azeem rafiq — who called out racism against him at yorkshire cricket club — apologises for using anti—semitic language on social media ten years ago. the irish taoiseach micheal martin tells the bbc goodwill on all sides can solve the row over trade in northern ireland. the migrants trapped on the edge of the eu — we follow one afghan family who've tried dozens of times to get in. and prince charles visits the pyramids, saying they should inspire us to protect the planet — as egypt prepares to host next year's climate change summit. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, rangers get their man — former player giovanni van bronckhorst is the new manager of the scottish champions. the dutchman replaces steven gerrard. good evening. the government has scrapped the h52 line between the east midlands and leeds which was promised a decade ago. instead, as part of the integrated rail plan, the government will increase investment in existing lines which they say will deliver faster journeys sooner. but labour has called the scaling back of the high speed rail line a betrayal of the north. hs2 was originally meant to connect london with birmingham, manchester and leeds. the leg between the east midlands and leeds will now be scrapped. between manchester and leeds there will be some improvements, with new high speed rail in parts, which will still make the current 53 minute journey much quicker — but not 29 minutes as promised. in total, £96 billion will now be spent upgrading existing services and building new, but shorter, stretches of high speed track. katy austin is in leeds for us tonight. yes, those who backed this plan, including the prime minister, view it as better value for money and delivering a better balance between improved local services and new high—speed links. others though, including many here in yorkshire, say the scaling back of two major rail projects is nothing short of a broken promise. this south yorkshire logistics business has been on its own fastjourney of expansion and it's not done yet. the boss hoped hs2, stretching up to leeds, would free up much more space on the railways for freight and ease road congestion. i on the railways for freight and ease road congestion.— road congestion. i really think that the country _ road congestion. i really think that the country needs _ road congestion. i really think that the country needs more _ road congestion. i really think that the country needs more rail, - road congestion. i really think that the country needs more rail, more rail infrastructure, to reduce carbon, take more wagons off the road and improve on supply chain demands. the road and improve on supply chain demands. ., , , , , demands. the government insists its new lan demands. the government insists its new plan will — demands. the government insists its new plan will still _ demands. the government insists its new plan will still produce _ demands. the government insists its new plan will still produce faster - new plan will still produce faster journey times and add capacity, but deliver improvements sooner. that's not enough for some. it deliver improvements sooner. that's not enough for some.— not enough for some. if h52 is not auoin to not enough for some. if h52 is not going to be _ not enough for some. if h52 is not going to be arriving _ not enough for some. if h52 is not going to be arriving in _ not enough for some. if h52 is not going to be arriving in yorkshire i not enough for some. if h52 is not going to be arriving in yorkshire in j going to be arriving in yorkshire in the may it was meant to be arriving in yorkshire that undermines the local place and it affects businesses of every sector and therefore people from all walks of life, whether in rail or whatever industry, are upset and invested in this decision. £12 industry, are upset and invested in this decision.— this decision. 42 of the £96 billion announced today _ this decision. 42 of the £96 billion announced today was _ this decision. 42 of the £96 billion announced today was already - announced today was already allocated to the first stages of hs2 linking london to birmingham and crewe, schemes to be funded by the remaining money include the western leg of hs2 to manchester and extensive upgrades to other parts of the rail network. two other new sections of high—speed rail will be built, one on the hs2 route from birmingham to the east midlands, another between warrington, manchester and marsden in yorkshire. but those sections will be smaller and cheaper than under previous proposals. the prime minister nearly missed his train to yorkshire today. once on board though, he defended the changes. why should people in the changes. why should people in the north accept less than they were promised? the north accept less than they were romised? �* , , ., promised? because they are getting an absolutely _ promised? because they are getting an absolutely fantastic _ promised? because they are getting an absolutely fantastic new - promised? because they are getting an absolutely fantastic new system. | an absolutely fantastic new system. it's not what they were promised. there were people who argue better off spending a long time and tens of billions more carving through virgin countryside and building a whole new lines everywhere, but what we are doing is doing something that brings the benefits ten years, up to ten years faster, and delivers much shorterjourney times. but years faster, and delivers much shorterjourney times. shorter “ourney times. but labour has shorterjourney times. but labour has accused _ shorterjourney times. but labour has accused the _ shorterjourney times. but labour has accused the government - shorterjourney times. but labour has accused the government of. shorterjourney times. but labour . has accused the government of going back on its word. the has accused the government of going back on its word.