at six: a teenager appears in court charged with murder and attempted murder after the southport stabbings. he can now be named as 17—year—old axel muganwa rudaku ba na from lancashire. after two nights of violence sparked by false rumours online about the boy being held, the prime minister has this warning for social media companies. violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime. it's happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere. also tonight: the bbc�*s director—general reveals he knew in november that hugh edwards had been arrested for the most serious category of indecent images of

children. interest rates are cut for the first time in four years. they're down to 5%. an italian woman withdraws from an olympic boxing match seconds after being punched in the face by her algerian opponent, who'd previously failed a gender eligibilty test. and the green shoots bringing hope to sycamore gap after the 200—year—old tree was illegally felled. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news... no golden goodbye for helen glover — she says she has no plans to carry on her olympic career after silver in the rowing. the 17—year—old boy charged with murdering three girls and attempting to murder 10 others in southport has appeared in court in liverpool.

he can now be named as axel rudakubana after the judge lifted reporting restrictions. it's understood that the teenager from lancashire has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and has at times refused to leave his house. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford was in court. three days after the horrifying mass stabbing in southport, the police�*s only suspect, axel rudakubana, was brought to court in a white custody van. accompanied by two police cars, three riot vans and several other vehicles, he was driven to the main court complex in liverpool, where the road was briefly closed stop dozens of other officers were providing extra security, because of tuesday night's riot in southport. the first hearing on the youth court lasted about five minutes. 17—year—old axel rudakubana, who at that stage still could not be named,

was wearing a police issued grey tracksuit made of a sweatshirt material. apart from a brief glance at the press benches, he kept his face covered at all times. throughout the hearing, because of the defendant's young age, the districtjudge spoke to him using only his first name, axel, using only his first name, axel. as well as being charged with murder and attempted murder, he is also charged with possessing a kitchen knife with a curved blade. at a second hearing in the crown court an hour later, judge andrew menary kc lifted the legal restrictions, saying that in the public interest, axel rudakubana should be publicly named. the young girls he's accused of murdering at monday's taylor swift themed dance class are six—year—old bebe king, seven year old elsie dot stancombe and nine—year—old alice de silva aguilar. he's accused of attempting to murder the class organiser, leanne lucas. the class organiser, leanne lucas, john hayes, who had rushed to help, and eight other young girls who can't be named because of court reporting restrictions.

whilst these charges are a significant milestone within this investigation, this remains very much a live investigation, and we continue to work with our partners from lancashire police and counter terrorism policing north west. axel rudaku ba na, seen axel rudakubana, seen here in old photos, was born in cardiff but grew up photos, was born in cardiff but grew up in southport and went to local schools. it's understood he has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and has at times refused to leave the house. for the last seven years, he'd been living in this close in the village of banks, just outside southport, with his parents, who were originally from rwanda. as he was driven from court, angry bystanders shouted at the van. he'll be held in youth detention accommodation at least until his 18th birthday next week. his next court appearance will be a plea hearing on october the 25th.

it really is very unusual for a judge to allow the reporting of a name of someone who is under 18 at this early stage in the proceedings. thejudge himself this early stage in the proceedings. the judge himself conceded this early stage in the proceedings. thejudge himself conceded it this early stage in the proceedings. the judge himself conceded it was exceptional. he was, of course, taking into account the fact that axel rudakubana turns 18 next week, but also taking into account the very serious rioting in southport on tuesday night that was fuelled by false information on social media. he said that continuing to prevent full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation in a vacuum. daniel, thank you. two children who were injured in the attack at the dance class on monday have now been discharged from hospital. five other children are still being treated. our correspondentjudith moritz has been speaking to a mother and her daughter whose friend died in the attack. poppy is eight, and hers is a world of playing, dancing and fun. but this week, that world changed. she heard that something bad had happened, and she asked her mum what it was.

