good morning. welcome to breakfast, with charlie stayt and mega munchetty. our headlines today: addicted to our mobiles. new figures show we now check our smartphones every 12 minutes. an appeal for calm in zimbabwe, after three people die when soldiers open fire on protestors. the cost of borrowing could rise again today, the first interest rate rise in nine months. so what could it mean for loans and mortgages, and is it finally some good news for savers? andy murray wins the battle of the brits in washington. he beat kyle edmund, the man who has taken his place as british number one while he has been out injured. good morning from greenwich royal park, where the sun is beating down. in the north and west, cloudier with some patchy rain but it will get warmerfor some patchy rain but it will get warmer for some some patchy rain but it will get warmerfor some of us. i some patchy rain but it will get warmer for some of us. i will have more in 15 minutes. it is thursday 2 august.

our top story: we are becoming increasingly addicted to our smartphones. the average person now checks their device every 12 minutes. 40% of users now look at their phone within five minutes of waking up, according to a new report by the communications regulator, ofcom. it also found the number of calls made on mobiles has fallen for the first time ever. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones has more details. we're going to make some history together today. 2007, and steve jobs unveils apple's iphone. 2008, and the first android phones are unveiled. what has followed, according to 0fcom, is a decade where we have become increasingly dependent on our smartphones. we're using them in all sorts of ways throughout the day. and three quarters of people questioned said they couldn't live without one. ten years ago, we had many different devices. we had mp3 players to listen to music. we had satellite navigation systems to take us around. today, all of that is compacted into one device, and now eight out

of ten of us own a smartphone, and really spend our entire lives on a smartphone. 0fcom's researchers show how addicted we are to smartphones. 40% of people check their phones within five minutes of waking up. the average person looks at their phone every 12 minutes, and spends an average of two hours and 28 minutes a day using it. butjust how to use them, where and for how long is still a matter of debate. i think it's made my life better, but children's lives worse. yeah. definitely anyone my age would be pretty dependent on a device, whether they're just walking around the city, to find their way around or to communicate with people. a few years ago, i'd have been sitting here are admiring the view, and now i'm on my phone. so it's kind of swings and roundabouts, isuppose. one thing we are not doing so much and our phones is talking. the number of mobile voice calls has fallen for the first time ever. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. and after 7:00am, we will be talking

to 0fcom about their findings. the bank of england is expected to announce a rise in interest rates later today, the first for nine months. ben is here with more details. this rise, if it happens, is a small one, isn't it? it is that the debate, will they or won't they. we have talked about this before and they have held off raising interest rates. you are absolutely right. if they do go up today they will go up from 0.5% to 0.75%. it will probably add about £20 to a variable rate mortgage every month, not a huge amount. but it is psychologically important because during the financial crisis rates were cut to record lows. they did that to try and boost the economy and keep things on an even keel. it got us out spending and keeping things moving. we are now talking about moving. we are now talking about moving beyond those emergency levels back to something more normal. more normal is 2%, 3% or 4% thomas we are talking about 0.75%, so still low

but nonetheless psychologically important that they are starting to go up. should we see it as good news that the economy can withstand a rate hike? there is a lot of debate about whether now is the time to use it. critics say to hold off because it. critics say to hold off because it could affect the recovery. 0thers say we need to do it now because the economy could overheat. when they talk about overheating, that usually means inflation, prices going up too quickly. if you raise interest rates, it encourages us to save rather than to spend. yes, it make mortgages a bit more expensive, but it also makes it more attractive to keep money in the back, as well, so savers, who have been affected for so long, finally bit of relief for them. the big question is whether banks pass that race rise on —— rate rise on to savers. so not a huge amount, but arise nonetheless. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted

they will protect vital services as they try to save £70 million. last night, residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. the governor of california has said that firefighters are struggling to cope with the extent of wildfires devastating the region. jerry brown said climate change is behind a rise in the number of fires. more than 90 areas are still burning in the united states, with a further a0 in canada. 0ur north america correspondent james cook reports from california. this is all that remains of keswick, a little mountain community in northern california. it was evacuated in time, but police say one man did not heed the order. he was found dead amid the ashes. the fires and the battle to stop them rage on. so far this year, nearly 5 million acres have been scorched in the us, a million acres above the recent average.

the governor of california says climate change is a major factor. nature is very powerful, and we're not on the side of nature. we're fighting nature, with the amount of material we're putting in the environment. and that material traps heat, and the heat fosters fires, and the fires keep burning. the worst blaze swept into the city of redding last thursday, with towering tornadoes of flame leaving death and destruction behind. more than 1,000 homes are in ruins. two young children and their great—grandmother are among the dead, and fire season is farfrom over. this is what happens when the force of a wildfire comes head—to—head with human habitation, and more than a century after the american west was settled, it shows the continuing danger of establishing a community on the edge of the wilderness. the united nations secretary

general, antonio guterres, has urged the people of zimbabwe to exercise restraint after three people were killed during violence in the capital, harare. the ruling party, zanu—pf, won the parliamentary vote in monday's general election. however, the opposition party the mdc alliance is claiming that vote was rigged. the result of the presidential poll has yet to be announced. 0ur africa correspondent nomsa maseko is in harare. just bring us right up to date. we saw those images of considerable violence. what is the situation now? there was indeed violence yesterday afternoon here on the streets of harare, as youths supporting the opposition party movement for democratic change took to the streets saying that they were demonstrating because they think

that the election has been rigged. at this moment here in harare it is quiet, it is calm. a police are still out there on the streets. the military has still not returned to the barracks. also there was a press briefing, a late—night press briefing, a late—night press briefing, either minister in charge of police yesterday, who said that the police and the army will not hesitate to use what he described as necessary force to get rid of people who were protesting violently on the streets, and that has been condemned, of course, by the international community. we also heard from the president. emmerson mnangagwa was saying that what happened yesterday should be the responsibility of the movement for democratic change. a man has died and two others have been injured in a stabbing

on the same london street where a teenager was shot dead in may. the men were found on warham street in camberwell yesterday evening. two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder. the national citizen service, a government—run youth scheme, is not value for money, according to councils in england and northern ireland. the project allows is—i7—year—olds to spend four weeks working in the community. the local government association says only i2% of eligible teenagers have taken part, and it has cost £634 million. the government insists the scheme has improved the lives of 400,000 young people. if you happen to be visiting the eiffel tower anytime soon, you may be a little disappointed. the famous tourist attraction has been closed due to industrial action. workers are unhappy about a new booking system that has led to what has been described as monstrous queues. it is time for the sport. good morning. the andy murray fist pump is back. you might remember he

played kyle edmund at eastbourne earlier on this summer, beaten by kyle edmund, who has had a fantastic year. but they had a rematch overnight, which people arejust waking up to this morning. we are first with the news that andy murray came out on top. andy murray may have tumbled down to 832nd in the world, but he is on his way back up. it was a hard—fought three—setter against kyle edmund in washington. it is just his fifth match of the year after hip surgery injanuary. england's cricketers will resume on 285—9 this morning after a disappointing batting collapse on the first day of the first test against india at edgbaston. celtic are through to the third round of qualifying for the champions league. a goalless draw against norwegian side rosenborg was enough for them. and you can follow the british

women's open on the bbc sport website. a bit of rain over the last week or so, much greener than it was at that carnoustie for the man's. week or so, much greener than it was at that carnoustie for the man'slj was there on tuesday, it was so lovely. it seemed like the weather was coming in a bit. that is links golf for you. if you can't cope with the rain in the wind... we have played there together. we have, those bunkers are fiendish. they are brutal, horrible. we will have a look at the front pages. the mirror says i look at the front pages. the mirror saysi million look at the front pages. the mirror says i million holidaymakers look at the front pages. the mirror saysi million holidaymakers are being warned a heatwave spain and portugal could be a danger to health. the lead story in the guardian claims ministers plan to investigate whether the government is to blame for a sharp rise in the use of food banks. 0n the daily mail, the news that most adults in the uk look at their

mobile phones every 12 minutes, if not more, some people are saying. the express says the record—breaking summer has led to a big boost in the economy. people are choosing to enjoy staycations instead of going abroad. and on the bbc website this morning, a £5 note emblazoned with the image of striker harry kane could be worth £50,000. it has gone into circulation in wales. the note was made after he won the golden boot, scoring the most goals during the 2018 world cup. who is supposed to make all of our notes? how can an engraver make a note? we think he had permission. he has notjust edited an existing one. not legal tender, we are told. has specimen written on the front of it? i don't know. has it? why don't you know? it

is the first i have heard of it. the welsh will not want to spend £5 note with harry kane on it, are they? there are more questions. more questions than answers. and let me tell you what is trending on twitter in the uk. we were talking about andy murray continuing his comeback, beating kyle edmund in washington, recovering from hip surgery, of course. that is what people are going with. you may have told us on the telly, but those are on twitter. twitter always gets there first. of course it does. i have a story that broke late yesterday, not great news for house of fraser. we have talked a lot about its fortunes. —— house of fraser. it was desperately in need of cash investor, but that investor has now pulled out. a real concern on the times that the £70

million lifeline has disappeared, raising real questions over its future. it is also on the front of the financial times this morning, house of fraser's future is in doubt after the rescue plan collapses. we should make clear, house of fraser employs 17,000 people in shops and subsidiaries and other parts of the retailer. 17,000 staff now at risk if it does go under, and it would be the biggest collapse on the high street since the likes of bhs and woolworths, so a real concern about what happens next. it is all about the mike drop, this is virat kohli after he dismissed joe root. when england and india played their one—day games last month, joe root reached his century and dropped his bat like a microphone dropped. it was like i have the 100, and this is virat kohli, just like that, after dismissing joe root yesterday. i

think he was waiting for that opportunity, and then he blew them a kiss. it is all getting a bit feisty at edgbaston. and the mirror, it looks like manchester united might miss out on a player because he doesn't want to play under mourinho. you have all the tricks.|j doesn't want to play under mourinho. you have all the tricks. i got a mike drop and a bit of singing. you know i like to keep on top of fashion. you might be interested in this. this isj lo. you see what they have done with this image, and it looks like genes have fallen down, which they haven't. and they are boots, aren't they, but they are done with belts and everything on each side. what does the team think about that? it looks like she has

just got off the toilet and walked away. but if you look at this image, it is ok by the time you get to that one, you see what i mean?” it is ok by the time you get to that one, you see what i mean? i think 0k is pushing it. they are just jean boots and they have put something on top. i have never seen jean boots before. she is 50 years old and looking fantastic, 49 years old. if you want to get your hands on prince harry's car, it is up for sale. lot of speculation he has put up sale. lot of speculation he has put upfor sale. lot of speculation he has put up for sale, sale. lot of speculation he has put upforsale, a sale. lot of speculation he has put up for sale, a lot of speculation that he might need something bigger. it is on sale for £72,000, it was all of the details inside. whereas he listed that? —— where has. all of the details inside. whereas he listed that? -- where has. -- auto trader. so, yeah. 72 grand, one famous

owner. carol is in greenwich for us with the weather this morning. the weather is glorious, shining on you. morning. if you are offering, i accept very graciously. it is lovely here at greenwich royal park, look at the view of london behind me. not much cloud in the sky and it already feels quite warm. the forecast for todayis feels quite warm. the forecast for today is a warm one for most of us, and also it will feel a bit more human than it has done in the last couple of days. what is happening is we have a couple of weather fronts coming our way, the first is a warm front, the one with the semicircles on it. you can see behind it we have a cold front following in the. the warm front has dragged in a lot of cloud, missed and merck, into the west and the hills, the cold front

will come in later introducing rain. we start off in the west and the north with a fair bit of clout, the mist and merck and dampness, but we do have a brighter start with some sunshine. through the day the status quo will prevail across northern ireland, enough clout to produce showery outbreaks of rain. temperatures to day, in scotland, england and northern ireland looking at generally the low to mid— 20s. for england and wales, because i 20s. as we go through the evening, alcohol front comes in and as it goes out it will bring clout and rain. defined it you'll notice a difference of the temperatures, and haveit difference of the temperatures, and have it we are still looking at a lot of dry weather, quite a lot of cloud, once again in the west, still that murkiness. for tomorrow when we have got our weather front draped across parts of northern england, the borders, looking at some rain. behind it there will be a cold front, not as hot. quite pleasant.