— back on its word. the north of encland back on its word. the north of england have _ back on its word. the north of england have been _ back on its word. the north of england have been betrayed i back on its word. the north of - england have been betrayed because the prime _ england have been betrayed because the prime minister made two very important — the prime minister made two very important promises. hsz all the way to leads, _ important promises. hsz all the way to leeds, and you'll, and that promise — to leeds, and you'll, and that promise has been ripped up. he also promised _ promise has been ripped up. he also promised the northern powerhouse rail, promised the northern powerhouse rail. and _ promised the northern powerhouse rail, and you'll from manchester to leads, _ rail, and you'll from manchester to leads, and — rail, and you'll from manchester to leeds, and that plan has been ripped up leeds, and that plan has been ripped up for— leeds, and that plan has been ripped up for type _ leeds, and that plan has been ripped up for type one transport group said getting _ up for type one transport group said getting high speed trains from birmingham is a win for the east midlands — birmingham is a win for the east midlands. it birmingham is a win for the east midlands. ., ,., birmingham is a win for the east midlands. ., ., ., , , ., midlands. it also allows us to rorress midlands. it also allows us to progress our _ midlands. it also allows us to progress our flagship - midlands. it also allows us to| progress our flagship scheme, midlands. it also allows us to - progress our flagship scheme, the midlands rail hub, which will unlock ii midlands rail hub, which will unlock 11 million seats along the rail network, allowing us to have quick agendas from places like hereford, worcester and other cities up and down the midlands. bud worcester and other cities up and down the midlands. and opponents of hs2 are celebrating. _ down the midlands. and opponents of hs2 are celebrating. good _ down the midlands. and opponents of hs2 are celebrating. good news - down the midlands. and opponents ofj hs2 are celebrating. good news what. the railway would _ hs2 are celebrating. good news what. the railway would have _ hs2 are celebrating. good news what. the railway would have torn _ the railway would have torn right through this village near rotherham and parts of northern england there is a feeling what could have been a golden opportunity has been diminished. katy austin, bbc news. one city that will definitely lose out is bradford. it had hoped to be included on the proposed new leeds to manchester line, with a station built for the new trains. from bradford, danny savage reports. the north of england, a place where new trains run on old lines. there's a load of land outside as well, and we could make this into a station by 2028. there was hope that this market in bradford would be redeveloped as a station for a new high—speed trans—pennine link, known as northern powerhouse rail. but today, that hope died. really disappointing. i mean, i am somebody who puts my place above politics. so i genuinely believe government when they say they want to level up and they want to invest, but this is a real kick in the teeth for the north. journey times from bradford to leeds will be halved, but passengers heading west, to manchester and beyond, are disappointed. i catch the train from bradford to bolton. it can take up to two hours. it would have been great, wouldn't it, for the north. to be able to travel on a train that gets you somewhere to your destination a lot faster. instead of a new link, this existing one, between huddersfield and leeds, is going to be upgraded. today's announcements will transform this line, but it won't be easy. this is a railway the victorians built. there's an awful lot of engineering work to be done, and it will take years. the plan has divided tory mps whose constituencies are 75 miles apart. what i was very hopeful to see was northern powerhouse railj with a stop in bradford. we're one of the most socially deprived areas of the uk, - and i'm really passionate - about increasing that economic | prosperity of the bradford district, and of course that relies on having excellent transport links east, but also west, to manchester. i think levelling up, personally, is about creating good, sustainable, well—paid jobs, and helping people to get there, and there are lots of things to celebrate, from a nottinghamshire perspective, in this plan. but what do the paying customers in leeds think? it seems like obviously on the lancashire side, it's all been sorted that way, they have given us these fantastic times of when you're going to get to london, but here, it seems as if we've been forgotten, yet again. i think itjust creates a bigger divide, doesn't it, with the north and the south, which is a shame. yeah, i suppose it's disappointing, but again, it's not something - i was desperately in need of. i think what we've got already is more than sufficient. - in time, passengers will notice a better rail network in the north, but today's announcement falls far short of aspirations this government built up. danny savage, bbc news. lets talk to our political correspondentjonathan blake at correspondent jonathan blake at westminster. correspondentjonathan blake at westminster. a lot of disappointment and anger including from some conservative mps._ and anger including from some conservative mps. there is no doubt this [an conservative mps. there is no doubt this plan splits _ conservative mps. there is no doubt this plan splits opinion _ conservative mps. there is no doubt this plan splits opinion and - conservative mps. there is no doubt this plan splits opinion and not - this plan splits opinion and not just along party lines here at westminster. yes, labour are accusing the government of a broken promise and a betrayal of the north, but some conservatives aren't too happy either. for some it doesn't deliver what people