i said, "just tell me what's going on". and then i was open and honest, wasn't i? you were open and honest and you said at the yoga club, a couple of people were stabbed. and i was a bit like, "do you know who?" poppy was at school with alice aguiar. they sang in the choir together. i literally knew that alice was definitely in there, so my fingers were crossed that she wasn't injured or anything, because i knew she was in there. but then when i found out that she was in hospital, i was like, "i'm going to cross my fingers all week". that's what we've done for all of them, haven't we? you have been crossing your fingers all week? yeah, all week. and then you said that she's died from the incident. poppy's mum told her that others had been stabbed too, including her dance teacher. what did she say? how has she processed it? is she processing it? i don't think she's fully processing it. at eight, they're nosy.

they listen to everything. and poppy was asking overand overagain. that was when i decided to be upfront and honest, and i explained what had happened. and her first question was why. and no one has the answer. no one knows why. the crazy bit is that she was more scared of the rioting than she was of what happened with the stabbing. poppy and her mum went to see the flowers at the scene and lay some of their own. it made me feel like i was giving the flowers directly to alice. she'll be a big miss, won't she? she'll be a big miss. but i reckon as a school, something's probably going to be done. maybe sing a song for alice. yeah, probably. southport is the kind of place you want to bring up your kids — sunshine and seaside fun. but now its children are facing things no child ever should, and the impact of that is hard to know. judith moritz, bbc news, southport.

the prime minister has been holding an emergency meeting with senior police officers in downing street after a second night of violence in parts of england. sir keir starmer condemned far right demonstrators saying the unrest was not a protest that got out of hand but a group of individuals bent on violence. more than 100 people were arrested in london, hartlepool and manchester overnight. our home editor mark easton reports from hartlepool. the charred hulk of a police car in a residential street in hartlepool symbolises the challenge to law and order currently posed by far right extremists. anti—immigration groups were behind disturbances in several english towns and cities last night, shocking levels of violence and intimidation. a muslim family barricaded into their hartlepool home had to be rescued by riot officers. an asylum seeker was punched as he walked along the street. a local butcher stayed in his shop as rioters smashed his windows,

ensuring the mob did not get to his knives and meat cleavers. today, cleveland police were at the community centre, looking to reassure local residents. we're on manned patrols and that's going to continue today, tomorrow, into the weekend, and then we'll reassess. how did you feel when you heard what had been happening on the streets of the town you've just moved to? i'm afraid. i'm afraid mostly for my kids, because i thought it's going to be a more calmer place to raise my kids. as an asian gentleman living on the street where the violence occurred, does that make you feel uncomfortable? oh, of course. my wife wouldn't even let me come out today to go to the mosque. - we had to close our mosque last night. i police in london also made more than 100 arrests overnight after far—right activists launched flares at the gates of downing street and towards the statue of winston churchill in parliament square. there were also disturbances

in manchester and aldershot. the prime minister this afternoon told police chiefs in downing street he was creating a new national capability across forces to combat the violent disorder. these thugs are mobile. they move from community to community, and we must have a policing response that can do the same. shared intelligence, wider deployment of facial recognition technology and preventative action, criminal behaviour orders, to restrict their movements. one of the anti—immigrant protesters in hartlepool last night refused to appear on camera, but told me he had attended after seeing plans for a rally online. he told me the country was full and foreigners were the problem. the far right wants to create the impression that immigration is a threat to law and order. police chiefs would argue that it's the far right who represent the greater danger, and in fact, the evidence is that there is no link between the level of violence in a community and the numbers

of asylum seekers orforeign workers. in fact, despite record immigration in the last few years, violent crime has never been lower. despite the far right�*s false narrative, last night's trouble does not reflect the attitudes of the communities where it happened, nor indeed the country. mark easton, bbc news, hartlepool. the bank of england has cut interest rates for the first the bbc has tonight defended its decision not to sack huw edwards despite knowing that he had been arrested for being in possession of the most serious category of indecent images of children. in an interview tonight, the director general tim davie also revealed that they are exploring recovering some of edwards' salary. joe pike has the latest. 2a hours after huw edwards pleaded guilty, the bbc is now in the dark guilty, the bbc is now in the dock over how it handled the crisis around the top presenter, who we now know accessed paedophile images.

