with england fans in the centre of kaliningrad.te an atmosphere today. there is. getting much livelier over the past 2a hours as england supporters pour in and belgium's too of course, taking advantage of the fact this part of russia is in the heart of europe, a0 minute drive to the polish border. people have been taking coaches here, chartering flights. the atmosphere is great, people here singing and chanting, on the squirt all day waving flags, england flags hanging from all sorts of railings. it is very different from the scenes we saw when england opened their world cup here in russia. they were wa ry world cup here in russia. they were wary of russia itself, politically and of russian fans after the violence at the euros two years ago. things have changed, everyone here has given a very warm welcome to the england fans. it is notjust that, england fans. it is notjust that, england fans. it is notjust that, england fans have been telling me they are more confident in the team. after the performance of the last two games, they

sarah rainsford, bbc news, nizhny novgorod.s very early this morning and there is a chance of catching a shower little later on this afternoon. the angry looking clouds toward the south across the bay of biscay and thunderstorms continue in the near co nsta nt, thunderstorms continue in the near constant, but he just some showers perhaps breaking out in the southern counties. they should be inland, away from the coast, so that will stay dry. the vast majority of the country should have a dry day and cooler on that zero seekers, anywhere from newcastle down to hull and lincolnshire. tonight, more of the same. cloudy conditions developing across many eastern, central and southern areas. first thing tomorrow morning, if you are an early bird, it could be pretty gloomy and overcast at least for a time. perhaps even a few showers lingering. during the course of the morning, the clouds will break up and once again it will be a fine day. temperatures will get to around 21-22 day. temperatures will get to around 21—22 where the sun pok

our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford is outside the stadium in volgograd where the match took place to you, sarah. it was a night with some nerves, but the result was good. yes, huge relief for england fans. not a huge number of them in town, around 2000 and the stadium, but they were making quite some noise during the game, of course, and when the winning goal went in we were outside by then. we heard the raw soaring over the roof of the stadium. as you can see, it is pretty quiet outside in volgograd, it was the tunisians who we re volgograd, it was the tunisians who were the noisy ones yesterday, setting off flares and singing and dancing. they were a lot quieter after the match and the england fans came out celebrating that win. a tense game, especially in the second half, but for england a result they we re half, but for england a result they were looking for and for the fans a great result. extremely relieved, people partying very late into the night. i could hear them very late from my hotel room. and sarah, feel free if you need to wave your arms wildly, because i know there

anyhow, plenty of fans are in russia, and sarah rainsford has been talking to some of them in moscow.s is moscow, but not as i know it. this is a city that's been transformed over the past couple of days into the world centre of football, and ourfans here from all over the world. this huge group here are all from peru. there seemed to be thousands of people from peru all over moscow at the moment. and this huge number of people from peru. unbelievable. there are a lot of people from peru, from everywhere. we came here just to see our country. what has it been like here in russia? it is amazing. it is awesome. everybody is super friendly. everybody is super nice. a long time since peru made it to the world cup, right? yes, after 36 years we made it. so i am excited to see them again. it seems like half of peru is here. i'm very happy here. peru, world cup champions. do you think you have any chance of the world cup? yeah, we have a chance. we're going to the semifinals. absolutely. so, also people from panama and iran, saudi arabia of course. it is a completely different atmosphere to

our correspondent sarah rainsford has been to one of the host cities, but she didn't get the warmest one car, sometimes three — and i think there's one of them that's been with us on our tail the whole day, right behind now. we realised we had company wherever we went. even to interview players at the local football club, excited they'll be moving from this ground to the city's new stadium after the world cup. and minutes after we met local opposition activists, there was this. the pair at the door said they'd come from state television to interview us, but we hadn't told anyone we'd be here. this group support president putin's biggest critic, alexei navalny, and some here tell me a country that regularly detains political opponents doesn't deserve to host the world cup. i'm very upset about their position, the position of other countries towards putin and towards the people with whom he's surrounded himself. you wish the world had stayed away? yes, definitely, yes. back to the putin phone in, and one caller asked what advice from his father would he pass on to his children? and as

sara green spread, bbc news, kaliningrad. —— sarah rainsford.act after six months scrutinising the legislation. the prime ministerjustin trudeau has committed to making marijuana legal by this summer. facebook has warned a software bug may be responsible for millions of users unknowingly posting private information to the public. the company apologised and said the glitch had set users' posts to be shared to "everyone", even if they had previously chosen a more restricted option. the firm added that those affected would be notified on their newsfeeds. approximately 600 homes have been destroyed following the volcanic eruption on hawaii's big island. the latest estimate of property losses from kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, comes more than a month after it began to erupt. millions of dollars in disaster relief have been pledged to the island by hawaii's governor. one in 12 children is thought to persistently hear voices that in reality aren't there, and now new research suggest the reaction of adults can affect the voices they

sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.tical condition after being stabbed in ipswich last night. the 16—year—old was attacked in a fast food restaurant at around 7.30 yesterday evening. it's the third stabbing in the town this month. a 17—year—old was killed two weeks ago and a man in his 20s was injured on monday. apple is changing the security features on its iphones to prevent them being unlocked without proper authorisation. the move will make it more difficult for police to unlock the phones of suspected criminals. the company denies it is trying to prevent law enforcement agencies accessing phones' data, but in 2016 refused to help police in unlocking the phone used by a gunman who killed 1a people in the us. nasa says a vast dust storm has engulfed a quarter of the surface of mars, forcing the solar—powered opportunity rover into a dormant state. officials say they're extremely concerned that the six—wheeled robotic explorer is no longer responding to commands. space engineers hope the rover will wake up once the st