ahead of that weather front for england and wales, once again temperatures are going to rise. largely dry, west coast will have more cloud. tomorrow we could have highs up to 33. as the head—on into saturday, a lot of dry weather around, afairamount saturday, a lot of dry weather around, a fair amount of sunshine, one or two showers across the north and the west. a temperature range on saturday, again looking at the highest in the south, about 30, won't be as warm as we push north, but it may feel a lot more co mforta ble. but it may feel a lot more comfortable. for east portugal, south—west spain, they could hit 47 degrees, almost a record breaker. it might happen. 48 is the highest we have ever had recorded in europe. across france, you can see high

temperatures as well, something to remind you if you are heading there on holidays. i feel like it you ifeel like it you need i feel like it you need to turn and run into that act drop there. are you telling her to go away?m run into that act drop there. are you telling her to go away? it looks like there is a place in the distance but you must get to. think you. it is stunning. look at it. —— bank you. —— thank you. the time is 20 minutes past six. new legislation in scotland means that once a doctor has diagnosed someone as terminally ill, they immediately receive the main disability benefit, known as a personal independence payment, rather than waiting to be assessed. in the rest of the uk, only people with six months or less to live, are fast—tracked through the system. 0ur northern ireland correspondent, chris page, has been to meet campaigners who are calling for the changes in scotland to be implemented across the uk. everyone agrees that time is

precious. but the truth feels much more real if you have an illness which you know you will die from. that's the message which people like martin want to get across. he has alzheimer's disease. it is a death sentence of. there is no cure for what i have got, i have had to accept that. so why put me through another load of worry and stress? under the rules of the main disability benefit, people with terminal conditions can get the money quicker than usual without having a face—to—face assessment. but only if they have six months or less to live. martin didn't qualify because the nature of his illness means no one can be sure when he will die. dementia in northern ireland has supported him through the application for the personal dependence payment, which he found almost unbearable. it has made me

very suicidal because i didn't need the pressure, i have enough pressure on me with the dementia. i have been through the hospital, i have been through the hospital, i have been through the hospital, i have been through the doctor, so why do they have to come out and visit me? the issue also effects people wouldn't vote in neurons is these. —— motor neurone disease. peter used to be working in a school, his terminal illness has taken away his job and his voice, but like martin, his life expectancy is unpredictable, he will have to assess for the benefit. he spoke to me through a app in his own. “— spoke to me through a app in his own. —— phone. in scotland, the government has

brought in new legislation meaning that a person will be far struck through the benefits system simply ifa through the benefits system simply if a doctor says they are terminally ill. here in northern ireland, all five main political parties say they wa nt five main political parties say they want the same change in the rules. this politician has been taking the lead in the campaign. this politician has been taking the lead in the campaignlj this politician has been taking the lead in the campaign. i think that anyone who has any conscience or has anyone who has any conscience or has any heart when they realise this is what people with terminal illnesses are being put through, they would rightly say it is callous and crawl. the government collapsed 18 months ago, at least until devilish and is restored, northern ireland will stay in line with the law decided at west is the. ministers voice of the benefit aims to support disabled people who forced —— face of the greatest barriers. the labour mp madeleine moon has been proposing her own legislation for england and

wales. her husband died from motor neurone disease copy the only time you have must not be spent worrying about benefits or keeping a roof over your head. it must be spent in love, laughter and taking the painful journey together. love, laughter and taking the painfuljourney together. this deeply personal matter is moving upwards, it will save those affected will continue campaigning for as long as time allows. we saw some lovely views with carol earlier. we wa nt to lovely views with carol earlier. we want to show you a picture of the bewdley railway station. i tell you why we are there, because this year marks 50 years since the end of regular steam train services. ricky will be there and has quite an adventure this morning. i think it will get to pull the whistle because

the wii talking to the man who is responsible for making sure that the driver has enough steam. he has called the fireman, literally. we will be talking about that with ricky, he will be talking, taking us around the locomotives and talking about how it all works and a p pa re ntly about how it all works and apparently he to blow the whistle. that makes rethink of rat the railway children and people of a certain range. —— a chip. —— age. caseyjones, set certain range. —— a chip. —— age. casey jones, set in certain range. —— a chip. —— age. caseyjones, set in america, all about a steam train driver, and his name was casey jones. about a steam train driver, and his name was caseyjones. —— accurate to. —— name was caseyjones. —— accurate to. -- nacro to. —— age. that is the difference between me and you, you think of caseyjones.

that is what we at going to be looking at this morning, if you are interested. looking at about mobile phones, how it did we are, a p pa re ntly phones, how it did we are, apparently people are looking at them every 12. these are new figures, anecdotally people will know about it. the statistics are around how we use our mobile phones that. when we are watching tv now, a huge percentage of people have their phones on constantly while they are watching tv. it is concurrent to all other issues. if you want to get in touch, get in touch with us. let's have a look at the travel situation now. good morning to you. as you may have been hearing, three men have been stabbed

in south london, one died of his injuries. it happened last night on war—ham street in camberwell. the same road where17—year—old rhyhiem ainsworth barton died from a gunshot wound in may. 0ur reporter greg mckenzie has been at the scene. the police were called here to the brendan estate at 7pm last line with reports of multiple injuries are sta ble reports of multiple injuries are stable is when they arrived. they discovered three men that have been stabbed in separate incidents. 0ne of those three, a 23—year—old, has died here at the scene and locals have called him sk, the police have made to arrest and they are currently being interviewed at a local police station, being held on suspicion of attempted murder. the amount the capital's councils spend on housing people in temporary accommodation has risen by 50% over the past 5 years. that's according to figures obtained by the bbc through freedom of information requests. the government says it is providing more than £1.2 billion pounds to tackle all forms of homelessness and more money to build council housing. but the body that represents the capital's local authorities says that they need more powers.

the pitter—patter of tiny feet can be heard at the london aquarium, which is welcoming a new baby penguin. the chick is the first to be born at the aquarium since the introduction of eight gentoo penguins last year. it's gender is yet to be confirmed, but he or she is expected to gain adult feathers within three months. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube — a good service across all lines. 0n the roads — this is the a13 — where traffic is building westbound from dagenham into barking. 0n the m25 — there are problems clockwise — towards j3 for swanley, following a collision. east of sevenoaks a25 maidstone road closed at seal following an accident near park lane. lets have a check on the weather now with lucy martin. loveit

love it or hate it, the heat is, expecting highs of 33 celsius across the capital. becomes a dry weather and plenty of sunshine. a sunny start this morning, a few patches of mraround start this morning, a few patches of mr around but they should let fairly quickly and then leaving a dry, bright start to the day perhaps some more from the day feeding in from the west into the afternoon but some brea ks the west into the afternoon but some breaks and that cloud, sunny spells and cabbages at a maximum 30 celsius with light wind. as we go through this evening and overnight, it stays dry and we will see late sunshine, some patchy cloud around but that will melt away as we move into the early hours. fairly commit night to come in central london, the bridge is not getting lower than 18. tomorrow looks to be the hottest day of the week, temperatures creeping up of the week, temperatures creeping upa of the week, temperatures creeping up a touch further, plenty of dry weather and sunshine, highs of 33 celsius. a small chance of seeing a shower on saturday, mostly dry and fine on sunday and again, those temperatures staying hot. that's it —

we're back in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. now though it's back to charley and naga. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. it is 6:30am. we will bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment. but also on breakfast this morning: we are in kidderminster, marking 50 years since the end of regular steam train services on the british mainline railway. when classical pianist benjamin grosvenor was just 11 years old, he won the bbc young musician of the year. now, 1a years on, he is here to tell us about performing at this year's bbc proms. british rowing olympic champion dame katherine graingerjoins us ahead of the very first european championships, taking place in glasgow and berlin. good morning.

here is a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. we are becoming increasingly addicted to our smartphones, according to a new report by the communications regulator, 0fcom. the average person now checks their phone every 12 minutes, and 40% look at it within five minutes of waking up. but the number of calls made on mobiles has fallen for the first time ever. and after 7:00am, we will be talking to 0fcom about their findings. ten years ago, we had many different devices. we had mp3 players to listen to music. we had satellite navigation systems to take us around. today, all of that is compacted into one device, and now eight in ten of us own a smartphone, and really spend our entire lives on that smartphone. the bank of england is expected to announce a rise in interest rates later today — the first for nine months. members of the monetary policy committee are predicted to increase rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, in what would mark only the second rise since the financial crisis struck in 2008. ben will have more on this throughout the programme. the united nations secretary

general, antonio guterres, has urged the people of zimbabwe to exercise restraint, after three people were killed during violence in the capital, harare. the ruling party, zanu—pf, won the parliamentary vote in monday's general election. however, the opposition party the mdc alliance is claiming that vote was rigged. the result of the presidential poll has yet to be announced. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save £70 million. last night, residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. the governor of california has said that climate change is behind a rise in the number of wildfires devastating the state. jerry brown said climate change is behind a rise in the number of fires. more than 90 areas are still burning in the united states, with a further a0 in canada. nature is very powerful,

and we're not on the side of nature. we're fighting nature, with the amount of material we're putting in the environment. and that material traps heat, and the heat fosters fires, and the fires keep burning. a man has died and two others have been injured in a stabbing on the same street in south—east london where a teenager was shot dead in may. the men were found on warham street in camberwell yesterday evening. two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder. the national citizen service, a government—run youth scheme, is not value for money, according to councils in england and northern ireland. the project allows 15 to 17—year—olds to spend four weeks working in the community. the local government association says only 12% of eligible teenagers have taken part, and it has cost £634 million. the government insists the scheme has improved the lives of 400,000 young people. if you happen to be visiting the eiffel tower anytime soon,

you may be a little disappointed. the famous tourist attraction has been closed due to industrial action. workers are unhappy about a new booking system that has led to what has been described as monstrous queues. you can still look at it, of course, from the ground. it is hard to miss. it is quite interesting to go up there. ijust don't like mass tourist experiences. there is a reason they tend to be mass tourist experiences. at the end of the day it is just looking down at paris, isn't it? come on! how can you not enjoy looking over paris? well, you know, it is like looking down at any other city, isn't it? enjoyed from the ground! is your whole world disappointing, orjust

the ground! is your whole world disappointing, or just that the ground! is your whole world disappointing, orjust that bit? listen, a saying for you a few minutes ago, i am full of the joys of spring. andy murray is 832nd in the world rankings, but he is on his way back. and he claimed a big scalp overnight, in the battle of the brits. he lost to kyle edmund in eastbourne earlier this summer, and it looked perhaps like edmund may have succeeded murray as the next big thing in british men's tennis. but murray proved he is not done yet, in washington overnight, despite hip surgery injanuary. this was just his fifth match of the year. he won in three sets, and is through to the last 16, as he prepares for the us open. and johanna konta won, too, overnight in california. she thrashed serena williams in the previous round, 6—1, 6—0, the worst defeat of willams's career. this time she beat another american, sofia kenin, in straight sets. england's cricketers will be hoping to recover this morning after a disappointing batting collapse on day one of the first test against india. they had begun brightly, with both joe root and jonny bairstow

passing their half—centuries. but then root was run out by virat kohli, who then mocked the england captain for his mic—dropping celebration in the one—day series. that sparked a major collapse. england will resume this morning on 285—9. infill sort of workmanlike the whole day. it hasn't been sort of free scoring or free flow of shots and kind of shotmaking. —— it has felt. we need to make sure we get the ball in the right area. celtic are safely through to the third qualifying round of the champions league, after a goalless draw against rosenborg. brendan rodgers's side led 3—1 from the first leg, and despite the norwegian champions having the better of the chances, they couldn't score. so celtic go through to face aek athens in the next round. the football association is considering a bid to host the world cup in 2030. the last major tournament played in england was the 1996 euros, 30 years after the country's only world cup.

