what bbc news understands to be rape and multiple other sexual offences. northern ireland's first minister, michelle o'neill, says the power—sharing government will deliver for the whole community now and in the future. ukraine's president zelensky warns a new russian military offensive — may come in the next few months. and it's one year since the wall streetjournal reporter, evan gershkovich was detained in russia on spying charges. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, let's start with that stunning development in northern ireland — news thatjeffrey donaldson — the leader of the democratic unionist party — has been charged with historical sexual offences — and has quit as leader.

the dup says mr donaldson, who has been in politics for almost ao—years, has had his membership suspended pending the outcome of a judicial process. also of a judicial process. in the last hour northern ireland's also in the last hour northern ireland's first minister says she will do all in her power to make sure the government will deliver. she said it's vital the executive, including the dup, continued to govern. the party released a statement earlier, it says: police issued a statement on friday morning, not disclosing the identity of those charged.

it read, a 61—year—old man had been charged with "non—recent sexual offences" adding that a 57—year—old woman was also arrested and charged with "aiding and abetting additional offences". the statement confirmed two people will appear in court on april 24. i spoke to our ireland correspondent, sara girvin. more details, more information starting to trickle through after what has been a really sharp breaking news that sirjeffrey donaldson has stepped down with immediate effect as the leader of the democratic unionist party following charges of what the police describe as non—recent sexual offences, and what i can tell you now is that the bbc understands that sir geoffrey has been charged with rape and multiple other sexual offences. we understand a police investigation had been taking place

over the past few months before today's announcement after two women came forward, and we also know now that sirjeffrey�*s stated that he will be stacked strenuously contesting charges. just remind you what else they have said, they didn't name sojeffrey this morning, theyjust said a 61—year—old man had been charged with non—recent sexual offensives, and a 57—year—old woman was arrested at the same time and charged with aiding and abetting additional offences. that statement also said this morning that the pair will be appearing in magistrates�* court in county down here in northern ireland next month on the 24th of april. the police said both parties were arrested yesterday

morning by psni detectives and were questioned before they were charged last night. that led to a meeting of dup officers early this morning, and then this afternoon a couple of hours ago we had the statement from the dup confirming that sirjeffrey was stepping down as dup leader with immediate effect, and that the deputy leader of the party, gavin robinson, also an mp for east belfast, he will now be interim leader of the dup.— leader of the dup. clearly, the shock waves _ leader of the dup. clearly, the shock waves reverberating - leader of the dup. clearly, the shock waves reverberating is i leader of the dup. clearly, the - shock waves reverberating is more of the detail emerges. just in the last little while, northern ireland�*s first minister saying the priority is to continue to provide leadership and to ensure power—sharing actually delivers. and to ensure power-sharing actually delivers. . ., ., , and to ensure power-sharing actually delivers. . . . , , delivers. yeah, i mean it really is 'ust a delivers. yeah, i mean it really is just a matter _ delivers. yeah, i mean it really is just a matter of _ delivers. yeah, i mean it really is just a matter of months - just a matter of months the power—sharing got back up and running here at stormont in northern

ireland�*s power—sharing institutions after a two—year hiatus, because it was under sirjeffrey donaldson�*s leadership of the dup, he pulled his party out of power sharing in protest at what was the northern ireland protocol, that became the windsor framework. there were special trading arrangements post—brexit for northern ireland, it was onlyjust post—brexit for northern ireland, it was only just a post—brexit for northern ireland, it was onlyjust a couple of months ago that he let his party back in. i suppose in a practical sense he is an mp, then a leader of the party, gavin robinson, he is also an mp, so in practical terms it shouldn�*t really affect how stormont is run. actually no one is here at the moment because of the easter recess, but it would be ridiculous to think this has not sent political shock waves throughout northern ireland. of course it has, and when the political parties returned here in a few days after the easter break, that will be all they will be discussing. the political parties here in northern ireland since