not very much i would imagine. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford is outside the stadium ahead of today'she sun is shining, a warm day, there are concerns about that. how is it there? it is hot already, early morning, it's already steaming hot here. a bit ofa hot here. a bit of a challenge for england when they get onto the pitch later today, 3pm it will be really barmy and four panama, that's normal, but not so much for england. the conditions otherwise are great here, as we were hearing from natalie how much the fans are enjoying it here in nizhny novgorod. in soviet times this city was closed to all foreigners, so it has changed dramatically in the last weeks as russia has as a whole with this massive influx of tourists and visitors and football fans pouring in. people here in nizhny novgorod, not only from the teams playing in the city, but from lots of other countries involved in the world cup, soa countries involved in the world cup, so a total transformation of the city which has been transformed with lots of investment, a brand—new stadium and everything gearing up for the game th

our correspondent sarah rainsford is with england fans in kaliningrad.have to win. that is true but it is not really affecting the mood here. look around, the crowds starting to build buy the stadium, coming for the last over to this brand—new stadium built ona over to this brand—new stadium built on a swap, brand—new for the city saw something for them to benefit. in terms of the fans at the build—up has been great, fans from belgium and england in the city centre parting as we have never seen them in this world cup and the numbers because crowds have been pretty small so far. the england fans numbers are growing and they have a family here from bolton who for them as their first england match. tell us as their first england match. tell usa as their first england match. tell us a little bit about the town party atmosphere. it was very exciting, everybody was peaceful and in high spirits and mingling and the city centre was well organised. it was great to be here, what a great experience. lots of people in england shirts. i have made bolton wanderers t—s

our correspondent sarah rainsford is in volgograd. there, there are a lot more tunisian fans here than england fans. about 2000 from england have made it to volgograd for the game but we have found a few of them, four brothers from manchester and they have come a long way for this game. what is the atmosphere like? fantastic. great. warm and friendly. everything we had hoped for. is it what you expected? it is. it is really good. love it. you have come a long way, you came from australia. icame a long way, you came from australia. i came back tojoin my brothers. a long way, you came from australia. i came back to join my brothers. was it worth it, for england? once—in—a—lifetime. great atmosphere, great day. we are going all the way. i was going to ask you for your predictions? 2-0 3-1. certainly some positives there. england fans here in the minority, this is a large stadium, most people in there will be russian fans, many of them are supporting england, but also many supporting tunisia. a lively crowd gathering. the tunisians have b

it's a city that was closed off to foreigners until just a few weeks ago, as sarah rainsford reports. as it has never been before. a city closed to foreigners in soviet times is now wide open to the world. there are football fa ns wide open to the world. there are football fans from all over enjoying the party. there is even the odd england supporter. for now, though, it is the fans from panama who are most conspicuous. and some, like the lopez family are confident ahead of their match. what is your score prediction? 3—0. you were optimistic! many england fans have put off coming to russia about politics between the uk and this country but one thing has become clear with the world cup, russia is doing everything in its power to show its best face to the world. so the covers have finally come off the onion domes. and the embankment is open at last year ‘s hidden behind a giant fence. that is where we found to england fans, and thejourney from moscow wasn't the easiest. seven hours in the back of a transit van from oscar at the nizhny novgorod. excited, should be a good game, we should

our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford is in kaliningrad's victory square.ut how was the atmosphere? it was a strange match, and i don't think this was the game that many of the people who, when they bought their tickets, were thinking they would see, especially a lot of people in kaliningrad who were hoping this would be the great game that took place in their city. it didn't really turn out to be like that. but of course, as that goal went in for belgium, the belgian fa ns went in for belgium, the belgian fans did draw with pleasure, and for them, at least, this did prove the power even of their second side —— roar. one called it tactical genius, another said losing was in fact the best thing they could have done. the england fans are fairly happy with the result. they don't feel this is their best side so they are not too disappointed. having ta ken their best side so they are not too disappointed. having taken that second place, they are hoping that this means, as you have been saying, england could have an easier path through the world cup. i don't thin

sarah rainsford, bbc news, kaliningrad. russia was expelled back in 2014 after it annexed crimea. he claimed russia could still play a leading role in the g7. that's caused more controversy on top of all the controversy on top of all the co ntrove rsy over controversy on top of all the controversy over his trade tariffs as well. so it's going to be a difficult summit for donald trump. but there he is in a force one just arriving in quebec. —— in air force one. in and the news with vishala. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. the prime minister says she has full confidence in borisjohnson, after the foreign secretary is secretly recorded suggesting the government lacks guts in the brexit negotiations — and that donald trump could do a betterjob. meanwhile the eu's chief brexit negotiator says the government's so—called backstop proposal can only apply to northern ireland, and not the rest of the uk. and a war of words as world leaders gather for the g7 summit in canada — with deep divisions over american trade t

let's hear from some fans and speak to our correspondent sarah rainsford. fact. what sort of atmosphere is building up with only a few hours to go? the atmosphere is definitely building. the atmosphere is getting hotter and the noise is getting louderfull. i don't know how much you can hear and see behind me but there is a big crowd of tunisian fans who have been bouncing, singing and waving their flags, using players outside the stand zone or other bands have been watching the previous match. the tunisian fans be in the majority of the moment. after a fairly low profile day yesterday, a lot of people have headed into volgograd today wearing their england shirts and flying the flag. there are a couple of england fans with me here, you have come all the way from... phoenix, arizona. cheltenham, england. how he found the atmosphere? friendly. brilliant. there was a bit of concern about what kind of greeting england fans would get here, the dictionary after the 2016 euros. have you had any concern about the mood here? nothing, it has been brilliant. lots of fri