gunmen then attack and kill two officers. inside was this man — known as "the fly" — being taken from court to prison. this morning the prisoner appeared in court, just another case on the court listing, but tonight he is on the run as the most wanted man in france. a dramatic day at donald trump's hush money trial in new york — as he goes head to head with his former lawyer. thousands on the streets of tiblisi as the parliament in georgia passes its foreign agents bill. arotestors fear it will stifle dissent, kremlin style. applause unveiled at buckingahm palace, the first official painted portrait of the king since his coronation. moving artificial intelligence to another level — helping you to find your glasses and talking to you like a human — the tech firms battling it out. and after cancellations and chaos,

the uk's largest indoor arena is up and running at last tonight. and on newsnight at 10:30pm, we'll go deeper behind the headlines and speak live to key players on today's big stories. plus, a first look at tomorrow's front pages. good evening. a huge manhunt is underway tonight for an escaped prisoner and his accomplices after two french prison officers were killed and three others injured, when a heavily armed gang ambushed their prison van. the brazen attack took place this morning in incarville near the city of rouen in normandy. inside the van was — mohamed amra — known as "the fly" — who was being driven through a toll

booth on the way to prison — when the van was attacked. our europe correspondent nick beake reports. an unremarkable tollbooth in northern france, and the scene of a swift and brutal ambush. cctv footage shows the moment a dark car veers into a white prison van, and at least two masked attackers start shooting. and at least two masked terrified passengers on a passing bus throw themselves to the ground, as the bullets ring out. one assailant is seen strolling calmly among the other vehicles on the motorway. then here you can make out the prisoner himself, wearing white trainers, as he emerges from the prison van. the gang sets fire to their own vehicle — the smoke only adding to the chaos. some of them run towards another car, a white one, to begin their escape. the aftermath, carnage. two prison officers dead, others gravely injured,

as their police colleagues began a painstaking search for evidence in an attack that's been described as an assault on france itself. translation: they will be arrested. the will be translation: they will be arrested. they will be judged _ translation: they will be arrested. they will be judged and _ translation: they will be arrested. they will be judged and they - translation: they will be arrested. they will be judged and they will - translation: they will be arrested. they will be judged and they will be l they will be judged and they will be punished commensurate to the crime that they have committed. this is the man who was freed in the bloody assault — 30—year—old mohamed amra, a convicted local burglar. but he was also the suspect in a fatal kidnapping in the southern city of marseille, which is facing an onslaught of gang violence. amra and his accomplices are now being hunted by hundreds of police officers, from here in rouen, as well as french special forces from across the country. the burnt out vehicle that initiated the killing, a starting point for clues. at the parliament in paris, a minute's silence to honour the victims.

the prime minister, conveying the sense of grief. translation: our grief is that of an entire country. _ translation: our grief is that of an entire country, an _ translation: our grief is that of an entire country, an entire country - entire country, an entire country shocked by this attack of unprecedented violence, by the brutality and cowardice of its perpetrators. forensic and other specialist investigators spent hours at the scene of the ambush. a violent attack on security staff is relatively rare in france, so many have found the level of indiscriminate violence used today chilling. this also appears to have been a very well—planned ambush and i2 very well—planned ambush and 12 hours on exactly, we have not got a sense of how the authorities are getting on in their search, we can expect to see some raids in the coming hours, presumably on friends and family of the suspect also what happened shows a couple of things, that criminal gangs in france have access to really series heavy weapons, and are prepared to use

them notjust on each other, and secondly, it reinforces this worrying trend we have seen in the southern city of marseille where in the past year more than 50 murders have been linked to gang crime, troubling questions for the authorities in france but tonight the priority is the manhunt, trying to apprehend the man they are calling public enemy number one. nick, thanks forjoining us. donald trump's legal team have begun their cross—examination of his ex—lawyer, michael cohen, at the former president's hush—money trial in new york. mr cohen has already testified that he's lied many times for trump, including under oath, out of "loyalty" and to "protect" the president, when he was his personal counsel. sarah smith has been following proceedings in new york. this was the most significant day yet in this trial, when you have the prosecution's key witness explaining how he says donald trump set out to

cover up hush money payments by disguising them as legal expenses but then donald trump's team had their chance to cross examine michael cohen where they accused him of trying to deliberately send his former boss to jail. michael cohen also recorded there was a time when they were great allies, he described himself as once being knee deep in the cult of donald trump. they were once so close, michael cohen said he would take a bullet for donald trump. now, he could be providing the evidence that convicts the former president. these days, mr cohen appears on social media like this. he even sells the t—shirt showing donald trump behind bars — demonstrating just how biased is, claims the defence. convinced his former fixer is now set on revenge, donald trump brought along a very large entourage — his lawyers, ready to take on michael cohen, as well as relatives and a cast

