this is bbc news. the headlines at 7pm. a fully—electric version of the mini is to be built at bmw's plant in oxford. the company says it's received no guarantees about post brexit trading, from the uk government. based on that confidence in our industrial strategy and their brilliant workforce in oxford, i'm delighted that they were able to make this landmark investment. the number of nhs vacancies in england in the first part of the year, is up to 86,000, a rise of 10% on last year. the judge in the case of charlie gard says he will make a final ruling tomorrow, on where the terminally ill boy should be allowed to die. doctors say he should be in a hospice, but his parents have want their son to return home. house—builders could be banned from selling new homes as leasehold in england, as increasing annual charges make future sales, tough for buyers. and in the next hour we'll get the latest from the us,

where pressure is mounting on the president and the attorney general. the white house says it will reach a decision "soon" on us attorney generaljeff sessions, who has been publicly humiliated by president donald trump. and can you buy happiness? scientists in canada say that you can, so long as you use money to buy yourself more free time. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the german car manufacturer bmw says it has decided to build an electric version of the mini at its cowley plant in oxford. the new model is due to go into production by the end of 2019. the electric motor, gearbox and battery pack will be produced at bmw's plant in leipzig in germany, before being brought to the uk and installed in the body of the mini at the factory at the cowley plant in oxford.

the company says it has not received any assurances or commitments from the british government regarding trading arrangements after brexit in 2019 — and nor has it requested any. the government has called the move a "landmark decision" and a vindication of the government's industrial strategy. 0ur transport correspondent richard westcott reports. they make two thirds of the world's minis. we now know that the new electric mini will be made here too. it is great for the business and we are very thrilled that we will be part of this huge success, hopefully. it means there is no problem with the thought of them closing it down because of brexit so it is very good news. bmw, who make it, had hinted for months that the work could go to the netherlands. the new model will be made on the same production line as other minis so it will not mean extra investment orjobs but it is a boost for the government as they try to persuade car—makers to stay in the uk after brexit.

we are determined to make britain the go—to place for the next generation of vehicles. they've got a fantastic workforce in oxford already and that combination of planning for the future has convinced them to back britain. the uk car industry has been pushing hard for up brexit deal that still allows free trade with the eu. since the vote, nissan has promised to make models for the sunderland plant. toyota is spending a quarter of £1 billion updating this factory near derby. experts say the real test is yet to come. i don't think this tells us very much about brexit at all. this is an adaptation of an existing car. the big questions will be when bmw produces a new mini and companies like vauxhall produce the next generation astra, will they produce in the uk or will the uncertainty about our relationship with europe put them off staying in the uk? a good day for the uk car industry but the government is still under

enormous pressure to cut a brexit deal that secures its long—term future. 0ur political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. obviously there will be suggestions that perhaps some kind of deal has been done about trading post brexit with bmw. we know that was the situation with regards the nissan deal last year and these rumours are not going away? we still haven't got to the bottom of what was agreed with nissan or toyota. what is interesting is that both the government and bmw seem to be adamant that assurances were not sought are given over the investment. that could be other reasons for this

in any case. even if the government has said we have not reached a deal, what is interesting is what we have seenin what is interesting is what we have seen in recent weeks even from prominent believe campaigners in the cabinet such as liam fox and david davis. they made very clear that they are entirely relaxed about a transition period post brexit. we could still in effect have many of the same rules and regulations and avoid the cliff edge up until the next general election, and indeed people at the chancellor and some others would be happy if that relationship continues even further. it may well be the case that foreign investors are taking note of that. but there could be other reasons as well and the unions say it is the cause of the very experienced workforce in oxford. others are saying it is a logical place for bmw to go because that is where they currently assemble most of theirs in

any case. the question is whether there will be pressure from german manufacturers on the eu to press for that tariff free deal the government wa nts to that tariff free deal the government wants to get post brexit because a lot of the key components are going to be coming from germany in any case, so from that point of view the government will be very pleased with this decision because it is clear they have allies that will be pointing out it is in their interests to keep cross—border production of those relationships going in the manufacturing industry. thank you. well, let's speak now to charles read, who's the online business editor at the economist. hejoins us from our cambridge studio. good to see you, thanks for being with us. do you think the suggestion that we are probably no, possibly know, going to get some transitional cliff edge deal that means we leave the eu with a two or three—year transitional arrangement in place,

that that helped with bmw? the brexit years within the cabinet now say they except there will be some sort of transitional period. whether this has had much to do with bmw's decision to keep production and to start producing this new electric mini in oxford is a different matter. essentially, they already make this car, they already make the petrol version of this mini in oxford and all they are doing is changing a few things under the bonnet. this is more steady as she goes rather than committing to investment. when industry and car—makers and when playmakers such as airbus who make wings in wales,

