i'm outside old trafford as a new premier league season begins. business on the pitch as usual and increasingly business in the boardroom also making the headlines. and how a cluster of scottish islands could help solve one of the planet's greatest mysteries about the ice age. and later on bbc news... we will be live at old trafford, in two hours�* time manchester united kick off the new premier league season at home to fulham. coffee failed to follow its allergy process. —— from barking died after having a drink. good evening. the government has announced it will push ahead with compensation payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. the previous government had announced the scheme in may after a report by the public inquiry. between 1970 and 1991, more than 30,000 people were infected with hiv and hepatitis—c from

contaminated blood products and transfusions. more than 3000 of them have since died, many of them haemophiliacs who were given infected products as part of their treatment. the size of the payouts will depend on individual circumstances, but many could be looking at compensation of more than £2 million. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. this really is quite a moment for the victims, the families who have campaigned for this for so long. yes, it was a dramatic moment when the public inquiry reported after campaigners spent decades trying to get a proper investigation of this scandal and a search for truth and justice. very soon afterwards, the general election was called, and there were real fears general election was called, and there were realfears in general election was called, and there were real fears in these communities that the whole thing would just be put on hold, but now we have this government, in the middle of a summer recess, not waiting for parliament to resume,

publishing really important details of how the infected and affected will be compensated. here is my report. will be compensated. here is my reort. . , ., . report. victims of the infected blood scandal, _ report. victims of the infected blood scandal, some - report. victims of the infected blood scandal, some who - report. victims of the infected - blood scandal, some who campaigned for decades, others who didn�*t survive. a public inquiry found they had been consistently failed by those in authority. today, ministers firmed up details of the compensation scheme announced by the previous government. it has been widely welcomed.— widely welcomed. what is decent compensation? _ widely welcomed. what is decent compensation? it _ widely welcomed. what is decent compensation? it is _ widely welcomed. what is decent compensation? it is difficult - widely welcomed. what is decent compensation? it is difficult to i compensation? it is difficult to say. compensation? it is difficult to sa . " compensation? it is difficult to sa. ~ ,_ compensation? it is difficult to sa. ~ , ., �* compensation? it is difficult to say. some like gary aren't happy. he was infected — say. some like gary aren't happy. he was infected with _ say. some like gary aren't happy. he was infected with hiv _ say. some like gary aren't happy. he was infected with hiv and _ say. some like gary aren't happy. he was infected with hiv and hepatitis l was infected with hiv and hepatitis c during his treatment for haemophilia. he didn�*t know he was part of a medical trial, in his own words, a guinea pig. because of that, he qualifies for an extra amount on top of his compensation. but, at £15,000, he thinks it is an insult. �* , ., ., .,

insult. because of the cohort of bo s insult. because of the cohort of boys there. _ insult. because of the cohort of boys there, they _ insult. because of the cohort of boys there, they had _ insult. because of the cohort of boys there, they had an - insult. because of the cohort of boys there, they had an ideal i boys there, they had an ideal opportunity to research and experiment on us, which they did for many, many years. and we think that is worth more than £15,000. there are different _ is worth more than £15,000. there are different levels _ is worth more than £15,000. there are different levels of _ is worth more than £15,000. there are different levels of compensation depending on the severity of the infections. joe is angry that the maximum award for those like her who contracted hepatitis c is half that potentially available to victims of hiv. she was infected during a blood transfusion after giving birth. irate transfusion after giving birth. we were all given the same blood, we were _ were all given the same blood, we were all— were all given the same blood, we were all given the same blood, we were all given bad blood, bad blood products _ were all given bad blood, bad blood products. we are all terrified. hiv, hepatitis _ products. we are all terrified. hiv, hepatitis c, — products. we are all terrified. hiv, hepatitis c, treat us the same, level_ hepatitis c, treat us the same, level it — hepatitis c, treat us the same, level it out. bring us up, bring us up. level it out. bring us up, bring us up. why— level it out. bring us up, bring us up. why are _ level it out. bring us up, bring us up. why are we being treated so differently? i up. why are we being treated so differently?— differently? i put some of these concerns to _ differently? i put some of these concerns to the _ differently? i put some of these concerns to the minister - differently? i put some of these | concerns to the minister heading differently? i put some of these - concerns to the minister heading the government response on compensation. the hepatitis c community feel that the potential maximum payments for

