this is bbc news. the headlines at 7pm: millions face higher electricity bills after british gas announces a price hike. it's 50 times more powerful than heroin — fenata nyl, the drug that's led to dozens of deaths. moped menace — police reveal new tactics to tackle the two—wheeled crime wave that's hitting the capital. the trauma unit at thejohn radcliffe hospital in oxford closes for up to a year because its cladding failed fire safety tests ordered after the grenfell tower blaze. the revolving door at the white house. will donald trump's next communications director last longer than anthony scaramucci 7 he was in post forjust ten days. and as he prepares for life after athletics,

what next for the world's fastest ever man? imight go i might go into acting and do some action movies, so that'll give me a rush. you never know. good evening and welcome to bbc news. over three million british gas customers face a hefty rise in their electricity bills. the company argues that it's own costs have risen — and from september it will charge 12.5% more for electricity. this means a typical household on a dualfuel tariff will see its annual bill go up by an average of £76. it's the first increase from british gas for nearly four years but that hasn't stopped consumer groups and the government condemning the move. our business editor, simonjack, reports.

electricity, a basic need, a simple product. the same wherever or whoever you buy it from. if you buy from british gas, it will be 12.5% more expensive from september. as the uk's largest supplier, it hikes prices for the first time in four years. given wholesale costs have come down over that period, why raise prices now? we agree over the last few years since we dropped electricity prices the last time, wholesale costs have indeed fallen by about £36 on a typical bill. but we've seen these other factors of transmission and distribution costs and energy policy costs go up by almost £100. that is the main driver. electricity may be a simple commodity but the factors that influence its price are complicated. 22% of the bill is made up of the company's

operational expenses. there's also 5% vat in there. the wholesale price makes up 36% of the bill, that's the price at which the energy suppliers buy the energy they then sell on to us. but british gas concedes that this has actually fallen since the beginning of the year. then there's the cost of delivering the electricity to our homes. that makes up 29% of the cost. british gas says rising costs here is one reason responsible for today's hike. but figures from ofgem show these costs fell over the last year. the other one is government policy, that makes up 13% and that includes increases to renewable energy and promoting energy saving measures like insulation. british gas says they're going up, ofgem says yes they are, but only by 2%. no wonder some consumers are confused. they make it as complicated as they can and people do not understand. the bills are not clear. i do not know where british gas are coming from but you have the option to choose another supplier.

wholesale prices have stayed the same or have gone down as far as i know. they put them up for consumers and that is disgusting. british gas froze prices when others raised them earlier in the year, so it is catching up with the rest of the pack. consumer groups say it is the responsibility of government to take industrywide action. government needs to urgently look at what it does for those customers who are paying over the odds. there has been so much discussion about the energy market and that it does not work for consumers. the discussion needs to end and we need action. according to the opposition, that action should include a cap on energy prices. the labour party would introduce an initial price cap and develop the energy supplies so that this cartel we have now could not control pricing levels and hold us over a barrel in future. policies like capping energy prices to support working families... the conservatives had a cap in their manifesto but it was dropped from the queen's speech and now

the government wants ofgem to find a way to keep costs down. energy remains a hot political issue. simon jack, bbc news. paul lewis, a financialjournalist and presenter of bbc radio 4's money box is with me. my my reaction as a customer when i heard this is, that is a lot of money in one go. it is. it has not gone up for four years, money in one go. it is. it has not gone up forfour years, but if money in one go. it is. it has not gone up for four years, but if you look at inflation over those years and wage rises, they are both well under 12.5%. people will feel this because there pay is going up 1%, so it well affect people. british gas say there are other costs are apart from wholesale prices. they are

principally green measures, making sure that we use sustainable fuels, and the subsidies for that. i discovered this afternoon something that no one seems to have mentioned from british gas, they are scrapping a £15 discount that people on a dual fuel, gas and electricity get. that isa fuel, gas and electricity get. that is a purely british gas decision, they have decided to put up the bills by that £15, then there are things like smart meters which we are supposed to have in our homes by 2020. that is costing £11 billion, and british gas is paying its share of that. that is supposed to save money in the long run. it is being quoted as one of the reasons why they are putting up prices at the moment. you can get smart meters for free in your house, but someone is paying for it somewhere. you don't paying for it somewhere. you don't pay for them, but the suppliers who fit them have got to pay for the meter and the fitting, it cost about £67 for them to do all that. then

