and, we look at a treasure trove of freddie mercury's personal items collected over 30 years before they go under the hammer. and coming up on bbc news. manchester city and arsenal go head—to—head at the etihad, with city looking to turn the tide in the title race with a win over the league leaders. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the first plane carrying british nationals fleeing sudan is due to land at stansted airport in about an hour. the evacuees were initially taken to larnaca in cyprus, before boarding a charter flight to the uk. more flights are expected throughout the day, to move hundreds of uk citizens out of the country during a 72 hour ceasefire, which has come after more than a week of fighting. british passport holders have been asked to make their own way to an airbase on the outskirts of the sudanese capital khartoum. so far, three british planes have flown from there to larnaca. another potential escape route is by sea, from port sudan, but it's a long and risky journey to get there. other people have already fled by travelling to border crossings overland, many of them to egypt. our correspondent nick beake is at larnaca airport this lunchtime. the britons who have made it here are half way home and we have been told around 400 people have made that first leg of the journey to cyprus. they have come in on four different flights. trying to get an accurate picture of what happened is difficult. we don't know the scale of the operation the british authorities still have to carry out. but earlier this morning, i was in the airport where the first britons returning to the uk were and i was able to talk to them and listen to the stories about what happened over the stories about what happened over the past week or so. this the stories about what happened over the past week or so.— the past week or so. this is how it feels to have _ the past week or so. this is how it feels to have escaped _ the past week or so. this is how it feels to have escaped from - the past week or so. this is how it | feels to have escaped from sudan. the past week or so. this is how it i feels to have escaped from sudan. i met an eight—year—old boy and miz his sister before they left cyprus for the uk. but other loved up withes, who are not british citizens didn't make it out. i withes, who are not british citizens didn't make it out.— didn't make it out. i had to leave my parents. _ didn't make it out. i had to leave my parents. my _ didn't make it out. i had to leave my parents, my siblings - didn't make it out. i had to leave my parents, my siblings and - didn't make it out. i had to leave my parents, my siblings and the| my parents, my siblings and the whole family there. i'm very worried. . , whole family there. i'm very worried. ., , ., ., ., worried. the family from london were in the capital — worried. the family from london were in the capital khartoum _ worried. the family from london were in the capital khartoum on _ worried. the family from london were in the capital khartoum on holiday. i in the capital khartoum on holiday. but became trapped by the fighting. eventually, they reached safety. 0nce eventually, they reached safety. once we got there to the airport, we made the... the british soldiers, who were very friendly and they helped us a lot to get... to get here now. helped us a lot to get. .. to get here nova— helped us a lot to get... to get here now. . ., , ., here now. other countries got their eo - le here now. other countries got their --eole out here now. other countries got their people out before _ here now. other countries got their people out before the _ here now. other countries got their people out before the british, - here now. other countries got their people out before the british, howl people out before the british, how do you feel, do you feel the british helped you when you needed them or were they too slow? timer;r helped you when you needed them or were they too slow?— helped you when you needed them or were they too slow? they were slower than the others. _ were they too slow? they were slower than the others, but _ were they too slow? they were slower than the others, but still _ were they too slow? they were slower than the others, but still they - were they too slow? they were slower than the others, but still they take - than the others, but still they take us. that is what matters, right? these uk citizens were the first to be evacuated from sudan by the british military, leaving behind a chaotic country. we british military, leaving behind a chaotic country.— british military, leaving behind a chaotic country. we heard lots of runshots chaotic country. we heard lots of gunshots while _ chaotic country. we heard lots of gunshots while we _ chaotic country. we heard lots of gunshots while we were - chaotic country. we heard lots of gunshots while we were in - chaotic country. we heard lots of gunshots while we were in the i chaotic country. we heard lots of - gunshots while we were in the house. but we _ gunshots while we were in the house. but we were _ gunshots while we were in the house. but we were safe. we were only a little _ but we were safe. we were only a little safe — but we were safe. we were only a little safe. and i... we also heard explosions — little safe. and i... we also heard explosions. yeah, we are safe now, because _ explosions. yeah, we are safe now, because there is no war here at all. the first_ because there is no war here at all. the first flights to the uk is about to depart, these families, their ordeal is over and they will be back in the uk, but many leave behind loved ones in sudan and they simply don't know what will happen to them. because this is what they have fled, the destruction wrought on the capital after a feud between sudanese generals. a people in the midsts of a war zone. the uk says it is more or holding, the ceasefire. still british passport holders are struggling to leave. in london, amir awaits news of his four children who are stuck in sudan with their mother. it are stuck in sudan with their mother. , �* ., ., ., mother. if they didn't manage to get out now, tomorrow, _ mother. if they didn't manage to get out now, tomorrow, or _ mother. if they didn't manage to get out now, tomorrow, or after - out now, tomorrow, or after tomorrow, to be honest, i don't know, i don't know what's going to happen to them. i'm really worried about them and i can't sleep to be honest. i can't sleep.