when they are reassured, they will start announcing big investments to expand production. at the moment it is only steady as we call and this is only steady as we call and this is partly because essentially we still don't really know what is happening, how frictionless world trade be between britain and the continent, we don't know. at the moment it is steady as she goes but they are still very sceptical of putting big new investment, big new factories and lots of newjobs, in britain. they are still very cautious of doing that. this is a reflection of the confidence that manufacturers might have in the british economy according to the government and greg clark. it makes sense that bmw would do this because they already make a chunk of this vehicle here. i suppose the test could be in the next few months, a

year or $0, could be in the next few months, a year or so, when could be in the next few months, a year or so, when we see could be in the next few months, a year or so, when we see the likes of peugeot and astra deciding whether or not they continue? that is a big test case and it is whether they will start building new models to invest more. one reason that is often overlooked is why we are wanting to keep the mini production here, and it is because mini is an iconic british brand developed by british car— makers in iconic british brand developed by british car—makers in the 1950s and the other an important brand and people will buys because they are british made, not because they are cheap. when cars which are not associated with britain, vauxhall or nissan, when it comes down to those, the case for keeping it in britain evenif the case for keeping it in britain even if three at is not frictionless and costs go up, the case for

keeping them in britain is less strong because we are not as deeply associated with britain and people don't go out of the way to buy those other cars because they are british. when they start making decisions about their future for the likes of peugeot and vauxhall, that will be the test of how much damage brexit will do to the car industry. good to see you, the online business editor for the economist, thanks for joining us. what will tomorrow morning's front pages make of this and all the other stories? we will tell you tonight and my guests tonight will be lucy fisher, senior political correspondence that the times stay with us for that. the number of nhs vacancies in england rose by almost 8,000 between january and march, compared with the same period last year. that's according to the latest figures from nhs digital. a total of 86,000 posts were vacant over the three months. of these, more than 11,000 nurse

and midwife posts remained vacant, which accounts for the highest proportion of shortages. janet davies from the royal college of nursing says she's not surprised by the shortfall in nurses. looking after people when they are at their most vulnerable, providing compassionate and professional care is the main challenge and biggest reward for michelle turner. it is a tough job that carries enormous responsibilities. it is a privilege to be a nurse and devalued in the job that i do. people put their lives in your hands on a daily basis and it is the biggest privilege that you can have. finding more nurses seems to be a problem. around 86,000 posts are recorded as vacant. in march, 30,000 jobs were advertised,

for those in more than the previous year. the majority that were filled were nurses and midwives. many hospital trusts are struggling to recruit and retain staff. they are needing to think about more flexible ways of using the staff they already have. at the royal blackburn, there are still 100 nurses they need before they are where they want to be. managers have had to come up with ways to deal with the pressure of staff shortages. we cope with that on a daily basis, we are flexible and supportive. but we maintain safety, it is our number one priority.

the information for england reflects similar problems across the uk. it is difficult because of the time it takes to train doctors and nurses. it is difficult. we've mitigated that risk in the past by getting stuff from overseas. it is becoming harder with brexit. we've got issues around morale and retention. the department says staffing is a priority and more money is being invested in front—line positions. when it comes to assessing the level of staff shortages, it has limitations and these figures highlight the ongoing problems the nhs faces with the recruitment and retention of clinical staff. the high courtjudge overseeing the case of the terminally—ill baby, charlie gard, has said he will make a decision tomorrow on whether the child's parents can take him home to die. today connie yates, the mother of the 11—month—old, appeared in court to try to get

permission to move him. the hospital where charlie is being treated, great ormond street, say they cannot provide the ventilation which he needs to keep him alive at his home. our medical correspondent fergus walsh has been following today's developments. the legal battle over this desperately sick boy now centres on where and how soon he dies. charlie needs a mechanical ventilator to breathe. he is tube fed and cannot move. his parents give up theirfight to take him to the united states and agreed no more treatment could help him. but charlie's mum connie was back at court this afternoon to make it clear she did not want him to die in the intensive care unit where he's been since october. the parents said it was their last wish that he dies at home for a few days of tranquillity outside the hospital setting. lawyers for the parents said they would pay private nurses to take over his care and seek to recover the costs from the nhs.

the court heard there were practical issues to be resolved, for example, whether his ventilator would fit through their front door. great ormond street hospital said it wanted to honour the parent's wishes but the care plan must be safe and spare him all pain and protect his dignity. charlie is a child who requires highly specialised treatment. his care cannot be simplified. it must be provided in a specialist setting by specialists. the dispute over where and how soon charlie should die typifies the breakdown in the relationship between the parents and the hospital. the judge said this was a matter crying out the mediation. great ormond street said it offered that but the parents refused.