on their patch of the map had hoped for, but for others they are openly questioning why the prime minister often seems to promise one thing and deliver another. to understand why the government has gone for this option though, i think we need to consider this. borisjohnson talks a lot about levelling up, his pledge to improve opportunities for people across the uk and transport is a key part of that and sooner or later he needs to have something to show for it. so he's banking on scaling back the plan slightly but being able to deliver them more quickly and he will have to hope that although rail services won't improve overnight, far from services won't improve overnight, farfrom it, it will be services won't improve overnight, far from it, it will be years services won't improve overnight, farfrom it, it will be years into the future, people will before too long, maybe even by the next election, be able to see those improvements under way and feel like the benefits are within reach. jonathan blake, thank you. as tensions rise between the eu and the uk over trade in northern ireland, the irish leader micheal martin has told the bbc the arrangements in the brexit deal were never going to be perfect and that goodwill is now needed on both sides. the so—called protocol avoided a hard border on the island of ireland, but means northern ireland has to follow some eu rules, with businesses now complaining of increased bureaucracy and angered the unionist community. our political editor laura kuenssberg has been speaking to the taoiseach in cardiff, where he has been meeting uk ministers. tucked away in the welsh countryside, tension for the whole uk and its nearest neighbour to solve. a bust—up's brewing over how life after brexit is affecting northern ireland. could the time to fix it be running out? the irish leader now wants to calm things down after irritation on both sides over arrangements that mean extra customs checks. it's never going to be perfect, but it's important that we don't allow perfect to become the enemy of the good. it's very clear that many businesses just think the way it is operating is over—the—top. i spoke to angela merkel a year ago, who said to me the last thing we want is an abundance of checks. we want to minimise checks. that's what's happening. no, it's not. that's overstated to some degree. there is not an abundance of checks, and it can get resolved with goodwill on all sides. overstated? it may look full here, but there are a lot of ingredients we can't get hold of. at soya's deli, extra rooms and products that govern britain to belfast mean a lot of extra work. deliveries can now take seven hours to sort. i don't even know what article 16 is going to imply or what it's going to do to my business. i'm just hoping that they sort something out and just let us go back to the way it was. politicians who back the union in northern ireland want the whole arrangement gone, pushing the government to suspend parts of it in a legal dispute, article 16. our place in the united kingdom is being undermined. that is not acceptable. do you believe the uk government will push the button on article 16 before too long? in the absence of agreement with the european union, so be it. that is an entirely valid and legal action. but in this dungannon yard where these massive machines are made, the protocol means they are commercially closer to the continent and they do not want to give that all up. for me, it's a no—brainer. we need to stay. we need to be able to access the european market. it's a growth market. it's very important for our industry and our sector and it's important for this company. this is a genuine dilemma for the prime minister and his team. they've said for months what's happening in northern ireland can't be allowed to go on, but they can't be sure that the european union will budge in a meaningful way. but to take the next step, to start an official legal dispute with brussels, could make what is already a problem profoundly worse. a trigger of that so—called article 16 might lead to the eu hitting back, even tearing down the whole trade deal, although he was more diplomatic tonight. do we really want that to go into a period of stress, for example, in terms of accusations of bad faith coming from both sides? i'm glad to say that the mood music has changed. there's still a long way to go. a year ago, you said the uk had to knuckle down to get a deal. what is your message to the uk now? it was christmas eve in the end. it was. don't leave it to christmas eve this year. yet uk insiders don't buy that very much has changed. relations are restless, and there is nothing certain about a deal being done by christmas, or if at all. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, cardiff. and if you want to hear the whole of laura's interview with the taoiseach, tune into newscast tonight, at 11.35pm on bbc one, or listen to the podcast on bbc sounds. the former yorkshire cricketer azeem rafiq has apologised and said he is "deeply ashamed" after it emerged he had used anti—semitic language in social media messages ten years ago. rafiq has been at the centre of the racism controversy which has engulfed yorkshire cricket club. our sports correspondent natalie pirks is with me. these are messages he sent when he was 19. fin these are messages he sent when he was 19. , ._ ., was 19. on tuesday he we heard him rive was 19. on tuesday he we heard him give harrowing _ was 19. on tuesday he we heard him give harrowing testimony _ was 19. on tuesday he we heard him give harrowing testimony about - was 19. on tuesday he we heard him give harrowing testimony about how| give harrowing testimony about how racism had robbed him of his cricket career. tonight and today his social media messages between him and another player ten years ago that were anti—semitic in nature have emerged in the times newspaper. he said there were no excuses, he was ashamed of it and he was 19 at the time and hopes and believes he has a different person today. he added, i'm incredibly angry at myself and i apologise to the jewish i'm incredibly angry at myself and i apologise to thejewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this. since then he has added another tweet tonight, saying at no point that they ever try and defend the indefensible. for those i'm hurt i'm sincerely sorry, i'll continue to own any more mistakes i've made. there's been quite a big response to this as you can imagine. jewish leaders have been largely supportive of how quickly he apologised. azeem rafiq told the bbc he hopes by speaking out right now it will be the moment not only sport but society as a whole can move in a different direction.