— honest. ican't sleep. back in c rus, honest. ican't sleep. back in cyprus. more _ honest. ican't sleep. back in cyprus, more rescue - honest. ican't sleep. back in cyprus, more rescue flights | honest. i can't sleep. back in i cyprus, more rescue flights are coming in and others going out. this is an operation which is gaining pace, but farfrom ending. with many more prince on britons farfrom safety. it seems each flight is bringing around a hundred people, the numbers depend on the conditions on the ground and we are told the situation there is volatile and the advice has changed. before people were being told to stay at home and weight nd wait until they were called forward. now people are being told to get there as soon as possible. it is a chaotic position, but the first flight back to the uk is due to land within the hour. thank you. paul adams is monitoring the situation from nairobi in kenya. it isa it is a race against time, because this is during a ceasefire, which is fragile? this is during a ceasefire, which is frauile? , , , ., this is during a ceasefire, which is frauile? , , , . , fragile? yes, it is shaky, it is about half— fragile? yes, it is shaky, it is about half way _ fragile? yes, it is shaky, it is about half way through, - fragile? yes, it is shaky, it is about half way through, it. fragile? yes, it is shaky, it is| about half way through, it has another day and a half to run. it is making life difficult still for people to reach that air base where they need to find these flights. there are accusations on both sides of continued outbreaks of gun fire. some people are too afraid to leave their homes, because the streets are dangerous. there is the problem of lack of fuel and people are struggling to find transport to get to that air base. and then there is the problem of what happens when the ceasefire ends. for the attention being given to foreign nationals, if the stees fire breaks down tomorrow, we could be in for something much graver. the un is warning that as many as a quarter of a million people could be on the move. we have already seen 10 or 20,000 who have fled outside of sudan's borders. that situation could get worse. andrew mitchell, the foreign office minister, said it is essential that a further ceasefire is arranged. i assume there are efforts going on to try and achieve that, but we just don't know that. try and achieve that, but we 'ust don't know thati almost 21,000 new police officers have been recruited in england and wales in the last three years, according to new figures. the government says they show that it's met its election manifesto pledge to hire 20,000 officers, but labour says the government is just trying to catch up with cuts that have been implemented since 2010. only one force, the metropolitan police, missed its target for recruitment. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds has all the details. i am only five foot two, i am only young. being in the kind of world and seeing all the crazy things that goes on, how am i going to handle that? and how am i going to deal and cope with that myself? amyjones. just 20, but ten weeks into her training as a new police officer. today's all about personal protection. hit, move. these officers joined west midlands police as part of the uplift. the government spending billions on recruiting 20,000 more police. here, there's no doubting their enthusiasm. where i really feel like i can do some good work is with working with women. and, you know, women who've gone through some really difficult situations and you know, are really vulnerable. the government said it has met a commitment made three years ago. there are almost 150,000 police officers _ there are almost 150,000 police officers across england and wales. the highest number ever. but labour said all the government _ the highest number ever. but labour said all the government had - the highest number ever. but labour said all the government had done - the highest number ever. but labour| said all the government had done was replace police officers previously cut. that is broadly true. in 2010, austerity led to a reduction in numbers. in the last three years that has been reversed. but the population has gone up in that time. despite adverts, record numbers are leaving. i despite adverts, record numbers are leavinu. .., despite adverts, record numbers are leavin. ., .,, , despite adverts, record numbers are leavin. ., .,_ leaving. i can quite comfortably say it was the worst _ leaving. i can quite comfortably say it was the worst year _ leaving. i can quite comfortably say it was the worst year of _ leaving. i can quite comfortably say it was the worst year of my - leaving. i can quite comfortably say it was the worst year of my life. - it was the worst year of my life. this former detective joined on a direct entry scheme, he asked us not to identify him. you direct entry scheme, he asked us not to identify him-— to identify him. you would have u wards to identify him. you would have upwards of— to identify him. you would have upwards of 30 _ to