the judge said the parents were entitled to decide where they spent the next few days but it should not extend into weeks, it would be unacceptable as it would simply extend the grieving process. this woman lost her son when he was five. he was profoundly disabled and tube fed. she had searched for a cure. they've got to learn to let him go at all sorts of levels. stuff happens and they must not be better because it will eat them. there's no point in that. what they've got to do is look at the positive things. the hospital has offered a compromise. charlie can be transferred to a hospice where doctors from great ormond street would supervise his palliative care and death after a period of some hours. his parents said they want days, not hours, and a hospice is a second—best option. the white house has said a decision

will be made soon about the future of the us attorney general, jeff sessions, who has once again been publicly criticised by donald trump. in an early—morning tweet, the president accused mr sessions of adopting a "very weak" position on investigations into hillary clinton. he has come under increasing pressure from the trump administration since distancing himself from the inquiry into whether russia influenced last year's election campaign. our north america reporter anthony zurcher is in washington. it looks as if the writing is on the walford jeff sessions? slowly but surely the heat is being tightened up surely the heat is being tightened up on him. it began with rumours and reports about donald trump being unhappy, then donald trump himself told the new york times he wouldn't have appointed jeff sessions if he

knew he was going to recuse himself on the russia investigation. yesterday he tweeted about his attorney general being beleaguered band today the very weak tweet, but jeff sessions's people are saying he doesn't want to go anywhere and he gave up doesn't want to go anywhere and he gave up a doesn't want to go anywhere and he gave up a senate seat for a less. he was an early supporter of donald trump and he has allies in the senate and conservative media and it could be shaping up for a fight. senate and conservative media and it could be shaping up for a fightm could be shaping up for a fightm could be shaping up for a fightm could be a fight if he says he doesn't want to go. the bottom line is that he believesjeff sessions, if he had not recused himself from the purview of the russia nquiry, then he could have shut the whole thing down. that is exactly right. although donald trump is tweeting now that hillary clinton in the investigation not being strong enough into heart, at the beginning of his term donald trump said he didn't want to investigate hillary clinton any more and put that behind him and get on with things, so this

seems like a big leap but the big issue is russia. if you look at the way donald trump has behaved, he has focused his ire on people involved in this russia investigation. he fired james cormier and criticised rosenstiel and criticised the acting fbi director and now he is taking aim atjeff sessions fbi director and now he is taking aim at jeff sessions who he calls ultimately responsible for the independent investigation into heaven, and step— by—step independent investigation into heaven, and step—by—step we are hearing more and more about how this independent investigation is expanding into donald trump's businesses and we are hiring prosecutors and it is becoming a fully fledged probe which seems to be making donald trump increasingly anxious. even if he fires jeff sessions it was the number two that the attorney general‘s office who decided to push for robert miller and although this special investigation, so even if he fires jeff sessions that will not be the end of the matter? it is not. it

will open up another can of worms and as you said, rosenstiel would be expanded to acting attorney general and there is no way he would fire robert miller. he was the one who picked him. in orderto robert miller. he was the one who picked him. in order to get a successoi’ picked him. in order to get a successor to jeff sessions, donald trump will have to nominate someone that will be approved by the senate which could be very contentious any narrowly divided senate with all of this hanging over him what donald trump seeing himself the reason why he objects tojeff trump seeing himself the reason why he objects to jeff sessions is the russia investigation. jeff sessions was a senator for russia investigation. jeff sessions was a senator for a russia investigation. jeff sessions was a senator for a very long time and he has allies on both sides of the aisle who will not take kindly to someone who is a trusted friend and an ideological soul mate for many conservatives being kicked out of the attorney general's suite. many conservatives being kicked out of the attorney general's suitem it happens it will be very interesting, thank you. the headlines on bbc news: a fully—electric version of the mini is to be built at bmw's plant in oxford, as the company insists it neither sought nor received any assurances from the government, post—brexit.