there is a £3 billion communication network that has been set up. that will eventually go on to our bills. we will all be paying it. they say it will help us use less energy and that will filter through to our bills. the current generation of smart meters will all have to be either upgraded or changed by the end of 2019 to work properly. at the moment, if you switch supplier, you may lose the smartness of your smart meter. switching is the advice given to people. does it work? are people doing it? someone said they switched it and it went up anyway. most people haven't switched, and most of us people haven't switched, and most of us don't switch. nationally, not just with british gas, about two thirds of people pay the normal variable tariff, rather than fixing for one year. the problem with switching is that the way the arithmetic works, and that is late time by the regulator, if you are on

a fixed tariff and you ask how much it will cost to switch, it will exaggerate the cost of switching. someone told me they switched to a new one and it went up by 24%. you have got to be careful. it is not the answer. we have energy competition for 20 years, it hasn't worked and hasn't brought down prices. it has made things, as we heard in that report, very conjugated and impossible to understand what we're to pay for our fuel next year, except if you are a rigid gas customer and then you know it is going to be more expensive. going back to the market, there were meant to be smaller companies coming through to challenge the big ones. in the first off of this year,

british gas said it lost many of its customers, but it is not a major change. the smaller companies are small. whether they could become big companies, whether they will be the same if they do is not clear. the competition isn't really working in the interest of the consumers. things are more complicated, and as we are learning, they are getting more extensive. thank you. -- more expensive. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, is in westminister. we have heard so much about the just about managing from this government. this is not good news for them, is it? no, i did reignite the political debate about what the government should be doing to regulate prices in the energy market. you might remember that during the election

campaign, not so long ago, theresa may said that if the conservatives we re may said that if the conservatives were elected, they would introduce a wide—ranging cap on energy prices. she was elected but lost her majority. what has happened since thenis majority. what has happened since then is she has shelved that plan because of brexit in part, because the government has a heavy programme of legislation. the other reason is that not all tory mps are likely idea of the government intervening in the market in that way and introducing that cap. it is a parliamentary battle that the government cannot afford at the moment. that plan is on the back burner. ministers are saying it has not gone away, it is still on the table, but it will not come forward in the next two years or so. they say that the regulator has enough clout to do something about that. there is a consultation at the moment and 0fgem may ring some ideas for that. labour say that the government should be doing more, and they say that they could look at a

wide—ranging energy cap. at this stage, they are keen to be seen to be talking tough on this. thank you. 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fe nta nyl — that's according to the national crime agency. it's the drug that was linked to the death of the rock legend prince, and is 50 times more potent than heroin. these latest figures mightjust be the tip of the iceberg — there are another 70 cases in which fentanyl is the suspected cause of death. asjune kelly reports, two thirds of the known deaths have been in the yorkshire, humberside and cleveland areas. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. fans gathered near his home in minnesota where his body was found. # purple rain... # a year on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl.

it was unclear where he had got it from and no one was charged over his death. fentanyl is a drug used to treat cancer patients. but now police in the uk are becoming concerned at its growing use by drug addicts here. it is said to be 50 times more powerful than heroin. and it is killing people. sean, who does not want his face shown, lost a sister to a suspected fentanyl overdose a few months ago. she had gone and bought some and she knew what it was. she went back to the hostel, and was found two days later. and most of those who lost their lives have been heroin users. to be that far gone on heroin and other drugs, the lifestyle that they lead, nothing matters to them. they just want that relief. just getting away from the world for an hour or two. fentanyl is so lethal that this is how police were kitted up

when they raided a suspect ‘s house. protected against breathing it in. there is an even more powerful substance, a tiny grain of which could prove fatal. so why are more people using these drugs? we believe this is partly down to the ongoing need for dealers to be trying to compete with each other and sometimes introducing drugs in the marketplace they believe might give them a competitive edge. and increase profits. fenta nyl is known as a synthetic opioid and addicts mix it with heroin. police say people are playing russian roulette with their lives every time they take it. june kelly, bbc news. two thirds of the deaths and two fe nta nyl — — two thirds of the deaths and two fenta nyl —— linked

two thirds of the deaths and two fentanyl —— linked to fentanyl or around leeds. explain the cases that are linked to this. 60 deaths across the uk, the vast majority of those, 50 in total, in the yorkshire and humber and clevela nd the yorkshire and humber and cleveland regions. 60 deaths, and another 70 being investigated by police. yorkshire police are leading the way on this, and they are clear they want to disrupt the supply to fe nta nyl they want to disrupt the supply to fentanyl coming into this country, and warning heroin use is that if they want a stronger hit by choosing heroin that has been laced with fe nta nyl, heroin that has been laced with fentanyl, they are really dicing with death. 0ne fentanyl, they are really dicing with death. one of the police officers said to me it is like playing with a loaded gun, you really don't know how strong that heroin with the fentanyl content could be, and whether or not that those could be lethal. tell us more