identify him. you would have upwards of 30 cases _ to identify him. you would have upwards of 30 cases at - to identify him. you would have upwards of 30 cases at any - to identify him. you would have upwards of 30 cases at any one | to identify him. you would have - upwards of 30 cases at any one time. the risk is you fail to collect cctv, fail to take a statement, because you don't have time, you don't give the victim the correct safeguarding advice, you don't have time to think about somebody�*s safety and something bad happens. he left after a year and so did a 30 of his intake he says. there are more recruits now, but if the pressure and the job and concerns about pay drive out veteran officer, experience is being lost. for some, thejob is no longer a job for life. the family of a nationalist politician murdered in northern ireland nearly 50 years ago were failed by the police as a result of "a wholly inadequate investigation" — according to a report that's just been released by the police watchdog. patsy kelly was a councillor in county tyrone — he was shot dead after being abducted on his way home from work in 1974. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page reports. patsy kelly was involved in politics at a time when it was dangerous. the irish nationalist counsellor went missing injuly 1974, after he locked up his pub in county tyrone. mr kelly's wife, teresa, spoke out when he disappeared. mrs kelly, have you any idea at all what has happened to your husband? i have no idea at all. poor patsyjust leaving his work to come home to me. almost half a century later, today mrs kelly stood with the family lawyer as he read the police ombudsman�*s findings. i have concluded that mr kelly's family were failed by police. - poignant and emotional, - today we remember patsy kelly, described by ms anderson - as an innocent victim of sectarian violence mounted against. the nationalist community. a fisherman found mr kelly's remains in county fermanagh. his killers had tied weights to his body. it's difficult to imagine those scenes at this lake now. northern ireland has been hugely changed by the peace process. but it is a place where history hurts. there are still hundreds of families looking for answers about unsolved killings. patsy kelly's relatives have long claimed he was shot by soldiers from the ulster defence regiment. the ombudsman�*s report says police did not verify the alibis of army personnel who were suspects. mr kelly's five children want a new inquest into their father's death. he was silenced by servants of the state. and ultimately his murder had been covered up by servants of the state. the question of how to investigate killings from the conflict is one of the most complex and contentious here. the latest report shows the passage of decades does not lessen personal pain. chris page, bbc news, belfast. a man has beenjailed for 22 months for helping the killer of nine—year—old 0livia pratt—korbell in liverpool last year. paul russell admitted driving thomas cashman in the aftermath of 0livia's shooting. liverpool crown court heard that russell was "terrified" of cashman and had given his name to the police in the days after the shooting. two former senior managers at the mental health care provider the priory group have told the bbc they had concerns about the safety of patients and staff. the whistleblowers claim they felt pressure to cut costs and fill beds. the priory group is the biggest single private provider of mental health services to the nhs, receiving more than £600 million of public money a year. the company denies the claims, and says it successfully treats tens of thousands of patients every year. angus crawford has this report. i'm still struggling to come to terms with what happened to beth. bright, charismatic and brave — beth matthews, champion sailor and mental health blogger, who survived a suicide attempt and came back from horrifying injuries. only to take her own life in a place herfamily thought she'd be safe. two other young women also died here last year. now, others have come forward. look at this — a carer at the cheadle royal, fast asleep for almost an hour, when they should have been looking after a suicidal patient. that patient was tenisha, and this is her mum, claire. she's meant to make sure my daughter doesn't kill herself. and yet she's fast asleep? fast asleep. it's disgusting. to me, if she would have carried something out that night at that moment, instead of reaching out to me, we would have had another death on our hands. would you be happy for your daughter to go into another priory clinic? i'd never let her in another priory, as long as i live. the priory said it apologised, reported the incident to the watchdog the cqc, and barred the worker for life. the most recent inspection by the cqc rated the cheadle royal as good, but a former senior member of the priory group management team got in touch too. they told us the culture here was broken. they felt the priory group set up services too quickly and couldn't staff them. that, they believed, was dangerous. head office constantly pushing them to take more patients — breathing down our necks, they said, and that got worse after the priory group was sold off to private investors. if you're struggling - with your mental health... the priory group gets hundreds of millions of pounds a year from the nhs and local council to provide care for adults and children. there's a huge demand for its services. a recent report by the cqc into the group found staff were "very proud to work there" and noted a "positive change in culture" since the sell—off. but it also said there was "extremely high staff turnover", which in some services was "having an impact on the quality and safety of ca