live from london. this is bbc news. figures reveal that the uk has emerged from recession, the prime minister says he is positive. i’m minister says he is positive. i'm confident that _ minister says he is positive. in confident that the figures show that the economy has real momentum, it is hard to argue that when the figures show we have the highestjoint growth rate. fierce fighting in ukraine's kharkiv region, as russia launches a surprise attack. pc sharon beshenivsky — shot dead two decades ago — the mastermind behind the armed robbery is finally sentenced for her murder. israel's prime minister vows — to press ahead with the offensive in rafah — in defiance of us

and — harry accompanies his wife meghan — at the start of an informal tour of nigeria. donald trump's returns to the court as his �*hush money trial�* resumes in new york. iam i am alive in malmo as the dutch entry is told that he is barred from rehearsing at the last minute. we will have that and the latest from malmo. hello and welcome. confirmation that the uk economy is no longer in recession. the economy grew by 0.6% between january and march, recession. the economy grew by 0.6% betweenjanuary and march, the fastest rate for two years according to official figures. the fastest rate for two years according to officialfigures. the prime minister sat down exclusively with our economics respondent and said the economy was finally gaining

momentum. it the economy was finally gaining momentum-— the economy was finally gaining momentum. , ., ., ., ~ momentum. it is going to take time for --eole momentum. it is going to take time for peeple to _ momentum. it is going to take time for people to really _ momentum. it is going to take time for people to really feel— momentum. it is going to take time for people to really feel better, - for people to really feel better, i'm confident that the figures show we have momentum, it is hard to argue with that when the figures show we have the joint highest growth rate in the g7. that is positive, there is more work to do, but wages are rising, you and i focus on gdp,

paying around £550 less tax. i get that there is more work to do, if asking if there is more work, of course there is more work to do, i am keen to stick to stick to our plan and keep delivering for people. that was rishi sunak talking. head to the bbc website, a full write—up on that interview and other contributions as well. a lot of

background intervention boot—mack information from the prime minister. ukraine's president zelensky says a fierce battle is under way in the kharkiv region, with russia launching — what some have described as — a surprise attack. small groups of troops with armoured vehicles pushed through the front line — military sources say they advanced a kilometre, before being pushed back — there are reports of sustained russian shelling. ukraine's defence ministry says, reinforcements have been sent to the region. here's president zelensky. translation: russia started| a new wave of offensive action in the kharkiv region. ukraine forces met them there with brigades and artillery fire. it is important to understand that they can increase and bring more forces in this direction. it is a fact. 0ur ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, is in kyiv. he gave us ukraine's reaction to the attack. what they are saying is that we were anticipating an operation such as this. but they are nevertheless

having to move reserve troops into this part of the north eastern kharkiv region. and it is really centring it seems around a town where 3,000 people live, and are currently being evacuated. it has long been anticipated for the past few weeks that russia will try and mount some kind of offensive in this area, around 35,000 troops are thought to have gathered across the border inside russia. i think we are some way short of that, but moscow has been pretty upfront about its desire to establish a so—called buffer zone, to try and increase the gap between their respective troops because ukrainian forces increasingly been shelling the russian region to the slight nervousness of some western allies. clearly, russia wants to increase that gap but of course, fighting is about shaping as well, if you have these russian forces drawing ukrainian troops and trying to make further incursions, if they were to deploy those troops further behind,

it could amount to something more. but i don't think many in ukrainian or western circles are expecting the city of kharkiv itself, the country's second biggest city, to fall as well as others because simply of the number of russian troops we are talking about and the losses that russia as well as ukraine have sustained so far. just briefly, where are we when it comes to weapons? we know that finally that deadlock in washington was broken recently, where are we when it comes to ukraine actually defending itself? it is a bit murky at the moment, we know some of that western help is arriving, we don't know what. one would imagine it would be mostly artillery shells because the americans had their stockpiles in europe itself. but this unlocking of western aid won't be realised immediately. even once it arrives, medium—range missiles, those air defence systems to counter russian air superiority,

ukraine's goal for now is to simply stabilise the front line. israel's prime minister has said again — he intends — to press ahead with the assault on rafah in the gaza strip. that is a red line for the us — but benjamin netanyahu says — he hopes to overcome his differences with president biden. more than a million palestinians are sheltering in the city — and america has already paused a shipment of munitions, in protest at israel's plans. the israel defense forces, say, they have enough weaponry for an assault — and an attack, is the only way to fully defeat hamas. paul adams has the latest, from jerusalem. the fifth day of israel's ground operation in the south. israel still calling this "limited" — troops yet to enter rafah�*s overcrowded streets. but tanks and troops are massed nearby. the threat of an all—out assault still feels real. joe biden has warned israel not

to do it and threatened to withhold weapons, but israel's prime minister says he's determined to destroy what is left of hamas. you know, we often had our agreements, but we've had our disagreements. we've been able to overcome them. i hope we can overcome them now, but we will do what we have to do to protect our country. israel is heavily dependent on american weaponry with the ministry of defence celebrating the arrival of everything from jeeps to smart bombs. joe biden�*s threat to suspend deliveries carries rare symbolic weight, but how much does it really matter? when we speak about difficulties within the idf, it would be for the long range or the medium one. for tomorrow war in gaza or tomorrow more war in lebanon, if it will happen, that will not make any difference. this week has seen a fresh wave of palestinians fleeing the fighting. most have moved multiple times before, the war following wherever they go.

