scotland's former first minister gives her reaction, after her husband was charged with embezzlement of snp funds. a man is in a critical condition after setting himself on fire outside the court where donald trump is on trial voting begins in the world's biggest election, in india — with narendra modi hoping to win a third term as prime minister. in the run—up to this election there are questions about whether it's actually been a fair competition. the tick tick tick of love bombs... and double excitement for taylor swift fans, as her new album is released. and on newsnight at 10:30pm... with china, iran and russia forming an ever tighter alliance, could a knife edge boat tomorrow in the us house of representatives determined the future of global conflict?

good evening. the un secretary—general and other world leaders have called for restraint in the middle east, after what's believed to have been an israeli attack on iran overnight. us officials say israel was responsible for a missile strike. the israeli government hasn't officially commented. iran says the attack didn't cause any damage and indicated there would be no retaliation. there were reports of explosions in syria, iraq, and most significantly in iran, in the province of isfahan, in the middle of the country. the area is home to an airbase and several nuclear sites, as well as a missile factory. us officials called it an israeli missile strike. iranian media said three small drones were involved. in a moment we'll hear from our north america editor

sarah smith, in washington, and our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. but first, lucy williamson is injerusalem. well, there are reports tonight that israel's defence minister has been having conversations with his us counterpart. there's obviously been a lot of pressure from israel's allies to contain this crisis and the sense here tonight is that both israel and iran may be looking for a way to avoid escalating it. but this is the middle east's most dangerous conflict and this crisis has changed calculations on both sides. a message not of war but of warning. explosion. that israel could also strike its enemy at home if it wanted. after threatening a harsh and massive response to the smallest incursion, iran has downplayed this morning's strike.

its president didn't mention it once in his speech today. and this is the situation in isfahan, as shown on iranian tv. the message — "nothing to see here". other than that, nothing has happened, everything is back to normal. israel was divided over how to respond to iran's barrage last weekend. thejudgment of one far—right cabinet minister this morning — lame. and injerusalem's main market today, many others were disappointed. when a bully comes to you, we're going to respond to the bully with restraint, so the bully�*s just going to come back harder and harder and harder. but if you want to take down a bully, you've got to take down with force. i expected more, to be quite honest. i think more would have been evenjustified, considering they sent 300 rockets to kill so many people. i think that we are losing, - we're losing the war with hamas, we're losing the war- with his hezbollah, we're losing the war with iran.

we're losing, and it's a pity, we have so many strengths, i but were afraid to use it. air-raid siren. last weekend, iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles towards israel — punishment, it said, for the assassination of a senior commander in syria earlier this month. all but a handful were shot down before hitting israeli soil. this missile fuel tank pulled by israel's army from the dead sea. israel's allies urged it to take the win and avoid escalating the conflict. we're committed to israel's security. we're also committed to de—escalating, to trying to bring this tension to a close. this strike, and iran's muted response to it, suggests both sides are keen to step back from this conflict. but their direct confrontation last weekend has left them in a new, more dangerous position. the immediate risk may be cooling,

but from where they stand now, it's a shorter route to war. one analyst says there's a lesson for the future in iran deciding to act, even when it knew israel would respond. they considered it, and they took it into account, and they decided to do it. so there is a change in a way that they are thinking. therefore, i have to take into account that, in the future, they will be doing the same things. and this is the big question, because israel is not going to stop attacking any arms that are coming across the iraqi—syrian border. iran today avoided blaming israel directly, even as crowds called for its destruction after friday prayers. but israel is already fighting iran—backed groups across the region. even if this crisis is subsiding, the spark that triggered it will not. lucy williamson,

bbc news, jerusalem. our north america editor is sarah smith. sarah, president biden of course had urged restraint will stop what is being said in washington tonight? well, interestingly, president biden and those around him are very deliberately saying almost nothing about this today, except to confirm the us wasn't involved in any military operations, and that is because amid the relief here that the israeli response was relatively small—scale, they don't want to fan the flames of anything by statements or commentary coming out of here but you are right, president biden had urged israel to take the win, the massive failure of iran's attack on them last weekend, and not to read your italianate and as we saw israel —— and not to retaliate and as we saw israel didn't. there is growing frustration here about israel's tactics, what has been happening in