and, after the success of this summer's world cup, the fa have announced that they want gareth southgate to stay on as england manager beyond 2020, when his contract expires. england made the semi—finals in russia under southgate, and fa chief executive martin glenn said he was the definition of the modern manager we want. british gymnast becky downie has had to pull of the europeans championships after she suffered a setback in her recovery from injury. the championships start today and are being called a mini—0lympics, with the events shared between glasgow and berlin. first minister nicola sturgeon told the bbc why she thinks it is a good idea. we are we a re really we are really excited about the sports that we will be showcasing here in glasgow. but it is great. these are the first multisport european championships. it is also the first 42 cities to co—host in this way. i was in berlin recently andi this way. i was in berlin recently and i know they were excited about the athletics. i got the sense that they were jealous of some of the sports that glasgow is hosting as well, but i think it is a great

partnership. in the women's hockey world cup, england now know they will face australia in the semi—finals if they can get through their quarter—final against the favourites, the netherlands, this evening. that is because australia came through a tough match against argentina. it finished 0—0 at the queen elizabeth olympic park in london, so it went to penalties, and australia won 4—3. germany are out, though, despite winning all three of their group matches, they were beaten by 1—0 by spain. carmen cano getting the second—half winner. they will face ireland in the semis, if ireland can beat india tonight. everybody is just so ready to go. you know, the past three days i think if you had told us we could bring the match forward, i think we would. just can't wait to get back out there, you know, the atmosphere was unbelievable against england. the irish support has been magnificent. you know, we have travelled in numbers and you hear us before you see us. so we can't wait to get back out there again. the women's british open is just getting underway. it is at royal lytham and st anne's. you can follow that on the bbc sport website.

super 0lympian michael phelps has lost one of his swimming records to a ten—year—old boy who sounds like he could go a long way in the sport. this is clark kent. nicknamed superman, he won the 100m butterfly at the far west international championship in california, a second faster than phelps did back in 1995. at his age, at the same age. he hasn't been beaten at the olympics, but imagine if you are ten years old and you can already break michael phelps record. but then, pressure! mike drop. stop doing that. we will

have the weather coming up later on. protestors demonstrated outside an emergency meeting of northamptonshire county council last night, as it tries to make savings of £70 million. the leader of the conservative—run authority has insited the council will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable. we'rejoined now from our london newsroom by professor tony travers from the london school of economics, who specialises in local government. thank you forjoining us this morning. tell us how northampton council have got into this situation, the county council. well, the council has found itself like most of local government in england, and it is not dissimilar in wales and it is not dissimilar in wales and scotland, with reduced resources over the last eight years. and it has responded to that not, as most councils have done, by ensuring that

every year the books balance, so that they don't spend any more than their income, but they have failed to make the reductions in spending that allow them to come up with a balanced budget every year. and this has led to the issuing of two so—called section 114 letters. these are so—called section 114 letters. these a re letters so—called section 114 letters. these are letters written by the chief finance officer of the council, saying to the members you have got to bring down spending in order that it matches income. this happened again last week, and yesterday's last night's meeting, was really about the beginning of the process of the council is trying to bring down their spending this year so it fits the amount of income the council has. it is easy to make this sound quite pointy—headed when you talk about section xxx, and rules, et cetera. but the reason we are talking about this is before this there had only been two of these notices issued in the uk in the last 30 years. the reason we are talking

about this is this is an extreme situation, isn't it? and what happens now are concerns about key services and what will have to be forsa ken services and what will have to be forsaken and will have to be squeezed. that's right, and as the council tries to bring its spending into line with its income, what is it going to cut? county councils like northants it going to cut? county councils like northa nts provide it going to cut? county councils like northants provide children's social care, adult social care, so ca re social care, adult social care, so care homes for older people, for example. they provide roads, they provide a library service, countywide planning, waste disposal. they will not be much rural transport left by now in northamptonshire. roads have to be just about maintained, the library service will need to be cut back more, and then the issue is children's and adults because social care. how far can those services have less spent on them without them being the risk of a service failure or the service not being up to a required standard, even though such

a required standard isn't precisely laid out in law. you can understand why people are protesting, and i should clarify that 1988 was the last time this has been done before these two notices this year. do you think that more county councils could be faced with problems like this? we are talking about county councils, not city councils. we are, and it is interesting that county councils are in a more parlous, more difficult financial position, it would appear, then city councils. and the reason for that is in part that in counties, particularly where you have counties and districts, so two tier system, the county often doesn't have as deep level of reserves , doesn't have as deep level of reserves, of money in the bank, as some of the city councils, who have a wider range of services. so the national audit office looked at the broaderfinancial national audit office looked at the broader financial position of local government in a report published earlier this year. the national audit office is an independent body, it reports to parliament, not to the

government, so completely independent. and they observed that the likelihood is a significant minority of councils, many of them counties, probably not in exactly the same position as northants but heading in that direction... and by the way, at yesterday some of the newspapers were reporting that the treasury is looking for further reductions in local government spending out of the next so—called spending out of the next so—called spending round as the government sets spending figures for the future. so cuts to local government haven't finished yet, and so i think other councils do risk moving in this direction over time. thank you very much for explaining that. it is coming up to 6:45am. don't anybody believe that on bbc brea kfast we anybody believe that on bbc breakfast we don't bring you great teachers and exciting television. i kid you not. now we are going to see a snail ona kid you not. now we are going to see

a snail on a piece of wood. we are going live now. how do you! look, this is sam and i tell you what, he is moving across this piece of wood like greased lightning! we are currently in greenwich royal park, why? because they are hosting mission invertebrate. it is a roadshow to help children learn about the importance of insects. sessions include bug handy —— bug hunting, handling, and storytelling. you can see their mobile unit over there. it will visit different locations over the summer and invertebrates a re locations over the summer and invertebrates are creatures with no back urns, i know a few of them myself! the weather is lovely this morning. the sun is shining. there is no rain forecast for the south

but some in the forecast. generally for today, it will be warmer and a bit more human than it has done. what is happening at the moment is we have two weather fronts coming our way. now we have had a warm front, the red one coming from the west overnight, left all of cloud, missed and merck and dribble in western areas and we have a cold front behind it. that will bring in rain and you will notice differences in temperature through the north. first thing this morning, a lot of low cloud, missed and was all in the coast and the west. northern ireland, thick cloud will provide rain, butfor ireland, thick cloud will provide rain, but for the rest, ireland, thick cloud will provide rain, but forthe rest, back ireland, thick cloud will provide rain, but for the rest, back into the sunshine with variable amounts. breaches in the south, 29, 30. in the north, generally looking at the mid— teens. is the head through the evening into overnight, we still have this cloud in the north—west.

coldweather —— a coldweather front comes in and temperatures roughly in the range, 10— 15 celsius. tomorrow we start off with a cold front draped across the borders of scotla nd draped across the borders of scotland and england, sinking further south and weakening. there will be some rain on it. in scotland and northern ireland, a day of sunshine and showers and are still a lot of sunshine around the head of it. in the west, all little bit more cloud hugging the shore was. tomorrow could be hotter than today in the south—east, temperatures 32, 33. but behind that cold front we will have temperatures in the mid— 20s. much more comfortable in the sunshine to. as we had on into saturday, another weather front into the north—west will introduce showery outbreaks of rain but for most of us, dry, sunny and warm. 0n saturday, the highest temperature is likely to be 30 in the south—east, again looking at the low to mid— 20s

and for some, the high 20s generally across—the—board. we and for some, the high 20s generally across—the—boa rd. we have and for some, the high 20s generally across—the—board. we have been talking about the hot weather expected in spain and portugal this weekend. we are talking inland, east portugal and also south—west spain. inland, temperatures could hit 47, possibly 48 as we head through saturday. if that happens, then that will be contesting the highest temperature ever recorded in europe, that was 48 degrees in athens. carol, thank you very much, people are warned if heading in that direction. the time is 12 minutes till seven. the bank of england is expected to raise interest rates today. what will that mean? will they or won't they? it's the big guessing game again — will they or won't they raise the cost of borrowing? well, today it's pretty much a given, with most expecting

a rise at midday. remember they're still at 0.5% — that's still much much lower than normal. 2) before the financial crash in 2008, rates — that determine how much we pay for credit cards, mortgages and loans, and what we earn on any savings — were around 5%. but the credit crunch meant more people couldn't pay back their mortgages, house prices fell and a lot of banks came close to collapse. so the bank of england slashed rates to keep the economy afloat and those low rates have been in place ever since. but last november, we got the first rise in a decade. the mpc, which sets rates, said the economy was in a better shape with record—low unemployment and rising inflation. so why should rates go up again today? well, the economy is in better shape, and when interest rates go up we save more and spend less, so that keeps prices, or inflation, in check. and that's important to stop the economy overheating. the majority of economists and financial experts agree with that and that today is the day to raise rates. the economy has recovered from the

wea k the economy has recovered from the weak patch that will enter in the first part of this year. unemployment is very low and the policymakers believe that the economy is at risk of exceeding its speed rate. so it's time to take the foot off the accelerator. —— the majority of economists and financial experts agree with that and that today is the day to raise rates. but some think the bank should hold fire. here's why: in reality, very little has changed since may. if you look at the economy itself, all of the forecasts have been downgraded since, no real increase in wages, they have moderated in terms of increased. there isn't really no need to do so but i think they will be feeling compelled to because they said they would. so what would a rise in rates mean? if you're on a fixed rate mortgage, not much. that won't change til your fix runs out. if you're on a variable rate it will go up, but not by much. on average about £20 a month.

for savers though it depends on if, and when your bank decides to pass the rise to you. in half an hour, i'll speak to a personal finance expert about what it could mean for us. remember, we'll get the decision from the bank of england at midday. thanks very much then. —— thanks very much ben. it's 50 years this week since the end of regular steam train services on the british main line railway. to mark the occasion, steam enthusiasts around the country are being treated to a little bit of railway nostalgia. ricky boletto is at severn valley railway in kidderminster for us this morning. glorious. you are at the engine, is

itan glorious. you are at the engine, is it an edge in? , glorious. you are at the engine, is itan edge in? , —— glorious. you are at the engine, is it an edge in? , —— pension. glorious. you are at the engine, is it an edge in? , -- pension. good morning, it is beautiful at bewdley station this morning, one of the many heritage railway sites all across the uk. we are actually getting the engines fired up, shovelling coal into the fire and as you said, we are marking 50 years since the very last scheduled regular steam engine service came to an end. that was from preston to liverpool exchange on the third of august at 925 pm. still, the magic of stea m august at 925 pm. still, the magic of steam and locomotives lives on. i have been talking to people to find out what it is about it that they love so much. noisy. rattling. but fantastic to look at, for people to travel

behind. it is the romance of steam, it really is. half a century on, stea m it really is. half a century on, steam trains are still pulling in the crowds. young and old and of the 4—legged variety too. the crowds. young and old and of the 4-legged variety too. there isjust something about the steam engine especially, the noise, the smell, and certainly if you are of an age that you remember them the first time around, just nostalgic, really. my little ones love thomas the tank engine and steam trains are something that they have never ever seen before. i think that they are quite comforting, it is quite relaxing watching the environment around. i think we just have access to these sorts of things that any more. is a different world. we are obsessed with technology. it is nice to go back and just experience it, especially with children now, i can't imagine what it will be like in the future for them, but we have these treasures that we can hold onto to let them experience. for

many, it is a chance to savour a bygone age. riding on the many restored trains steamed up by an army of volunteers. it is the fact that everybody is coming here, you are meeting lots and lots of people, they are all here to enjoy themselves and that perks you up as well. the birth of the steam locomotive more than 200 years ago changed the world and made britain one of the first industrial countries in the world. and now many of these heritage railways continue to keep written's golden age of stea m to keep written's golden age of steam live. —— britain's. to keep written's golden age of steam live. -- britain's. steam is not dead. scheme is extended. there are still steam engines working to be restored. the number of trains that run are getting bigger and bigger, they are turning into bigger commercial activities. why is that? because people want to travel. today there are more 20,000 volunteers all over the uk fuelling their passion

this steam. —— for steam. it is hoped the next generation of his city at —— of enthusiasts will keep these trains on the tracks for many more yea rs these trains on the tracks for many more years to come. yes, my inner seven—year—old is excited. i can't believe we are on board this locomotive and this particular one is operating its 100th anniversary this year. we are on the footplate, this is where we shovel all of that coal into the fire to make sure that this engine ru ns fire to make sure that this engine runs smoothly. the person who does that, theirjob is called a fireman. iamjoined by that, theirjob is called a fireman. i am joined by keiteljones this morning, it is yourjob to make sure that this steam engine runs smoothly. you are a relatively young volunteer, are there many people like you who do this on a regular basis? there are, actually. quite a few younger volunteers but we definitely need more, we need more mechanical engineers to play with steam locomotives and keep them

running. how easy is it to do this? it isa running. how easy is it to do this? it is a learning process. 0ver running. how easy is it to do this? it is a learning process. over a numberof it is a learning process. over a number of years you learn how the engines work, how to clean and light them and run them safely and you continue learning from the older generation. speaking of which, cullen, you can remember when the stea m cullen, you can remember when the steam engines came out of service. what was that like? a very sad note —— moment, not only for the designers of locomotives but for the man “— designers of locomotives but for the man —— the maintainers and the cruise. you use to talk to these old girls and they would react the way you want, sometimes you would give them a bit of a sway as well. i honestly think it was the saddest day out, the mass scrapping of steam at. a lot of them are back now in service. i will be having a go at the whistle now, let me see if i can do it. now it is time for the news, travel and weather wherever you can do it. brilliant! good morning.