the number of nhs vacancies in england in the first part of the year, has risen to 86,000, up 10% on last year. the judge in the case of charlie gard says he will make a final ruling tomorrow — a hospice may be the only option for the child, after the parents asked for their son to return home to die. housebuilders may be banned from selling new houses in england as leasehold, under new government proposals. a public consultation has begun on the issue, after it emerged some housing developers have been selling leaseholds onto investment firms, leading to extra costs or rising charges for homeowners. danny savage reports. we all know that britain needs more homes. but the terms and conditions attached to some new—build houses in england are causing a great deal of distress. traditionally, houses have nearly always been sold

as freehold properties, meaning the buyer owns the building and the land it is built on. however, there has been a growing trend to sell houses as leasehold, meaning the buyer doesn't actually own the land. in some cases, the freeholds are sold on to investment companies, who can charge a lot more. today's report found one owner believed they would be able to buy the freehold in the future for £2000. but the final bill was 20 times that. the leaseholder also asked to pay ground rent to the freeholder. traditionally, a small amount — but that figure is now rising. claire scott bought her house in bolton four years ago. but when she recently tried to sell it, the buyers backed out when they saw a clause in the contract saying the ground rent doubled every ten years. by 2060, it will cost nearly £10,000 a year. the past 12 months have been an absolute nightmare for us. we didn't realise we had an issue

with the house until we came to sell it and then the house sale fell through. that meant that we now have to rent out the house and we can't get the cash out of the house. that's causing us a lot of financial distress. this development on the outskirts of manchester is all new—build, leasehold properties. it is a way for developers to make more money. but some people say there's no place for leasehold in this sort of market. and the government agrees. what we're talking about here are houses that are being sold on leasehold, thousands of them, for no good reason, and then once they are sold the people that have purchased them are exposed to these ever—increasing ground rents. it's not acceptable, it's wrong. enough is enough and we are taking action. critics say the government has known about and ignored the issue for a long time. and this consultation doesn't definitely mean things will change. pressure groups say the situation is a scandal. it's not only the people who thought they were buying a home, many of these people were assisted by the help to buy scheme. this means we have been

underwriting their mortgages by 20% to get first—time buyers onto the property ladder. these properties now can't be sold. the builders have taken us all for a ride and they've got to make things right. house—builders say leasehold does work for some developments, and they are committed to being fair. but the government now wants to ban leasehold contracts for newly built houses in england. danny savage, bbc news, manchester. survivors of the grenfell tower block fire will get the chance to question the judge who will lead the inquiry into the disaster at a public meeting this evening. sir martin moore—bick is consulting residents on what they want his inquiry to cover. our correspondent dan johnson is there. we know that public meetings since the blaze a few weeks ago have pretty much all turned acrimonious

with accusations flying, and still a lot of anger. is there a sense that they may get a calmer atmosphere tonight so people can put forward their ideas as to what they deem of their ideas as to what they deem of the enquiry should be?” their ideas as to what they deem of the enquiry should be? i think we will. the start of this meeting just underan hour will. the start of this meeting just under an hour ago was quite emotional with lots of people wanting to have they all at once and people shouting over each other and the chairman of the enquiry, sir martin moore—bick, pleading with people to be with them and seeing eve ryo ne people to be with them and seeing everyone would have a chance. he would pass the microphone around. it has got a bit calmer after what someone has got a bit calmer after what someone described as a fractious start. a couple of people have left saying they don't think the meeting is productive but certainly people are getting the chance to air their views and there can be no doubt that the emotion is raw still with the anger and frustration and people have different ideas about exactly

how this enquiry should go forward, what it should look like. sir martin moore—bick has even been challenged on the sort of language he used. he said he would consider all the evidence and he was immediately picked up on by someone saying he would have to be firmer. it wasn't just considering evidence but they wa nted just considering evidence but they wanted a thorough investigation and getting to the bottom of all the issues surrounding the fire. sir martin moore—bick will be hearing people's emotional opinions right here directly to him and he has also presented other members of the team who will be working with him to members of this meeting. they will be explaining what they rule will be but that is certainly a sense that people here are still frustrated and many don't have full confidence in this enquiry team and in the enquiry being the right way to get to the bottom of all the issue is here. some people raising many questions that they feel the answer by this enquiry, some feeling that the progress has not been quick enough. new figures show that 28 people died

in england and wales in police pursuits. the number of —— a report by the independent police complaints commission says that commission says that in the year to april, there were six fatal police shootings, including that of the westminster attacker, khalid masood. earlier today we heard from dame anne owers — the chairwoman of the ipcc. she spoke to our home affairs correspondent danny shaw, and gave her response to the spike in figures. it is something that stands out but we don't know whether it is a spike or the beginning of a trend. we don't know whether it is a spike or the beginning of a trendm we don't know whether it is a spike or the beginning of a trend. it is sufficiently a spike that we want to be talking to the national police chiefs council about whether those procedures, which were developed over the years, and have brought down the number of deaths in pursuit related incidents, whether we need to look at those and whether there should be any additions to police training. euro report is essentially a statistical report, at this stage, did seem to be any new trends that