gazais tactics, what has been happening in gaza is bringing mounting concern, there is limited success for the us affecting israel's operations there. america is israel's biggest backer. congress will vote on aid to be sent to israel but it doesn't seem to buy them as much influence as the white house would ideally like.— house would ideally like. sarah, thank yom _ our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is with me. iran indicated they would be no retaliation for this. do we take that at face value? for retaliation for this. do we take that at face value?— retaliation for this. do we take that at face value? for now this round seems — that at face value? for now this round seems to _ that at face value? for now this round seems to be _ that at face value? for now this round seems to be over, - that at face value? for now this round seems to be over, both l that at face value? for now this - round seems to be over, both sides believe they have sent a very clear signal to their arch enemy, that if they strike there will be a heavy price to pay. in other words, they believe they have re—established deterrence. for iran, this limited strike, which israel hasn't

officially acknowledged, gave them vital political space, that they could say nothing happened, that they don't have to invoke that rule, that new rule, that when israel strikes iran will hit back immediately and hard. for israel, this limited strike seems, as we've been hearing, to be a warning salvo, that israel can and will strike the beating heart of iran, the central province of isfahan, which is home to a nuclear facility, province of isfahan, which is home to a nuclearfacility, a major air base, an industrial heartland, which produces the drones and missiles which iran sent into israel by the hundreds last sunday. so behind iran's dismissal, even mockery of what happened this morning, there is so much for iran to worry about and as we've been hearing the roots of this confrontation aren't over. iran's network of proxies, armed militias across the region, and of course what has been a decades long

hostility between these regional rivals. so tonight there is a palpable sense of relief in the region, in capitals including london. no one wants an all—out war but tonight no one can say for certain what will happen next. all certain what will happen next. all ri . ht, certain what will happen next. all right, lyse doucet, thank very much. now to the rest of today's news. scotland's former first minister, nicola sturgeon, says allegations that her husband embezzled funds from the snp are "incredibly difficult". peter murrell, who's a former chief executive of the party, was charged by police last night. the current first minister humza yousaf described the development as very serious. here's our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon. nicola sturgeon, seen for the first time since her husband was arrested and charged. it's incredibly difficult, but that's not the main issue here, so i can't say any more, i'm not going to say any more. if you don't mind i'm still quite a new driver so please try not to distract me

when i'm driving away. thank you. the home she shares with peter murrell was searched by police when he was first arrested last year, as was the snp�*s headquarters. mr murrell was its chief executive for more than two decades. after being held in custody for more than nine hours yesterday, he now stands accused of embezzlement — the misuse of funds, stealing money from the party he once ran. we now know that an individual has been charged, peter has been charged, where the allegation of embezzlement from party funds and that's a really serious matter indeed. many people in the snp, right across scottish politics, will be shocked by the news. the party's former treasurer colin beattie and nicola sturgeon, who were both also previously arrested, remain under investigation, but have not been rearrested or charged. when nicola sturgeon stepped down

as scotland's longest serving first minister, she said she would remain a member of the scottish parliament but that she wanted a bit more privacy and anonymity in her life. that appeal for privacy reiterated today, but this has been a dramatic 2a hours for two people long seen by many as scotland's political power couple. this is the latest development in the long—running police investigation into the finances of the party one of them led and one ran. the crown office now looking at evidence gathered by officers to decide whether to prosecute peter murrell. lorna gordon, bbc news, glasgow. lancashire police say they're reviewing information about allegations against the mp mark menzies, who's accused of misusing campaign funds. mr menzies was suspended by the conservative party after the times newspaper reported claims that he'd asked a party activist for thousands of pounds, saying he needed it to pay what he called "bad people" who'd

locked him inside a flat. it's believed the police had received a call from labour for the matter to be investigated. mr menzies has told the times he strongly disputed the allegations. a man is in a critical condition in hospital after setting himself on fire outside the court in new york city where donald trump is on trial. our correspondent nada tawfik is outside the court. what more do we know? what are police saying?— what more do we know? what are police saying? well, “ournalists had 'ust police saying? well, “ournalists had just learned _ police saying? well, “ournalists had just learned that — police saying? well, journalists had just learned that jury _ police saying? well, journalists had just learned thatjury selection - police saying? well, journalists had just learned thatjury selection was| just learned thatjury selection was completed in donald trump �*s trial when the man entered the park opposite the courthouse. he has been identified as a resident of florida, in his mid—30s, and when he entered the park he threw coloured pamphlets, doused himself in lighter fluid, and set himself on fire and we could see the blaze, could smell