coming back, there has been a lot of goodwill, they look to be getting on very, very well indeed, but of course everyone will be talking about this and the impact it might have on what is a fragile situation, politics always is that way northern ireland, it has been to aid to mulch as fears for the dup, there is no doubt about that, and now they will be dealing with this, as with all the political will to northern ireland and seeing how it reverberates here in northern ireland. reaction has been coming in. here�*s the former secretary of state for northern ireland julian smith, journalist sam mcbride, northern ireland editor of the belfast telegraph, explains the seismic effect this would have on unionist politics in northern ireland. and so this is a blow not just to the dup, not

just to jeffrey donaldson personally. this is a blow to unionism. unionism has been under immense pressure. it has made some very bad mistakes over recent years, most obviously around brexit. this is another area in which now unionism finds itself on the back foot, trying to find a leader, trying to work out what to do and hopefully from their perspective and trying to make up the ground now that they�*re losing. he signed the confidence and supply agreement to theresa may, has been a big beast in unionist politics. there is a sense of shock, since this raises questions that people are not quite sure the answers to the questions will be at. this deal to get stormont back was very much jeffrey donaldson�*s deal. he was the heart of it, he was a salesman for it, he negotiated, he really had in quite a successfuljob of getting it to stick where we are weeks into it now and if another significant

internal opposition to the move within his party, he had managed to make it work, and suddenly everything goes into a massive tailspin here because of something nobody saw it coming, so there will be massive concern in the irish gum, the british government, but this means for the irish sea border, whether stormont will stay as it has been, i think it will, i think it has been durable now because this party has made its bed, it will have to lie in it, there is not the place for it to go politically, however it�*s not the position i wanted to be in. he�*s somebody who has been central strategically behind the scenes in the dup. for them to lose, evenif scenes in the dup. for them to lose, even if you have a leader, would be a massive thing. to lose in these circumstances, if indeed he is gone forever, is very difficult to calculate at this point. for any political leader to face allegations of this nature, which got the stage of this nature, which got the stage of charges from the is incredibly rare, is incredibly unsettling for

people who support that political party or even who don�*t support the political party, and so whatever about the individual circumstances of this case will come to court, we can�*t get into that now. the mere fact of him being charged is beyond compare. i cannot think of an example of why this has happened to a political leader while they are leading the party, certainly not in thisjurisdiction, ireland. if you think about this beyond the realm of party politics, jeffrey donaldson was the leader of unionism in northern ireland, had been in the ulster unionist party at the move to dup, hisjoe about those camps, but he was someone who had wider responsibilities within unionism that simply says i�*m political party. reaction has been coming in. here�*s the former secretary of state for northern ireland julian smith, speaking on radio 4. well, i think, first of all, it is a big shock to everybody

and will be a big shock to people, particularly in northern ireland. and jeffrey donaldson had, as you know, played a key role in leading the dup back into power—sharing, which has over the past weeks, since it�*s been back up and running, been an extremely positive move with michelle o�*neill and emma little—pengelly for the sinn fein party and dup party respectively, having a brilliant start. so a huge shock. but i think actually one where with the election of gavin robinson as interim leader today by in a statement the dup have just made real continuity on the position of that was taken by party officers and the dup to return to power—sharing. so i don�*t, i�*m not concerned in any way that this. shocking news today will lead to any change in the momentum behind power sharing.

and he has played in this political leadership role an absolutely critical part over the past few months. he led the negotiations with the government and he worked with his own party to move them from their position of staying out of the executive on the basis that they didn�*t agree with the northern ireland protocol. julian smith talking to the bbc. let�*s speak to newspaper columnist and political commentator based in belfast, alex kane. we will talk about the political implications in a moment, perhaps, but certainly your headlined thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone _ thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone else, _ thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone else, it _ thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone else, itjust _ thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone else, itjust came - thoughts to this news today? i think like everyone else, itjust came as l like everyone else, itjust came as a huge shock. sometimes in this business you are aware of things long before they ever get into the public domain, but no one knew about this. itjust came as a thunderbolt, and it camejust