them are a lot less then four hiv. they are just wondering why. i them are a lot less then four hiv. they are just wondering why. they are 'ust wondering why. i would sa first they are just wondering why. i would sa first of they are just wondering why. i would say first of all. _ they are just wondering why. i would say first of all, we _ they are just wondering why. i would say first of all, we are _ they are just wondering why. i would say first of all, we are trying - they are just wondering why. i would say first of all, we are trying to - say first of all, we are trying to be fair across the different groups, whether it is infected or indeed the affected, and that is the objective of the government. secondly, i would say that we are basing those tariffs on clinical expert advice. the minister wants _ on clinical expert advice. the minister wants to _ on clinical expert advice. the minister wants to get the scheme running as quickly as possible, so the infected start getting payments by the end of this year, and sometime next yearfor by the end of this year, and sometime next year for those affected because of the loss of loved ones. some campaigners, meanwhile, will continue to question details and press for improvements. two men have received the longestjail sentences yet for their roles in the riots that swept parts of england and northern ireland after the southport stabbings. one was jailed for six years, the other for almost five years, after what the judge called "12 hours of racist, hate—fuelled mob violence" during riots in hull. 0ur legal affairs correspondent

dominic casciani is here. what did they do? the most serious case of -- — what did they do? the most serious case of -- so _ what did they do? the most serious case of -- so far— what did they do? the most serious case of -- so far in _ what did they do? the most serious case of -- so far in terms _ what did they do? the most serious case of -- so far in terms of- case of —— so far in terms of sentencing. john honey, he got four years and eight months. david wilkinson, he got six years. the reason the sentences are so much higher is because both these men were convicted of racially aggravated criminal damage. there was footage from hole, where the footage occurred, where they can be seen attacking a vehicle. in the car were three romanian men, who were absolutely terrified as the gang attack. the man we see in the england style top isjohn honey. both men were involved in trying to get the passengers out of the car. the men in the car eventually escaped to safety. it is quite astonishing. thejudge, escaped to safety. it is quite astonishing. the judge, john thackery casey, described it as 12 hours of racist, hate fuelled mob violence. later, we seejohn honey

effectively looting a lush cosmetics store. he then gives out what he has taken before going on to attack somewhere else. those are the longer sentences. in the days to come, we will see sentences potentially creeping up further because prosecutors are now bringing the charge of riot to court. that is a ten year maximum sentence. two people so far have been charged with that. the chief prosecutor in the northeast says there will be more to come, and i dare say we will see some around other parts of the country as well.— some around other parts of the country as well. some around other parts of the count as well. . ., ,, , ., health experts are advising people travelling to parts of africa affected by m—pox, formerly known as monkey pox, to get vaccinated before they go. the first case outside africa has just been found in sweden. the world health organisation has declared a global health emergency because of the rapid spread of the new, more dangerous m—pox strain in a growing number of african countries, including the democratic republic of congo, where almost 550 people have died from it this year.

0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here. the m—pox outbreak centred in the democratic republic of congo has led to more than 16,000 confirmed cases, and more than 500 deaths this year. there is particular concern about a new type of the virus, which appears to be more of a real and and infectious than the one which caused a public health emergency two years ago. m—pox spreads through close physical contact, including from six orfrom touching bedding used by someone infected. it can also spread through coughing and sneezing. children under 15 are most at risk in the outbreak in central africa, which health officials think may be partly due to high rates of malnourishment and weaker immune systems. in the last global outbreak in 2022, most cases outside africa