as you may have been hearing, three men have been stabbed in south london, one died of his injuries. it happened last night on war—ham street in camberwell. the same road where17—year—old rhyhiem ainsworth barton died from a gunshot wound in may. 0ur reporter greg mckenzie has been at the scene. the police were called here to the brandon estate at 7pm last night with reports of multiple injuries of stab wounds when they arrived. they discovered three men that have been stabbed in separate incidents. one of those three, a 23—year—old, has died here at the scene and locals have called him "sk." the police have made two arrests and they are currently being interviewed at a local police station, being held on suspicion of attempted murder. the city of london corporation is

looking for new grounds. it follows a move where they said the move was needed to secure their future. it includes plans for an apprenticeship school. the pitter—patter of tiny feet can be heard at the london aquarium, which is welcoming a new baby penguin. the chick is the first to be born at the aquarium since the introduction of eight gentoo penguins last year. it's gender is yet to be confirmed, but he or she is expected to gain adult feathers within three months. something to brighten our morning. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube — a good service across all lines. 0n the roads — this is the a13 — where traffic is building westbound from dagenham into barking. 0n the m25 — there are problems clockwise — towards j3 for swanley, following a collision. muswell hill broadway is closed

for emergency work — due to a burst water main, diversions are in place. east of sevenoaks a25 maidstone road closed at seal following an accident near park lane. lets have a check on the weather now with lucy martin. hello, good morning. well, love it or hate it, the heat is back. we are expecting highs of 30 celsius across the capital today. it comes with a good deal of dry weather and plenty of sunshine. a sunny start this morning, a few patches of mist around first thing but they should lift fairly quickly and then leaving a dry, bright start to the day, perhaps some more from the day, cloud feeding in from the west into the afternoon but some breaks and that cloud, sunny spells and cabbages at a maximum 30 celsius with light wind. as we go through this evening and overnight, it stays dry and we will see late sunshine, some patchy cloud around but that will tend to melt away as we move into the early hours. fairly humid night to come in central london, temperatures not getting lower than 18. tomorrow looks to be the hottest day of the week, temperatures creeping up a touch further, plenty of dry weather and sunshine, highs of 33 degrees celsius. a small chance of seeing a shower on saturday,

mostly dry and fine on sunday and again, those temperatures staying hot. if you are heading out, have a lovely day. if not, i will be out —— backin lovely day. if not, i will be out —— back in half an hour ‘s time. bye for now. good morning. welcome to breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. 0ur headlines today: addicted to our mobiles. new figures show we now check our smartphones every 12 minutes. an appeal for calm in zimbabwe. three people have died after soldiers opened fire on protestors. the cost of borrowing could rise again today — the first interest rate rise in nine months. so what could it mean for loans and mortgages, and is it finally some good news for savers? andy murray wins the battle of the brits in washington. he beat kyle edmund, the man who has taken his place as british number one

while he has been out injured. good morning from greenwich royal park, where we have a stunning view over london. the sun is shining, as it is across central and eastern areas today, but in the north and west, more cloud, some mist, drizzle and rain. i will have more in 15 minutes. it is thursday 2 august. our top story: we are becoming increasingly addicted to our smartphones. the average person now checks their device every 12 minutes. 40% of users now look at their phone within five minutes of waking up, according to a new report by the communications regulator, 0fcom. it also found the number of calls made on mobiles has fallen for the first time ever. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones has more details. we're going to make some history together today. 2007, and steve jobs unveils apple's iphone. 2008, and the first android phones are unveiled. what has followed, according to 0fcom, is a decade where we've

become increasingly dependent on our smartphones. we're using them in all sorts of ways throughout the day, and three quarters of people questioned said they couldn't live without one. ten years ago, we had many different devices. we had mp3 players to listen to music. we had satellite navigation systems to take us around. today, all of that is compacted into one device, and now eight in ten of us own a smartphone, and really spend our entire lives on that smartphone. 0fcom's research shows how addicted we are to smartphones. 40% of people check their phones within five minutes of waking up. the average person looks at their phone every 12 minutes, and spends an average of two hours and 28 minutes a day using it. butjust how to use them, where and for how long is still a matter of debate. i think it's made my life better, but children's lives worse. yeah. definitely anyone my age would be pretty dependent on a device, whether they're just walking around the city, to find their way around

or to communicate with people. a few years ago, i'd have been sitting here admiring the view, and now i'm on my phone. so it's kind of swings and roundabouts, isuppose. one thing we're not doing so much and our phones is talking. the number of mobile voice calls has fallen for the first time ever. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. in the next ten minutes, we will be talking to 0fcom about theirfindings. the bank of england is expected to announce a rise in interest rates later today, the first for nine months. ben is here with more details. so this happens at what time? midday today. i will be checking my phone at midday for news for the bank of england, because we will get that announcement about whether the cost of borrowing is going up. and we have talked about when they might decide to raise interest rates, and today all the money is on a team today. it will go up, we think, from

0.5% to 0.75%, sojust 0.25% rise, but that a significant, but they think now is the time to do it. and why? well, it is to keep the economy afloat but they have to play a bit ofa afloat but they have to play a bit of a balancing act to make sure the economy doesn't overheat. if they are too low for too long, the economy grows too quickly, but if they raise too soon it could dampen any growth in the economy. and you will know that rates were slashed to record lows during the financial crisis to try and give the economy a bit of a boost. they have been at that emergency level for a long time, for nearly a decade. and so what we are seeing now is the economy trying to get back on an even keel, and the bank of england getting interest rates back to more normal levels. before the financial crisis they were 3%, 4%, 5%, so we are still talking about very low interest rates at the moment. it would make a difference if you have a mortgage. if you are on a fixed

rate, it might change straightaway, but on variable rate it might cost about £20 more on an average payment. he could be good news for savers. so some change on the way, and lots of questions and lots of issues the bank of england is trying to co nte nt issues the bank of england is trying to content with. nonetheless, midday is the time we get it, and it could rise to 0.75%. the united nations secretary general, antonio guterres, has urged the people of zimbabwe to exercise restraint, after three people were killed during violence in the capital, harare. the result of monday's presidential election has yet to be announced. 0ur africa correspondent nomsa maseko is in harare. good to see you. what more can you tell us about what has been happening? well, the situation is calm this morning here on the streets of harare, following running battles between the army and opposition party supporters yesterday. we are told at this stage that there is still no indication when the results of the presidential vote will be announced. yesterday

the electoral commission held a press briefing in which they said that the reason there was a delay is because they were still counting and verifying those results before they could make beneficial. we then heard late last night from the incumbent, president emmerson mnangagwa, who said that the opposition should take full responsibility for those protests. also, at the same time, we then heard from the opposition movement for democratic change, saying that they were saddened by yesterday's events, and that they we re yesterday's events, and that they were feeling vulnerable in their own country. thank you for bringing us up country. thank you for bringing us up to date. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save £70 million. last night, residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. the governor of california has said climate change is behind a rise

in the number of wildfires devastating the region. jerry brown said firefighters are struggling to cope. more than 90 areas are still burning in the united states, with a further 40 in canada. 0ur north america correspondent james cook reports from california. this is all that remains of keswick, a little mountain community in northern california. it was evacuated in time, but police say one man did not heed the order. he was found dead amid the ashes. the fires, and the battle to stop them, rage on. so far this year, nearly 5 million acres have been scorched in the us, a million acres above the recent average. the governor of california says climate change is a major factor. nature is very powerful, and we're not on the side of nature. we're fighting nature, with the amount of material we're putting in the environment. and that material traps heat, and the heat fosters fires,

and the fires keep burning. the worst blaze swept into the city of redding last thursday, with towering tornadoes of flame leaving death and destruction behind. more than 1,000 homes are in ruins. two young children and their great—grandmother are among the dead, and fire season is farfrom over. this is what happens when the force of a wildfire comes head—to—head with human habitation, and more than a century after the american west was settled, it shows the continuing danger of establishing a community on the edge of the wilderness. a man has died and two others have been injured in a stabbing on the same street in south—east london where a teenager was shot dead in may. the men were found on warham street in camberwell yesterday evening. two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder. the national citizen service,

a government—run youth scheme, is not value for money, according to councils in england and northern ireland. the project allows 15—17—year—olds to spend four weeks working in the community. the local government association says only 12% of eligible teenagers have taken part, and it has cost £634 million. the government insists the scheme has improved the lives of 400,000 young people. if you happen to be visiting the eiffel tower any time soon, you may be a little disappointed. the famous tourist attraction has been closed due to industrial action. workers are unhappy about a new booking system that has led to what has been described as monstrous queues. good morning. most people in the uk are dependent on their digital devices and need a constant connection to the internet, according to the communications regulator, 0fcom. it says technology has revolutionised our lives over the last ten years, with people in the uk now

checking their smartphones on average every 12 minutes, and 40% of adults pick up their mobile within five minutes of waking up. we are joined now from our london newsroom by eleni marouli from 0fcom. very good morning to you. now, quite a few people on seeing that, checking the device every 14 minutes, i have spoken to this morning, have suggested it may be a lot more often than that. how does that sit in amongst the other statistics you have come up with? so in this year's report, our theme was connectivity, and central to that was the smartphone. as you said, people check their phones every 12 minutes, and for 40% that is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you do right before you go to sleep. now, how different is this than any figures we had seen previously about how often we look at these devices?

soi how often we look at these devices? so i think the last decade has really been the decade of the smartphone. all other connected devices are just as important, however, they all centre around this one device that does everything for us. we take photos with it, we listen to music, we use it for navigation as well is to us with our everyday lives. —— help us with our everyday lives. —— help us with our everyday lives. —— help us with our everyday lives. does your report draw any conclusions as to whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing? so i think, as with anything new, we are still figuring out the balance between the good and bad. so three quarters of people from our research say that it enables them to stay in touch with loved ones, with friends and family. and what is interesting that is this is across ages and demographics, so old people value it as much as younger people, and it also makes us more likely to work flexibly. however, 15% of people say it makes them feel like they are always at work. one of the things people say anecdotally about these devices is, one of the

statistics is that 50% of people now say they are glued to their mobile device while watching tv. to the extent to which the mobile device is getting in the way of what you might otherwise have done. it could be out ina public otherwise have done. it could be out in a public place, you are looking at something beautiful, but your phone is there with you. what sort of evidence is there around that? so in terms of acceptable behaviour on the smartphone, i think there are some variations among generations. 0lder some variations among generations. older people tend to be a little bit or unhappy with people checking their phone during mealtime, talking on the phone during mealtime is, and the largest discrepancy is about checking notifications while watching tv together. so the over 65 is, 61% disapprove of that, which goes down to just over 21% for the 18 to 24 —year—olds. goes down to just over 21% for the 18 to 24 -year-olds. the percentage of people who never use the internet, back in 2012, 501% of adults said they never use the internet. but now that is down to

12% who say they never go online. it is universal, effectively, now, isn't it? so 6496 of us actually say the internet is essential to our lives, so not just the internet is essential to our lives, so notjust important but essential to the everyday functions that we carry out in our routines. and again, it has to do with the functionality of the smartphone, and how that has grown over time. if you think of the mp3 player, for example, in 2000 and 842% of us had an mp3 player, now that is down to 1796, an mp3 player, now that is down to 17%, and you can see that across other devices as well. something tells me the first thing you are going to do at the end of this interview to this check your mobile device, to see if you have any messages, and everything. is that right? that's right, and i have glanced at it a few times during this interview. during the interview?! just glanced at it, but isaid interview?! just glanced at it, but i said the statistics, just like eve ryo ne i said the statistics, just like everyone else. what you are saying

is it is actually useful. it didn't interrupt you, but it was a useful tool. yes, it enabled me to work more flexibly. i have to say, you did it very subtly, i have to say. but thank you very much for your time this morning. i love that, that is brilliant. quite a few people have been in touch and talking about whether they were addicted or not. louise says definitely addicted, i don't think it is our louise. a different one, i think. it sleeps with me, goes to the loo with her, and her whole life is on her phone, banking, bill paying, photos, music, and her social life as well. although not all negative. philips says if it is integrated into your life properly, he says yesterday he paid for coffee with it, asked what song was playing when he was out, and he also used it in the car. obviously maps, helping him navigate to the right place. a nap is a great thing as well. yes, a nanny nap.