about it. as you say, it is legal, but the purpose of that originally was supposed to be as a painkiller. it was developed in belgium in the 19605 it was developed in belgium in the 1960s as a painkiller, and is still used in that way for people with cancer and chronic pain. more recently, it has been developed a legally in laboratories in the far east and mexico. because only minute amounts are needed, it can be posted around the world. it has been arriving in the uk, the usa and europe, where drug dealers are mixing it with heroin to increase the strength of what they are selling to try and increase their market. they market what they think isa market. they market what they think is a better product for the people they are selling to come but in many cases if it hasn't been mixed properly, or if the stronger type is used, then it can, as we have been hearing, be lethal. thank you. police in london are having to adopt new tactics to deal with an upsurge in moped crime.

criminals on two wheels have been riding around the city, targeting people with mobile phones or bags. police say the number of incidents have tripled in the last year and now the thieves are even travelling to london from the home counties. our special correspondent, lucy manning, has been investigating the growing threat from moped gangs. last night near harrods, police and fire brigade rushed to a moped gang attack. liquid, possibly acid, thrown at the victim as they tried to steal his watch. a few months ago in east london and a motorcyclist is surrounded by four mopeds. a fire extinguisher let off in his face. in london it is increasingly the crime of choice for teenage offenders. police telling the bbc the average age of mopeds gangs is 15, with somejust 13. please send me the location of where he is. delivery driver hussein was attacked three weeks ago on his moped when acid was thrown

at him as they stole his bike. he is now part of a social media group with hundreds of moped drivers warning if a gang is spotted. another alert comes in. just turning left to go towards my nextjob. two guys on one bike. just be careful. how often are people posting that they think these mopeds are around? today, so many. police do not stop or chase them. they're getting away. we're going to meet other delivery drivers, some have stopped working after ten o'clock at night, they're so scared of the mopeds gangs. where are you seeing the mopeds? everywhere, everywhere around and police do not care. it is not men, it is kids, 16. your life's in danger from someone who will come

when we are just stopped at traffic lights. someone could attack from behind. as we talk, a bike cuts across the pavement, the driver and passenger with their faces covered. do not film me. the delivery drivers say this is one of the mopeds gangs, they threaten our team. later we check the number plate, it is not insured and has changed colour. police believe the characteristics of a stolen bike. in the last year there were 16,000 mopeds related crimes in london. three times as many as the previous year. but the bbc has been told police are testing a new way of catching the attackers. spraying them with liquid that can later be traced. we're looking at a spray that delivers a unique dna piece which sprays on them and can be traced back to them later on. if equipment or clothing or the bike is sprayed.

and can you spray this on them as they are taking off? potentially, yes. we're trying to find a way to do that safely. it is being tested under home office guidelines. police insist they often give chase. there is a misconception that there is less pursuit and people do not report it but the number of pursuits has increased. you do not pursue every mopeds gangs when a call comes in? that is true but the reality is by the time we get the call for most of these offences, it has already gone. 0nline, it is also brazen. bristol bike taker, with pictures of mopeds, masked riders and bolt cutters. avon and somerset police, who are investigating, say the account is used to taunt the owners of stolen bikes. 0thers appear to offer keys

for sale to unlock mopeds. and teenagers post videos of themselves driving recklessly, breaking traffic laws. this is believed to be riders filming themselves being chased by the police. a police video shows phone thieves going up the wrong side of the m11. the bbc has been told mopeds gangs are now coming into london from kent, sussex, surrey in buckinghamshire. police believe the growing problem in the capital will spread across the country. lucy manning, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: the government and labour have criticised the owner of british gas, centrica, for announcing a 12.5% increase in electricity prices. 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking a painkilling drug, fentanyl, according to the national crime agency. police in london or adopting new tactics to deal with an upsurge in my bed crying. criminals have been targeting people with mobile phones