of supportive political allies. mr trump, will you testify? i do have a lot of surrogates and they are speaking very beautifully. and they come from all over washington and they are highly respected and they think this is the greatest scam they've ever seen. in court, michael cohen was confronted with many of the insults he has hurled at donald trump. his lawyer, todd blanche, said, "you referred to president trump "as a dictator do that, didn't you?" "sounds like something i would say," he replied. he was also asked repeatedly if he wants to see donald trump convicted. "sure," he said. some of these very blunt replies were making the jury smile. donald trump's kept his eyes closed for all of this testimony. he's not allowed to hit back, but his friends can. this is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge and who is widely known as a witness who has trouble with the truth. he is someone who has a history of perjury and is well known for it. earlier today, mr cohen appeared to seal the prosecution case

when he said he paid hush money to stormy daniels so her story about having sex with mr trump would not affect his chances of becoming president. susan hoffingerfor the prosecution said, "if not for the campaign, mr cohen, would you have paid that money?" "no, ma'am," he said. "at whose direction and on whose behalf did you commit that crime?" "on behalf of mr trump," he said. the star witness for the prosecution and donald trump's nemesis will be back on thursday to face more cross—examination. he will again be accused of lying to try and send his former boss to jail. sarah smith, bbc news, new york. this is the first official portrait painting of the king. it's by the artistjonathan yeo and it was unveiled today by the king himself at buckingham palace. our royal correspondent daniela relph was there. the nervous moments before the big reveal as the king unveiled his portrait in buckingham palace. applause

the artistjonathan yeo had four sittings with the king over the course of two years. it is remarkable, actually, how it has turned out. work on the portrait began when the king was prince of wales, but it changed into a defining image of a monarch. someone asked if i get nervous before unveilings. well, no, not normally. but then the subject doesn't normally become king halfway through the process. the king wears the uniform of the welsh guards. near his shoulder is a butterfly. that was the king's idea — to reflect his love of nature. but it is the vivid use of the colour red that is most striking. the idea of the colour came from that very red welsh guards' tunic. you know, if that was on its own, it would dominate the picture. therefore i took the liberty of spraying that everywhere, which i think makes the whole aesthetic more interesting.

and it feels a bit more in tune with the 215t—century as well. so how do people like this first official portrait of the king? i like it a lot. yeah, i think it's great. the red is quite disturbing. red is definitely known as kind of a colour to portray- negativity, in a way. very good contrast between the head and the rest of the art. it's like the body has had to go through fire, but you can see the person's suffering for it. it'sjust so different from a usual royal portrait. his face stands out beautifully. jonathan yeo said he aimed to capture the life experiences of the king in the portrait and hoped people would see what he described as the humour, curiosity and humanity of the man. daniela relph, bbc news, buckingham palace. there've been violent clashes between riot police and thousands of protestors after the parliament in georgia voted through a so—called

foreign agents bill after weeks of protests. critics are likening the bill to legislation in neighbouring russia — used to stiffle dissent and silence criticism of the kremlin. thousands of young protestors in the capital tbilisi chanted "no to the russian law." they see it as symbol that the former soviet republic is drifting back closer to russia and away from possible membership of the eu. rayhan demytrie has been in tbilisi. it has been a dramatic day in tiblisi with protesters clashing with the police after more than three weeks of demonstrations. at its heart is a fight over the future of georgia, that takes it to drc or one that takes it back to russia. —— that takes it to europe or one that

takes it back to russia. the protesters _ takes it back to russia. the protesters have _ takes it back to russia. the protesters have been refusing to move away, and then, violence... all in the name of a contentious law which protesters fear will mark the end of georgia's democracy. you get a sense now they are moving more intensely. the protesters are beginning to heckle, they are being pushed away from the square. irate beginning to heckle, they are being pushed away from the square. we will be in the eu- — pushed away from the square. we will be in the eu. freedom for _ pushed away from the square. we will be in the eu. freedom for the - be in the eu. freedom for the georgian people. we be in the eu. freedom for the georgian people.— be in the eu. freedom for the georgian people. be in the eu. freedom for the georuian --eole. ~ . , ., ., georgian people. we are standing for our riahts georgian people. we are standing for our rights which _ georgian people. we are standing for our rights which is _ georgian people. we are standing for our rights which is to _ georgian people. we are standing for our rights which is to be _ georgian people. we are standing for our rights which is to be against - our rights which is to be against the law, — our rights which is to be against the law, it — our rights which is to be against the law, it is dragging us back into the law, it is dragging us back into the same — the law, it is dragging us back into the same hole that we finally crawled — the same hole that we finally crawled out of.— crawled out of. eight similar foreian crawled out of. eight similar foreign agents _ crawled out of. eight similar foreign agents bill - crawled out of. eight similar foreign agents bill law- crawled out of. eight similar. foreign agents bill law exists crawled out of. eight similar- foreign agents bill law exists in russia and it is used there to crack