could explain, is too early to be sure as to why? i think it is too early to be sure because a lot of those investigations are ongoing and once we have had a chance to dig into them, we will get a better idea. what we do know is that none of them where emergency responses. two thirds of those who died were not the drivers of the vehicle being pursued but passengers are bysta nde rs pursued but passengers are bystanders or other road users, so that raises concerns and we will look at that and what to see if any learning mergers. the other quite sharpjump is in, still very few, but the number of people being killed by being shot by the police. of the six last year, one everyone understands in terms of the westminster incident, which the ipcc

investigated quite quickly, are you worried, from very low levels of zero or one year, suddenly we have six. it is difficult to say on the basis of one year and we have to look at the underlying causes of those incidents. they were spread all over the country, different forces, so nothing that immediately leaps out, but what is important is that we look at those in the light of the circumstances. three investigations are now complete and in none of those did we find any indication that any firearms office rs indication that any firearms officers conducted themselves or that anything that requires any action. we need to look at them robustly as the public would expect us robustly as the public would expect us to and at the moment there is nothing coming out that is causing immediate concern but it is something that we want to keep an eye on. buckingham palace has announced that the duke of edinburgh's final public engagement before he retires, will be next week. the duke , who is 96 years old, will attend a royal marines charity

parade on wednesday. the palace announced in may that he would be retiring after the summer. but a spokeswoman said while the parade would bring his individual programme to an end — he may choose to attend certain events , alongside the queen, from time to time. now, prime minister theresa may may be on her summer holiday but she is still on camera. mrs may was photographed in italy with her husband philip. after spending a few days at lake garda, she'll break off to attend an engagement before heading to switzerland for a two—week walking break. other than a few isolated showers most of you had a dry day today, wet and windy a time, the day certainly not a complete wash—out, to finish the day the and south—west england heavy showers will fade scotland tonights england turning increasingly wet and increasingly

breezy temperatures uppermost in the teens are if you are an early riser enjoy the morning brightness it will change wet in the west windy as well heaviest rain northern ireland england eastwards day with patchy rain scotland's western england and wales after the wet start if you have any plans save them for the afternoon should be drier and brighter temperatures down, high teens low 20s, frequent showers by. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: bmw has confirmed that cowley in oxford will be the main "production location" for a fully electric version of the mini. the company says it has "neither sought nor received" assurances over any post—brexit trade deal, from the uk government. based on that confidence in our industrial strategy and their brilliant workforce in oxford, i'm delighted

that they were able to make this landmark investment. the judge in the case of charlie gard says he will make a final ruling tomorrow, on where the terminally ill boy should be allowed to die. the judge says a hospice may be the only option, but his parents have asked for their son to return home. house—builders could be banned from selling new homes as leasehold in england, as increasing annual charges make it impossible for some buyers to sell their homes. the white house says it will reach a decision "soon" on the future of the attorney generaljeff sessions. he's been publicly criticised on several occasions recently, by the president. more now on one of our top stories this evening. house—builders may be banned from selling new houses in england as leasehold rather than freehold. it comes after some housing developers sold leaseholds onto investment companies, leading to spiralling

costs for homeowners. a little earlier i spoke to mike jackson, who lives in birmingham and has recently bought a house which is leasehold. we didn't really have a choice, we wa nted we didn't really have a choice, we wanted to make use of the helped to buy scheme, not many houses around we could access through that and the one we have accessed had a leasehold and we knew that but there was not and we knew that but there was not an alternative. you are almost forced into it it sounds like? in the sense that for the property we could afford that is what we needed to do. did you i enquire how easy or difficult it would be to get hold of the freehold once you decided later on to do that? only through research in ourselves on the internet not through the developer. the developer did not offer it as part of the deal? not that i am aware of or in anything i have seen. so you have gone into this with your eyes wide

open, should the law be changed? yes, i cannot see why it needs a leasehold, it seems to me like we are going to be charged for something ordinarily you would expect to have as part of the purchase. one wonders what the ground rent is. i am not sure and we also have roads under local authority maintenance so there are fees on top of that. you have to pay towards the maintenance of the road running by? roads and public areas, thatis running by? roads and public areas, that is of the tbd based on the estimate is what needs to be done. so is it part of an estate? it's a new development, it's a big development. the story of one leaseholder in birmingham. louie burns, the managing director of a company that advises people on buying the freehold of their homes, told me it was often not easy. it's less straight forward then you

would imagine but legislation is in place to allow you to purchase the freehold. there are lots of grey areas if we hold can be difficult in the negotiations because it's in their interest to get as much money as they possibly can which means leaseholders on top of the cost of buying the freehold would also be forced to pay rather large legal fees to try and negotiate what is a fair price. it sound like a bit of a con. it does and it probably and it's not just con. it does and it probably and it's notjust the leasehold houses that face this, it's all these properties. you can understand a leasehold in a flat apartment, you need the ground rent to deal the shared parts and whatever, the p shared parts and whatever, the upkeep of a communal area. but in the case of a house? it seems like a con. there is no reason outside of a