re". the priory group wouldn't give us an interview or statement, but their lawyers told us it: including increasing pay. 350 extra health care assistants and nurses have been recruited and turnover has reduced. look at this... ..a carer at the cheadle royal. beth matthews' sister lucy is horrified by everything we found. just makes me so angry, so angry. i would not want anybody else in the entire world having to go through what we have gone through in the past 18 months, two years. i think beth would like to see that she's been a turning point. angus crawford, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime. several hundred british nationals escaping the fighting in sudan are on their way back to the uk. we look ahead to a possible premier league decider at the etihad stadium between manchester city and arsenal. coming up on bbc news. emma raducanu pulls out of the madrid open with a hand injury. the british number one could now drop out over the world's top 100 and faces a battle to get fit for the french open next month. a leading food bank charity says it's handing out more emergency food parcels than ever. the trussell trust, which supports more than 1,200 food banks across the uk, says it provided nearly 3 million emergency parcels in the year to march, which is a 37% increase on the year before — and in that time, more than three quarters of a million people used a food bank in the trussell trust network for the first time. hwyell griffith reports from cardiff, pasta. oh, yes, please. a helping hand that means sharon can now feed her family. since losing her husband three years ago, making sure her two children have enough has become increasingly hard. admitting you need to come to a food bank isn't easy either. it's embarrassing. it's degrading at times, but then at the same time, its needs must. you know, where else can i go? over the last year, over three quarters of a million people like sharon have come to a food bank run by the trussell trust for the first time. the demand here in cardiff has been unprecedented, and they've noticed a difference in who's coming through the door. it's been really quite a significant change. i think one of the things i've noticed, apart from the increase in volume of people coming through, it's how many people are coming through that actually have employment. there but for the grace of god. it could be any one of us. increased demand means needing more donations. the public has helped to fill this warehouse with food, but even then, it's not always enough. the charity has had to buy in some supplies. the amount of food passing through warehouses like this one in cardiff is staggering. five years ago, just over 1.3 million emergency parcels were sent out across the uk. that figure has now more than doubled, reaching nearly 3 million over the last 12 months across the trussell trust's network. the charity warns benefit payments no longer cover basic food and utility bills. it wants a law to ensure the rate of universal credit matches the cost of essentials. when there is a little uplift, we do see that the stats go down. people don't come to us because they have that bit of extra money. that extra £20 would help them to buy some food. but yeah, when they don't have that, it's just not enough. people cannot afford to live. for clare, who's also here for the first time, a little more every month, would ensure she can provide for her kids. so yeah, i was worried how i was going to feed them now for this week until i got my money on friday. and this is why it's happening now every month. you come to like the last week and all, and i'vejust got nothing, you know, it's a really bad situation at this moment in time. the uk government says it's committed to eradicating poverty and has already increased benefit payments by over 10%. but for many here, that money simply isn't stretching far enough. hywell griffith, bbc news, cardiff. and if you are looking for more information on help with the cost of living you can go to the bbc website at bbc.co.uk/news and look at the tackling it together section which contains articles on help with bills including how to cut the cost of your food shop. alcohol related deaths in england and wales have reached another record high, according to data seen by bbc newsnight. figures rose sharply during the pandemic — but it had been hoped the trend would reverse once lockdown restrictions were eased. but last year, deaths increased in england by another 4 per cent. kate lamble reports. this is me when i'd come round in hospital in march 2021. i'd had a seizure in asda supermarket. i'd been there to buy some alcohol. many felt the isolation of pandemic lockdowns, but for some, the radical shift in day to day life allowed established habits to spiral. i'd wake up in the morning, have a drink, i'd drink steadily throughout the day, and it got to a point in my final months where i was taking alcohol to bed with me. around 2,000 more people in the uk died from alcohol specific causes in 2021 compared to 2019. the reason? well, the office for national statistics suggested that increased consumption during the pandemic might be to blame, but data from 2022, preliminary as it might be, seems to suggest that far from returning to pre—pandemic levels, alcohol related deaths in england and wales are actually continuing to rise. you can see here in england the pink line of 2022, not only above the yellow of 2018—19, but on average 4% higher than even the year before. in sheffield, researchers have also spotted rising trends in alcohol specific causes. we might have hoped that they would at least have plateaued or started to go down, but the fact that they seem to be going up is quite worrying, and that's driven by a continued increase in