this. itjust came as a thunderbolt, and it came just when they were looking and assessing the first two months of the new executive and wondering whether it be stable and whether they would get along, whether they would get along, whether they would get along, whether the dup would finally get their act together and work with other unionists and bring stability that we hadn�*t seen in northern ireland for years. i don�*t want to override it, it�*s not catastrophic in one sense, but it makes life more difficult now in the sense of keeping the assembly on the road. yes, we heard just that that he wasn�*t concerned that this would lead to a change in momentum and power—sharing, but i spoke to a former dup special adviser and he was not so sure at all. i former dup special adviser and he was not so sure at all.— former dup special adviser and he was not so sure at all. i agree with david's analysis _ was not so sure at all. i agree with david's analysis on _ was not so sure at all. i agree with david's analysis on this _ was not so sure at all. i agree with david's analysis on this one. - was not so sure at all. i agree with david's analysis on this one. the i david�*s analysis on this one. the dup went into this deal as a divided party, very seniorfigures in party, very senior figures in the party, very senior figures in the party disagreed with us. what we�*re seeing is robinson mp taking over as interim leader, there will be a

leadership election, that�*s what the party rules demand. what we want to see is whether those critics who is antievolution once a hosting brought down on to the critical windsor framework issue has been resolved, if one of them throws their hat in the rain, they might win or lose just by a small minority, that would make it very difficult for the dup, who are very spooked, and were getting a lot of criticism from the grassroots. so, if it now looks as if the anti—dior faction within the party has grown in the last couple of months, i think some of them will lose courage, and i think some of those who are working on the ulster unionist party in 1998, we saw people leave the party who got so spooked by what was happening on the ground, they will left and went to the join the ground, they will left and went to thejoin the dup. so i wouldn�*t be entirely surprised, i wouldn�*t say was definite, but i would not be surprised if some dup mlas who backed him just a few weeks ago

would now reconsider their position. and of coursejeffrey donaldson did exactly what you just described way back, when he left himself, the ulster unionist. in terms of his politicaljourney it is quite something spanning effectively a0 years. we were shown pictures from a few decades ago where he was there in a news conference alongside david trimble ripping up the framework document saying, that sort i think of that. ~ ., �* , document saying, that sort i think of that. ~ ., �*, ., , document saying, that sort i think ofthat. ~ ., �*, ., , ., of that. well, that's unionism for ou, of that. well, that's unionism for you. what _ of that. well, that's unionism for you. what you — of that. well, that's unionism for you, what you doing _ of that. well, that's unionism for you, what you doing opposition, | you, what you doing opposition, years later you might do a complete u—turn. the thing about donaldson, i think this is important, it�*s to a very significant science, as it was with david trimble, this is donaldson�*s deal. it would have not got over the line without him. he fought for it, he took real control, to convince people, look, this is the only way, if we don�*t do this we won�*t get the chance again. the

problem is, some people who have backed him then were beginning to ask themselves, with other reasons were heated these deal? whether other reasons why he so keen? that�*s the thing about unionism in northern ireland, particular unionism, it�*s very easy to spook a unionist party or a unionist, and many of them will be unsubtle, and there will be getting calls from critics today saying, this is our chance, we didn�*t have to deal with this, had to get rid of this, all the stuff that�*s coming, we were told that a border in the irish sea was going, we too heard the irish language was going, and it turned out to be nonsense, we will find someone better than donaldson, so that�*s where the instability will creep in. i�*m not saying it�*s inevitable, but i�*m not saying it�*s inevitable, but i really do believe that it�*s possible, and they assembly may not survive the d p. figs possible, and they assembly may not survive the d p.—

survive the d p. as you was saying that, we survive the d p. as you was saying that. we are _ survive the d p. as you was saying that, we are showing _ survive the d p. as you was saying that, we are showing images, - survive the d p. as you was saying that, we are showing images, he l survive the d p. as you was saying - that, we are showing images, he made the deal propping up theresa may�*s government, other tourist negotiations around that, but in terms of getting back to where we are now, just give me a sense of, how nervous will people be in northern ireland? they waited for such a long time, they had such an impact, the lack of power—sharing. how nervous will people be there now in terms of watching what is going on in possible implications? i think eo - le on in possible implications? i think --eole will on in possible implications? i think peeple will be _ on in possible implications? i think people will be very _ on in possible implications? i think people will be very nervous. - people will be very nervous. commentators and journalists in northern ireland, today, with going to do a shopping the following day, the sunday, i think we are asking how long it would last this time, and i think a lot of people listen to the story and i will be thinking, oh, for goodness�* sake, we won�*t barely got two months and were already teetering on the edge. the