were among gay and bisexual men. with this particular variant that we are seeing now, the risk of dying from it, the risk of having a severe illness, is much, much higher than the one we saw in 2022. the illness, is much, much higher than the one we saw in 2022.— the one we saw in 2022. the early symptoms — the one we saw in 2022. the early symptoms can _ the one we saw in 2022. the early symptoms can be _ the one we saw in 2022. the early symptoms can be like _ the one we saw in 2022. the early symptoms can be like flu, - the one we saw in 2022. the early. symptoms can be like flu, including fever, chills and muscle aches. these are typically followed by a rash which turns into raised spots which fill with blisters and then form scabs. it usually clears up in two or three weeks, but in a small proportion of cases, it can prove fatal, especially in vulnerable children in africa. vaccines against smallpox are thought to prevent or reduce the severity of m—pox because the viruses are quite similar, but there was a shortage of doses in the most affected countries. it is offered in the uk to those at highest risk. health officials say the likelihood of sustained transmission outside africa remains

low. fergus walsh there. an inquest has found that a 13—year—old girl died after drinking a hot chocolate because costa coffee failed to follow its allergy process properly. the coroner said there had also been a failure of communication between the coffee shop staff and the teenager�*s mother. hannahjacobs died of a hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction. the family of a yoga teacher who was stabbed during the southport knife attacks say she has been readmitted to hospital due to breathing problems. leanne lucas is believed to have been one of the organisers of the taylor swift—themed dance class where the attack, which left three girls dead, took place. ukraine says the aim of its cross—border offensive into russia is to force moscow to start what it calls "fair peace talks". a senior advisor to president zelensky also claimed there are "no plans" to occupy the hundreds of square kilometres it�*s captured already, although it has set up a military office inside russia. 0n the 11th day of its incursion into russian territory, kyiv�*s advances have

started to slow. from ukraine�*s northern sumy region, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. it was an attack which surprised just about everyone, apart from the ukrainian paratroopers who�*ve released this footage. complete with dramatic music and muscular western armour from when they first overwhelmed a russian border crossing. after a blistering land grab in the kursk region, ukraine�*s gains are starting to slow. russia is diverting resources, like these artillery units, to stem the tide. nevertheless, ukraine is bringing in more troops to consolidate what it�*s taken. this is the main route from ukraine�*s sumy region into russia itself. you have to imagine it as an artery. and as advances start to slow, the question becomes, what

next? kyiv took this territory relatively easily, when it surprised elite forces. —— with the element of surprise and elite forces. but keeping hold of it, as russia turns its head and redeployed thousands of troops, that will be very different. this man signed up to defend ukraine with the full—scale invasion. translation: no-one likes war. we want to finish it. i am not keen to fight. for our ukraine, for our people, we will stand till the end. anatoly has just returned from russian soil and has noticed a difference in progress. translation: we are still advancing. it�*s slowed down a bit, but we are moving forward. as long as we have orders and instructions, we�*ll keep on moving. anatoly hopes his effort will relieve pressure on other parts of the front line. as of yet, that�*s not happening. regardless, ukraine�*s goal seems to be shifting from liberation to producing bargaining chips for a future peace deal,

whenever that might be. james waterhouse, bbc news, sumy region. the ministry ofjustice has described knife crime as "a scourge on our society". latest government figures reveal in the year to march, 18,500 people were sentenced or cautioned for knife and weapons offences. and there�*s been a sharp rise in knife—related crime involving children. in bristol, a specialist police unit has been set up to try to tackle knife crime. 0ur correspondent dan johnsonjoined them and witnessed first—hand the deadly weapons being confiscated from teenagers. that�*s the car. you are about to see the sort of weapons carried by some young people. the grey car, full of teenagers, has refused to stop for police. stay where you are! stay where you are, all of you! get down, down, down! weapons found.