01’ targeting people with mobile phones or bags. the trauma unit at thejohn radcliffe hospital in oxford will be evacuated after the building was found to be a fire risk. a report, commissioned after the grenfell tower fire in london, found a number of failings including that the unit's cladding was a fire risk. it's the first time an inpatient department has been forced to close due to fire safety concerns. katharine da costa reports. this is 0xford's trauma unit, a major hub in the region, treating hundreds of patients with multiple fractures and complex needs. now an independent report has found the external cladding is unsafe and advised patients should be moved as advised patients should be moved as a matter of urgency. there are a number of recommendations. those include changing the nature of the cladding, but they also include putting in the measures to slow down the rate at which fire could spread from floor to floor. they also

include measures to improve the speed with which we can evacuate patients from that building if a fire were to occur. the grenfell tower disaster last month prompted the hospital trust to commission a review into its own buildings. 0ver the fire assessment tsar to further detailed inspections found the trauma unit has serious structural concerns. the violet is legend is not going to the structure of the building. there has been a deeper engineer report which has uncovered these increased fire risks. preparations are already being made to relocate the 52 inpatient beds by the end of the week. a significant challenge for a hospital already struggling to free up beds. they are very sick, eitherjust struggling to free up beds. they are very sick, either just about to have major surgery or have just had major surgery, so major surgery or have just had major surgery, so they need special nursing care. the nurses will need to follow them wherever they go in

the hospital, as other nurses will not be trained in that kind of work. then it is the matter of space will stop the hospital is packed full anyway, now we have got to fight another 52 beds. anyway, now we have got to fight another52 beds. outpatient anyway, now we have got to fight another 52 beds. outpatient services will continue as normal, but work to cost and commission the replacement of the cladding could mean that inpatient unit will be closed for the next 12 months. some of the other stories making bbc news this evening. at least three suspected gang members have been shot dead at a court in moscow. russian police say five defendants tried to seize weapons from security guards, as they were being escorted in a lift. three died as they were trying to escape. relatives of two opposition leaders in venezuela say the men have been re—arrested, just two days after a controversial vote to change the constitution. the daughter of one of the men, antonio ledezma, posted this video on social media. she says it shows her father being taken away by officers from the intelligence service. the wife of the other man, leopoldo lopez, said she would hold

the president responsible if anything happened to her husband. a birmingham mp has been left with facial injuries after having a brick thrown at him. labour's steve mccabe posted a photo online of two motorcyclists thought to have been involved. he says he's "nursing a very sore and swollen face". west midlands police said they are investigating and are appealing for witnesses. "a great day at the white house" — that was donald trump's assessment last night after his new director of communications, anthony scaramucci, was sacked even before he'd formally taken up the post. not for the first time, the president seemed at odds with many observers of this us administration. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. it's being billed as the last supper. anthony scaramucci last night having dinner at where else, the restaurant in the trump hotel, just hours after he'd been unceremoniously dumped.

at roughly the same time came this extraordinary tweet from donald trump. a great day at the white house. what? are you kidding? well, no, he wasn't. the swearing—in of generaljohn kelly as chief of staff being seen as a new beginning for this administration. he will do a spectacular job, i have no doubt. as chief of staff. so could this mark the end of what's been a turbulent, dysfunctional six months for all the president's men? the former national security adviser was the first to go. fired afterjust 2a days in the job after he lied about his contacts with the russian ambassador. three months after being fired, trump's first communications director, the rather anonymous mike dubke, handed in his resignation. he cited personal reasons. then came the super sacking. the high profile and brutal dismissal of the former fbi director, james comey.

infuriating the president with his investigation into links between the russians and the trump campaign. 11 days ago, it was the turn of beleaguered press secretary sean spicer. he walked, furious that president trump had hired anthony scaramucci as communications director. the departure of reince priebus came as little surprise after he was subject to a vicious verbal attack by incoming communications director scaramucci. but what goes around comes around. afterjust ten days into the job, the mooch was front stabbed by the incoming chief of staff. the profound hope among those close to president trump is that with general kelly in charge, there will be a fundamental change in the way this place operates. 0rganised, disciplined, united. but we've seen this movie before. a change in personnel leading to high expectations followed by a swift return to normal. time will tell. but in the meantime the late—night comedians are making hay.

the president has been very busy repealing and replacing his staff, most notably anthony scaramucci, the mooch. the mooch! lated as communications director for only ten days! and he left us with nothing but memories, and like a bunch of weird moves. # macarena! # hey, scaramucci! but some things are still refreshingly familiar. donald trump tweeted a short time ago, only the fake news media and trump enemies want me to stop using social media. only way for me to get the truth out. change, yes. but revolution, no. john sopel, bbc news, washington. usain bolt‘s glittering career is

about to come to an end. he will race ‘s last race in london this saturday, and his final sprint relay a week later. he has been giving a press c0 nfe re nce a week later. he has been giving a press conference today, and our sports correspondent was there. there are not many athletes in the world that would need to move their press c0 nfe re nce world that would need to move their press conference venue world that would need to move their press conference venue simple because so manyjournalists had applied to be that today. there is the small matter of the 11 world championship gold medals that he holds. he wants to add another two in london next week. no one transcends the sport the way he does. he walked on stage, booed us because we had not clapped him enough. it has a magnetic personality, a fusion of natural ability and personality which is making of the best paid stars in the world. we had to ask ourselves a question that was brought up in rio last year, what are we going to do without him? last year, what are we going to do without him ? today, last year, what are we going to do

