this is bbc news. these are the top stories developing at eleven. we'll find out in an hour's time whether the bank of england will raise interest rates to the highest level since march 2009. international calls for calm in zimbabwe after soldiers opened fire to disperse opposition supporters alleging fraud in monday's elections. there was a truck load of police officers and the military carrying sticks, batons and firearms, pointing to people as they were walking down the streets, telling them to behave themselves today. are you checking your smartphone every 12 minutes? a new report by the communications regulator ofcom says we're becoming increasingly addicted to our personal devices. the average person in the uk spends two hours and 28 minutes every day browsing their mobile but the number of calls made has fallen for the first time ever. the government's national citizen service is criticised as too

expensive and underused, just 12 % of teenagers took part in the voluntary scheme in 2016 back on the rails — steam enthusiasts are treated to railway nostalgia to mark 50 years since the end of regular steam train services on the british main line railway. good morning. it's thursday the 2nd of august — i'm annita mcveigh. welcome to bbc newsroom live. while we're on air, in just under an hour's time we'll find out whether the markets are right and the bank of england will raise interest rates for only the second time in ten years with changes to the rate affecting tens of millions of savings accounts,

loans and mortgages. economists predict rates will increase from a half of 1% to 0.75%. any announcement is expected at midday with the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, expected to explain any decision made shortly afterwards. our business correspondent, ben bland, is in the city of london for us getting ready for any announcement. we will bring you that live at midday. a report out in the uk says smartphones have "revolutionised" the way we live over the past decade and that they for the young they have been a major gamechanger. one in five people spend more than a0 hours a week online. and brits check their smartphone every 12 minutes. rory cellan—jones reports. 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. news just newsjust coming in in news just coming in in the last short while. four men have died in a crash in bradford. the crash happened earlier this morning and has been referred to the police watchdog. with me is our correspondentjon donnison. what can you tell us? west yorkshire police say this happened in bradford at about 5:30am this morning, it has been referred now to the independent

0ffice been referred now to the independent office for police conduct. four men have been killed, this bmw car was being followed by an unmarked police car, we don't know the circumstances. we have got a statement from the independent office for police comment. the regional director saying this is the most tragic incident and our sympathies are with those and the families of those who died. 0ffices are on the scene gathering evidence. there will be a lengthy investigation. zimbabwe president, emmerson mnangagwa has called for calm after violent clashes between the army and opposition protesters in harare yesterday left three people dead. mr mnangagwa has spoken with opposition leader nelson chamisa to try and diffuse the situation. the country is still awaiting the result of the first presidential election since the removal of former ruler robert mugabe. yesterday, the electoral commission said the governing zanu—pf had attained a two—thirds

majority in parliament. this maps show the green for zanu—pf who have won 140 out of the 210 seats in the lower house, mainly in their rural strongholds. the opposition mdc alliance shown in red has 58 seats, including majorities in zimbabwe's two biggest cities of harare and bulawayo. nomsa maseko is in harare. these elections were meant to be a real watershed in zimbabwe since the removal of robert mugabe from power. the violence is most unwelcome and in the words of amnesty international, the militarisation of

the aftermath of these elections is a real concern. is it calm now? indeed it is a real concern, and those are also the words echoed by the commonwealth observer mission who denounced the use of excessive force on civilians by the military. it is, though, calm at this stage. i took a drive earlier to see what was it looking like around the streets of harare, and outside the headquarters of the ruling is ef party there was a military presence. 0utside party there was a military presence. outside the headquarters of the opposition movement for democratic change, there were water tankers there, also a huge police presence and many shops remain closed at this hour. injust and many shops remain closed at this hour. in just the last few minutes, the zimbabwe electoral commission announced that they will make an announcement later on today. in terms of when the country will know who the next president will be. how