keepin thing as well. yes, a nanny nap. keep in touch if you have something you would like to share with us about your mobile device, because where has it most got on the way? that is me taking a negative, isn't it? but sometimes they do get in the way, and you look around and there are people looking at their phones instead of talking to one another. what i don't like is when you have a beautiful view or you are at a concert or something and people are looking at the view, watching the concert, too busy recording at rather than just enjoying it. the director was listening, he wasn't looking at his mobile device, there is carol looking at the view! we were talking about you in their view as well. bless you. this morning it is lovely here the view in london is beautiful. i am in greenwich royal park, you can see behind me canary wharf, the river

thames, if you look to the right, there is the city of london, uk make out the gherkin, that she's greater. last week we were looking at that view from the other side. the sun is beating down. i know we need rain desperately across many parts of the uk. two—day's forecast doesn't have a lot of rain in it. what we are looking at is another warm day and it will feel more human than it has donein it will feel more human than it has done in the last couple of days. we have two weather fronts coming our way, warm front from the course of the night has dragged in a lot of cloud, missed and murkiness and behind it we have a cold front. that will come our way you later, introducing some rain. first thing this morning, eastern areas has the sunshine and should hang onto it for much of day. in the west, we have the clout in the hills and coast, localised drizzle and some rain across northern ireland. temperature

will wise, across scotland, northern ireland and england, high teens to the low 20s. for most of england and wales, the mid to high 20s but locally in the south—east we could hit 32 days. through the seating and overnight, a cold front pushes across scotland and northern ireland bringing more clout and rain. quite a bit of clout and merc across the west coast and hours we come further south, some breaks in the cloud. temperature tonight, roughly 10— 15 celsius. tomorrow we start off with weather front drag across northern england and the scottish borders producing rain and south there will be mostly a band of cloud that will, more clout in the west and behind that, for scotland and northern ireland sunshine and showers are. temperatures into the low to mid— 20s but ahead of it into the sunshine we are looking at high temperatures. 30 celsius is quite possible in the south—east. as we had on into saturday. a new weather

front coming in across the north—west and that will introduce some showery outbreaks of rain across northern and western scotland but for much of the uk it will be a dry day and a sunny one. by then, our top to richer likely to be 30 degrees. if you are heading off on holidays in the next couple of days it is worth mentioning that inland areas of spain and portugal, east portugal and south—west spain could see temperatures at record levels. we are looking at the moment at 47, which isn't a recordbreaker. the highest average ever recorded in europe was apple and that was 48. the highest in portugal was 47.4. in spain, 47.3. we are not too far away from any of these is that, we'll keep you posted but that is very hot indeed. keep you posted but that is very hot it is actually dangerous, isn't it, it is becoming a serious weather story because people, how they are coping and the infrastructure and risks of buyers as well. —— fires.

absolutely. every point you have made there. i wouldn't fancy it at all, i wouldn't go out in that he. you can see it is parched behind you in greenwich. it does look ma this —— marvellous there, though. it is such a beautiful day, i know we are screaming out for water, when you look at the view and a son and this time of day it is not too hot, absolutely perfect. it would be nice to see it green, but... it is hard to see it green, but... it is hard to get that balance right. thanks very much. is 90 minutes past seven right now. —— 19 minutes. let's take a look at today's papers. the guardian says there are fears northamptonshire council may cut services for vulnerable children as it scrambles to save £70 million. the lead story on the times' front page today is theresa may's upcoming meeting with french president emmanuel macron.

they have also been through some unseen monty python sketch ideas which are going on display at the british library. that was yesterday's paper. you will know about it, want you? there are more details. over a period of days they are producing more and more monty python skits. lost sketches that have appeared to date. —— today. the daily mail leads with we are addicted to our mobile phone. we check every 12 minutes, six out of ten people couldn't live without them. women have overtaken men when it comes to who is using the internet and adults spend a day online, a holiday online, each week. and on the front page of the delhi taylor —— daily telegraph newspaper

is an extraordinary image. live in zimbabwe this morning, those protests. we a re zimbabwe this morning, those protests. we are told by our correspondence that it is much more quiet today, real concerns about what is happening. and those ongoing questions forjeremy corbyn over those accusations of anti—semitism. 21 minutes past seven is the time. new legislation in scotland means that once a doctor has diagnosed someone as terminally ill, they immediately receive the main disability benefit, known as a personal independence payment, rather than waiting to be assessed. in the rest of the uk, only people with six months or less to live, are fast—tracked through the system. our northern ireland correspondent, chris page, has been to meet campaigners who are calling for the changes in scotland to be implemented across the uk. everyone agrees that time is precious. but that truth feels much more real if you have an illness which you know you'll die from. that's the message which people like martin want to get across. he has alzheimer's disease.

i am on a death sentence. there is no cure for what i have got, i have had to accept that. so why put me through another load of worry and stress? under the rules of the main disability benefit, people with terminal conditions can get the money quicker than usual without having a face—to—face assessment. but only if they have six months or less to live. martin didn't qualify because the nature of his illness means no one can be sure when he'll die. dementia in northern ireland has supported him through the application for the personal independence payment, which he found almost unbearable. it has made me very suicidal, because i didn't need the pressure. i have enough pressure on me with the dementia. i have been through the hospital, i have been through the doctor, so with all the letters and all the scans, so why do they have to come out and visit me? the issue also effects people with motor neurone disease.

colin used to be a principal at special needs school. his terminal illness has taken away his job and his voice, but like martin, his life expectancy is unpredictable, he will have to assess for the benefit. he spoke to me through an app in his phone. in scotland, the government has brought in new legislation that means a person will be fast tracked through the benefits system simply if a doctor says they are terminally ill. here in northern ireland, all five main political parties say

they want the same change in the rules. this politician has been taking the lead in the campaign. i think that anyone who has any conscience, or who has any heart when they realise this is what people with terminal illnesses are being put through, i think that they would rightly say that this is callous and cruel. the government that stalled it collapsed 18 months ago, so at least until devolution is restored, northern ireland will stay in line with the law decided at westminster. ministers have always said the benefit aims to support disabled people who face of the greatest barriers to living full, active independent lives. the labour mp madeleine moon has been proposing her own legislation for england and wales. her husband died from motor neurone disease. the only time you have must not be spent worrying benefits and accessing benefits or keeping a roof over your head. it must be spent in love, laughter and taking the painfuljourney together.

this deeply personal matter is moving up the political agenda. the people affected say are going to keep campaigning for as long as time allows. chris page, bbc news, belfast. 7:25am is the time. it has been 50 yea rs 7:25am is the time. it has been 50 years this week that since the end of stea m years this week that since the end of steam trains on british railways. what does that mean? it means people will be happy because people will be seen steam trains. ricky is at severn valley railway now. getting a bit noisy. very good morning to you. we are stoking the engines, making sure they are good and ready for us. carl is shovelling all of that coal

into the engines, for a journey it ta kes two into the engines, for a journey it takes two tons of coal. we will be finding out what's been engines mean to the people here, but before we go and see the news travel and weather, i have got to play the whistle, surely. (train whistles) good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. as you may have been hearing, three men have been stabbed in south london, one died of his injuries. it happened last night on war—ham street in camberwell. the same road where17—year—old rhyhiem ainsworth barton died from a gunshot wound in may. our reporter greg mckenzie has been at the scene. the police were called here to the brandon estate at 7pm last night with reports of multiple injuries of stab wounds

when they arrived. they discovered three men that have been stabbed in separate incidents. one of those three, a 23—year—old, has died here at the scene and locals have called him "sk." the police have made two arrests and they are currently being interviewed at a local police station, being held on suspicion of attempted murder. three of london's is known markets could be brought under one route. the city of london is looking for new locations following a review which said the move was —— the move was needed to secure the future. proposals include plans for an approach at school for fishmongers and butchers. the pitter—patter of tiny feet can be heard at the london aquarium, which is welcoming a new baby penguin. the chick is the first to be born at the aquarium since the introduction of eight gentoo penguins last year. it's gender is yet to be confirmed, but he or she is expected to gain adult feathers within three months. let's have a look at the travel situation now. on the tube — a good service across all lines. queues towards the back wall tunnel.

on the m25 — there are problems clockwise — towards j3 for swanley, following a collision. muswell hill broadway is closed for emergency work — due to a burst water main, diversions are in place. east of sevenoaks a25 maidstone road closed at seal following an accident near park lane. lets have a check on the weather now with lucy martin. hello, good morning. well, love it or hate it, the heat is back. we are expecting highs of 30 celsius across the capital today. it comes with a good deal of dry weather and plenty of sunshine. a sunny start this morning, a few patches of mist around first thing but they should lift fairly quickly and then leaving a dry, bright start to the day, perhaps some more from the day, cloud feeding in from the west into the afternoon but some breaks and that cloud, sunny spells and cabbages at a maximum 30 celsius with light wind. as we go through this evening and overnight, it stays dry and we will see late sunshine, some patchy cloud around but that will tend to melt away as we move into the early hours. fairly humid night to come

in central london, temperatures not getting lower than 18. tomorrow looks to be the hottest day of the week, temperatures creeping up a touch further, plenty of dry weather and sunshine, highs of 33 degrees celsius. a small chance of seeing a shower on saturday, mostly dry and fine on sunday and again, those temperatures staying hot. enjoy the weather if you like the hot weather out there. i will be backin hot weather out there. i will be back in half an hour ‘s time. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. here is a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news: we are becoming increasingly addicted to our smartphones, according to a new report by the communications regulator, 0fcom. the average person now checks their phone every 12 minutes,

and 40% look at it within five minutes of waking up. the number of calls made on mobiles has also fallen for the first time ever. ten years ago, we had many different devices. we had mp3 players to listen to music. we had satellite navigation systems to take us around. today, all of that is compacted into one device, and now eight in ten of us own a smartphone, and really spend our entire lives on that smartphone. the bank of england is expected to announce a rise in interest rates later today, the second increase in the last ten years. members of the monetary policy committee are predicted to increase rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, in what would mark only the second rise since the financial crisis struck in 2008. the united nations secretary general, antonio guterres, has urged the people of zimbabwe to exercise restraint after three people were killed during violence in the capital, harare. the ruling party, zanu—pf, won the parliamentary vote in monday's general election. however, the opposition party the mdc alliance is claiming that the vote was rigged. the result of the presidential poll has yet to be announced. the leaders of northamptonshire

county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save £70 million. last night, residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. the governor of california, jerry brown, has said that climate change is behind a rise in the number of wildfires devastating the state. more than 90 areas are still burning in the united states, with a further 40 in canada. nature is very powerful, and we're not on the side of nature. we're fighting nature, with the amount of material we're putting in the environment. and that material traps heat, and the heat fosters fires, and the fires keep burning. if you happen to be visiting the eiffel tower anytime soon, you may be a little disappointed.