without him? today, she attempted to a nswer without him? today, she attempted to answer what he's going to do without the rush of competing. i don't know what i'm going to do. this is why i think i wanted a play football, to change it up, get a different rush. you never know in which direction i might go. i might go into acting and do some action movies, that will give me my rush. you never know. debate has been raging today after lord coe likened his exploits to those of muhammad ali will stop the hailed him as a genius. if you think he is up there, you have to say he is the best sprinter the world has ever seen. he says he fully expected to be waking up says he fully expected to be waking up on sunday morning to get more headlines of unstoppable, unbeatable usain bolt. now for a look at the weather. few of us escaped the showers today, many of us had lightning and thunder as well. going deep into the

evening, these will fade away and become dry with clear spells around. the chris bull ‘s longest overnight in scotland, getting chilly, into boasting of figures in sunspots. the rain will be coming to wales and the west country. that is reading west and north west. not much in the way of rainfor and north west. not much in the way of rain for easternmost parts of england until later in the day. some heavy bursts of rain, particularly through parts of southern england, maybe into wales, as we go through the afternoon and into the evening. it does clear run through as go into wednesday night. thursday is another day of sunshine and showers. some blustery ones come with some showers around on friday. not many across southern parts of the uk. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: the government and labour have criticised the owner of british gas, centrica, for announcing a 12.5 percent increase in electricity prices.

60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fe nta nyl. police in london are adopting new tactics to deal with an upsurge in moped crime. criminals have been targeting people with mobile phones or bags. the trauma unit of a hospital in oxford has been closed for a year after it failed fire safety tests ordered in the aftermath of the grenfell tower disaster. from today, people studying to be nurses or midwives will no longer receive nhs bursaries, instead, they will have to apply for student loans. applications for courses are down by more than 20%. the government says it is providing funding for an extra 10,000 university places for students

on nursing, midwifery and other health degrees in england. john maguire reports. we get rid of that and you've now got what? these second—year nursing students are getting their first look at the anatomage table using the latest technology to take a 3—d trip through a virtual human body. their degree course at the university of central lancashire is funded by nhs bursaries and grants, but as of today applicants wanting to study nursing, midwifery and other medical courses will need a student loan in line with other undergraduates. so would it have deterred these students? i don't think it would have made a difference to myself because i really wanted to become a nurse and although the financial implications of not having a bursary would have impacted on me quite heavily, but i could have managed and my desire to become a nurse has overridden those. but applications for these courses have fallen by around 20%.

theories include doubts from european students about brexit, a birthrate decline in the number of 18—year—olds as well as concerns about the change in financing. the universities, though, are determined to see the numbers recover and here there's cautious optimism. we have seen a decline in the number of applications coming through, but they're good quality and so the key thing is that they convert into the numbers that we have. so i'm very positive at this moment in time that we will recruit to target. one of the main areas of concern is the impact on mature students. nursing and midwifery attract a much higher percentage of older applicants than other degree courses and their life experience is seen as a vital part of the mix on a ward. sarah cordey says a loan instead of a bursary would have stopped her changing career to become a midwife.

to saddle students with a huge amount of debt when they are only ever able to earn what the government dictates they can earn, it doesn't seem to make sense to me and had i been making this decision now knowing that i would have to take on the debt, i couldn't have done it, no. the government argues that the cap on student places had previously restricted numbers and that changing the funding will lead to an increase in around 10,000 applicants. but les green says he now can't afford to pursue his dream job. i'm 41 so i would be paying that... £30,000, i'd be paying back until i finish probably my... until i'm earning my pension. i don't think i'd ever play that off, i'd pay it until the rest of my career and beyond. all sides agree that the nhs is in dire need of more clinical

staff but the debate centres on how to pay for them. john maguire, bbc news, lancashire. with me is dr stephanie aiken, deputy director of nursing at the royal college of nursing. good evening. nurses, the other stu d e nts good evening. nurses, the other students like anybody else, why should they be treated differently? although the art student nurses, we need to understand that their courses are not traditional university courses. they spend 50% of their time and clinical placements, learning to care with registered nurses and their courses are much longer. we do over a0 weeks per year and do shifts. that gives them over —— that gives them little time to earn additional money. it is a full time course and commitment. what about recruitment? we have heard about nursing jobs that are