and feel the fire. he was taken away immediately, within two minutes, officials, civilians, had put the fire out. people of course screaming and in distress, calling out for help. but officials say he wasn't targeting any specific groups or individuals, that it was unrelated to the trial, he was a conspiracy theorist, and the court resumed as normal. donald trump denies charges he falsified business documents to cover up a payment to the former aduu cover up a payment to the former adult film star stormy daniels. mil adult film star stormy daniels. all right, thank you, nada tawfik. the biggest election in the world is under way in india. unemployment and inflation are major issues, along with the future of india's democracy, following a crackdown on political opponents. prime minister narendra modi is hoping to win a third term in power. the main opposition congress party, in alliance with smaller parties, is seeking to prevent that. the election is an enormous undertaking. close to a billion people can cast a ballot, one in eight

of the world's population, so voting takes place on seven separate days over the next six weeks. yogita limaye reports from uttar pradesh. a right given to every adult citizen since india's independence. more than 75 years on, it remains a much cherished one. despite the blazing heat, people came out. this is rural muzaffarnagar in uttar pradesh. a politically significant state because it sends the most number of mps to parliament. many here are farmers and daily wagers, coming in early so they can get to theirjobs after voting. this man has flown back from saudi arabia, where he works as a construction labourer, to cast his ballot.

translation: unemployment is the biggest issue in india. i the situation for young people is terrible, and it can only change if we cast a vote and elect leaders who can fix it. when people go in to cast their ballot, they will be able to press a button and select whichever candidate they please. but in the run—up to this election, there are questions about whether it's actually been a fair competition. "save democracy" — the main slogan of this alliance formed against prime minister narendra modi's bjp by dozens of opposition parties, including the once powerful, now diminished, indian national congress. this is rahul gandhi, their main face. he's among more than 100 opposition leaders who've faced criminal cases under bjp rule. some, like arvind kejriwal, are injail — seen here in custody of law enforcement officials

accused of corruption. he's delhi's chief minister and a prominent face of the opposition alliance. we met his colleague, sanjay singh, who was also jailed for months on similar charges. everywhere, they are targeting the opposition parties and making false cases, putting the leaders inside the jail. the prime minister — a mass leader like only a few india has seen in its history. he's widely expected to win the election, riding on a hindu nationalist agenda, a growing economy, and on the promise of welfare schemes. he rejects the opposition�*s charges. "the people who steal from the poor are going to jail." "strict action will continue to be taken against the corrupt." "this is modi's guarantee," he said at a party event. today, the first votes

have been cast. hundreds of millions more to go over the next six weeks. yogita limaye, bbc news, muzaffarnagar. this week, we've been reporting on the infected blood scandal, and today, there's been a significant development as a result of our coverage. a document seen by the bbc suggests that, as early as 1973, a secret medical trial meant young haemophiliacs were deliberately given a blood product doctors knew was high—risk and that the government was involved. an estimated 30,000 people were infected with hiv and hepatitis c in the uk over a 20—year period. our health editor, hugh pym, is with me. tell us more about this document. well, i think it is very significant, it is the first we have heard of direct government involvement in a trial back in 1973

at the school in hampshire, treloar�*s, for haemophiliac pupils, and it involved a controversial product called factor viii, made up largely from blood from foreign donors, some of whom were paid. it was effective for haemophiliacs, but it was at high risk of viruses like hepatitis c, and we've heard from former pupils that factor viii worked well for them dealing with air condition, but they were being called in for more and more doses, called in for more and more doses, called in for more and more doses, called in for more and more blood tests, they didn't know why, and it only became elated that there was no consent given for what was a trial. tonight the school has put out a new statement, saying that staff and students had placed theirfaith in the treatment because it was provided by an nhs clinic at the school and it is shocking to hear that some may have received unsafe treatment, and the school has added its voice to calls for a full compensation scheme to be set up quickly after the public inquiry finishes next month.