very few different options which could possibly mean they would have to be sold leasehold. the side that these have been sold as leasehold just to create an asset class and get additional money on the price of the building. so are you having an increasing number of people coming to you to try to get their situation sorted out, they have a leasehold but want to get hold of the freehold and so on? yes, everyday people are becoming more aware of this and wanting to take back possession of their own homes. official figures out today show the number of nhs vacancies in england rose by almost 8,000 betweenjanuary and march, compared with the same period last year. a total of 86,000 posts were vacant over the three months. of these, more than 11,000 nurse and midwife posts remained vacant, which accounts for the highest proportion of shortages. but janet davies of the royal college of nursing said more nurses were quitting the profession than joining. let's speak to rachel marangozov,

a senior research fellow at the institute for employment studies. shejoins us from our central london studio. thank you very much indeed for being with us, do these figures surprise you? not really, ithink with us, do these figures surprise you? not really, i think we have a bit of a perfect storm brewing. we no one in three of our nurses are due to retire in the next ten years and that's going to place a huge, pose a huge replacement challenge us not just pose a huge replacement challenge us notjust in terms of numbers but also in terms of experience. and we also in terms of experience. and we also know that brexit is already having an effect, we have seen and 96% drop in the number of eu nurses registering to work in the uk. and we know there are increasing health ca re we know there are increasing health care demands being placed on the nhs and that nhs trusts have tighter budgets. it's not surprising. why

aren't peoplejoining budgets. it's not surprising. why aren't people joining up? it's a difficultjob. there are issues in the workforce around pay and retention and around stress and burn—out. if you are working in a difficultjob and there are limited resources then that might put some people off. you also have to remember the government have just scrap the nursing bursary so that could be putting some people off training to be a nurse. being put off by the debt they might be facing when graduating. so there is a combination of factors but all those sorts of things can be putting people off. so how do you then try to attract more home—grown nurses? you thought about brexit, what more could be done, more pay what? we

have to look at a range of factors. the government need to particularly now with the prospect of brexit on the horizon put in place long—term strategic workforce plans so that we know how we are going to plan for this in the years to come. because we are already facing something like 11 and a half thousand vacancies, that could get much worse. 11 and a half thousand vacancies, that could get much worsem 11 and a half thousand vacancies, that could get much worse. it cute and we reach a real crisis point? potentially yes. if we don't put in place workforce plans now that could be what we are facing, yes. thanks. the us house of representatives is expected to vote today, on legislation that would punish russia for alleged interference in last year's presidential election. the measures would include new restrictions on oil and gas projects.

moscow says new sanctions would seriously damage ties between the countries. further tough measures are also on the cards for iran, and north korea, for conducting ballistic missile tests. a little earlier, i spoke to robert kahn, a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations, an independent thinktank in washington. the bill will significantly restrict the president's ability unilaterally to reduce the sanctions currently in place. compare to what the concerns of some of us have that the president is looking for an opportunity to take off the sanctions related to crimea or the conflict in eastern ukraine, this locks in the current staff to score ina way locks in the current staff to score in a way that actually quite significant i think. —— status quo. historically a lot of analysts don't

like legislation because they get sticky and it's hard to remove, sanctions on cuba for example in place long after some of us feel they have outlived their usefulness. but given the politicisation of the american russian relationship i think many of my colleagues would say it's the right move at the right time. basically keeping president trump in check? bild yes. that's exactly where we are. how concerning is that, that there is potentially the temptation on the part of the white house to have wanted to ease the situation with moscow by lifting sanctions? i think that's been a concern from the first day of the administration. obviously he has been constrained as this crisis has deepened, i believe there would be a very high political cost if the president wanted to move in that direction but he surprises us at

every turn. i certainly would not rule it out and i think that very much is animating the urgency of action by congress. what does that say about the house and senate republicans in putting this together and the possibility of future relationship between congress and the white house? they are basically saying they do not trust the president. on this issue i think it is right to say they don't. we saw in the negotiations the white house tried very hard to stall the bell and then change it in material ways and then change it in material ways and then change it in material ways and the field. i think we are starting to see republicans in congress on these critical issues do not fear the president and are willing to stand against him in a way that has produced overwhelming majorities that would override a veto where he did choose to do so. in some ways this is a turning point in terms of congressional relations and it underscores across a whole

range of issues whether we are talking about taxes or health care how hard it's going to be for this administration to get things done. uk animal welfare standards could be under threat after brexit, if farmers are left to compete against cheaper, less regulated rivals from outside the european union. that's according to a house of lords committee who say the government must insist on similar standards in any new trade agreements to avoid a "race to the bottom" on welfare. duncan kennedy reports. it is one of britain's's premier showcases for agriculture. 100,000 people admiring 2000 animals. it's all part of an industry were animal welfare is paramount. but farmers like mike smales are worried about what might happen after brexit. he says if we start importing food from countries with lower standards, it may be cheaper but animal welfare could suffer. how cheap can food get?