— the nhs in wales has recorded its worst ever figures for both hospital emergency departments and ambulance services. less than 65% of patients in a&e were seen within four hours last month and ambulances reached only half of life—threatening emergencies within the eight minute target time. the waiting list also broke records, with more than a fifth of the welsh population currently waiting for planned treatment. the latest government coronavirus figures show there were 46,807 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — the highest daily figure for a month on average. just over 39,500 new cases were reported per day in the last week. 199 deaths were recorded — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. on average in the past week, 147 related deaths were recorded every day. almost 13.9 million people have now had their booster injection. more than four years after the grenfell tower fire, up to half a million people are still living in blocks of flats with flammable cladding and fire safety issues. it has left many feeling scared and trapped in their own homes. now a new study of those caught up in the cladding crisis has revealed what it's called a "catastrophic impact" on their mental health, as sarah corker reports. are you ok? sophie bought herfirst home in chelmsford just weeks before son reuben was born, a proud moment. but all that quickly changed. which bit of the building is the problem? so, all of this is acm cladding. that's the same type of cladding as grenfell. to remove it could cost flat—owners thousands, and living here is taking its toll on sophie's mental health. it's kind of like a crippling depression where you can't get up. just couldn't see the point in anything. and i've had such bad issues with my anxiety. some days, ifeel like i can't leave the house and i have, like, physical problems leaving the house because i'll feel so sick. sophie's now been prescribed anti—anxiety medication, and her doctor was so shocked by the cladding situation, he wrote to sophie's mp imploring her to raise the issue in parliament. the housing select committee has warned that the cladding scandal is becoming a public health crisis, and psychologists have told the bbc that people living in these conditions with no end in sight will need long—term counselling and support to get through it. new research by the university of sheffield, based on a series of in—depth interviews, found the situation is having a catastrophic impact on the mental health of some leaseholders. things like just feeling that they couldn't go on, that they were trapped and that they couldn't see a way out of this crisis was leading to feelings of suicide and self—harm. and in those situations, individuals had to seek immediate help, either for themselves or for a member of their household. it's like having a ball and chain wrapped round your legs. - willis a junior doctor who owns a flat in sheffield with dangerous cladding. so, i'm going to show you this video diary you did a year ago, to see what's changed for you. he sniffs. i'm just... i'm just so exhausted - and so tired of this situation. it is so consuming. an absolutely fantastic supporter of us. - campaigning for change has helped him cope, but will deeply regrets his decision to ever buy a flat. i was so embarrassed. i was utterly ashamed that i, like, a sensible person, - had made this colossal mistake, i like, this huge error ofjudgement. the impact it's had on my mental | health will stay with me forever. | the government says it's allocated £5 billion to make the highest—risk blocks safe. but we also have a responsibility to relieve some of the obligations that are being faced by leaseholders at the moment, who are innocent parties in this. are you going to hold my hand? back in chelmsford, since we filmed with sophie, the developer has now agreed to pay to remove the dangerous cladding. it's a huge relief. but for thousands of others, the wait for help continues. sarah corker, bbc news, in essex. across eastern europe — from belarus to the balkans — people fleeing conflict and poverty are trying to reach the european union. one popular route into the eu is through bosnia and herzogovina into croatia. according to the un, since 2018 some 75,000 migrants have moved through bosnia—herzogovina into neighbouring countries. our correspondent fergal keane reports on one couple from afghanistan and their two—year—old daughter who've tried over and over again to reach the eu. near the croatian border, a refugee family is waiting to cross. akram was a television engineer in kabul. zarah was a policewoman in herat, but fled in 2016. baby sara was born in greece, where the family had a previous asylum request denied. we are countryless. we are illegally on the border. what should we have to do? they say they've been pushed back from croatia 39 times — once, they allege, with force. they came and hit my husband, and i said, "why are you hitting my husband?" and they hit me also in my face and said, "shut up." who will help us? the life become like hell for us, for all of us. some migrants wait in abandoned factories from which they can easily reach the border at night. others in temporary