not being filled, various explanations for that, brexit and nurses not applying from abroad. what do you think the reason is? there are a number of different reasons. one of the things from our members that we understand is that current registered nurses are becoming disillusioned and disenfranchised. they are coming to nursing to do a good job and good ca re nursing to do a good job and good care and they become restricted when they cannot do that and that is one of the reasons why people leave, not just about pay. that is very important as well and why we launched our campaign. the government says by doing this, they will free up £800 million per year to fund more nurse places. we would also welcome they want to invest in nurse education that we want to understand where that investment is. in terms of having withdrawn nursing bursaries, it means that students will have to go through the student loa ns. will have to go through the student loans. what they are looking, in

terms of the funding, is helping to support the infrastructure. in order for them to be able to work and learn in placement, to action a support more placements to be opened up. that will not help the individual student with the loans. the government has also said that although applications have fallen, they seek many of the courses are oversubscribed. that is interesting, what we mean by oversubscribed? if you are looking at the applicants for a place, it does not mean they convert into being a student nurse. they may not be right. just because people think they want to be a nurse, it is notjust about the academic altercations, it is about the values and understanding the brink. it is important that mature stu d e nts brink. it is important that mature students are not deterred because they bring great life experience at well. it is hard nursing people with complex needs is difficult. you do need to have life experience to understand some of that. in the

longer term, are you concerned that this is going to have a dramatic affect on the nhs? yes, it is not just about recruitment, it is about retaining the nurses that we recruit into student nursing and to qualify and actually also looking to see how do remake nursing attractive in terms of the page, terms and conditions and the job satisfaction it offers? thank you very much indeed. thank you. explosions at a mosque in the western afghan city of herat have killed about twenty people and injured many more. police said they attack was carried out by a suicide bomber and another assailant who threw a grenade at worshippers. the mosque is in an area mainly inhabited by shia muslims. pakistan's parliament has elected a new prime minister to replace nawaz sharif, who was forced to resign last week in the wake of corruption allegations. he's shahid khaqan abbasi. 0ur south asia correspondent justin rowlatt has the latest from islamabad.

it's exactly what we expected. a guy called shahid khaqan abbasi has been elected prime minister of pakistan. when i say elected, this is elected by the members of parliament, by the national assembly of pakistan, not by the people of pakistan. so he's been elected prime minister. he's the new prime minister of pakistan, but he is only in place, we think, for about two months before the longer term successor, so the man appointed by nawaz sharif, the former prime minister, disgraced and kicked out of office by the supreme court on friday. he nominated wait for it, his brother to succeed him. his brother isn't actually an mp. he needs to get himself a seat in parliament, then he, in turn, will be elected by the parliament as prime minister succeeding this guy, abbasi, who's won the prime ministership today. that's where we're at in pakistan. we do have a new prime minister, but he's not going to last for long. medical researchers have revealed

details of a new approach to treating people with pancreatic cancer — one of deadliest forms of the disease. scientists in birmingham say a pilot treatment increased the number of patients whose surgery was successful, by almost 30%. the charity pancreatic cancer uk says the findings are "incredibly exciting". 0ur health correspondent, michele paduano, reports: kate rigby was amazed at how smoothly the nhs worked when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. within seven days, she had had surgery at the queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham. i feel quite emotional, actually. i feel privileged. i can't control nhs budget, and all the other things for all the poor people who aren't as lucky as me, but what i can do is spread the word. normally, patients with jaundice like mrs rigby have a stent put in to relieve symptoms, which delays the main operation. but the hospital bypassed this step. a nurse was employed to speed up treatment from two months to 16 days. cutting out the stent also saved

the nhs £3,200 per patient. we save the nhs potentially £200,000 per year, with the number of patients that have surgery within our team. and so that, then, is a reproducible model that other units up and down the country could use to go forward. at this point in time, you would want to go forward with the operation if you could, rather than go off and have a stent and the operation seven weeks down the line. pancreatic cancer has a very low survival rate. the survival rate is only about 7% in the uk, so sadly very low. i think what this provides us is a glimmer of hope for the future. it provides us with that all—important surgical technique, faster, and with proven results in terms of outcome. it will be two years before doctors can say whether treating patients more quickly actually means that they live longer. and if they do, that will beg the question as to whether or not other aggressive cancers should be treated more quickly.