down on critics of the government. georgian is worried the same thing might happen here.— might happen here. they are liars, the are might happen here. they are liars, they are vladimir _ might happen here. they are liars, they are vladimir putin's _ might happen here. they are liars, they are vladimir putin's guys, - might happen here. they are liars, | they are vladimir putin's guys, they are doing the russian work here. earlier, mps from the governing party passed the law after a debate turned into a brawl. authorities defended the bill, saying it would help protect georgette from foreign interference. —— georgia. critics suspect the government is trying to defend the interests of one man, a billionaire who made his fortune in russia. . , ., billionaire who made his fortune in russia. . , russia. that is also intrinsically very russian — russia. that is also intrinsically very russian to _ russia. that is also intrinsically very russian to defend - russia. that is also intrinsically very russian to defend the - russia. that is also intrinsically - very russian to defend the interests of one man against the interests of one nation. of one man against the interests of one nation-— of one man against the interests of one nation. , , ., , , ., one nation. these mass protests have been driven — one nation. these mass protests have been driven by — one nation. these mass protests have been driven by the _ one nation. these mass protests have been driven by the young _ one nation. these mass protests have been driven by the young people - one nation. these mass protests have been driven by the young people of. been driven by the young people of georgia, standing up to defend the national dream of a future in

europe. it national dream of a future in euro e. , national dream of a future in euroe. , ,, national dream of a future in euroe. , ., ~' europe. it is past one o'clock in the morning — europe. it is past one o'clock in the morning here _ europe. it is past one o'clock in the morning here but _ europe. it is past one o'clock in the morning here but many - europe. it is past one o'clock in the morning here but many of i europe. it is past one o'clock in i the morning here but many of the protesters remain out in the streets. earlier visiting european officials addressed the demonstrators and they said the government refused to meet them but they expressed support to the young people of georgia who are standing there, here, and fighting for the european future.— there, here, and fighting for the european future. thanks for “oining us. you can hear more analysis on the global story podcast — you'll find that on bbc sounds. in ukraine, america's top diplomat, antony blinken has told president zelensky that he can rely on america's unwavering support, saying the war with russia is at a "critical moment". antony blinken was speaking after a new russian offensive in the north of the country. this is the map of the battlefield, the red areas showing what is now under russian occupation. but a new front has opened up to the north east,

with heavy fighting in and around the border town of vorvansk, just 45 miles from ukraine's second city, of kharkiv. the area has already changed hands in this war, and moscow wants kharkiv back. now thousands of civilians are trying to flee the area asjonathan beale reports. there was some ukrainian resistance when russian troops first crossed the border. this video shows ukrainian border guards trying to stop that advance. but others simply walked in and russia's taken more than 50 square miles of ukrainian territory in a matter of days. russian troops have now entered vovansk. this recent drone feed shows a fierce fight for the town. even ukraine's most senior commanders admit the situation is critical and tense. one reason why they're now

restricting access to the front. people living close to the fighting taking everything they can, by any means possible, are leaving in their hundreds. the local officials are trying to dispel any sense of panic. translation: no, we were not surprised by this attack. - we just didn't know where exactly it would happen. we knew that some kind of attack was expected and that they would look for a place to find the weakness. he said the situation had stabilised, but that's not how it felt to valentina, who had to be rescued from her home. translation: it wasn't 'ust loud, it was very loud. h we hardly had time to get out. the russians were already close. really close. yana had already packed her belongings before this latest russian attack. yes, we were ready because all the warnings were just clear-

that that could happen. and do you think the ukrainian army was ready? i don't think so. this is what the russians left behind the first time they were here in 2022 — a village completely destroyed and deserted. and, just a few miles up there, the russians are doing exactly the same again in this latest assault. kharkiv city is where thousands are taking refuge, but it too is only 20 miles from the russian border. many here have already endured occupation, then liberation, and they're having to live through the trauma once again. jonathan beale, bbc news, kharkiv. well the visit from the us secretary of state to kyiv was a surprise — a closely guarded secret — our state department correspondent tom bateman was travelling