thank you. hugh pym. families of the people who were shot dead on bloody sunday say a decision not to prosecute 15 former soldiers who were investigated for perjury is an affront to the rule of law. at the height of northern ireland's troubles, 13 people were killed when paratroopers opened fire on a civil—rights march in londonderry injanuary 1972. sara girvin reports. bloody sunday was one of the darkest days of the troubles. a civil—rights march through londonderry ended with the loss of 13 lives after paratroopers opened fire on the crowd. decades later, in 2010, lord saville's inquiry report into bloody sunday found the victims had been killed without justification and some soldiers had knowingly put forward false accounts. but today the public prosecution service said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute for perjury. families of those killed say they're disappointed. we consider that

today's ruling by the pps is an affront to the rule of law and a continuation of the injustice that was perpetrated on bloody sunday. prosecutors had been investigating whether 16 individuals lied to the bloody sunday inquiry. 15 of them are former soldiers, one a former alleged member of the ira. one of the soldiers whose evidence was looked at was the former paratrooper known as soldier f. he is currently being prosecuted for murder and attempted murder, but that case remains unaffected. soldier f is the only individual being prosecuted over bloody sunday. the victims�* loved ones plan to appeal today's decision. we made a promise at one stage after the tragedy of bloody sunday that we would seekjustice for our loved ones, and i think until our last breath, that's what we're going to do. look, i was there on bloody

sunday, iwitnessed it. i carried michael that day, i helped the police and the ambulance take him to hospital. i was in the mortuary afterwards, and i don't forget one second of that day. we believe that some day, some day, justice will be done. sara girvin, bbc news. the us government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars transforming its industry to try to compete with china on green manufacturing. it's led to a boom in factories and a stronger economy, but there are fears it's also fuelling inflation and record debt, and the state of the economy will be a crucial issue in the presidential election in the autumn. our economics editor, faisal islam, reports from the state of georgia. here in georgia, the landscape is changing — the southern bible belt of america reborn as the battery belt, as the usa throws money at outcompeting china in manufacturing a variety of electric cars.

and where some of these vehicles are going, they won't need roads. so we're building an all—electric vertical take—off aircraft, which is basically a flying car. this flying car will hold four passengers, plus a pilot. mass produced here? mass produced here, in the hundreds to thousands flying cars per year. we're going to be getting up to thousands ofjobs. the speed and the scale of america's green industrial rebirth is staggering. it shows itself in america's jobs numbers and growth numbers and raises the question, in this election year, about whether that old mantra — that it's the economy, stupid, that matters — whether that still applies. this is green tech done the american way. $100,000 electric trucks weighing three tonnes are a niche. another factory for these rivian trucks is planned here in covington. but in the central square's ice cream parlour, many voters aren't feeling a boom.

do people feel like it's gone well over the past few years? not at all, not at all. and hopefully it'll get better this coming, you know, election year. but we'll see. how does it feel right now in terms of the us economy? it's not terrible. i mean, we adjust to it, the costs of everything, and you just kind of move on, we're not going to stop living life cos things are... just work harder — that's our motto. so most places are saying they can't find people to work, and so i'm like, well, if you can't find people to work, then why are our numbers so high? so, like, especially after covid. back into america's big cities such as atlanta, the flip side of a strong economy — stubborn inflation. and that presents a big dilemma here at the atlanta branch of the federal reserve, which helps decide us interest rates. so rate cuts are on hold, and there are new concerns about surging us government debt. i expect the us economy to be strong, to continue to be strong — but not quite this strong. what do you make of some concerns in the markets

about the fiscal position in the us, of debt now heading above 100% of the size of your economy? that you're noting that more and more people are asking whether our budgetary approach is a good thing, to me that says, ok, now maybe we should be having that conversation about, are we undermining the confidence in the full faith and credit of the us government? because we really can't afford to do that. across the us, these government—backed green investments are leading to new inflation and debt risks, but they're also helping the economy defy expectations. it will matter for the election and the world economy too. faisal islam, bbc news, in georgia. 50,000 people are preparing to run the london marathon this weekend. but before the race begins, last year's men's winner will be remembered, because kelvin kiptum, who went on to claim the marathon world record, died in a car crash in february, aged just 24. joe wilson looks ahead to sunday's event,