some are going north, searching for scraps of open ground, often by the sea. places without any basic services. "we take water from the sea for our children," soumya says. "there are no bathrooms, no food, no tents. "look at the children. "they haven't had any breakfast or even seen food." seven months of war have totally upended life in the gaza strip, displacing most of the population, creating vast new refugee camps. with ceasefire talks still deadlocked, this desperate movement looks set to continue. paul adams, bbc news, jerusalem. the 75—year—old ringleader of an armed robbery in which a police officer was shot dead almost 20 years ago has beenjailed for life for her murder. pc sharon beshenivsky was killed when she responded to reports of an armed robbery at a bradford travel agent. her colleague, pc tesea

milburn, was seriously injured. piran ditta khan spent nearly 20 years evading justice. just over an hour ago, he was told he would serve a0 years in prison. earlier andy brennan, a retired detective superintendent in west yorkshire spoke about the case in a press conference. i think the judge summed the case up really well. he recognized the gravity of what had taken place. the 35 to a0 year sentence less the time he spent waiting to be extradited on remand is a reflection of what happened to the previous offenders who actually went into the premises and were convicted of murder. so it's in line with us and i think i appreciate it. i think the officers of west yorkshire police appreciate it, as will the family of sharon beshenivsky and her colleagues. we see a 75—year—old man sitting in the dock with health problems. what do you remember him as from 18

and a half years ago? well, he is a violent individual. yes. he's the reason why he's here at 75 years of age is on the basis that he decided to flee the country in order to try and make good his escape and avoid being held responsible and accountable for his part in what had taken place. and let's be absolutely clear, he is clearly the one person that was responsible for organising and planning this and making sure that those who went in there and firearms and loaded firearms and all these years on how satisfying is it to perhaps have some closure on this investigation, even though you're not involved any more? yeah. after after being involved in it from the very beginning and given a personal commitment, paul and his family and teresa as well, and as well as to the late chief constable... that we would ensure that all those responsible would be held to account. it's professionally pleasing for me, but more so i'm more concerned that paul, their children, lydia and pauljunior, feel

that as they describe in their closing, in their statements, their impact statements, that this is the end of a chapter and it is the end of a chapter, however they clearly will never, everforget. and the ultimate price that she paid for doing herjob. earlier a representative for the family of pc sharon beshenivsky also gave a statement. the 18th of november 2005 is a date that will remain etched in our memories forever. what started as a happy special day to celebrate lydia's fourth birthday was a day that ended devastated with devastating and sad consequences due to the callous actions of 0f piran ditta khan and his associates. since then, the 18th of november is no longer a birthday celebration for lydia and all of us. but now a day of remembrance and memorial.

that was the day the lives of our family and those close two sharon changed for ever. as well as her friend and two sharon changed for ever. as well as herfriend and colleague two sharon changed for ever. as well as her friend and colleague teresa and herfamily. november 2005 was the start of an almost 19 yearjourney, a journey seeking truth and justice for sharon, who was not just a police officer, but a loving mum, wife, daughter, sister and friend to many. 0ur journey seeking justice and closure of the judicial process is now at an end. this journey has and continues to be difficult for all of us. enduring the several trials over the years has been hard, and each one of them has taken us back to the very beginning, which made us feel like we had lost sharon all over again. and now we once again pick up the pieces of our lives and continue forward, as sharon would have

wanted us all to do. we would like to thank all those who have been involved in the investigation and criminal justice process for their tireless dedication, perseverance, support and attention to detail which have made this day possible. we respect the findings of the court and thank the jury for the diligence and care they took over considering all the evidence during the eight week trial. however, no prison sentence, however long, could ever compensate us for sharon's life and our loss. but we will move forward knowing thatjustice has now been served. the family statement read out in front of the leeds court. the bbc has tracked down — one of europe's most wanted �*people

smugglers' barzan majeed — nicknamed the scorpion. speaking from northern iraq, he defended arranging for thousands of people, to travel to the uk, in small boats and lorries, arguing migrants are begging him for help. i've been speaking with our reporter sue mitchell, who is part of the team that tracked him down. she says barzan majeed's phone number was found on the phones of migrants coming to britain in small boats. my partner in this investigation is rob lawrie. he's former british army and he has a lot of contacts in the migrant camps in both in europe and in the middle east. together we set off to find the scorpion, barzan majeed starting in nottingham where he used to live. we're searching for the boss of one of the biggest smuggling gangs in europe. he calls himself scorpion. he's on the run and he's wanted by crime agencies across europe. we finally track him down after eight months, a search that began in nottingham through france, belgium and turkey.