the famous tourist attraction has been closed due to industrial action. workers are unhappy about a new booking system that has led to what has been described as monstrous queues. do you know who wouldn't be disappointed that all? kat. you are not impressed at all. i don't want to spend holidays in a queue. i recommend you go to the eiffel tower, take a picture of it from the ground, and go somewhere else in paris. have a nice cup of coffee and croissant. that is the way to do paris, you don't want to be standing ina paris, you don't want to be standing in a queue. you can do other things. i have been to the top of the eiffel tower and thought it was marvellous. can we talk about andy murray. all the way through his injury he has been very realistic, not trying to get people's hopes up, he has been very realistic. he was in the draw for wimbledon, he had his first opponent ready to go and he said i

am not quite ready. i think that is am not quite ready. i think that is a measure of one of those top athletes, who won't rush back. he is so desperate to be back competing, but he has done it. it is not often you see the british number 21 beating the british number one. andy murray is now 21st in the british rankings. he lost to kyle edmund in eastbourne earlier this summer, and it looked perhaps like edmund may have succeeded murray as the next potential world—beater in british men's tennis. but murray proved he is not done yet, in washington overnight, despite hip surgery injanuary. this was just his fifth match of the year. he won in three sets and is through to the last 16, as he prepares for the us open. and johanna konta won, too, overnight in california. she thrashed serena williams in the previous round, 6—1, 6—0, the worst defeat of willams's career. this time she beat another american, sofia kenin, in straight sets. england's cricketers will be hoping to recover this morning after a disappointing batting collapse on day one of the first

test against india. they had begun brightly, with both joe root and jonny bairstow passing their half—centuries. but then root was run out by virat kohli, who then mocked the england captain for his mic—dropping celebration in the one—day series. that sparked a major collapse. england will resume this morning on 285—9. i suppose a bit of a mixed bag, but at the same time both sides haven't batted yet. you look at the last couple of overs and there was still quite a bit of lateral movement with a fairly old wall. so we have a few overs to get the ball going sideways, and hopefully we can exploit that when we come to bowl. celtic are safely through to the third qualifying round of the champions league, after a goalless draw against rosenborg. brendan rodgers's side led 3—1 from the first leg, and despite the norwegian champions having the better of the chances, they couldn't score.

so celtic go through to face aek athens in the next round. the football association is considering a bid to host the world cup in 2030. the last major tournament played in england was the 1996 euros, 30 years after the country's only world cup. and, after the success of this summer's world cup, the fa have announced that they want gareth southgate to stay on as england manager beyond 2020, when his contract expires. england made the semi—finals in russia under southgate, and fa chief executive martin glenn said he was the definition of the modern manager we want. but it is an early coal, looking ahead to the world cup beyond 2020. what if it all goes terribly between now and 2020 ? what if it all goes terribly between now and 2020? you have to have long—term faith. in the women's hockey world cup, england now know they will face australia in the semi—finals if they can get through their quarter—final against the favourites, the netherlands, this evening. that is because australia came through a tough match against argentina. it finished 0—0 at the queen elizabeth olympic park in london, so it went to penalties,

and australia won 4—3. germany are out, though. despite winning all three of their group matches, they were beaten by 1—0 by spain, carmen cano getting the second—half winner. they will face ireland in the semis, if ireland can beat india tonight. everybody is just so ready to go. you know, the past three days, i think if you'd told us we could bring the match forward, i think we would. just can't wait to get back out there, you know. the atmosphere was unbelievable against england. the irish support has been magnificent. you know, we've travelled in numbers, and you hear us before you see us, so we can't wait to get back out there again. the women's british open is just getting underway. it is at royal lytham and st anne's. south korea's kim in—kyung is the defending champion, looking for the double. you can follow that on the bbc sport website, with highlights later on bbc two. super—olympian michael phelps has lost one of his swimming records to a ten—year—old boy, who sounds like he could go a long way in the sport.

this is clark kent. nicknamed superman, he won the 100m butterfly at the far west international championship in california, a second faster than phelps did back in 1995. phelps, who won 28 olympic medals, tweeted his congratulations. how old is he? ten years old. i know, the world will be watching the superman of the swimming pool. it is being described as the mini—olympics for the continent. the first european championships starts today, hosted in glasgow and berlin, and features some of the biggest names in rowing, cycling, athletics, and even golf. let's find out more and speak to britain's most decorated female olympian of all time, dame katherine grainger, who is currently the chair of uk sport. she joins us from motherwell, where the rowing takes place later. you have your old hat on and you are

watching the boats again. yes, good morning. it is beautiful, condition wise, for rowing. i have spent many yea rs wise, for rowing. i have spent many years here when i was training at university. this is where the european championships are about to start, and they will start in a couple of hours. tell us a bit more about the european championships. because this is the first time, really, that we have seen them. people will be thinking, hang on a second. european championships, what is that? how does it all work? yes, it isa is that? how does it all work? yes, it is a fantastic concept so the seven sports have their own championship is, and there was a conversation about pulling them together and having one host city to showcase all the sports together. very few athletes other than the olympic games get to experience that multisport event, so it adds a bit more excitement and interest for

spectators all the cities, showcasing lots of different events happening over the same ten or 11 day period. when you come here to compete you have your own sport to focus on, but bigger than that, you are part of the big scene of lots of teams coming together to compete for their country. and as an athlete, how important is that, especially when you are looking ahead to the olympics in tokyo and a couple of yea rs' olympics in tokyo and a couple of years' time? how important is it to get involved in these multisport events ? get involved in these multisport events? it is great. as far as the summer olympics is concerned, that all these sports are aiming towards, it is almost exactly a halfway point between rio and tokyo, we are looking forward now. it is a great time to come and test it, we will have some of the world's best who will come to glasgow to compete, and it does feel different when it is multi sport. there is much more happening than the usual singular focus of your event. it is a real test for athletes to see if they can

cope with the distractions, the bigger crowds, the bigger noise, more happening around you. can you still deliver your best performance when it really matters? of course, we are all really excited about this event. what i wanted to talk to you about something else that has been in the news. we were looking at this young man, clark kent, who has beaten michael phelps's record at the tender age of ten. we also have the tender age of ten. we also have the news that ellie suter took her own life, and whether more consideration needs to be given or help, for athletes. of course, it is a complete tragedy and everyone is offering any help, support and advice that they can for the family. -- ellie advice that they can for the family. —— ellie soutter. it is a real tragedy, for young people in sport and across all different parts of the world and different situations. i worked with the chancellor of oxford university, and young people

are facing very similar pressures of expectation and trying to deliver things, and it is a tough world for young people often. so i think everyone, uk sport is doing the same, and looking at what we can do for support, and places that people can turn to. it there will always be pressure in competitive environments, but you don't want that pressure to lead to people feeling they have no options left. and on that theme, i am thinking of high—profile athletes, some of whom you will know very well, people like victoria pendleton, who have talked about the problems they have had along the way, that has to be a positive, hasn't it? that they feel that they can talk openly, in a way that they can talk openly, in a way that possibly they couldn't before? yes, i think you are absolutely right, charlie. there is a sense that you are also not alone. a lot of people who have achieved great things in sport and in other spheres as well have also struggled and face their own battles. the more it can be talked about, the more it can be

less stigmatised, the more it can be seen as something to be dealt with, and there are different ways to deal with that. there are a lot of factors which come into play in these areas, so all of those things need to be looked at. but the more people who are looked to as role models and leaders in different worlds, if they can talk about any pressures and challenges they face, it means it is accepted that this happens, and you can still win that fight against that. thank you so much for talking to us. enjoy the rowing in motherwell, thank you. if you want to watch any of the championships, coverage will be live on bbc tv, along with bbc radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra. and, of course, the bbc sport website will have all the updates. iam going i am going there for the diving, and there is also swearing, which we didn't get to. it will be great, and britain tend to do pretty well, so lots of medals.

carol is in greenwich for us with the weather this morning, and she isjoined by some creepy—crawlies who are struggling in the summer heat. iam i am intrigued iam intrigued by i am intrigued by your comment earlier this morning when he said, talking about your snail friend, you knew some people without a backbone, andi knew some people without a backbone, and i wondered who you were talking about. did i say that? i can't believe it! good morning. anyway, swiftly moving on, obviously i wasn't talking about you, or anyone else on breakfast, for that matter. it isa else on breakfast, for that matter. it is a beautiful start to the day in greenwich. we are here because mission invertebrate is taking place. who better to talk to than alice, who knows all about it? what is mission invertebrate? it is a project launched by the royal parks, supported by the postcode lottery, which helps support in vertebrates, all animals who don't have a backbone and are living in parks and

across the country. has the weather we have had affected the population of invertebrates? we have had snow, we have had rain and now this heatwave. potentially it might have an impact, because after the late spring plants have started to grow up spring plants have started to grow up quickly and flour, and with the hot season they are dying back, so some of the insects relying on them for a source of network might struggle later in the season. does that include anse? there seem to be a lot of ants in my garden this year. it has certainly affected their life cycle, they are coming out to fly much later to complete their life cycle. if we want to help invertebrates, what can we do?m you have a green space at home, a garden or a window box, you can choose plants that are good for pollinators. look for plants which flower later in the season. if you haveivyin flower later in the season. if you have ivy in your garden, keep it, thatis have ivy in your garden, keep it, that is great for winter. if you have a larger garden, you can try

making a habitat with some leaves and logs and things like that, which is great for bugs and beetles to hide in. thank you very much indeed. ijust want hide in. thank you very much indeed. i just want to show you the view thatis i just want to show you the view that is behind us here. look at london. the forecast for us all todayis london. the forecast for us all today is generally a warm one. it will be feeling a bit more humid thanit will be feeling a bit more humid than it has of late. we have two weather fronts. the warm front, the red. ringing in a lot of cloud, coastal mist, hill fog and drizzle through the night. the second one, the blue one, is a cold front and that will introduce rain and fresher conditions behind it. so, this morning, the east is where we have got the sunshine from top to toe and as we move towards the west that is only have the cloud. some of it, low cloud around the coast, some fog and drizzle and thickening up in northern ireland to have rain. tablature wise, northern ireland to have rain. tablatu re wise, under the northern ireland to have rain. tablature wise, under the cloud and the rain, looking at generally the

high teens to the low 20s. we could well see temperatures up to 29 or 30 as we push into the south—east, in between we are looking at roughly the low to mid— 20s. through this evening into overnight, as the weather front comes in, evening into overnight, as the weatherfront comes in, a cold front introducing thicker cloud and some rain, a lot of cloud around the west coast and clear in the south. temperatures tonight falling to about 10— 15 celsius. tomorrow we still have our weather fronts thinking south, moving across the scottish border into northern england. some rain on it and then it fizzles. as it continues, not more modern —— not much more than at band of cloud. for scotland and northern ireland, in the sunshine it will feel pleasant topic for and wales, this could be warm or hot. 33 possible in the south—east. on saturday, a new weatherfront possible in the south—east. on saturday, a new weather front coming into the north—west introducing rain, away from that for most of us

it will be dry with sunny spells. top temperatures on saturday up to 30. nothing like we will see this saturday in spain and portugal. inland areas of south—west spain and east portugal could easily hit 47. that is very hot indeed. it really is, it is scarily hot. i feel very sorry for those who are having to put up with those temperatures. lets wish them well. 747 is the time now. ben's been looking at interest rates this morning and what it would mean if they go up. we will talk about what it means for us in we will talk about what it means for usina we will talk about what it means for us in a moment. let me run new through some of the issue. —— run that you. —— run you through some of the issues. it's the big guessing game again — will they or won't they raise the cost of borrowing? well, today it's pretty much a given, with most expecting a rise at midday. remember they're still at 0.5%, that's still much much

lower than normal. in november, the bank of england, which makes all the big decisions about keeping the economy on track, put up interest rates for the first time in a decade. they were expected to put rates up again in may but actually left them at 0.5%, blaming the beast from the east. it led to some people cheekily calling mark carney — the man in charge of the bank — an ‘unreliable boyfriend'. growth has pretty much been up and down and there is the consistency and that is before we get into any uncertainty with brexit. we can talk now to laura suter, a personal finance analyst at aj bell, about what that might mean for savers and borrowers. we should remember there are savers. sta rt we should remember there are savers. start with rollers. mortgages could get more expensive but only by a little bit. exactly. if you are on a variable or a tracker mortgage, you will immediately see an increase in the rate you are paying. it is one

quarter of 8% increase, it sound dramatic for somebody who is borrowing about £200,000, it will cost them an extra £300 per year. it isa cost them an extra £300 per year. it is a decent amount for households already stretched. that is if you are on a variable mortgage. if you are on a variable mortgage. if you are on a fixed rate, that doesn't change. but is now a good time to be starting to think rates are going up, perhapsi starting to think rates are going up, perhaps i should get a lower fix? yes, so the longer term fixes are quite cheap. if you are willing to commit to ten years, which sounds long, then you can get cheaper rate is. but the mortgage companies are pretty savvy and they have known that interest rates are going to go up that interest rates are going to go up and some of that increase has been factored in. when you compare it to historical rates, some out there would have paid 19, 20% interest, it is still relatively cheap. that is the point, rates are so low comparing to what they were