are we expected to get that announcement, do we know why the announcement, do we know why the announcement has not been made yet? according to zimba bwe's announcement has not been made yet? according to zimbabwe's electoral commission, they say they received an unprecedented number of presidential hopefuls in this year's election, it's the first time ever that 23 people wanted that top position, 19 men and four women. they say that is the reason why they have taken so long in accounting and verifying those results. there are also saying they do not want... they appreciate the fact that the delay has caused tensions in the streets of harare but they say they are still busy with the verification process and as soon as they are done with that, they will make the announcement. they were very quick to remind the country that they are still within the confines of the law, which says that they have five

days after voting in which they can make the announcement, but of course, that has led to protests that we saw here yesterday, which led to the death of three people. they could very well see many more people wounded. briefly, happily heard any more from nelson chamisa, the leader of the mdc? nelson chamisa's spokesperson spoke yesterday in which she said that yesterday's military scenes, using excessive force on civilians, took them to the dark days of the massacres, and also the 2008 killings in which hundreds of people shortly after results were released that there could be a presidential run—off were killed. they said

zimbabweans were feeling very vulnerable in their own country and what he was saddened by what they saw on the streets of harare. thank you. let's return to the news we are expecting at midday, that there will be an increase in the interest rate. with me is our business c0rrespondent, theo leggett. it would be a huge surprise if this increase did not come but if that is the case, what is the purpose of this increase after quite a long time? absolutely, since before the financial crisis, more than ten yea rs financial crisis, more than ten years since financial crisis, more than ten yea rs since interest financial crisis, more than ten years since interest rates were last above half a percent, their current level. this increase has been widely flagged, it would be a big surprise if it did not happen. the main reason the bank of england wants to do it is to keep a lid on inflation and in particular wage inflation. so, inflation is currently at two

the bank of england's target is to keep it at or below two percent. there is a risk with unemployment very low as it is, there will be increase in competition for workers in the future and that could start to creep up. there is also the fact that debt levels in the uk are rising. there is an indication that the bank would like us to be borrowing less and saving more. of course there is the question of the bank having some ammunition in its pocket in case of problems next year, giving itself the opportunity to cut rates when it really needs to. how will this affect loans and mortgages and savings? 0n the subject of savings, there have been warnings that we should all be aware the banks and building societies don't often fully pass on those rate increases to savers. absolutely, savings rates, the interest rate you will get on your savings is very low at the moment. in terms of mortgages, it depends what kind of mortgages, it depends what kind of mortgage you have. a certain percentage of people are on tracker

mortgages, they will be paying more, an extra £20 a month on a 100 mortgage. it doesn't seem a lot but that can add up. —— on a £150,000 mortgage. interest rates will still be relatively low. some say the conditions are not right for a rate increase. the improvements in the economy in the second quarter are based on things like the better weather, the royal wedding, the world cup, fairly ephemeral things that have passed. they are concerned actually this is not the right time. absolutely, if you look at the big picture, the uk economy isn't doing particularly well, certainly compared to its peers in the wider world. there are also pressures globally, for example the prospect ofa globally, for example the prospect of a trade war between the united states and china which would ultimately have replication

elsewhere, problems with tariffs on eu products as well. there are all these storm clouds gathering. —— would ultimately have repercussions elsewhere. the bank must look at the big picture and see what the situation is, part of it may be to give itself a certain level of ammunition if there are problems with the economy in the future. thank you. that decision is expected at midday and we will bring you live. a rapper in london's drill music scene has been stabbed to death on the same street in south—east london where his friend was shot dead in may. the 23—year—old rapper, whose real name is saddique, was known as incognito and sk. he was friends with fellow rapper rhyhiem ainsworth barton, who was shot dead in the street in may. two other men were injured in the stabbing on warham street in camberwell yesterday evening. two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save 70—million pounds. 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 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. let's speak now to the former conservative mp rob wilson who was the minister for civil society between 2014 and 2017. he's in our reading studio. perhaps you could begin by reminding