the primary thoughts here are always were victims of these terrible situations. 50 were victims of these terrible situations-— were victims of these terrible situations. , ., , situations. so why not 'ust sack him? because, h situations. so why not 'ust sack him? because, quite _ situations. so why notjust sack him? because, quite simply, i situations. so why notjust sack. him? because, quite simply, the olice him? because, quite simply, the police came _ him? because, quite simply, the police came to — him? because, quite simply, the police came to us _ him? because, quite simply, the police came to us and _ him? because, quite simply, the police came to us and said, - him? because, quite simply, the| police came to us and said, look, him? because, quite simply, the - police came to us and said, look, we need to do our work in total confidence. we have arrested. please keep this confidential. and at that point, i think the principle is clear in my mind. and, i say, we thought long and hard about this. this wasn't a kneejerk decision, and it was difficult, but when the police... if you think about this in terms of precedent, people do get arrested, and then we have had situations where there are no charges and there is nothing there to be followed up on. in this case, we knew it was serious. we did not know specifics, by the way, apart from the category of the potential offences. it was lastjuly that the corporation suspended huw edwards over allegations he had paid a young person for explicit images.

the police said at the time it wasn't a criminal matter. in november, the bbc were told by the met in confidence that huw edwards had been arrested in relation to images of child sexual abuse. in april, he resigned from his bbcjob, claiming it was based on advice from his doctors. injune, he was charged with three offences relating to 41 images of children being sexually abused, and yesterday, huw edwards was convicted. in relation to huw edwards, look, i am shocked and appalled, i'm sure, as everybody is in relation to this, and the culture secretary is meeting with the director—general of the bbc later on today. this was the paedophile who sent and discussed those images with huw edwards. 25—year—old alex williams is from merthyr tydfil in wales. police say he had hundreds of illegal images. 200 of them were of the worst level of child sexual abuse. he pleaded guilty to seven offences and was given a suspended sentence earlier this year.

the bbc paid huw edwards £200,000 in the five months between his arrest and resignation. it will be hard to get that licence fee payers�* money back. h0 get that licence fee payers' money back. ., ., ~ , ., get that licence fee payers' money back. ., ., ~ , ., back. no one likes to see a situation. _ back. no one likes to see a situation, but _ back. no one likes to see a situation, but these - back. no one likes to see a situation, but these are - situation, but these are unfortunately the specifics of how it works. — unfortunately the specifics of how it works, that we can't claw back pension — it works, that we can't claw back pension i— it works, that we can't claw back pension. i think when it comes to pay, again. — pension. i think when it comes to pay, again, legally challenging, but we will_ pay, again, legally challenging, but we will look at all options. the — we will look at all options. the corporation has faced criticism over why it didn�*t sack huw edwards nine months ago when it was told by the met police he was being investigated in relation to child sexual abuse images. there is also a lack of clarity over internal investigations into allegations huw edwards sent inappropriate messages tojunior members of edwards sent inappropriate messages to junior members of staff. that report is still under wraps. some within the corporation now fear further revelations. huw edwards has utterly destroyed his own reputation.

now it seems he�*s damaging the bbc�*s. joe pike, bbc news. joining me now is our special correspondent lucy manning and our culture editor katie razzall. lucy, you have talked to whistle—blowers who spoke out many months ago about huw edwards�* behaviour. what have they said? the bbc encourage staff to come forward to their internal inquiry and no one has said anything about the results, and i spoke to one former employee today who had given evidence to the inquiry, and as the sun first reported, they have received messages from the former newsreader when huw edwards was reporting on prince philip�*s funeral, suggestive messages. a picture of his hotel room with the bed, saying there was plenty of room. that former employee told the inquiry about this and other messages, and i have to say, they were in tears today when they were telling me how they felt let down by the bbc. they want the findings of the bbc. they want the findings of the inquiry to be published. they said it didn�*t seem transparent. it