you have to ask that question. this downward spiral in expecting food to keep getting cheaper and cheaper, i think it's a worry. the government said today that farmers shouldn't worry about animal welfare after brexit, because britain will keep what it calls our gold standard policies. any future arrangements covering trade in animals, or trading anything, for that matter, will be subject to the uk parliament. but some people say they don'tjust have concerns about animal welfare after brexit, campaign groups say they are also worried about food safety levels in some countries. food that could be exported to britain. processing plants use a variety... they pointed to american practices like washing poultry in chlorine to kill bacteria, which they say would be unacceptable to british consumers.

others say it is patronising to dismiss safety standards in countries like the united states. why would american food producers produce food that kills, injures or makes ill the people that eat that food? it is not a sensible business proposition. it won'tjust be american farmers trying to get a foothold in britain after brexit. today's report says it will be down to consumers to decide how much they want to pay for high—quality food. satisfaction appears to have improved among rail passengers across the uk. the latest national rail passenger survey shows that a period of more stable performance has led to improvements in passengers'

experiences — even though there's been a lot of industrial action on some lines. the headlines on bbc news: a fully—electric version of the mini is to be built at bmw's plant in oxford, as the company insists it's received no assurances about post brexit trading. the number of nhs vacancies in england in the first part of the year, has risen to 86,000, up 10% on last year. the judge in the case of charlie gard says he'll make a final ruling tomorrow, on where the terminally ill boy should be allowed to die. doctors say he should be in a hospice, but the parents want their son to return home. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. one of the pope's most senior advisors is due to appear in an australian court tomorrow to face charges of sexual assault. cardinal george pell has

returned from rome saying that he is innocent, and will clear his name. as our sydney correspondent hywel griffith explains, the case is the latest controversy to hit the catholic church in australia. in george pell‘s hometown, people have become used to confronting the past, and dealing with the spectre of abuse. ribbons mark the places in ballarat where members of the christian brothers order sexually assaulted children in the 1970s. dozens ended their lives prematurely. phil nagle was abused as an eight—year—old. it took more than 20 years for his abuser to be brought tojustice. decades on, he still feels the catholic church has not acknowledged the suffering of victims. they defend the brand at all cost. they don't make any admissions, they make it as hard for you as they can. you know, when you go to court, they're putting solicitors behind their... they're backing their criminal men. they're backing the guys, the perpetrators, they don't back the victims at all.

cardinal pell was brought up in ballarat and became its most famous son. as an archbishop, it became his responsibility to deal with the allegations of abuse against ballarat‘s bretheren. now, he is the one accused of sexual assault, allegations he has strongly refuted. as they wait for the legal process to unfold, there is a feeling here in ballarat that people need answers. the details of the charges against cardinal pell won't be made public until his first court hearing. a moment which is likely to put the spotlight back on this town. those who work with abuse survivors say every headline has an impact. coverage over the last few years has already caused more people to seek help. it was really difficult, because it was exhausting. it became relentless. you couldn't get away from it. it would be in the local papers, it would be on the local news and the wider news.

across australia, nearly 2,000 figures from the catholic church have been accused of abuse. a four—year royal commission enquiry has helped to break the silence. it has also made the head of ballarat‘s catholic college speak out, giving a formal apology to the victims and striking the names of convicted abusers from its walls. there's no question that, as a church, we've got an enormous amount of work to do to build trust with victims and survivors in the wider community, but also within the catholic community, i think, as well. and the only way to do that is to come to the table to say that we acknowledge this openly, we are so very sorry. that can only happen when people here feel they have found the truth. they hope that is what the courts can deliver. hywel griffith, bbc news, ballarat. hundreds of firefighters in the south of france and corsica

are battling huge forest fires which have been fanned by high temperatures and strong winds. a blaze has swept through 16 hundred acres of the luberon national park in provence; and people have been moved to safety from the town of biguglia in north eastern corsica. sophie long reports firefighters battling a fierce blaze on the holiday island of corsica. it ripped through 900 hectares of forest. people left their houses and could do little more than watch as the fire came threateningly close to their homes. translation: we were woken up by the smoke. it was stifling so we stayed in the house and then they evacuated the children and my sister—in—law, who is pregnant. a combination of heat and high winds are making the fire difficult to contain. a bbcjournalist on the island says people are becoming increasingly concerned about their homes and businesses. it's still burning, pockets keep lighting up as this wind continues. there is a real sense of worry that perhaps they won't be able to get this under control and livelihoods