for now, kate rigby knows she's been given the best chance possible to survive pancreatic cancer. michele paduano, bbc news. the national crime agency says it's investigating as many as 130 deaths which may have been caused by overdoses of the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, in the past eight months. the drug is usually used to treat cancer patients in the later stages of the disease, but is being taken by heroin addicts. for more on this let's talk to harry sumnall. he's a professor in substance use at the public health institute at liverpooljohn moores university who joins us via webcam. professor, why do you think this is turning out to be such a dangerous drug? we know heroin in itself is a

dangerous drug. we are experiencing record levels of drug related deaths. women are girly fentanyl type drugs, and there are several on the market, —— when we look at the fe nta nyl type the market, —— when we look at the fentanyl type drugs. the market, —— when we look at the fenta nyl type drugs. users the market, —— when we look at the fentanyl type drugs. users are being exposed to it without realising it. they are not going out to take fe nta nyl, they are not going out to take fentanyl, they are going out to take heroine, but they are being exposed to this really potent and powerful fe nta nyl to this really potent and powerful fentanyl drug. 0nly to this really potent and powerful fentanyl drug. only a small amount can cause an overdose. it is incredibly dangerous, much more powerful than heroin and a tiny amount will kill a drug user? powerful than heroin and a tiny amount will kill a drug user7m powerful than heroin and a tiny amount will kill a drug user? it has been said that if it is injected,... it could lead to an overdose. why do

you think the criminals who are supplying this, why are returning to this drug? i think a lot of it has got to do with law levels of risk. we know from the situation in north america, where there is more established use of these drugs, it is lower risk to transport these because it is such small amounts involved. the police focus their attentions on gangs who are trafficking and dealing heroin. potentially they are lower risk drugs and higher profitability in the use and the amounts needed for an effective dose is so small, you could send it through the post from wherever they are produced. it is usually china or eastern europe. have you any idea how effective the crime agency has been dealing with this problem? i think,

crime agency has been dealing with this problem? ithink, credit crime agency has been dealing with this problem? i think, credit to the national crime agency, the ticking theissue national crime agency, the ticking the issue very seriously. we are concerned in the us aid, thousands of deaths per year are attributed to these drugs. up to 100 in the uk in these drugs. up to 100 in the uk in the last year. it is important to develop a multi—agency response to this to make sure we do invest and preserve our spending on treatment, opioid substitution therapy, making sure people can access treatment easily. there are also emergency overdose prevention drugs available. the department of health and public health england have issued guidance around increasing the prescribing of this. we need to make sure drug users, who are going to be potentially exposed to fentanyl, have access to treatment but also to

the drugs that can reverse an overdose. 0verall, the drugs that can reverse an overdose. overall, we need to make sure we continue to invest in our drug services and drug treatment services. professor, thank you very much indeed. the headlines on bbc news: the government and labour have criticised the owner of british gas, centrica, for announcing a 12.5% increase in electricity prices. 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fenta nyl — according to the national crime agency. police in london are adopting new tactics to deal with an upsurge in moped crime. criminals have been targeting people with mobile phones or bags. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. a man in a toy dinghy had to be rescued off the coast of redcar last

night a mile out to sea. it comes as the rnli warns that the number of near fatal incidents in uk waters is highest in august — and it's launching a campaign, urging people to take proper precautions when heading out on the water. rick kelsey reports from cornwall return. what are you doing out here? caught adrift a mile out to sea off the north yorkshire coast. the man was found floating in a 10lb rubber dinghy with no safety equipment. the rnli crew say if the alarm hadn't been raised, it could have been much worse. i am the coast guard. i can confirm we have the casualty safely onboard. tens of thousands of people will go into the water off the uk this month. one of the most popular places is here in newquay. how would you describe today's conditions? a good day for surfing or not? yeah, it's pretty good.

it's pretty solid out there. it is nice and clean, which makes a change. josie has the job of watching hundreds of swimmers and surfers here on fistral beach. so on a beach like this, what are the trickiest things that could cause someone a problem? for holiday makers, they do not understand the water like we do. they just think they can go wherever they want and sometimes when you tell them, they do not like to be told what to do. every year, just under 200 people die on the uk's coastline, while thousands more are injured. anthony miller was just 23 when he went into the water one night. they were drinking and partying and he basically said, right, i'm going skinny—dipping. he went in the sea and basically he disappeared. i really, really want people to be aware that when you are on holiday, or whether you live by the sea and you're out drinking, by all means have a good time, but do not go near the water.