one thing that mightjust come to the rescue and some sort of resemblance of stability again is the fact that i think there is an acceptance even in the dup and other areas of unionism that if the assembly was to go down again, forget the personal circumstances, if the assembly were to go down again, ithink if the assembly were to go down again, i think it would be extraordinarily difficult to get it back up again, because people will 90, back up again, because people will go, hang on, this is the fifth or sixth time, it�*s taken years to get where we are now, and yet five minutes into it down again, and i think it went down again, that might just stay the hand of some people, even though they are uncomfortable with where they are and aspects of the deal, i think they will realise, if the dup withdraw again, in a matter of weeks, getting any unionist back in again could be a nastily nice man.— nastily nice man. fascinating talkin: nastily nice man. fascinating talking to — nastily nice man. fascinating talking to you. _ around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

you are live with bbc news. to ukraine now, and president zelensky is warning that — a new russian military offensive could happen in the next few months. and he says, his country is not ready to face it. the ukrainian leader made the comments during an interview with cbs news — confirming he believes it could happen between may and june. he stresses the need for more military aid. take a listen. so, you�*re expecting a counteroffensive in may, june, from the russians. i think so. what sort of weapons do you need to stop that counteroffensive? number one is anti—air defence and artillery shells. that's what we need. more on that story later. relatives of the wall streetjournal reporter, evan gershkovich, are making the anniversary

of his detention in russia. he�*s the first american to be charged with spying, by the russian authorities, since the end of the cold war. the us government and the wall streetjournal have dismissed the charge, saying mr gershkovich is being used as a bargaining chip by moscow. earlier i spoke to new york times — moscow bureau chief, anton troianovski, about how he�*s finding the anniversary. it�*s extraordinarily tough. i�*m obviously thinking back to the moment a year ago when i learned the news, and i�*m here in berlin now, where a lot of evan�*s friends are located and based. we unfurled a big "free evan" banner outside the brandenburg gate recently, because it is key to stress that how long

he has spent behind bars. in terms of the public protest, the pronouncements we have had so many over the past 12 months, do you think that helps or hinders, potentially? i think it helps, because it�*s really the only thing that can get evan that out. the espionage charges he faces are absurd. he was simply doing his job. but they are also very serious and the carrier 20 year prison sentence. the only way he can get out is if there is public pressure on, of course, first and foremost the russian government to release him, but also on western governments to make sure that everyone understands how much of a critical press freedom issue this is, because if we are not there to stand

up for and help journalists who get in trouble when they are doing a risky but incredibly important assignment, i don�*t know how we can expect, as democratic societies, to get this kind of critical information in the future. two more questions for you, because it is fascinating, because reading about him it is so obvious in terms of his own journey how much he loved russia, going back to there, recognising the risks but always trying to seek out stories, seek out people to tell their stories. that is so evident — but you know him. are you able to make any sort of assessment on how he will be holding up given that he is being held in these conditions the 12 months? that�*s a great question, he has this just extraordinary strength of character and of spirit. as you say, he understood the risks,

he knew he was doing something that carried risk, but also that was extremely important in terms of reporting from on the ground inside russia, so after he got arrested i think he knew that he was in a very difficult situation and that he could end up being behind bars for a very long time, as his release is being negotiated and pressured for, and i�*m in touch with him, as a lot of people are, by letter. he is able to send and receive letters from prison, and you can tell that he is holding on, he still has a lot of hope and he still has his charm and sense of humour that he had as a free man, you can still tell. reaction there on this, the one—year anniversary of his detention. let me