our viewers what the vision was for this scheme when it was first conceived. this was something that was designed to make a real difference to young people in their local communities, to improve their resilience and to make sure that they got more involved in voluntary work and were contributing to their local communities. it was really to strengthen those young people'sresilience, as i say. it was pa rt people'sresilience, as i say. it was part of former prime minister david cameron's big society idea. why do you think only in 2016, at least, only 12% of eligible teenagers wa nted only 12% of eligible teenagers wanted to take part. it's a volu nta ry wanted to take part. it's a voluntary scheme and it was a scheme started from scratch. it has built up started from scratch. it has built up over the years from a situation where a feud thousand were going each year to now where about 100,000 young people are going a year. that's a significant build—up, however that's not saying ncs is

immune from criticism. i am a great supporter of it, and think it makes a big difference to the young people that take part but i have always said, not enough young people are taking part. the executive of the ncs need to do much better on delivering those numbers, because they have underperformed consistently on that. i think that the ncs has over a period of time had a lack of transparency, a lack of accountability, and those criticisms that they must take on the chin and react to. i think they are. would you say that actually the money being spent on this could be better spent elsewhere, the local government association says 600 youth centre is closed between 2000 and 2016 because of lack of funding? they say give us that money and we can provide services and help young people all year round, surely that isa people all year round, surely that is a argument. i think the lga is making a real mistake in how it's going about this. i think that you

don't make a difference by destroying one national programme to put money somewhere else, that is a good programme that is helping lots of young people. four weeks of this work versus helping young people 52 weeks a year. look, the lga has a budget of around, well, local councils have a budget of around £400 million a year that they are spending on local youth services. there is a debate whether that's enough but there's also a debate on how well that money is currently being spent by local authorities. there are some very good local authorities like the one i went to see down in devon, devon county council, that was making innovative changes to its local services. there are other councils that have not made changes, and there is a sort of lack of imagination within some councils about the way they do

provide local youth services. they seem to think that local youth centres and local youth workers is the only way to do it. as you say, there is some element of the money that ncs might be spending with other groups. i see a very strong argument for saying some of the money should be spent on things like the duke of edinburgh the scouts, where there could be some sort of symbiotic relationship with ncs, and indeed to some extent with local authorities. destroying a really good programme like the ncs to put it in the hands of local authorities to spend on a whole range of schemes that may not work is really not the answer. if it was a really good programme, to play devil's advocate, wood and more than of teenagers be interested in taking part? —— wouldn't more than 12% of teenagers be interested? the numbers so far have been an underperformance, there could be more young people doing it.

how do you get more young people involved? if the numbers don't go up, is that a compelling case for scrapping this ncs and putting their money elsewhere? the numbers had been going up. it started from scratch five or six years ago and it has built up from a very small number of people to i think it is now over 100,000 young people every year. the entire catchment for 16, 17—year—olds is 600,000 so it's actually about 20% of young people who are choosing to do this every year. as i walked in, your producer said to me, it changed the life of his son, it needed a real difference to his son, the way he now is to the way he was before he took the programme. you can see that cou ntless programme. you can see that countless times and hear it on cou ntless countless times and hear it on countless occasions from parents when their children have been on this scheme. let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. there are changes that could be made,

there are ways to improve ncs and there are ways to improve ncs and there are ways to improve ncs and there are criticisms that it should ta ke there are criticisms that it should take on the chin but it should not be completely scrapped. former minister for civil society, thank you for your time. the headlines on bbc news... the bank of england is widely expected to raise interest rates in under an hour's time to the highest level since march 2009. there are international calls for supporters of zimba bwe's presidential rivals to wait in peace for the election results. the average person in this country checks their smartphone every twelve minutes according to a new survey by the media regulator 0fcom. in sports, england were all out a 200 after losing their one remaining wicket this morning on the first day of the test at edgbaston. two runs added to their overnight total, india five without loss in reply. andy murray says british over kyle