everyone, hands where we can see them. that's come from inside the vehicle. there�*s a girl. hop out of the car, love. and four young men, all between 16 and 18. it�*s 11:30am on a wednesday. officers have just stopped this car in a bristol suburb. they have searched it and retrieved these enormous knives. no one's out with balaclavas| and zombie knives with good intentions, are they? so, do you think stopping them today, seizing those knives could have stopped something more serious? absolutely, yeah. that's the whole i point in doing this. there is no up side. no one wins. and then that poor decision, in a split second, could - ruin the rest of their life, - it could ruin the rest of the other person's life. here is one life lost at 19. nobody has been charged with stabbing eddie kinuthia last summer, despite arrests, so his family�*s left with his last

desperate moments, bleeding to death on the street in the arms of his mother. when i got there and i saw him, his look, the look on his face of, like, just shock, like just that panicked look on his face. i kept telling him to stay awake, and he tried, he really tried, because i kept telling him, "help is coming." you know, the thing that i struggle most with is wanting to go back, if we could do it again. and there is grief across this city after a surge of teenage knife crime costing young lives in both blood and prison sentences. morning. to all talk about the children that are linked to the murder of darrien williams. and this is the team sworn to protect young people from a life

of violence and the criminal exploitation so often behind it. what do you say to the people who may be a bit more, these kids know what they are getting into? i think it is really important to understand each individual person, because we don't know what has happened in that child's life. because, actually, putting a child in prison is not the answer. it's not the solution, because they'll come out of prison, so what then? try and push that one down. is that all right? this is mostly about teenage boys, as victims or perpetrators — sometimes, both. but here, they know it starts so much younger. there are as young as six and seven—year—olds carrying knives, and i think fear is the main factor. when you think of a seven, eight—year—old, you think of a young person who�*s got innocence. at the moment, we are seeing young people losing that innocence from such a young age. whether they take to the saddle or the barber�*s seat — here, open, honest conversations are encouraged. what makes you not want to be able to go out? ijust don't feel safe outside.

yeah? i feel more safe inside of my house, not outside. and when you come here, do you feel safe? yeah. ijust can have a nice time, without having many worries about anything bad happening. but there are no simple answers to this complex issue. why are you driving around with a knife like that? i don't know. you�*re carrying it — why? don't know, mate. so i'm not the odd one out, maybe. so, why carry it? i'm into knives, innit? i like the way they look and that. weapons are seized, arrests follow. this 16—year—old for possessing a knife. so, too, the 18—year—old who was driving without a licence or insurance. their fate is still to be determined. and the bereaved also want answers. imiss him. i miss his hugs. i miss, like, his laughter, you know? imiss... i miss dancing with him.

eddie�*s story sums up this city�*s challenge, but knife crime and its impact reaches further and it needs much wider solutions. danjohnson, bbc news, bristol. the time is nearly 18:20. our top story this afternoon: the government has announced it will push ahead with compensation payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. some will receive more than £2 million each. coming up... divers discover the wreckage of a world war one warship off the aberdeenshire coast. and coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news channel, ipswich town and their superstar superfan ed sheeran prepare for their first premier league match in 22 years.

scientists say a chain of islands off the west coast of scotland could help explain why the earth entered its biggest ever ice age, around 720 million years ago. entered its biggest ever ice age, they say the garvellachs provide evidence of what led to the period known as snowball earth that can�*t be found anywhere else. here�*s our science correspondent, pallab ghosh, to explain. these tiny islands, in the inner hebrides of scotland, hold the key to how the first animal life emerged on earth hundreds of millions of years ago. each layer of this rock face in the garvellachs captures a snapshot of the planet�*s distant past. scientists have now dated fragments of the rock and shown them to be from the only place in the world to have a detailed record of how our planet plunged into the most severe and prolonged ice age in our history. these tiny grains prove beyond any doubt that the garvellachs

are the best and most complete record of a critical period in our history called snowball earth when, for 80 million years, pretty much the entire planet was covered with ice. if we wind back the calendar hundreds of millions of years, we see that scotland was in a completely different place, because the continents have moved over time. it was south of the earth�*s equator and had a tropical climate until it, and the rest of the planet, became engulfed in ice. but then, something remarkable happened. after the melting of the snowball, we suddenly start to get bona—fide, modern—looking animals. it seems counterintuitive that such a big freeze that could have prevented life was actually the spur to generate this explosion of life. after the snowball melted, of course, everything that had adapted to that and diversified in those specialist niches

