simon gompertz, bbc news., dan walker and louise minchin will have all the day's news, business and sport. this is the briefing from bbc news. the latest headlines: as iran's supreme leader rules out going to war with the united states, the pentagon raises its threat level assesment. 10 downing street says mps will have to decide what happens to the brexit deal in another round of votes injune. now it's time to look at the stories that are making the headlines in the media across the world. we begin with the guardian, and theresa may who has pledged to give mps another opportunity to vote on brexit early next month, with or without labour's backing, afterjeremy corbyn raised concerns about her ability to deliver on a cross—party deal. the independent says despite uk unemployment hovering at its lowest rate since 1974, around four million people are now working while living in poverty thanks to slow wage growth and cutsto in—work benefits. and cuts to in—work benefits. the south china morning post reports chine

simon gompertz has more.ls would build on community projects like this in south london, powering the lifts and communal lights in a block of flats and promising lower bills. it means some kind of energy, and clean one... local backers like fay say the savings are winning over other residents. some people — full stop — "i just want to pay less," and if they can also see that in their bill with the solar energy, how could they complain after that? labour says 1 million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans and grants to help 750,000 other households install them. so this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like, and it says that, to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to renationalise the national grid and the local electricity by adjusting for what it calls asset stripping, despite warnings that it could be challenged in court for paying too little. pa

our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz is here. quite big news from the chancellor.solution foundation, the think tank, says that 200,000 people have been taken off low pay in the last year because of it, and it also includes people on slightly higher pay, because they tend to get moved up if people are on minimum wage. now the government is looking at the future. next year there is a target of getting the national living wage, currently £8.21 up to 60% of average pay, and we will achieve that, we will get it up to £8.60 next year, but after that they are thinking about going to 66% of average pay, and that would get us to something like £9.60 per hour, if you did that immediately. this is what the chancellor had to say about it today. the point of the day's presentation is around where we go next with the national living wage. we will have reached 60% of median earnings by next year. that puts us pretty much at the top of the leaderboard internationally, and the question is, can we push the national living wage rate further, possibly as far as eliminating low pay al

simon gompertz, bbc news. 0ur our top story this evening.... coming up: we speak to liverpool defender virgil van dijk ahead of this weekend's champions league final. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we'll let you know how england got on in the opening match of the 2019 cricket world cup against south africa — we'll be live at the 0val. thousands of disabled children and theirfamilies have been protesting across england calling for the government to end what they call a national crisis in special needs funding. the organisers say the rallies in 28 towns and cities are part of a national action to highlight how funding is failing to keep pace with demand. but the government says extra money has been provided. here's our education correspondent frankie mccamley. need to make sure it all stands out, don't we? get our message across. harry's mental age is like a three—year—old. has to know what's happening, and if things change then harry has meltdowns and can get very violent and aggressive. jane says she's had to fight for transport to get

simon gompertz, bbc news.l english line—ups kicks off tonight. arsenal and chelsea fans are gathering in azerbaijan, ahead of the europa league final, a match overshadowed by controversy surrounding the host city, baku. supporters of both clubs faced long and arduousjourneys, david 0rnstein is in baku . ra rely rarely has the lead up to the major sporting event focused so little on the sport itself from travel to human rights, the road to baku has been farfrom smooth. human rights, the road to baku has been far from smooth. but do not forget there is a game to be played with a lot at stake. 3000 miles away on the edge of asia lies baku, an unlikely venue for a london derby. the cost and complication has denied many the chance to be here. those who are have stories to tell. so i travelled from barrow in furness, and probably the only person from there here today! it's taken me probably the best part of 30 hours, car, three flights, big long layovers. but now that we're here, we're just happy and looking forward