seems like things have been swept under the carpet. i have also spoken to a second bbc staff member. we reported last year that they had received inappropriate and flirtatious messages from huw edwards. they told me they are disappointed that they haven�*t heard more about the inquiry�*s progress, saying that speaking to the investigators had been an ordeal and they don�*t feel reassured that bbc management are taking the right steps to deal with the internal complaints. and i have to say, i don�*t think it is a great look that the bbc are not dealing with what went on in this newsroom that we work in. our cutter added to katie razzall, we have got more information from the director general —— our culture editor katie razzall. mas the director general -- our culture editor katie razzall.— the director general -- our culture editor katie razzall. was it enough? as we were hearing _ editor katie razzall. was it enough? as we were hearing in _ editor katie razzall. was it enough? as we were hearing in that - editor katie razzall. was it enough? as we were hearing in that report, l as we were hearing in that report, we had why the bbc reached the decision that they did, particularly around whether to keep huw edwards on salary and suspended after they knew he had been arrested, so they

talked about those tough decisions they made which they stand by, and explained that the police had asked the bbc to keep it confidential and not share it. i think there are some positives. when he was talking, for example, about trying to claw back the pay, you will remember huw edwards was paid £200,000 from licence fee payers money after he was arrested and before he resigned. he said that was legally challenging, but they will look at all the options. if he can do that, that would be a positive. but in the end, the unsurmountable thing is the severity of the event is being investigated. the bbc may not have known the exact nature of the horrors that only emerged in court. for example, they didn�*t know the edges of the children being so awfully abused in those images, but they knew he was being investigated for the most serious offences of this nature, and they took the view that his rights as an employee and his serious health condition, with that extra demand from the police not to reveal the arrest, meant they couldn�*t fire him. in the end, it�*s

a judgment call and it looks to have brought risk on the bbc later down the line now that we know the full details. i would say the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing, but leaders are paid to make very complex decisions and come out on the right side of them. katie razzall and _ the right side of them. katie razzall and lucy _ the right side of them. katie razzall and lucy manning, i the right side of them. katie razzall and lucy manning, thank you both. the time is 6.18. our top story this evening: a teenager appears in court charged with murder and attempted murder after the southport stabbings. the biggest prisoner swap since the cold war has taken place between russia and the west, including the wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich. coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news... the ioc stand by their gender eligibility rules after an algerian boxer, banned from fighting only last year, is allowed to compete in paris. the bank of england has cut interest rates for the first time since the pandemic from 5.25% to 5%.

but the bank�*s governor andrew bailey was quick to dampen down hopes of a flurry of rate cuts in the coming months. here�*s our economics editor faisal islam. in cardiff market, restaurant customers talk a lot about the burden of their rising mortgage bills. finally today, that has started to change. i�*m very happy. very happy, just because the mortgage has come down. mortgages, bank rates, i think it will be a bit of a relief. for the first time in four years, interest rates are now coming down. important for customers at this street food restaurant but for owner rupali and others, it might take some time to pass through. we have actually remortgaged our own house, and it was the worst time to do it, because we had such a good interest rate, but we had to release the capital for businesses to sustain. we�*ve done that and now we are stuck with a high interest rate, high expenses at the business. it was a close—run 5—4 vote

in favour of the cut at the bank of england, with governor andrew bailey being persuaded now is the right time for lower rates. we�*re on a path where we will remove this persistent element of inflation, as we expect we will, by the way, we�*re not expecting anything else at the moment. over time, the policy will therefore become less restrictive, so rates will come down, but i�*m not going to predict when and how much, because that depends on events and how it unfolds. is it mission accomplished in terms of the inflationary dragon being slayed? it�*s an encouraging step forward. you�*re right, it is an important moment in time. it�*s a welcome moment in time as well, but it�*s not mission accomplished yet. interest rates were cut back today for the first time since the pandemic, having risen 1a times as prices surged. that has helped overall inflation, in blue here, fall sharply back from the energy shock to the official target of 2%, but some on the committee