would have had to then compete with each other in some kind of arms race. geologists have been studying the rocks on the garvellachs for decades — first, on foot, using the only building on the island as a base, and more recently, using drones to create detailed, computer—enhanced images of the rock layers. if the results are confirmed, these islands could be awarded a golden spike. that�*s an actual spike, hammered in, to celebrate the location of a planet—changing geological moment. the researchers will find out next year whether they and scotland have won the golden spike. pallab ghosh, bbc news. now, just when you thought train strikes could soon be over, train drivers operating lner services between london and edinburgh have announced they plan to stage a series of fresh walkouts every weekend from the end of august until november. just to be clear, this dispute is separate to the long—running row

over pay, which does look like it could soon be resolved, after a new offer from the government this week. katy austin is at king�*s cross. katy. this is quite confusing. why are these train drivers striking? this specifically affects lner, which is one of the publicly —controlled operators. three months of weekend strikes on the way in the autumn effecting a lot of travel plans of it goes ahead. the union says this is about what it calls a breakdown in industrial relations. it accuses management bullying and persistently breaking agreements such as around rosters, separate as you say to the wider national pay dispute on which train drivers are about to get a vote following a new offer. for its part, lner told us it was surprised and disappointed. adding there had been recent constructive conversations. it said they keep trying to end the dispute and it said any accusations of bullying were taken very seriously and it was not something the

operator tolerated. back to the wider pay disputes. that offer that aslef was asked whether it wanted to accept this week. that was notably unconditional, in the sense that changes to working conditions were not attached to the pay aspect. a different union, the rmt, which represents lots of other rail workers. they are due to have pay talks next week. and the rmt general secretary mick lynch has indicated he expects and offer similar or on similar terms to what aslef was given. similar terms to what aslef was riven. ., �* , similar terms to what aslef was riven. ., �*, ., ,, similar terms to what aslef was riven. ., �*, ., katy austin. the new premier league season kicks off this weekend, with fulham visiting manchester united in the opening fixture tonight. ipswich are back in the top flight, after over 20 years. liverpool have got a new manager, and manchester city are looking to win an unprecedented fifth league title in a row. but, as nesta mcgregor reports, matters off the pitch could cast a shadow over the action on it.

manchester city, champions again! a familiar sight — come next may, will it be five in a row for pep guardiola�*s team? 0r runners up the past two years, for arsenal, could it be third time lucky? and it's an arsenal goal! for me, it�*s to get a top—class forward into their squad, then i think that would be enough to take them over the line. and i think if they can do that, then that�*s why i would say arsenal can definitely win the league. meanwhile, ipswich town�*s resurgence is a remarkable one, back in the english top flight for the first time in 22 years. after sponsoring their kit, their most famous fan, ed sheeran, went a step further, buying a stake in the club. and the action in the boardrooms is increasingly being as talked about as the action on the pitch. manchester city may well be enjoying the most successful period in their history but, at an upcoming hearing,

they�*ll face 115 charges of breaking the premier league�*s financial rules. now, the club denies any wrongdoing, but possible punishments could include a transfer ban, points deductions, or even relegation. last season, everton and nottingham forest were deducted points for breaching profit and sustainability rules. now, these relatively new regulations have seen clubs develop differing approaches in the transfer market. it�*s a balancing act. the premier league want a competitive product, without clubs spending beyond their means. well, we have a fantastic football competition. we have a big, thick rule book, and part of any sporting competition is a commitment, a central commitment to uphold those rules. ahead of the new season, controversial, but var is here to stay, as voted by the clubs, although fans can expect more replays of incidents and live updates via social media. automated offsides are also set

to be introduced for the first time. an influx of new players and plenty of managerial changes, too. brighton, chelsea and liverpool among them, with arne slot replacing jurgen klopp, who�*d spent eight and a half years at anfield. 20 sets of fans, differing expectations. but if there was ever a reminderto dream — leicester city, back in the premier league, after a year away. who could forget when they defied the odds, the critics and the pundits to claim the title in 2016? so much to talk about before any ball has been kicked. game one is manchester united versus fulham and this could be a huge season for the club. yes, manchester united were the winners of the fa cup last season, but they finished in eighth place so there will be pressure on manager erik ten hag from the very beginning. the new owner sirjim ratcliffe has given him money to spend and backed him so now it�*s