deaths from liver disease and quite a sharp increase in deaths related to alcohol dependence. that trend may continue. surveys of alcohol consumption in england also indicate the number of people drinking at a higher level of risk still hasn't returned to pre—pandemic levels. so even when responsibility started to come back into my life, i was still self—medicating with alcohol. and by that point, it had become more of a survival. simon is now almost a year sober. during the pandemic, the organisation which supported him saw a 300% increase in referrals. are you able to provide support to everyone who wants it? no, we're not. nationally, across the country, 82% of adults that would benefit from alcohol treatment are not able to access it. and i think if we were comparing this to an issue like diabetes or cancer, that there would be a national outcry about that. we need to have more treatment capacity. we need a national alcohol strategy. the government says it's invested over £400 million to create more drug and alcohol treatment places. the pandemic then may have triggered changes to drinking habits, but the consequences could be with us for some time. kate lamble, bbc news. and bbc newsnight will have more on increasing levels of alcohol—related deaths and problems surrounding alcohol addiction tonight at 10:30 on bbc2 and afterwards on the bbc iplayer. most schools in northern ireland are closed today because of a strike by teachers about pay. for the first time in its history, the national association of head teachers is taking part — joining four other teaching unions which staged a previous walkout in february. a remarkable collection of handwritten lyrics, stage costumes and musical instruments belonging to freddie mercury are among 1,500 of his personal treasures which will go on show this summer before going under the hammer at auction. the lead singer of queen built up a huge collection, including works of art, over 30 years — when he died in 1991 he left it all to his oldest friend mary austin, who's decided it's the right time to sell. 0ur arts correspondent rebecca jones has been to see the collection. # we are the champions, my friend. #. in public, he was the ultimate showman. in private, freddie mercury retreated to a house he filled with objects he loved. the music world has been paying tribute to freddie mercury, the lead singer of the rock group queen — he died last night, 24 hours after confirming he was suffering from aids. when freddie mercury died in 1991, fans paid tribute at the house, which he left, along with its contents, to his close friend mary austin. she has lived there, surrounded by his treasures, for 30 years. but she is now selling to put her affairs in order. the only things i am keeping are the personal gifts that he gave me. i decided it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. if i was going to sell, i had to be brave and sell the lot. so there is an acoustic guitar on which it's thought he wrote and recorded crazy little thing called love. there are costumes, artworks. this picasso hung in his kitchen. even the phone by his bed is for sale. # she keeps the moet and chandon in a pretty cabinet... #. and lyrics to his hits, including killer queen. # just like marie antoinette... #. "i like to be surrounded by splendid things," freddie mercury once said. now they are being sold, with some of the money raised going to charity. rebecca jones, bbc news. all eyes will be on the etihad stadium this evening for the top of the table clash between manchester city and arsenal, the two teams who've led the way in the premier league this season. 0ur sports correspondent patrick gearey looks ahead for us. in a title race there are no finals, but at dusk it will feel like east manchester is hosting a showdown. the contenders, arsenal, five points clear but staggering of late. manchester city, with games in hand, are chasing notjust the title, but a treble. it was always going to come down to this game. when i looked at the fixture list, you know, manchester city versus arsenal, and the way arsenal have performed to get here. city are performing as well now, so there's no excuses anymore. arsenal fans are in a strange place, both delighted and deflated at their position. no one thought this young team would lead the league at this point, but three points from their last three matches has let the air out of their cushion. now, against one of the greatest club sides in the world, they must feel they belong. having someone that you looked at and said, this is the level, pushes everybody, you know. because even though you say maybe this level is enough here, the level is there. the two teams are intertwined. mikel arteta was pep guardiola's assistant at manchester city. 0leksandr zinchenko and gabrieljesus moved from city to arsenal last summer. they know more than anyone what fuels city, a team hunting three trophies that knows notjust how to win, but when it's important. when we start the season, first game, second game, third game after back to back premier leagues, it's not the final. now in the last few months we had that feeling, eufa cup, champions league and premier league. that is the truth, because we see the end real close. now we know exactly what we are playing for. well, the game here will not be the finish line. there are matches still to come, hurdles still to clear. but a win here for either side will provide that most important thing at this stage of a race — momentum. patrick geary, bbc news at the etihad stadium. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. good afternoon. it is a mixed fortune again across the uk, feeling quite cool where it is cloudy. but some areas will see the sunshine but across parts of wales and northern england.