are still worried about inflation in services, like restaurants and hotels, in red here, proving sticky. after a really difficult three—year inflationary shock, a significant turning point today. they raised interest rates here 1a times to try to control inflation, and today they felt confident enough to start to unwind that. but how quickly they go down from here is still up for grabs. the opposition said the new government�*s decisions to raise public sector pay this week by 5—6% would entrench inflation and jeopardise future rate cuts. well, it�*s up to the bank of england to make their decisions around interest rates and to forecast inflation. i made the decision on monday to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies to give a pay rise to our armed forces, our police, teachers, doctors and nurses. i think that is the right thing to do. but we also found efficiencies within government spending to offset some of that pay increase. the governor played down the impact, saying the public sector

was catching up with rises in the private sector, so rates are on their way down, a potential boost to consumers and businesses, but with inflation not entirely defeated in the service sector, it could be a slow process. faisal islam, bbc news. the biggest prisoner swap since the cold war has taken place between russia and the west. the exchange, at an airfield in turkey, included the wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich and former us marine paul whelan. many of those released by the west have links with intelligence agencies. our russia editor steve rosenberg has been following the story and sent this report from moscow. it was a complex operation, planes flying in from east and west. the location had been a closely guarded secret — ankara airport, the stage for the largest prisoner swap since the cold war. it involved 26 people being held in seven different countries. among those freed from russian

jails, wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich, former us marine paul whelan and us russian journalist al sukhoru kova. released too, prominent kremlin critics and anti—war campaigners like vladimir kara—murza and human rights campaigner oleg orlov. back to russia, convicted assassin vadim krasikov, identified by a german court as having links to the russian state and nine others the kremlin wanted back. for paul whelan, this ends an ordeal that began more than five years ago when he was arrested in russia, convicted of spying and sentenced to 16 years in prison. it�*s a charge he�*s always fiercely denied. speaking later from the white house, president biden gave his reaction. it says a lot about the united states that we work relentlessly to free americans who are unjustly held around the world. it also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release

of russian political prisoners. they stood up for democracy and human rights. their own leaders threw them in prison. the united states helped secure their release as well. america has repeatedly accused moscow ofjailing us citizens with the aim of trading them for russians jailed abroad. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. it got its agents back. for moscow, the takeaway from all of this will be that hostage diplomacy works, and that means we�*re likely to see more of it. more prisoners here being used as bargaining chips, and more prisoner exchanges like this one may be needed to bring them home. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

at the olympics, an italian woman has withdrawn from her boxing match against her algerian opponent after just 46 seconds after she was hit in the face. the algerian was allowed to compete despite being disqualified from last year�*s women�*s world championships for failing an eligibility test. the olympic organisers have been heavily criticised for allowing the fight to go ahead. here�*s our sports editor dan roan. imane khelif�*s first fight of these games was always going to be hugely controversial, they are doing and allowed to compete in the women�*s boxing competition against italian component wait upon at angela carini despite being disqualified from last year�*s championships for elevated levels of testosterone according to the ioc. but an already divisive situation quickly escalated. having been punched in the face, clearly distressed karenni abandoning the fight after just 46 seconds. translation: i said, fight after just 46 seconds. translation: isaid, stop. it could

have been a match of my life, but i need to protect my life as well. i couldn�*t bear the pain. [30 need to protect my life as well. i couldn't bear the pain.— couldn't bear the pain. do you understand — couldn't bear the pain. do you understand why _ couldn't bear the pain. do you understand why your - couldn't bear the pain. do you . understand why your involvement couldn't bear the pain. do you - understand why your involvement has caused such controversy? i�*m understand why your involvement has caused such controversy?— caused such controversy? i'm here for the good- _ caused such controversy? i'm here for the good- i— caused such controversy? i'm here for the good. i fight _ caused such controversy? i'm here for the good. i fight everybody. . caused such controversy? i'm here | for the good. i fight everybody. but the row is set _ for the good. i fight everybody. but the row is set to _ for the good. i fight everybody. but the row is set to intensify. - the row is set to intensify. tomorrow taiwan�*s lin yu—ting, who like khelif, competed at the last olympics, will also fight here despite being stripped of a medal at last year�*s were championships after failing a gender eligibility test. but with esport�*s russia led governing body currently suspended, the ioc is running the competition. everyone competing in the women�*s category is participating and complying with the competition eligibility rules. they have women in their passports and it is stated that that is the case.— that that is the case. angela carini's abandonment - that that is the case. angela carini's abandonment of - that that is the case. angela carini's abandonment of her| that that is the case. angela - carini's abandonment of her fight in carini�*s abandonment of her fight in this ring earlier today will send shock waves through the world of boxing and beyond, and it will feel a controversy over the fact that imane khelif�*s was allowed to