and lives could be threatened. in carros in the hills above nice, planes sprayed water from the air. below, the forests continue to burn. and crews the ground damped down amid the damage. translation: we were up to 70 hectares of fire. the particularity of this far is that we had hundreds and hundreds of houses that were threatening the forest areas. elsewhere in france, fires also raged near lubron and here in the var region. another battle to stop fires spreading just ten kilometres from the seaside resort of st tropez. this mobile phone footage gives a sense of the high winds feeding the fire's intensity, winds that are not expected to abate until thursday. now they say "money can't

buy you happiness". well, scientists in canada have put the old saying to the test. they questioned 6000 people from all backgrounds and discovered apparently that it can, but only if you use the cash to buy you more free time. they found that spending money on getting chores done like cleaning or cooking is more likely to make you feel happy than spending it on material goods, asjon kay's been finding out. plenty of smiles in plymouth this afternoon. but what makes us truly happy? psychologists have been all over the world, asking thousands of people from all kinds of backgrounds one simple question. if i was to give you £30, what would you spend it on? vodka! hotdogs, ice cream and a bottle of wine. the girlfriend. books.

what would you spend it on? i'll soon find something. whether she spends it on a meal out or a yacht, the study found that it is not material things that make us happiest, but buying free time. selin couldn't agree more. she said she would sacrifice pretty much any other luxury to pay for a cleaner to come once a week week. she does extra shifts so rachel can blitz the house from top to bottom. even though it is often a stretch, she says the extra time it buys her with her family is far more than any holiday or handbag. i make do with what i've got and any spare money goes on rachel. you wouldn't rather have a handbag or a meal out? absolutely not. i'm not offering to buy you one! that's ok. back in the 90s, mike, on the riight, won millions of pounds on the lottery and could afford almost anything he wanted. two decades later, he is back selling antiques in plymouth and he says he is much happier doing

things for himself instead of paying others. some people are used to having things done for them. so they've got the money, it's easier. but i have had things done for me over the last 20 years, different things, gardening and whatever. but a lot of the time i prefer to do it myself. i get more enjoyment. critics say paying others is all well and good, if you are comfortably off in the first place. but the researchers behind the study say investing in time, rather than possessions, makes us all happier, whatever our income or spending habits. could this be the world's bestjob? this is a zookeeper in southwest china who has to dress up as a panda in order to play with cubs. it's because the animals are due to be released in protective wildlife. the cubs have to learn to live on their own and not rely on humans,

so zookeepers pretend to be pandas when they interact with the young animals. iraq parts of largely blue and sunny tomorrow it's a bit of a change, wet and windy weather sweeping across most parts of the uk at least part of the day dark blue out to the west responsible creeping towards the moment cloud lately showers midlands and south west will fade away spots of rain in scotland later in the night start to see rain arrive wales and northern ireland with it some strengthening winds should not be too chilly eastern areas further west mid—teens for most wednesday morning low—pressure northwest

driving force core about this is the weather which tomorrow morning brings a wet start, heavy bursts of rain particularly for the north enjoyed the morning sunshine across parts of eastern england in particular because it will turn cloudy most of the rain pushing through sunshine developing in its wa ke through sunshine developing in its wake not going to be a complete wash—out by any means but fresh air are starting to push its way on the west breeze if you wake up with range try to plan your day tomorrow across south—west england and wales have ally, late breakfast because by the afternoon most will see sunny spells, temperatures in the mid to high teens at best bree noticeable feature but the afternoon should be much brighter than the morning we finish the day with patchy rain driving area of low pressure moves its way into thursday strengthening winds to northwest, strong to gill

forced winds, frequent showers heavy and thundery hit and miss for england and wales if you are lucky you will avoid the most of them but where you do see them a shower or two could be on the heavy side but some other cool air with temperatures below where they should be for the time of year and we continue the low pressure sunshine and showers again the name of the day northwest lates prolonged across england friday night clear for the weekend story of sunshine and showers. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm. a fully—electric version of the mini is to be built at bmw's plant in oxford. the company says it has received no guarantees about post brexit trading, from the uk government. based on that confidence in our industrial strategy and in their brilliant workforce in oxford, i'm delighted that they were able to make this landmark investment.

the number of nhs vacancies in england in the first part of the year, is up to 86,000, a rise of 10% on last year. the judge in the case of charlie gard says he will make a final ruling tomorrow, on where the terminally ill boy should be allowed to die. doctors say he should be in a hospice, but his parents have