which organisers say is going to be the most inclusive yet. turn a bit more towards me. you're good there. in london, the elite gather, the world's best marathon runners, and they know who's missing. last year here, kelvin kiptum set a new course record, in october, the world record. in february, with his coach, kiptum was killed in a car crash. he'd redefined what people thought was possible. you know, marathon running teaches us a lot about life. it teaches the more you put in, the more that you get out, but it also, what happened with kelvin teaches us that life is so short, and what we need to do is grab every opportunity and take it. and the world record... well, we know that marathons are rapidly getting quicker, thanks to shoe technology in particular. tigst assefa of ethiopia is the world's fastest woman. she'll be racing here on sunday. but there are many ways to break records

and to change preconceptions. well done, lloyd. 15 miles today, doing brilliantly. 19—year—old lloyd martin, coached by his mum, supported by special olympics, has trained to become the youngest person with down�*s syndrome to run a marathon. yeah, some of the days, it's raining.— all weathers, when it's sunny or raining or snowing, i keep running, and then ijust keep going with it. we all need inspiration. american chris nikic is an ironman triathlete. he campaigned for the 321 number to be worn by an athlete with intellectual disability at every major marathon. pass it on — to lloyd. so it's pretty simple. i mean, just be ready to bring a hard work ethic, have fun. you can have your moment. yeah, practise the celebration.

the marathon belongs to everyone. joe wilson, bbc news, central london. and good luck to everyone! now, there was double the excitement for taylor swift fans today as her latest album was released. the tortured poets department came out this morning, and then a few hours later, a surprise second instalment was announced of another 15 tracks. mark savage has been listening. new music from taylor swift. fans thought they were getting 16 tracks, and then, in the small hours of this morning, a surprise. two hours after it was released, taylor added 15 extra songs. writing online, she explained she'd written so much "tortured poetry" in the past two years that she felt compelled to share it. many of the songs deal with her break—up from the british actorjoe alwyn.

# he said he'd love me all his life...# taylor swift said the end of the relationship even overshadowed the eras tour that has turned her in a billionaire. this is so good...! the emotional weight of the album took its toll on fans, but critics gave it a clutch of four and five—star reviews. i think it's a really beautiful record. i think it's swift at the height of her songwriting prowess. i think it's also clearly a very intimate album, where she goes into a lot of in—depth detail about what's been going on in her personal life, and for that, i think it's also a very cathartic album. fans at this listening event in london told us why taylor is so important to them. to see someone flourish like taylor has, - it gives hope for the rest of us. you have this amazingly powerful woman who goes through it tenfold because of the media, and you see just how powerful she has become, and she is just continually growing, she's just such an inspiration.

the eras tour hits the uk injune. presumably, some of these 31 new songs will be added to the set list then. mark savage, bbc news. time for a look at the weather, here's chris fawkes. whether you are running a marathon or doing anything else, how is it looking? after this soggy start to april, most people will welcome the dry weather. today we have seen a few shower clouds, this sunset was the remains of a shower lump across the remains of a shower lump across the west midlands. the majority of the west midlands. the majority of the afternoon showers were found on this band of cloud from north—west england the south—east, an old cold front, and that cold front pushing southwards introduces cooler air across the majority of the uk, but not for everyone, we have milder air in western scotland and northern ireland, where we will see the

highest temperatures this weekend. right now that is pushing southwards, skies are clear for the vast majority, just the odd shower pushing into central and southern england, but out of the way before long. temperatures into low single figures in towns and cities, but a widespread frost in the countryside, evenin widespread frost in the countryside, even in parts of southern england. despite a chilly start, a lovely start to the day, blue and sunshine, a little bit more in the way of cloud developing across eastern areas, but staying dry and bright, splashes of rain for the fat north of scotland. highest temperatures, up of scotland. highest temperatures, up to 17 for northern ireland, nine of a north sea coasts. into the second half of the weekend, a predominantly dry story with a few areas of light rain from a warm front across eastern scotland to north—east england, and a few showers from the north sea for east anglia and south—east england, but

are dry for the