simon gompertz, bbc news.ng to the chief ombudsman, caroline wayman, in just over an hour. mps are to be asked to vote in early june on the bill that would pave the way for brexit, despite an apparent lack of progress in talks between labour and the government. the prime minister will try to rally support for her planned exit deal before parliament breaks up for the summer. let's get more from our political correspondentjessica parker. good morning to you, jessica. in terms of significant developments, where is this one? what theresa may is trying to do is set a deadline to try to get parliament to finally maybe pass the legislation that is neededin maybe pass the legislation that is needed in order to secure the uk's exit from the european union. now, jeremy corbyn and theresa may met last night in westminster for an hour. that is where the prime minister told the leader of the 0pposition of the plans to bring forward what is known as the withdrawal agreement bill in early june. earlyjune will be shortly afte

simon gompertz, bbc news.s time for our world — which this week travels to iraq and syria to discover the disturbing story of the yazidis‘ secret children. the yazidis... an ancient religious minority and the victims of one of the islamic state's most ritual attacks. but they are a minority now hiding a secret. many yazidi women were forced into sexual slavery, and some have had children fathered by their islamic state captors. children who were often their only solace through years of torture. translation: i was in prison for four years, but i've been able to put it all behind me now because of this child. but women like rojin are being forced to choose between their children and returning to the yazidi community. children born of rape are not welcome. translation: i want to ask you, are we wrong to miss our children? i mean women like us, are we wrong? over the past year, i've travelled across northern iraq and syria to find the women being forced to make this agonising choice, and to tell their story, the s

simon gompertz, bbc news. this is outside source, live from the bbc newsroom. mueller refuses to exonerate president trump and says constitution wouldn't have allowed him to lay charges. the president declare its "case closed". other stories from around the bbc newsroom: 16 people have been charged in bangladesh over the murder of a teenager who was burned to death days after alleging her school headmaster sexually harrased her. he's accused of ordering the killing from jail, and is among those charged. bbc bengali has the details. amnesty international says myanmar‘s army is committing fresh war crimes against ethnic groups in rakhine state. a new report accuses the army of arresting, killing and torturing members of an ethnic buddhist guerrilla force. the army denies the allegations. that's on bbc burmese. mourners have been paying their last respects to the world motor racing champion, niki lauda, who died last week. his body is lying in state in the austrian capital, vienna. lauda was famed for returning to the sport, weeks after being badly burned during a

simon gompertz, bbc news.system for looking after frail older people begins to fail. analysis commissioned by the charity shows large parts of the country now have no care home beds at all. the situation is even worse for nursing homes — needed for the most frail — with more than 60% having no places at all. the care system ensures older people get help with daily tasks such as washing and dressing, either through support in their own home or in a residential care or nursing home. it's well known in the system is under pressure, and now age uk is concerned what it's calling care deserts are emerging, places where the vulnerable cannot get any help. research it commissioned has found that 30% of areas have no residential care beds, while more than 60% have no nursing home beds, with the south west, north east, and east of england the most badly hit. we know of a lot of families who are just at their wit‘s end, because they're terribly worried about a parent, or maybe it's a partner, and theyjust can't find the

simon gompertz has more.ould build on community projects like this in south london, powering the lifts and lights in a block of flats and promising lower bills. it means some kind of energy and clean. local backers like faye say the savings are winning over other residents. some people, full stop, say, "i just want to pay less." if they can also see that in the bill with the solar energy, well, how could they complain after that? labour says one million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans and grants to help 750,000 other households install them. this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like. it says that to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to re—nationalise the national grid and the local distribution companies with the current owners, investors, probably getting back a lot less than they think those businesses are worth. consumers are really ang

simon gompertz has more.ity projects like this in south london, powering the lifts and communal lights in a block of flats and promising lower bills. it means some kind of energy, and clean one... local backers like fay say the savings are winning over other residents. some people — full stop — "i just want to pay less," and if they can also see that in their bill with the solar energy, how could they complain after that? labour says one million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans and grants to help 750,000 other households install them. so this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like, and it says that, to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to renationalise the national grid and the local electricity distribution companies, with the current owners and investors probably getting back a lot less than they think those businesses are worth. labour wou