then finally to iraq, where rob and i meet him face to face. he sets out to rob shocking claims about how many people he smuggled into the uk. maybe a thousand. maybe 10,000. i don't know. thousands of passengers had your number- in their phones. i'm telling you. yeah, you're right. what are you saying? nobody forced them. they wanted to. they begging. they begging the smugglers. please do this. you know, you know that - smuggling through the europe is illegal and highly dangerous. you know that, of course. and yet you did it. i'm telling you, i've done the kind of things i've done it. the rise in these gangs has led to even more people attempting dangerous channel crossings in small boats and say, please help.

the haunting words of six—year—old miley. she was rescued from a dingy as it was sinking in the channel. 0thers as it was sinking in the channel. others are not so lucky. listening to that, he was quite brazen in what he was telling you. what are the authorities doing? we what are the authorities doing? - passed his location to the authorities, barzan majeed received authorities, barzan majeed received a ten year sentence in the belgian courts, he was on the run so that sentence is outstanding. and it is a difficult situation because we tracked him down in iraq, there is no extradition treaty, it creates a lot of problems for authorities in europe. they are going to try and negotiate with iraqi authorities to get back. these children are still making these dangerous journeys and barzan majeed is still living a life of luxury in iraq and he should face

the authorities, face justice of luxury in iraq and he should face the authorities, facejustice in this case. the authorities, face 'ustice in this mt the authorities, face 'ustice in this asst the authorities, face 'ustice in this case. ., ., this case. you can hear the full sto of this case. you can hear the full story of the — this case. you can hear the full story of the bbc _ this case. you can hear the full story of the bbc journalist - this case. you can hear the full story of the bbc journalist and | this case. you can hear the full. story of the bbc journalist and the story of the bbcjournalist and the volunteer aid worker who she was talking about going on the hunt for one of europe's most hunted crime bosses. it is in a new series, you will find it on bbc sounds or whether you listen to podcasts. coming up in a moment, we will have the latest from the trump hush money trial, we will hear from the latest from the trump hush money trial, we will hearfrom our correspondent following the case and later on, harry and megan begin a three—day visit to nigeria, we will see what they have been up to, all thatis see what they have been up to, all that is coming up on the programme here on bbc news.

this is bbc news.

lets head to new york. donald trump's hush money trial has resumed in new york. the former president returned to court — in the last half hour — he has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, of falsifying business records, in relation to a payment made to the adult film actress, stormy daniels. she finished testifying yesterday. live now to new york and our north america correspondent, nada tawfik. yeah, well, matthew, today's witness is very different to stormy daniels. it's madeleine westerhout. she is a former white house aide who was right outside the oval office with donald trump working as one of his assistants, and she quite literally wrote a book about how much she enjoyed her time working with the president, said on the stand that she believes he is treated unfairly and so the prosecution, afterfinishing, basically, the defence has now been questioning madeleine westerhout and she has perhaps been one of the most helpful witnesses to them yet.

she detailed how she was the one who would bring checks to donald trump in the white house from the trump organisation to sign. remember, part of those 30 forfalsifying business records charges are checks, ii checks that donald trump signed which prosecutors say was an illegal reimbursement to michael, which prosecutors say was an illegal reimbursement to michael cohen, which the defence says was just donald trump being legal expenses that were legitimate to michael cohen, so madeleine westerhout essentially said that donald trump would often sign cheques without reviewing them and that she couldn't recall specific instances where she fell he spoke to alan wesselberg, the chief financial officer, about specific checks, although she had acknowledged under questioning by the prosecution

that he did often speak with his chief financial officer even when in the white house, so again, matthew, she hasjust been a helpful kind of witness for the defence to try to undercut the prosecution's arguments that this is part of the conspiracy. prince harry, says it's been great to be back in the uk, at the end of a three—day visit from america. the bbc has been given exclusive access to a charity event in central london he attended, and daniela relph, was there. go! it's a side of prince harry we've not seen so much of lately. he mucked in for a very special party. every child in this room has lost a parent who served in the military. the charity, scotty's little soldiers, supports them. prince harry was the surprise party guest. since he left the uk for california, seeing him up close in this context has been rare. very nice to meet you. nice to have you back. how is it being here?