compete here and will reinforce the questions that ioc is now having to confront over inclusion, fairness and safety. and with testosterone levels linked to muscle size and strength, the fear is that a fighter could be badly hurt. it strength, the fear is that a fighter could be badly hurt.— strength, the fear is that a fighter could be badly hurt. if you have got one boxer who _ could be badly hurt. if you have got one boxer who far _ could be badly hurt. if you have got one boxer who far outweighs - could be badly hurt. if you have got one boxer who far outweighs the i one boxer who far outweighs the strength of another, that would suggest that that person is not fit to be within the female category of the competition. itjust isn�*t right. so today, you saw that. algeria�*s olympic committee has condemned what it called unethical targeting and baseless attacks on khelif, who has lost nine times in a 50 fight career. but amid mounting concern, today�*s events will only intensify the scrutiny. dan roan, bbc news, paris. there�*s been more success for team gb in the rowing. they secured silver medals in the women�*s four final, and bronze in the men�*s rowing four and women�*s double sculls. laura scott has the details. the olympics are about medals, but they�*re also about memories.

mum of three helen glover had an historic third gold in hersights, part of a quartet full of quality. a fast start for the favourites. who�*s on the front foot? but for the second day rowing, great britain neck and neck with the netherlands — it went right to the line. it�*s the dutch who snatch it! so silver it was. maybe it wasn�*t what we were kind of aiming for at the beginning of the week, but we were aiming to row our best race and we did that today. helen glover there. this wasn�*t the colour of medal they came for, but for their biggest fans, that doesn�*t matter at all. you know, it was an incredibly close race. they battled all the way through to the end. we�*re just immensely proud, aren�*t we, you guys? how are we feeling? yeah! we love mummy! minutes later, more brits

on the podium for friends for olympic debutants, bronze in the men�*s four and in the women�*s double sculls for matilda hodgkinson and becky wilde after a remarkable bronze. another british medal, creating a podium for the ages. half of these women are mothers. you can go back and be exceptional not despite having children, but because you have children. anybody who wants to have kids and go back to something they love, something that they are proud of, not only can they do it, but they should be able to do it. the olympics, once again showing anything is possible when you�*ve got people behind you. laura scott, bbc news, paris. there was a national outcry after this historic 200—year—old sycamore tree that stood by hadrian�*s wall in northumberland was illegally cut down last year. but now new shoots have appeared around the stump of the sycamore gap tree, giving park rangers hope that new trees may grow there. two men accused of originally damaging the tree and the wall deny the charges. the national trust and

the charges. the national trust and the national park authority say they will do everything they can to protect the new shoots. another day dominated by heat and humidity for many of us. it peaked in surrey at 30 degrees, but it is coming at a price now. that humidity is sparking off a few sharp and thundery downpours, so this was earlier on. and if you take a look at what has been happening over the last few hours, you can really see this rash of slow—moving, sharp and thundery downpours developing across south wales, moving through parts of oxfordshire, and they are heading towards the london area as we speak. we do have a yellow weather warning out because the winds are light. some of those thunderstorms could really hang around for quite some time and we could see a couple of inches of rain, maybe more. there could be some issues as we go through the evening. the showers were gradually pushed eastwards overnight. for many of us, it�*s

actually a quite night. with clearing skies and