reception centres like this, run by the united nations. how concerned are you by the numerous reports of pushbacks that are happening in this region? we see many of the migrants themselves being returned back. we see that they've been deprived of their shoes, they're being deprived of their basic goods, and sometimes, really, of their dignity. the croatian government didn't respond to a request for comment, but has already denied a policy of pushbacks, and says it upholds its legal obligations to asylum—seekers. three policemen were suspended after being accused of violence against migrants. but only the snows, due here soon, are likely to slow the desperate attempts to reach the eu. it's just after five o'clock in the morning and the family is preparing for another attempt at crossing the border. we'll go with them as far as we're allowed to on the bosnian side. let's just see what happens if they're able to cross. there's fear that baby sara will cry and alert border guards. she's really fast asleep now. we must leave in this way. if she wake up, especially at the border, she will cry, and the people that are close to the border will call the police. so, we'rejust coming up to the border. they've seen a car on the other side which they suspect is croatian police. so, what do you plan to do? we have to cross. it's a journey that's already taken nearly 4,000 miles. several hours later, akram sent us a video of the families inside croatia. so, we are here, we are in croatia now. the police came and put them in this van. because greece refused asylum, croatia can reject them, but it must first check their background and status. instead, they say they were pushed back — again. are you going to keep trying? yeah, we have to do. we don't want to be hopeless. every time when the police are deporting us, - we say to ourselves, ok, no problem, we will try to go again. _ croatia, europe, want to stem the flow of migrants. but there's no way home now, no way forward. fergal keane, bbc news, bosnia. prince charles says the uk will stand by egypt in what he called the "epic struggle" to protect the planet, as egypt prepares to host the next round of climate talks in 2022. he was speaking on the first day of his trip to the country, where he and duchess of cornwall also visited the pyramids at giza. our royal correspondentjonny dymond is travelling with them. the prince, the president and a palace. the formalities look like business as usual, but prince charles is in cairo with a cause. first came a stop at one of the oldest mosques and greatest institutes of learning in the islamic world, al—azhar. here, there was talk with students, part of the prince's lifelong interest in islam and efforts at interfaith dialogue. and then, of course, to the pyramids. first, a chance to clamber amongst the great building blocks and then to go inside these tombs of long gone rulers. and, of course, the sphinx, a chance to marvel at a civilisation 4,500 years old. what it was for and why it was built is still unclear, but for prince charles, there's a message in the riddle. this is the pretty part of this trip, the part that advertises this country, the part that catches everybody�*s attention. but what's closest to the prince's heart is what comes later this evening. if the ancients could make all of this, the prince thinks, why can't we do something about climate change? a reception with the country's elite and an opportunity to urge this regional giant on in the fight against climate change. as president sisi steps forward to take on the presidency of cop27 later this year, the united kingdom will be with egypt as your friend and partner in this epic struggle to protect and restore our environment and to build a better future for us all. thank you. and a long day of dialogue and diplomacy about the future ended with a last look at the glories of the past. jonny dymond, bbc news, cairo. that's it from us. good night. hello there. a change to the weather story as we head into the weekend. but before that, its business as usual this friday — yes, it'll be another mild day, but there will be quite a lot of cloud around, and the cloud thick in the first a lot of cloud around, and the cloud thick enough first thing in the morning for a spot or two of light drizzle, a few isolated showers out to the west. this is a weather front into the far northwest of scotland, along with the northern isles, bringing some blustery winds and some heavy rain at times. if we see any brighter skies and glimpses of sunshine, once again, it'll be eastern scotland and northeast england, where temperatures will be very mild, possibly 16 celsius, 61 fahrenheit, as the high. but that front will continue to sweep its way south and east through the weekend. it's a cold front, it allows the wind to change direction to more of a northerly and drive in colder air, coming all the way down from the arctic. so not much rain around, the rain clears through saturday night, but it will turn noticeably cooler, particularly for the second half of the weekend. this is bbc news, the headlines... the polish authorities say belarus has cleared a migrant camp on the border that had been fuelling tensions between minsk and the european union. more than 1,000 people trying to reach the eu have been moved. germany has announced tough measures to exclude the unvaccinated from certain public events. healthcare workers and employees in care homes will be obliged to get the vaccine. us presidentjoe biden says washington could impose a diplomatic boycott of the beijing olympics. he said it's "something we're considering" as he sat down for a meeting with canadian prime minister, justin trudeau. doubts have been cast over an email supposedly sent by the chinese tennis star pen gshuai, saying she is safe and well. —— peng shuai. she has not been seen since she accused a senior chinese state official of sexually assaulting her. she made the allegation in november.