perfect timing. it's great. it's amazing. what scotty's is doing with these kids is absolutely incredible and very needed as well. the more...the more opportunity we get to do these kind of events, the more that families and kids up and down the country actually know that scotty's exists, which is really the most important thing. is it nice to be back in the uk? nice to see you. the family fallout on the move to america has limited what prince harry can do for organisations he support in the uk. this party was the first event he had been able to attend in person with the charity. prince harry got so much from that room and had so much fun and joy that i would not mind betting that he's probably thinking about those children right now, because it does that to you. it really makes you think that these children are incredible. harry's competitive streak was on full show. this was a race to eat the strawberry laces the quickest. the prince found himself on the winning side.

and the roll the chocolate down the tape measure game was also a crowd pleaser, with not a bit of food going to waste. how many maltesers did you eat off the floor? er, you guys probably know better than i do but at least three. i think, at that point, it started getting a little bit weird. from london to nigeria, and a reunion with his wife, meghan, duchess of sussex. the couple are in abuja, talking to schoolchildren about easing the stigma of mental health. cheering and applause. its a visit that will highlight the work they do with the foundation. but harry and meghan are no longer working royals, so this isn't an official visit of any kind. it will include engagements related to the military, sport and gender equality. a very similar agenda to the royal

tours they have done in the past. it's feared, the african penguin, could become extinct in the wild by 2035, because of overfishing, climate change and oil pollution. their population has reduced by 99% in the last century. conservationists are hoping legal action against the south african government, overfailure to protect the endangered species, might help save them. jenny hill, has more from the western cape. theirs is a story of survival. but every year there are fewer african penguins. soon there may be none at all. life on africa's southern tip is precarious. there are predators, seals and gulls. but the real enemy is human, wrecking their habitat and taking their food. now conservationists are taking the south african

government to court. if the current rates of decline persist into the near future, we could see the extinction of the species within our lifetime, by 2035. the birds need sardines and anchovies, but the fishing industry wants them too. south africa's entering untested legal waters. fishermen are already banned from some areas. conservationists want the courts to close off more. in the harbours here, fury. it'll cost, workers warn, money and jobs, and it won't help the penguins. we're a fraction of the problem. well, there's predation, seals, sharks. we've got oil and gas exploration, noise pollution. it's going to be a little bit bumpy. watching the case, a man who's spent decades monitoring the wildlife here. if government, fisheries and all the ngos play their part,

i think they've got a good future. we can overcome what's happening at the moment. you really get a sense of their vulnerability. many of the penguins in this colony are protecting eggs. they're waiting to raise their young, and yet ultimately their fate lies in human hands. the south african government won't yet comment on the case and legal action can take a long time. already too late, some fear, for africa's dying breed. jenny hill, bbc news, the western cape. more of the days headlines coming up in a moment on abc news. hello. for most of us, it feels more like summer than spring out there today. another very warm one across large swathes of the uk. the weekend will be very warm, as well.

dry for most on saturday, but things are set to change on sunday with the increasing chance of some heavy thundery showers. you can see weather systems waiting in the wings out in the atlantic, but, for the time being they are being fended off by this area of high pressure. we do have a bit more in the way of cloud across the north of scotland. the odd spot of rain here. also, this area of low cloud and mistiness rolling on to some of these eastern coasts of east anglia and the south—east of england. elsewhere, good spells of sunshine, highs of 2a, maybe 25 degrees. through this evening and tonight, this area of cloud will roll its way in off the north sea into parts of eastern england, perhaps getting into the midlands, as well. also some areas of low cloud just rolling across the north—west of scotland, maybe affecting shetland. most places seeing clear skies and hence some sunshine to start saturday morning. temperatures not dropping too far at all. for saturday, this area of cloud will tend to roll back towards north sea coasts. for most, it's going to be fine with some sunshine, but we do have the chance for some

showers to pop up. they should be quite well scattered, but across some parts of scotland, especially over high ground, we could see the odd heavy thundery downpour. equally, in the best of the sunshine, highs of 2a, perhaps 25 degrees. not a bad looking day for northern ireland, maybe just the odd shower out towards the west. dry for the bulk of england and wales. a bit of patchy fairweather cloud and still some of this low cloud and mist affecting some north sea coasts, but temperatures easily up to 23, 2a, 25 degrees. 0ur area of high pressure starts to give way as we head into the second half of the weekend, with these frontal systems rolling in from the atlantic, so the increasing chance of seeing some heavy showers and perhaps some thunderstorms popping up as we head through sunday, particularly across parts of northern ireland, northern england, wales, the midlands and down towards the south—west. it may well be that eastern parts of england stay dry. we'll see some showers getting going across parts of scotland. still very warm, though, with temperatures up to 25, perhaps up to 26 degrees on sunday. as we head into next week, well, a very different weather outlook.

it looks much more unsettled. some rain at times and feeling cooler, as well.