historically. lot of people will get in touch because they render the 70s when it was like 11, 12, 13%. even as recently as 2005 there were about 596. as recently as 2005 there were about 5%. we are still only talking about three quarters of 1%. 5%. we are still only talking about three quarters of 196. it is a dramatic increase today compared to where rates are at. but historically it is still really low and the rate of borrowing is low. the issue is now is that there are up is so much debt in individuals lies and people have taken on so much cheap debt, so any increase on that will hit households hardest. let's talk about savers. is this a better welcome —— a bit of welcome relief?” savers. is this a better welcome —— a bit of welcome relief? i wish i could be more up beat. it isn't a small —— it is a small increase and the banks don't pass it on the. you won't see the savings directly in your savings account. the banks raised rates in november last year

and between then we have had a 0.07% increase in rate, so it hasn't moved up increase in rate, so it hasn't moved up much. so i do think people will be rushing out to celebrate at. —— i don't things. —— celebrate that. that is always the criticism, for our borrowings rate go up straightaway but if we have savings, they trickle up. it is amazing how quickly that banks have decided to react, isn't it? we are celebrating steam trains at this morning. 50 years has this weeks at the end of regular steam train services. there is something romantic. ricky has been enjoying the nostalgia. he is at ricky. you we re the nostalgia. he is at ricky. you were on the train, now you are off, what is happening? —— he is at

severn valley railway. we have had to get off because they are getting ready to move along the platform, which is see that in the next power. look at it. isn't it absolutely beautiful? that locomotive is more than 100 years old. it smells magnificent. you can sell that steam rising above it and the reason why we are here is because of that special anniversary. 50 years since the last regular scheduled steam service came to an endoscopic that was from preston to liverpool exchange, the 925 on the third of august. i have been speaking to people about what they think the magic of steam engines is. robust. noisy. rattly. but fantastic to look at, for people to travel behind or whatever. it is the romance of steam, it really is. half a century on, steam trains are still pulling in the crowds. young and old and of the four—legged variety too. there is just something

about the steam engine especially, the noise, the smell, and certainly if you are of an age that you remember them the first time around. just nostalgic, really. my little ones love thomas the tank engine and steam trains are something that they have never ever seen before. i think that they are quite comforting, it is quite relaxing watching the environment around. i think we just haven't got access to these sorts of things that any more. it's a different world. we are obsessed with technology. it is nice to go back and just experience it, especially with children now, i can't imagine what it will be like in the future for them, but we have sitll got these special treasures that we can hold onto to let them experience. for many, it is a chance to savour a bygone age. riding on the many restored trains, steamed up by an army of volunteers. it is the fact that everybody is coming here, you are meeting

lots of lovely people, they are all here to enjoy themselves and that perks you up as well. the birth of the steam locomotive more than 200 years ago changed the world and made britain one of the first industrial countries in the world. and now many of these heritage railways continue to keep britain's golden age of steam alive. steam is not dead. it is still expanding. there are still steam engines working to be restored. there's engines running all over the place. the number of railways that run and the days they do run are getting bigger and bigger, they are turning into bigger commercial activities. why is that? because people want to travel. today there are more 20,000 volunteers all over the uk fuelling their passion for steam. it is hoped the next generation of enthusiasts will keep these trains on the tracks for many more years to come. yes, it is like we have stepped back

in time on this morning. :, i will come to you first. you witnessed the end of steam. what was that like? very sad. i think it was one of the saddest thing is for the whole country because it was the end of an era which we replaced with diesels. i think that was one of the saddest things out. if they had phased them out slowly i think you would have been less pain. it david, what has it been like since? you are the curator of one of the local museums, what is it like now? well, the national network still has the odd special steam working, but that is not quite the same as i remember as a lad because i drop steam in the age of four so i remember their 60s.

now, this is the nearest you can get to it. you looked out this morning, what you're looking up behind you, it is really a recreation of what we rememberas kid. it is really a recreation of what we remember as kid. we will be moving that locomotive to do this artform injusta that locomotive to do this artform injust a bit, you will see that locomotive to do this artform in just a bit, you will see that later on this morning. now it is time for the news, travel and weather wherever you are this morning. good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. as you may have been hearing, three men have been stabbed in south london, one died of his injuries. it happened last night on war—ham street in camberwell. the same road where17—year—old rhyhiem ainsworth barton died from a gunshot wound in may. our reporter greg mckenzie has been at the scene. the police were called here to the brandon estate at 7pm last night with reports of multiple injuries of stab wounds when they arrived. they discovered three men that have been stabbed in separate incidents. one of those three, a 23—year—old, has died here at the scene and locals have called him "sk". the police have made two arrests

and they are currently being interviewed at a local police station, being held on suspicion of attempted murder. three of london's best known markets could be brought under one roof. the city of london is looking for new locations following a review which said the move was needed to secure the future. proposals include plans for an approach at school for fishmongers and butchers. the pitter—patter of tiny feet can be heard at the london aquarium, which is welcoming a new baby penguin. the chick is the first to be born at the aquarium since the introduction of eight gentoo penguins last year. it's gender is yet to be confirmed, but he or she is expected to gain adult feathers within three months. let's have a look

at the travel situation now. on the tube — a good service across all lines. the overground the overg round appears the overground appears to have severe delays there. on the roads, accused towards the blackwall tunnel is slow, with the woolwich road fly over. broadway is closed for emergency work due to a burst water main. east of sevenoaks a25 maidstone road closed at seal following an accident near park lane. lets have a check on the weather now with lucy martin. hello, good morning. well, love it or hate it, the heat is back. we are expecting highs of 30 celsius across the capital today. it comes with a good deal of dry weather and plenty of sunshine. a sunny start this morning, a few patches of mist around first thing but they should lift fairly quickly and then leaving a dry, bright start to the day, perhaps some more from the day, cloud feeding in from the west into the afternoon but some breaks and that cloud, sunny spells and cabbages

at a maximum 30 celsius with light wind. as we go through this evening and overnight, it stays dry and we will see late sunshine, some patchy cloud around but that will tend to melt away as we move into the early hours. fairly humid night to come in central london, temperatures not getting lower than 18. tomorrow looks to be the hottest day of the week, temperatures creeping up a touch further, plenty of dry weather and sunshine, highs of 33 degrees celsius. a small chance of seeing a shower on saturday, mostly dry and fine on sunday and again, those temperatures staying hot. that's it — we're back in half an hour. bye for now. good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. our headlines today: addicted to our mobiles — new figures show we now check our smartphones every 12 minutes. an appeal for calm in zimbabwe — three people have died after soldiers opened fire on protestors. the cost of borrowing could rise again today — the first interest rate rise

in nine months. so what could it mean for loans and mortgages and is it finally some good news for savers? andy murray wins the battle of the brits in washington — he beat kyle edmund, the man who's taken his place as british number one while he's been out injured. good morning. the sun is beating down across many eastern areas today. in the west cloud, low cloud, drizzle and hill fog and in northern ireland. more details in 15 minutes. it's thursday 2nd august. our top story... we're becoming increasingly addicted to our smartphones, the average person now checks their device every 12 minutes. 40% of users now look at their phone within five minutes of waking up, according to a new report by the communications regulator, 0fcom. it also found the number of calls made on mobiles has fallen for the first time ever.

our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones has more details. we're going to make some history together today. 2007, and steve jobs unveils apple's iphone. 2008, and the first android phones are unveiled. what has followed, according to 0fcom, is a decade where we've become increasingly dependent on our smartphones. we're using them in all sorts of ways throughout the day, and three quarters of people questioned said they couldn't live without one. ten years ago, we had many different devices. we had mp3 players to listen to music. we had satellite navigation systems to take us around. today, all of that is compacted into one device, and now eight in ten of us own a smartphone, and really spend our entire lives on that smartphone. 0fcom's research shows how addicted we are to smartphones. 40% of people check their phones within five minutes of waking up. the average person looks at their phone every 12 minutes, and spends an average of two hours and 28 minutes a day using it. butjust how to use them, where and for how long is still a matter of debate.

i think it's made my life better, but children's lives worse. yeah. definitely anyone my age would be pretty dependent on a device, whether they're just walking around the city, to find their way around or to communicate with people. a few years ago, i'd have been sitting here admiring the view, and now i'm on my phone. so it's kind of swings and roundabouts, isuppose. one thing we're not doing so much and our phones is talking. the number of mobile voice calls has fallen for the first time ever. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. the bank of england is expected to announce a rise in interest rates later today, which would be only the second increase in the last ten years. ben is here with more details. expect the decision at 12? yes, midday and psychologically it is important. if they go up, it won't be by much. historically, rey

lee—lo. but it is an idea the economy is at a point it can start to sustain higher interest rates because higher interest rates encourage us to save rather than spend. it keeps inflation and rising prices in check. the bank of england, if it raises rates to quickly and too soon it could derail any economic recovery but if it doesn't do it soon enough the economy could overheat.” overheating you mean higher inflation? yes, prices start rising to quickly because money is so cheap, it is cheap to borrow loans and mortgages and we take on too much debt and that there's a problem for the wider economy. we have brexit coming up which could affect things as well. but it is a significant day. it could add about £20 to an average mortgage each

month if you are on a variable rates, but finally some good news for savers as well. thank you. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save £70 million. last night, residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. the governor of california has said firefighters are struggling to cope with the severity and scope of the wildfires devastating the region. jerry brown said climate change is causing the increasing number of fires. more than 90 areas are still burning in the united states with a further 40 in canada. our north america correspondent james cook reports from california. this is all that remains of keswick, a little mountain community in northern california. it was evacuated in time, but police say one man did not heed the order. he was found dead amid the ashes. the fires, and the battle to stop them, rage on. so far this year, nearly

5 million acres have been scorched in the us, a million acres above the recent average. the governor of california says climate change is a major factor. nature is very powerful, and we're not on the side of nature. we're fighting nature, with the amount of material we're putting in the environment. and that material traps heat, and the heat fosters fires, and the fires keep burning. the worst blaze swept into the city of redding last thursday, with towering tornadoes of flame leaving death and destruction behind. more than 1,000 homes are in ruins. two young children and their great—grandmother are among the dead, and fire season is far from over. this is what happens when the force of a wildfire comes head—to—head with human habitation, and more than a century after the american west was settled, it shows the continuing danger

of establishing a community on the edge of the wilderness. james cook, bbc news, in northern california. the united nations' secretary general, antonio guterres, has urged the people of zimbabwe to exercise restraint, after three people were killed during voilence in the capital harare. the result of monday's presidential election has yet to be announced. our africa correspondent nomsa maseko is in harare. good to see you. it has calmed down now, we understand? it is calm here, but there is a huge presence of military and police patrolling in light of what happened late yesterday afternoon when we saw three people being shot dead by the army. there are fears many more

people could have been injured or died. we are expecting to be hearing from the electoral commission of zimbabwe to give an indication when they will announce the presidential vote. we have heard from the president, he was saying the opposition movement for democratic change it should take full responsibility for what has happened and also at the same time, the opposition mdc has said they feel vulnerable in their own country and what happened yesterday is reminding them of the dark days of 2008 when hundreds of people were killed after the elections. thank you very much. a man has died and two others have been injured in a stabbing on the same street in south east london where a teenager was shot dead in may. the men were found in camberwell yesterday evening. two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder. the national citizen service, a government—run youth scheme,

is not value for money according to councils in england and northern ireland. the project allows 15—17 year olds to spend four weeks working in the community. the local government association says only 12% of eligible teenagers have taken part and it has cost £634 million. the government insists the scheme has improved the lives of 400,000 young people. if you happen to be visiting the eiffel tower anytime soon, you may be a little disappointed. the famous tourist attraction has been closed due to industrial action. workers are unhappy about a new booking system that has led to what's been described as "monstrous" queues. we will have the weather coming up with carol in a few minutes. for many children, the school holidays are a time to make memories that can last a lifetime, but for those caring for loved ones,

their experiences can be entirely different. new research, by the charities action for children and the carers trust, shows three quarters of britain's 700,000 young carers feel lonely or stressed during the summer, as they try to balance childhood with adult responsibilities. our reporter, fiona lamdin, has more. 12—year—old ollie can never relax. he is constantly watching his nine—year—old brother leo who has severe autism and pda. pathological demand avoidance. anything can trigger it and it triggers an extreme response of fight or flight. in leo's case, flight is his first response. so we have to keep all the doors and windows locked and alarmed as leo has been known tojump out doors and windows locked and alarmed as leo has been known to jump out of the window. it falls to ollie to