do not because you may not come back out alive. even in the summer months, the temperatures in uk waters do not get much above 16 celsius, which is about the same temperature that comes out of your cold water tap. august is also the month that the guys who work at this lifeboat station are the busiest. if you are out on the coastline, you could be fishing on rocks. you know, slips, trips or falls around the coast. if you end up in the water, generally you are going to be in your clothes because you were not prepared. i want you to go on your back, arms out by your side and i want you to push your chin as high as you can towards the air. that is going to keep your airway away from the water. it is that initial part of giving yourself that minute or minute and a half to let your heartrate go back to a normal rhythm and get your breath back and try and compose yourself a bit so that you are not making rash decisions and this environment. trainer lewis wants people to go against their natural reactions

if they fall in the water. despite the warnings, the amount of injuries and deaths has remained steady over the net five years. the rnli hope that with this new advice, fewer people will get into trouble. to yorkshire now on yorkshire day and halifax, where britain's only surviving cloth trading hall has reopened after a £19 million renovation. the piece hall once operated as a centre for handloom weavers, and was at the heart of the world's wool trade. 0ur correspondent fiona lamdin was there earlier return the great gates open this morning. i met a couple who had come all the way from cornwall. it is extraordinary to think in the 70s this place was nearly demolished. it was made by one vote and i had been

ticking in the back at its history. for the last two and a half centuries, the piece hall has stood at the heart of halifax. where, in 1779, people came to trade pieces of cloth. there were 315 individual rooms built for the sale of cloth, from which clothiers would have sold the wall to merchants. merchants came from quite far afield, including europe. the trade went back to europe and also to the americas. this is the country's only surviving cloth hall. with 315 individual yet identical trading rooms. it seems such a waste that this beautiful building was only opened back in the 18th century for two hours every week. but after the industrial revolution, the cloth was mainly made and sold from the mills. in its place, the piece hall was filled with fruit and veg sellers. a century on, in the 1970s,

this is how it looked. a blot on the landscape, flattened to make way for a car park. one of those who fought to save it back then was mary crossley. she had a shop on the second floor. she's not been inside for decades. we took her back. wow! isn't that lovely! when i first came in, it was all black. there were lean—to sheds. there were warehouses and vehicles. there were holes on the floor and it smelt of cats. at 10am today, the people of halifax were welcomed back in. i think it is brilliant.

it is a plus for the tone. i am born and bred in halifax. fantastic. good to see it how it is back to where it should be. i used to come here and hang out with my mates. it is really nice to see it open again. i hope that it takes off and people come and visit it because it is a fantastic place to be. nothing is new for these old stones, who have witnessed itt before. you really think we where in italy, there is the weather and alfresco dining and the live music. those i have spoken to today are confident it will pool people to the region. it is fitting the day the piece hall opens is yorkshire day. we will have more on that centrica

story and the rise in bills and we will be catching up with our washington correspondent. now for a look at the weather. we have changed the month but not the weather. everything on shore in these pictures. look at this picture. a very turbulent afternoon in east yorkshire and lincolnshire. we are ina gap yorkshire and lincolnshire. we are in a gap between weather systems tonight. it is not very big. this is coming infor tonight. it is not very big. this is coming in for tomorrow. as that gap ta kes coming in for tomorrow. as that gap takes hold, today's showers are going to fade away. quite chilly under the clear skies in scotland. sheltered lens in low figures. you can see the next weather system and a freshening cloud and outbreaks of

rain in wales. it's the clerk in the morning, the rain pushing in. with that strengthening wind and gales around the caused in the south—west. the breeze is freshening and a sunny start across parts of england. cloud increasing in north—west england. a chilly start to the day. across northern scotland, one or two showers. the rain has its intentions to move its way across the uk, getting rid of that dry start. north—east scotland holding onto some sunny north—east scotland holding onto some sunny spells. elsewhere, cloudy and wetter story. hail fog around and wetter story. hail fog around and heavy bursts of rain around southern england as they go into the evening. again with those fresh to strong winds, gale force in some places. that rain doesn't push on

through as you go through wednesday night. low pressure is nearby the picture. thursday, remains quite windy. light winds across scotland but windy to the south of area of low pressure. showers and thundery again. more scattered and more places staying dry across england and wales. the wind tilts around a little bit towards a north or north—westerly as we get to friday. sunshine and showers again as we get to friday and cooler. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm: millions face higher electricity bills after british gas announces a 12.5% price hike. they seem to overcharge the bills go

up they seem to overcharge the bills go up when the prices go up and they don't go down when the prices go down. i am not sure where british gas are coming from but the option is to choose a different supplier. the cancer drug being used by heroin addicts — as many as 130 deaths may have been caused by overdoses of fentanyl in the past eight months. the white house admits president trump contributed to a statement made by his son. it was about a meeting with russian lawyer. the trauma unit at thejohn radcliffe hospital in oxford closes for up to a year because its cladding failed fire safety tests.