time to produce on the pitch. any seasonis time to produce on the pitch. any season is a roller—coaster and fans have to manage their expectations. but it is called the beautiful game because there is so much more fun in dreaming. am i right? you are. thank you. the wreckage of a royal navy warship — destroyed 110 years ago — is believed to have been found off the aberdeenshire coast. 524 men died when hms hawke was torpedoed by a german u—boat in the early stages of the first world war. a team of specialist divers made the discovery earlier this week. ben philip has the story. beneath the choppy waters of the north sea, a discovery in the deep. for more than a century, the exact whereabouts of hms hawke has been unknown. after years of research, a team of specialist divers believe they located the ship on monday, afterjust a few hours of searching. we found her 70 miles east of fraserburgh. she�*s in 110m of water.

and it took a lot of detective work, because she wasn�*t marked on a chart, but we got there. 55 of the crew were under the age of 18. one of them was only 1a years old. you know, it�*s a really humbling thing. it�*s very moving. hms hawke was one of nine royal navy edgar—class cruisers. they were deployed to the north sea during the war to prevent attacks on troop convoys. 0n the 15th of october, 1914, hms hawke was torpedoed by a german u—boat. 524 men died. there were only 70 survivors. during the first world war, britain and germany considered control of the north sea as vital in securing victory. away from the trenches, some of the deadliest battles and events happened just out there. official records say the warship caught fire and, after an explosion, sank in less than eight minutes. and how do we know that the shipwreck is hms hawke? the shipwreck can�*t

be anything else. it has a big, big gun on the bow. a nine—inch—wide gun. it�*s a great big thing. and it has one on the stern. so this can only be a royal navy cruiser. there are other guns along the side. there is an admiral�*s walkway around the back of the stern. you know, these are pretty unique features. it�*s hoped the wreckage can be formally identified by the royal navy in the coming weeks. beneath the waves, a snapshot in history, and a resting place for so many who went to war and never came home. ben philip, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here�*s stav da naos. how is that we can look in? pretty good. a much more settled speu pretty good. a much more settled spell now. we have had gory spells of sunshine. it was warm in the south. more cloud in scotland and northern ireland with showers. the weekend is mostly dry with lengthy spells of sunshine. it will feel

quite warm at times. this weather front brought showers and longer spells of rain to the north west of scotland today and we had a lot of cloud in scotland and northern ireland. clearer skies further south. much of the cloud melts away this evening and overnight across the north. isolated showers across the north. isolated showers across the highlands and argyll. elsewhere, dry and would like winds in the south, clear skies and a chilly night, a coolerfresh night for all areas. six to 12 degrees. tomorrow is in—between weather systems. low pressure to the north and the azores high to the south. light westerly winds, though they will be stronger across scotland and northern ireland to start the weekend. that will feed in more clouds, showers across north—western areas. for england and wales, cool with lots of sunshine. cloud bubbling up into the afternoon and temperatures in the high teens to the cloud to mid 20s further south. where we should be for the time of year. saturday, we go again, showers fade out. a bit breezy across the north. lighter winds

further south and clear skies. cooler air mass so another fresh night to come. not quite as fresh tomorrow night is what we expect tonight. we start sunday on a fine note with the azores high. trying to nudge up a bit further north into the country. lots of sunshine across the country. lots of sunshine across the south and fair cloud into the afternoon. chance of showers again across northern and western scotland and northern ireland and may be western england and where is. most places are dry and warm towards the east to the mid 20s. mid to high teens further north. a pretty good looking weekend. into next week on a low pressure fights back. it will tone wetter and windier across more northern areas. but in the south, we should have quite a bit of warm and dry and sunny weather with little rain. that is it for me. thanks, stav. hello and welcome to sportsday.

it�*s back.