just bring you up—to—date on one of the stories we are keeping an eye on, we will have more reaction in about half an hour in today�*s verified life, one of the conservatives�* biggest donors has been given a knighthood. mohamed mansour, there, it has been said that it shows that the prime minister doesn�*t expect to be there for very long. we will have more on that story on the programme a little later. finally this half hour — some stunning pictures of mother nature in action in iceland. a volcano continues to erupt there — but as you can see — it has been caught spewing lava

at the same time as the famous northern lights display. so you have the red hot lava spewing from the ground, at the same as the green glow of the natural light display in the sky. a volcano erupting — with the northern lights playing in the background. the timelapse video was shot in southwestern iceland, where the volcano has erupted several times since december. let�*s end this half hour, take you to the vatican showing scenes of the pope overseeing a weekend of easter celebrations, today the good friday service taking place there at saint peter�*s basilica, and we will keep an eye on that, and also return and show you more, but to stay with us. we will have more evolved today�*s headlines stories. hello there. good afternoon.

well, a gradual improvement for most of us weather—wise over the next couple of days. here�*s the forecast for the bank holiday weekend. today, sunshine and some heavy showers. lighter winds than yesterday. fewer showers on saturday and sunday, but there could be some more rain in the south on bank holiday monday. drierfurther north. lots of rainbows spotted today with the general sunshine and showers theme. already some lightning strikes across parts of pembrokeshire. there could be some heavy downpours, some hail and some thunder in some of these showers, but generally fewer of them than we saw yesterday, with more in the way of sunshine. it�*s still breezy for england and wales, but not as gusty as yesterday. could be a bit drier across northern scotland and for most it will feel a little warmer too. 0vernight tonight it�*s still going to be quite chilly by night. we�*ll see the skies largely clear. the showers fading away. a scattering of them still out towards the west. a touch of isolated frost, i think, into tomorrow morning, with lows in low to mid—single figures. also bit of patchy mist and fog, as well, but it will still be breezy for part of the night,

but then lighter winds tomorrow morning. that�*s because our area of low pressure is pulling away towards the west. so the winds are lighter and it�*ll feel a bit warmer in the sunshine tomorrow, but another area of low pressure possibly giving some patchy rain across the far east of east anglia for a while, more cloud in the south—east of england, but a lot of dry weather on saturday, plenty of sunshine. the focus for any showers out towards the north and the west. it will feel warmer again — 11 to 15 degrees celsius. now, don�*t forget that the clocks spring forward by an hour on saturday night into sunday, so darker morningsjust for a while and, of course, lighter evenings on the way. easter sunday isn�*t looking too bad either. again, we could see some showers out towards western spots as we head through the morning, largely fading away into the afternoon. a lot of dry weather around with some sunshine, but perhaps a bit cloudier and cooler towards north sea facing coasts with more of an easterly wind developing. again, highs of 11 to 1a degrees. then we look to the south as we head through sunday night and into bank holiday monday because we are going to see some

areas of rain perhaps across england and wales. still a lot of uncertainty with the forecast, so do keep an eye on it. it could be drier further north, perhaps. temperature—wise, it�*s a bit cloudier and cooler again towards north sea facing coasts, so a bit milder further west. bye—bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines...

jeffrey donaldson resigns as the leader of northern ireland�*s democratic unionist party after being charged with what bbc news understands to be rape and multiple other sexual offences. prime minister benjamin netanyahu approves a new round of ceasefire talks a day after the un top court ordered israel to allow aid into gaza. and actorjohn boyega speaks for the first time about how the killing of his childhood friend damilola taylor shaped his life. more now on northern ireland. news thatjeffrey donaldson, the leader of the democratic unionist party, has been charged with historical sexual offences and has quit as leader. the bbc understands that sirjeffrey donaldson has been charged with rape and multiple other sexual offences. the police investigation is understood to have started within the last number of months, after two women came forward. sirjeffrey�*s resignation letter to the dup states he will be strenuously contesting the charges. the dup says mr donaldson,

who has been in politics for almost a0—years, has had his membership