make sure his brother is safe and calm. leo has attachment issues. sometimes he doesn't want to let you leave the house, you have this day. oliver is an incredible asset for me, yet the most exceptional young boy and takes this all in his stride. he doesn't have the childhood i wanted for my 12—year—old son. childhood i wanted for my 12-year-old son. as the week stretch out in front of this family, our holiday is out of the question, even leaving the house is risky. but this life is now normalfor leaving the house is risky. but this life is now normal for 12—year—old ollie, who continues to put his younger brother first. we're joined now by carer georgia and her mum, sarah, as well as carol iddon, chief executive at the charity action for children. let's have a chat about what help you need first of all, what can georgia do for you? anything i need,

basically. during the course of the past seven years i have had quite a few operations and i have been in a wheelchair, non—weight—bearing which means i needed help with washing, dressing myself, my medication and then i couldn't do the housework. notjust then i couldn't do the housework. not just the two then i couldn't do the housework. notjust the two are view, you have other kids as well. georgia has two younger brothers, nathan, he is 11 and aidan who is seven and she helps with them. and dad. dad works a lot, doesn't he? your brother is younger than you, are they a handful? they can be. they can be helpful, but they can be a bit of a handful.” imaginea lot they can be a bit of a handful.” imagine a lot of the responsibility falls on you, help that the housework, getting your brother is ready for school, how much time do

you spend helping in a day? ready for school, how much time do you spend helping in a day7m depends, i have dancing as well so sometimes i am not there. but, a couple of hours definitely. georgia, this report is about how difficult it could be sometimes for carers like you. your mum is here, you do it because you love her and you want to help her, but does it feel like a bird in ourtimes? to help her, but does it feel like a bird in our times? it can get busy, especially with home work and looking after my brother is especially when they are being a handful, it can be stressful. do you get time to go out with your friends? no. is that because you are balancing everything else? yes, sometimes it can be a bit boring, and because i have never done it, i don't know what it is like. when

this survey came up it was a conversation starter for me and georgia because we just went along with the flow and we didn't realise what she was missing out on.“ with the flow and we didn't realise what she was missing out on. if you don't mind, what was the nature of the conversation, did it make you think? yes, i already know she helps me out a lot, but she misses out going out with herfriends, day trips to read them but she does speak to them over the phone and text messages, but she doesn't do what she should do. this is where we bring you in, the help and support thatis bring you in, the help and support that is needed. georgia is a brilliant help, but she is 13? yes, and she is one of 700,000. they are and she is one of 700,000. they are an unpaid workforce in providing ca re an unpaid workforce in providing care for parents, but also siblings who may have severe disabilities and they are taking on a lot of

responsibilities that can create a lot of anxiety and as georgia said, a lot of stress. particularly during the school holidays because they don't have school to have somebody to talk to or engage with. when there is nobody there to ask the question is, that can be a challenge. what can you do? action for children, we provide activities and a safe place for carers to talk to each other so they are talking about the same experiences to people who are living it like them. but it isn't enough, finances are under pressure because of cuts. they are having to make difficult choices about what to cut and what to retain and it makes it more of a challenge for us to be able the level of support we want to offer young carers. they shouldn't be put in that position in an ideal world. are you going to try and arrange

things, i don't know how much flexibility is there, what can you do different? we are definitely going to work on it, aren't we? my ca re going to work on it, aren't we? my care at the moment is a bit up and down so we don't know what is happening next. but we are going to make sure that you have more time with friends? yes. is it harder during the holidays, georgia? you have not got that respite when you go to school and you have to focus on that. you are not conscious of how much help you need to give your mum. yes, because there is more time at home so there is more time for caring as well. and there is like, not anywhere to go, rather than being at home. you spoke about your dad earlier, who works a lot, longer hours. working overtime whenever he can. but today, he has a day off, he

is with your younger brother. do you wa nt to is with your younger brother. do you want to look at that camera and say something to your dad? happy birthday! happy birthday! you will be celebrating later? yes, we will do. you must be very proud of your daughter? extremely proud. that goes without saying. sometimes, things like that do not get said often enough, iam like that do not get said often enough, i am just saying we all take things for granted sometimes. yes, she keeps me going. thank you very much for coming in. it is lovely to talk to you. carol is in greenwich for us with the weather this morning. glorious weather and beautiful views, lovely morning to be there. absolutely right. good morning. you can see behind me the fabulous view across london. behind me is canary wharf with the river thames in front of it and to my right is the city of london. you can make out the cheese

grater and the river in front of it. and if we go back, we pass once again canary wharf and if we go further, there is the dome. they must landmarks on the london skyline. the sun is beating down this morning and many eastern parts of the uk warm, and the forecast is warmer and more humid. two weather fronts, the first is warm front, that is the red one, which has dragged in low cloud through the night, hill fog, coastal mist and drizzle. as the cold front comes in, it will bring in becker cloud and splashes of rain. this thing this morning in the west, cloud and mist and fog. some breaks in that drew the day. for northern ireland, thicker cloud with some rain. through the day, once again, a fair bit of sunshine across eastern

parts of the uk and temperatures in the southeast 29, or 30 today. under the southeast 29, or 30 today. under the cloud, and the rain, temperatures in the high teens and probably to the low, maybe the mid—20s. this evening and overnight, the cold front moves across scotland and northern ireland, bringing cloud and northern ireland, bringing cloud and rain. behind it, especially tomorrow, a more comfortable feel to the weather. ahead of it through the night, again in the west, low cloud and drizzly bits and pieces. temperatures 10—15. tomorrow, we start with the weather front across england in the scottish borders, it produces rain but it weakens further south and is a band of cloud. behind it, sunshine and showers and temperatures up to the mid—20s. head of it, quite a bit of sunshine away from the west with a bit more cloud and we could hit 33 tomorrow. saturday sees a new weather front

coming into the north west introducing some rain, but for much in the uk, it will be dry and sunny and warm, temperatures peaking at 30 degrees in london. i want to draw your attention in case you going on holiday to and portugal because inland parts of south—west spain and is portugal, we might hit record—breaking temperatures. on saturday, we reckon it is going to be 47 degrees. the highest temperature ever recorded in europe was in athens and was 48 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in portugal is 47.4 and in spain 47.3, so we are not farfrom that. and believe you me, that is very hot. it really is frighteningly hot, i don't think any of us would enjoy that. thank you very much. we are talking about use of mobile devices. a new survey asking questions about whether we are obsessed with our phones and mobile

devices. the chance is you have checked your mobile device in the last 12 minutes, that is what the statistics are saying and some people are saying it is more frequently than that. and it is interesting it is adults as well because we often talk about children but it is now adults finding it difficult to let go. they're just some of the findings in the latest report from the communications regulator 0fcom. we're joined now from our birmingham studio by social psychologist elle boag. and here in the studio by actor and comedian toby hadoke. how did! how did i say that? you were close, you fell at the last hurdle! it said had up fresh haddock on the autocue andi had up fresh haddock on the autocue and i got confused! you addicted? the comedian russell kane said he is having problems and he's taking a look at his addiction to the internet. yes, i don't think he was available. i was talking to my other

half yesterday and she said, can you stop doing that? i am a doctor who fan and we spend most of our lives on the internet being curious about something that has not happened yet, but i'd turn mine off. i have my phone but it is off in case i need to check the opinion of someone i have never met who i disagree with. it is an extraordinary thing. i would like to say as a comedian, eu social media as part of your work, but it is largely to check what is going on. in your business, it is all about this, people seemed you and listening to you and reacting and listening to you and reacting and hopefully laughing. someone on the phone, if you are doing a show, you would be furious? yes. and when i mc, if you get the special guest, there are people immediately filming it to put it online, to go, i was there when jack it to put it online, to go, i was there whenjack dee made a surprise

speech. you preserve it for austerity and you've got to enjoy the present. is that not what you are doing when you are constantly checking your phone? yes, i am not saying it is a good thing, it is terrifying. why have you switched, slipped into that habit? well, it is a new way of expressing oneself. you on the train and everybody is looking at a bone, we don't speak to the opinion next to us because we are looking for the approval of people miles away. we are talking about these issues and it sounds a bit negative, it is worth 20 at the positives, keeping in touch with family and friends and all those things are given, is it problem for a wonderful thing? things are given, is it problem for a wonderfulthing? it is things are given, is it problem for a wonderful thing? it is mixed really. i agree you can keep in touch with people far away you cannot see face—to—face very often. but at the same time, it is killing relationships because we are looking more at what is going on far—away

rather than having conversations with our partner across the dinner table. what is driving that? toby is talking about validation from people you have never met, so you can have agoat you have never met, so you can have a go at somebody you have never met, but it strikes a chord. twitter, facebook, other social media. what has changed in the sense we now need this instant validation and technology and somebody is listening or watching? well, it is almost... it isa or watching? well, it is almost... it is a belief something might happen and we might miss it and that isa happen and we might miss it and that is a problem because everything is so is a problem because everything is so instant now, we don't have conversations and we don't send letters and we rarely pick up the phone, we text. and if people are not insert into responding, we text again, we don't burn them, so that communication is altered. -- insta ntly communication is altered. -- instantly responding. looking at the positive, if you look back ten

yea rs, positive, if you look back ten yea rs , we positive, if you look back ten years, we look back over the ten yea rs, years, we look back over the ten years, extraordinary change in that time, but in ten years' time, will we be so used to this, we will have gone back to the things that matter most? i have a 14-year-old son which means he has not been cognisant of time without the internet which is terrifying. he does things i greatly disapprove of, because i don't understand them and it is the only way you can find yourself still releva nt, way you can find yourself still relevant, going, it is not that that is beyond me, it is bad! i remember when i first got an answer machine, i moved in to a friend's blatt, we had never had an answer machine growing up and people would leave m essa g es if growing up and people would leave messages if you are not in. within two months, it broke and i went, how will i cope now if somebody wants to get in touch? disaster! we need that insta nt get in touch? disaster! we need that instant thing. before, if somebody phoned you and you are not there, they phoned back the next day. now you get this terrible anxiety, what

ifi you get this terrible anxiety, what if i missed something terribly important? and you worry about people if they don't answer the phone immediately. elle, we saw that the use of phones, mobile phones, has fallen for phone calls, when will we get to the point where we think, i have grown out of this and i can step back from mobile phones? and our usage starts to diminish in terms of time? if things continue as they are, i don't think thatis continue as they are, i don't think that is very likely to happen. it might invade into the virtual reality world where we are communicating virtually almost all of the time. however, i would like to think that common sense would dictate that we start setting rules. we know that this is a problem so put our phones down after 7pm and don't look at them until 7am and leave them in a different room and turn them off, that would generate a sense, an ability to cope without

that instantaneous contact. there you go, toby, that is what you can do. what if somebody lists the top ten episodes of blake seven in the wrong order? i would be furious! i don't know! what would happen? thank you. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello. the heatwave is returning for some but not for all. we will notice those temperatures are up on yesterday and increasing humidity will be a feature of the weather over the next couple of days. good spells of sunshine around. we have a lot of cloud working into the west overnight and that will linger through much of the day and we will see some spells of rain working into

parts of northern ireland. elsewhere it isa parts of northern ireland. elsewhere it is a largely dry story and the best of the sunshine to the east. the southee seeing the best of those temperatures with 30 celsius. this evening there will be a spell of prolonged rain working its way from northern ireland into scotland and then into parts of northern england. temperatures won't fall away too far at all. the area of rain that worked its way into northern england will act as a dividing line as we go through friday. it will be fresher the further north of it, but in the south it remains humid. the south east sector seeing the highest of the temperatures and tomorrow they could peak at around 33 celsius. the further north you are, although temperatures will be down on today they still will be in the low 20s. into the weekend, there will be a north—westerly feed which will gradually squeeze the humid air down towards the south, but it may take a

while before it clears completely. even on saturday, temperatures will be in the high 20s, even 30s as we go into the south—east. the risk of a few showers here. on sunday a lot of fine and dry weather around apart from in parts of scotland where we could catch the odd shower. a lot of fine weather and dry sunshine and temperatures reaching 27 celsius. this is business live from bbc news with sally bundock and ben bland. tesla promises investors it's driving towards profitability after making $4bn in revenue in the three months tojune. live from london, that's our top story on thursday the 2nd of august. despite a seventh consecutive operating loss, this

time over $700 million, shares in the electric car—maker soared as optimism abounds about tesla's future. also in the programme...