with antony blinken. he is in kyiv now. what was his message to ukraine? i think that this has been a trip meant to show solidarity, in the form of a fresh flood of american ammunition. we arrived via the sleeper train from the polish border, 9.5 hourjourney, arriving in kyiv first thing this morning. the first meeting that mr blinken had was with president zelensky. we heard from the ukrainian leader, really profuse thanks to the americans were finally breaking that partisan paralysis in washington that delivered more than $60 billion worth of military assistance to ukraine. we learn something significant on this trip, and that is that artillery and other ammunition from that package is now being used on the front line for the first time since it was announced just three weeks ago. the question is, is this going to be enough? you

can mr blinken convince ukrainians that the americans are in this for the long term? we saw something interesting tonight. he spoke to hundreds of students in kyiv, i sat and watched the speech. he then appeared playing the guitar in the basement of a bar with a band, he is a keen guitarist. it was about appealing to young ukrainians, saying that they are ukraine's future and america will stay with you. the issue is that it has a promise that mr blinken can make, not necessarily what he can keep. there is going to be a presidential election later this year. donald trump is in a very different place from president biden on the issue of military assistance to ukraine. from this perspective, i think ukrainians will look at the us and wonder whether washington's policy, as it is now, will still be the case in just a year's time. the battle to dominate the way we use artificial intelligence in our everyday lives has intensified after google launched its latest technology tonight.

it comes just a day after its arch rival openai unveiled its updated ai model — gpt—4.0. our technology editor zoe kleinman is here. we are now entering a world of ai that can see, hear and talk like people? it's bad news for digital assistance like alexa, because this is the next market it is aiming for and it can do so much more. here is google gemini, looking around an office, using a smartphone camera. at the end, the demonstrator asks where her glasses are, and it is able to tell her without looking again. we have also seen gpt—4.0 was able to guide demonstrators through a comp gated maths problem, explaining every step while it went. these demos have been made by the companies themselves, they are going to show the product on their best light, it will be

interesting to see how people get on with them when they start using them. we know that al has challenges, it can hallucinate and make stuff up, which makes it unreliable and potentially unsafe. that is something global leaders will be discussing at the next ai safety summit. the isle of man is another step closer to becoming the first place in the british isles to allow assisted dying. the islands parliament has been voting on the details of the bill could allow some terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than 12 months, and who've lived on the island, for at least five years to end their lives. our medical editor fergus walsh joins us now tell us more about the discussions taking place today.— taking place today. well, sophie, this is the chamber _ taking place today. well, sophie, this is the chamber of _ taking place today. well, sophie, this is the chamber of the house | this is the chamber of the house keys, where members were voting just a few hours ago on the details on the assisted dying bill. the island has a population ofjust 85,000 people, but it has been setting its

own laws for over 1000 years. much of the ceremony resembles that of westminster. the measures are quite far advanced here, with members voting on the detail of how assisted dying woodwork in practice. today, they voted that assisted dying should be offered within and run by the health service on the island. this is such a contentious issue, there were protests today outside parliament from those both for and against. those in favour say it will allow the terminally ill a dignified death, without pain. those against say it will put the vulnerable at risk. next month, there will be a crucial vote on whether this whole issue should be put to an island—wide referendum. supporters still hope this bill will become law next year with the first assisted death in 2027. next week, the focus

will move to another crown dependency, the island ofjersey, where it's parliament will also be voted on proposals to allow assisted dying. voted on proposals to allow assisted d inc. , voted on proposals to allow assisted d in. _ , . ., , voted on proposals to allow assisted dini_ ., ~' voted on proposals to allow assisted the uk's unemployment rate has risen to its highest level in a year with almost 1.5 million people out of work. millions more are now classed as inactive — unable to look for work because of ill health. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david has been taking a look at some of the ways employers are trying to help people back to work, and prevent ill health in their workforce. optimal performance is about fine tuning. at car makerjlr's test centre near coventry, it's notjust about the vehicles, but maintaining the well—being of their staff at a dedicated centre. simon came here ahead of having his lower leg amputated last year, for workplace adaptation advice and support. it really helped. when i talk to lots of people and they say, "back at work within four weeks?" "yeah, yeah. " i think of it,