simon gompertz has more. panels would build on community projects like this in south london, powering the lifts and communal lights in a block of flats and promising lower bills. it means some kind of energy, and clean one... local backers like fay say the savings are winning over other residents. some people — full stop — "i just want to pay less," and if they can also see that in their bill with the solar energy, how could they complain after that? labour says i million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans and grants to help 750,000 other households install them. so this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like, and it says that, to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to renationalise the national grid and the local electricity distribution companies, with the current owners and investors probably getting back a lot less than they think those busin

here‘s simon gompertz.p between asking and selling prices stands at nearly 4% across britain. so narrower than matt‘s in pricey london but up from 3.3% last year and a recent low of 2.7% halfway through 2016. so a price drop could make all the difference. it could mean you can afford to buy. but for many, the house price boom was so big it means that even with a small drop in prices, they‘re still way out of reach. and there‘s a stand—off between buyers expecting something cheaper and many potential sellers not bothering unless they absolutely have to put their homes on the market. it‘s really important to find the home you want to buy, i mean the home that want to live in, not looking for a good deal. and you‘ve got to remember that actually sellers are being a bit nervous at the moment and they‘re not putting houses on the market so there might be fewer homes to choose from. house sales are still brisk in some parts of the country, but for people like matt, being able to argue the price down can make the

our personal finance correspondent, simon gompertz is here. intention in most cases, £350 million was lost last year by people and businesses to these sorts of scams, more than 80,000 cases. only around £80 million of that money was ever paid back, the bank said it was not their fault, often saying it was the customer's fault and they would not get the money back, but if everyone follows this voluntary code, more money should be reimbursed. for instance, if you buy something on the internet that instead of paying with a card you are deceived into paying by direct transfer from your bank account or you get if uncle from somebody who plausibly seems to be from your phone provider, offering help sorting out computer problems, you give them passwords and they empty your bank account. another one is solicitors or builders' e—mail accounts are hacked, they send you a bill you expect to receive but with a fraudster‘s details attached, people have lost tens of thousands of pounds to that sort of thing. it will be good if more is paid back that the ban

simon gompertz has more.sing lower bills. it means some kind of energy and a clean one. local backers like faye say the savings are winning over other residents. some people, full stop, say, "i just want to pay less." if they can also see that in the bill with the solar energy, well, how could they complain after that? labour says one million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans and grants to help 750,000 other households install them. this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like. it says that to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to re—nationalise the national grid and the local electricity distribution companies with the current owners, investors, probably getting back a lot less than they think those businesses are worth. we know that consumers are really, really angry that they've been ripped off for some time. we know these companies have been

here's simon gompertz. it is the third one.off, nearly 10% down from the original asking price. two bedrooms. 75 square metres. fully renovated. no one has lived there since renovations have been done. the price coming down, what difference did that make for you? it meant that i could buy the flats. it was at a price point that i could afford. i had money for a down payment. and i would be able to get a mortgage. the average gap between asking and selling prices stands at nearly 4% across britain. narrower than that in london but up from 3.3% last year, and a recent low of 2.7% halfway through 2016. a price drop could make all the difference. it could mean you can afford to buy. but for many their house price boom was so big, it's means that even with a small drop in prices, there still way out of reach. and it is a stand—off between the buyer is expecting something cheaper, and many potential sellers not bothering unless they absently have to put their homes on the market. it is important to find the home you want to buy, the

he‘s been speaking to our arts editor, will gompertz. simone something around the idea of climate change. i think it is absolutely essential that poetry responds to that issue and i would like there to be some kind of platform or competition or award that recognises writing around those themes and topics. simon armitage. the new poet laureate wanted to be a rock star and now he is treated like one. from the very beginning, he believed in taking poetry to the people. time in the brain cells sweating like a nail—bomb, trouble with a heart beat, cut to the chase, pick up the pace, no such thing as a walkabout fun run, shoot glance in the crime and day room, don‘t hang about, you‘re running out of space. what do you think the role of poetry is in 2019 in contemporary society? my feeling is that it is more valuable and more relevant than it has ever been in this world that we live in, which is a very confused confusing place. 0ver information, over communication. poetry is time out from that. did it cross your mind even for a moment when you were o

he has been speaking to our arts editor, will gompertz. simoneading the present, his poem about climate change, a subject close to his heart and at the top of his poet laureateship manifesto. i definitely want to initiate something around the idea of climate change. i think it's absolutely essential that poetry responds to that issue and i'd like there to be some kind of platform or competition or award that recognises writing around those themes, those topics. simon armitage. cheering and applause. the new poet laureate wanted to be a rock star, now he's treated like one. from the very beginning, he believed in taking poetry to the people. time in the brain cells sweating like a nail—bomb, trouble with the heartbeat spitting like a sten gun, cut to the chase, pick up the pace; no such thing as a walkabout fun—run, shoot yourself a glance in the chrome in the day—room, don't hang about, your running out of space, son. what, simon, do you think the role of poetry is in 2019, contemporary society? my feeling is that it is more valuable and more re

simon gompertz has more.solar panels would build on community projects like this in south london, promising lower bills. it means some kind of energy and clean. local backers like faye say the savings are winning over other residents. some people, full stop, "i just want to pay less. " if some people, full stop, "i just want to pay less." if they can also see that in the bill with the solar energy, well, how could they complain after that? labour says one million council and housing association homes would get the panels, saving £117 a year each on electricity bills, and there'd be interest—free loans an grants to help 750,000 other households install them. this is what labour wa nts install them. this is what labour wants its green energy policy to look like. it says that to get this done quickly across the country, that's one of the reasons it wants to re—nationalise the local grid and the local industries distribution companies with the current owners, investors, probably getting back a lot less tha n inve

the new poet laureate, simon armitage, speaking to will gompertz. that's it. have a very good night. hello, and welcome to sportsday. i'm lizzie greenwood—hughes. here's a look at what's coming up tonight. we're just 48 hours away from finding out who'll be crowned this year's premier league champions. mercedes continue their f1 dominance this season, with another 1—2 in practise for the spanish grand prix. and matt wallace doesn't drop a shot on his way to leading the british masters after two rounds. welcome to the programme. well, what a week of football we've had and we're not done yet. with the premier league coming to a close on sunday, it's been one of the closest title races in history as manchester city and liverpool have gone toe—to—toe for months. patrick gearey looks at an epic season that's finally coming to a end. heart beats. how much more is there left? how much more can anyone say? —— can anyone take? the wild week in the champions league gives way to a final stay off in the premier league. both liverpool and man city know that if they blink,

here's our arts editor, will gompertz. simonnt, his poem about climate change, a subject close to his heart and at the top of his poet laureateship manifesto. i think it's absolutely essential that poetry responds to that issue and i'd like there to be some kind of platform or competition or award that recognises writing around those themes, those topics. time in the brain cells sweating like a nail—bomb, trouble with the heartbeat spitting like a sten gun, cut to the chase, pick up the pace; no such thing as a walkabout what, simon, do you think the role of poetry is in 2019, contemporary society? it is more valuable and more relevant than it is more valuable and more relevant than it has ever been in this world that we live in, which is a very confused and confusing place — over—information, over—communication — that poetry is time out from that. did it cross your mind even for a moment when you were offered the post to say, actually, i don't think this is one at this stage, for a white male. maybe somebody from a different po

gompertz. i had wanted to offer my daughter a taste of the glacier... simon essential that poetry responds to that issue and i'd like there to be some kind of platform or competition or award that recognises writing around those themes, those topics. time in the brain cells sweating like a nail—bomb, trouble with the heartbeat spitting like a sten gun, cut to the chase, pick up the pace; no such thing as a walkabout what, simon, do you think the role of poetry is in contemporary society? it is more valuable and more relevant than it has ever been in this world that we live in, which is a very confused and confusing place — over—information, over—communication — that poetry is time out from that. did it cross your mind even for a moment when you were offered the post to say, actually, i don't think this is one at this stage, for a white male? maybe somebody from a different point of view or background would be better for this role at this moment? i come from a sort of an outside position. i've got no formal education in english literature at all. i understand,