"of course i am." but i have to remember all the support i've had to enable that, and many people wouldn't have had that. this is really is a massive factor in me being confident to get in my wheelchair, go to my car, drive to work and get back with my team. it also makes commercial sense, as they focus here not only on physical ailments, but mental health — the most common reason for giving up work. only one in four of our colleagues would be at work at the start of the programme, but we have three quarters of them back at work by the time they've been through the programme. we're the only major country with fewer people in work than prior to the pandemic. ill health cost the state billions. the government's remedies target occupational health and welfare reform. but the head of the uk's biggest health research programme says many problems stem from a delicate area — our waistlines. obesity is often referred to as a truncal disease. the trunk in this tree is obesity. but then from that comes diabetes, ischemic heart disease, strokes, common cancers, musculoskeletal diseases. the whole list are all on the tree.

do we have any idea how much this could be costing us, as a nation? so, there have been a number of studies done around that. it's somewhere between 3% and 10% of gdp is the cost. lack of productivity, people who are out of work. preventing this from taking root in the first place, wow do we go about that? what are the answers? a health system which is a prevention oriented system in the uk i think is probably the top priority. the sugar tax on drinks turned out to work incredibly well. maybe we should take serious funding and put it into the education system, not the health system, to actually try and get people so that they can manage their own weight. you're going to drive your knee to your chest and you're going to come into a crunch. back atjlr, dropping in for a fitness class led to ange getting treatment for a pre—existing ankle problem. that's made a massive difference, actually, to how i can walk, how can run on it. whereas, previously,

i was having a lot of issues sometimes doing that. breaking the habit of chronic sickness needs a holistic regime. half of those not working due to illness have been signed off for more than three years. knocking the economy into shape may take more schemes like these. dharshini david, bbc news. it is finally open — the uk's biggest indoor arena, co—op live, has staged its opening performance after weeks of last minute cancellations and chaos. the new £365 pound venue has been blighted by setbacks. but, as colin paterson reports, those problems ended tonight. good evening, manchester! this was the moment co—op live finally got under way. elbow, in their hometown of manchester, and lead singer earlier, fiona and adam were about to play their own small

part in the history of the venue. first into the co—op arena, how is it feeling? awesome. i cannot wait. been here since one o'clock. looking forward to getting in to see them now. are you nervous at all? no. only that we don't get to the front. and then the moment the doors opened. after opening nights being cancelled on three previous occasions, a gig was actually going ahead. you go through something like this, you go to bed at night with the demons. this morning, the boss of co—op live showed us round. as much as i love doing these interviews with you, and i think this is our third one, i don't think we'll be doing a fourth. he explained that the final two—week delay was due to part of a ventilation system falling from the ceiling and crashing to the floor, where an audience was about to stand. if that was 15 minutes later, something catastrophic could have happened. to have that and not be in a position where it happened during an event is god's blessing. but it meant we had to take two more weeks. co—op live was finally,

finally live. by the way, i look forward to never seeing you again! he will be a very relieved man tonight. there were long queues to get into the venue, but everybody was inside in time for elbow coming on stage at nine o'clock. guy garvey, the lead singer, the last few minutes has said he is extremely very proud to open the venue. it has gone off without a hitch. perhaps co—op live will start making headlines for music, rather than for cancellations. manchester city have returned to the top of the premier league table and are on target for their history—making fourth consecutive title. city held off tottenham hostpur tonight. it gives them a two—point advatange over arsenal, in second place. natalie pirks reports. as the season sprints to a thrilling finale, all roads lead to tottenham,

even for their bitter rivals. a spurs win would make the title arsenal's to lose, and for tottenham fans, that wasn't a palatable option. if we win tonight, ok, i'll be happy for a day, but if we lose and arsenal win the title, honestly and truthfully, i'll feel that pain forever. as we normally sing, "i'm spurs till i die," tonight i will be singing, "city tilljuly!" so who would be singing, then? first off there sofas were arsenal fans as bentancur emerged with a free hit on the edge of the box. ederson was alive to the danger. but soon it was tottenham's keeper's turn as phil foden pounced on a defensive error. but vicario was quick to react. good adjustment by the goalkeeper. with every minute that passed without a goal, pep guardiola's brow became more furrowed. spurs were playing freely. city looked under pressure. they knewjust how big the second half was and just minutes in... ..they had a precious lead.

just look what it means. a nasty head collision spelt the end of edison's night and possibly his season. that clearly hurt. son almost equalised soon after but the clumsiness of pedro porro drew the referee's whistle and haaland slammed it home. erling haaland takes manchester city to the cusp of four in a row. champions elect, again. city always seem to find a way, don't they? crucially, they are two points ahead of arsenal, with just one game to go, that a fourth consecutive premier league title is firmly in their grasp. it is theirs to lose, on a nightwear these spurs fans enjoyed the sweet taste of defeat and arsenal fans learned you can't rely on your enemies for help.

this programme continues on bbc one.