edmund is best since returning from 11 months out with a hip injury, he reached the third round. johanna konta followed her victory over serena williams with another victory to reach the third round of the open. more on all those stories at half—past. 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 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 affects 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. the united states has announced sanctions aginst two members of the turkish government that it holds responsible for unfairly detaining an american pastor. andrew brunson was arrested in 2016, accused of links to political groups and helping organise a failed coup against the turkish president. donald trump is demanding the pastor be released. andrew plant reports. he has spent 21 months in a turkish prison. this was a week ago, when american pastor andrew brunson was moved to house arrest. his case has caused a war of words between president trump and turkey's president, recep tayyip erdogan,

with threats of us sanctions. on wednesday, the white house finally followed through on that threat. the president has been closely following the ongoing situation in turkey involving pastor andrew brunson. we've seen no evidence that pastor brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the government of turkey. andrew bru nson lives with his family in turkey, leading a small protestant church in the aegean city of izmir. his arrest came after a failed attempt to overthrow turkey's president two years ago, accused of links to the groups that led the attempted coup, one of 20 americans arrested in its wake. turkey saw some 50,000 arrests overall. on wednesday, president erdogan says the us should rethink its decision. translation: these remarks against us will not benefit anyone. such a threat against turkey is not fitting for them, and excuse me,

but we do not give them credit for using such threatening language. the us sanctions apply to turkey's justice minister and the interior minister too, as leaders, says the us, of turkish government organisations responsible for serious human rights abuses. meanwhile, mr brunson remains under arrest. he denies charges of espionage, but faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty. andrew plant, bbc news. temperatures may break records across europe in the coming week with weather warnings currently in place across much of spain and portugal. the met office has issued the warning for tourists, especially children and the elderly, heading to europe, prediecting temperatures between 40 and 48 degrees celsius on saturday. the current heat record for europe is 47—point—eight degrees recorded in athens injuly 1977.

warm here, thankfully not as warm as that. temperatures are picking up here for some of us but not for all of us. wherever you are, noticeably more humid. the best of the sunshine will a lwa ys humid. the best of the sunshine will always stay the eastern areas and down towards the south—east in particular. the further west you the more likely you will be stuck under the cloud for much of the day. 0utbreaks the cloud for much of the day. outbreaks of drizzle, also the case of northern ireland. down towards the south—east, that's where we have the south—east, that's where we have the best of the sunshine and the highest temperatures. 30 the maximum. this this evening, rain will edge into parts of northern scotland, and more rain edging into parts of northern england as we approach dawn. temperatures not much

lower than 15 degrees. tomorrow morning, this area of of rain working into northern england will turn more patchy as the day goes on, ever lacked is a dividing line. fresh airup to ever lacked is a dividing line. fresh air up to the north of it, down towards the south, and that humidity and soaring temperatures peaking tomorrow at 33. this is bbc news. our latest headlines. the bank of england is expected to raise interest rates to the highest level since march 2009 with an announcement at midday. there are international calls for restraint in zimbabwe after soldiers opened fire to disperse opposition protestors, who are claiming election fraud following monday's vote in the country. a new report from 0fcom says the average person in the uk spends two hours and 28 minutes every day browsing their mobile, but the number of calls made has fallen for the first time ever. the government's

national citizen service — a youth scheme launched by former prime minister david cameron — has been criticised as underused and too expensive. the local government association says just 12 per cent of teenagers took part in the voluntary scheme in 2016. and this week marks 50 years since the end of regular steam train services on the british main line railway with steam enthusiasts around the country being treated to a little bit of railway nostalgia to celebrate the anniversary. it is time for the sports news. good morning. india are batting at edgbaston on gay two of the first test because england's final pairing did not last long this morning. sam curran was out at the tenth delivery of the morning. they added just two ru ns to of the morning. they added just two runs to their overnight total.

england all out for 287. they lost their last seven wickets for just 71 runs. india in reply are 15 without loss in that first session. test match special is on air and also on the bbc sport website if you want to follow it all. there is live text coverage as well. andy murray says his win against british number one kyle edmund is his best since his return from injury. he won over three sets against the man who replaced him at the top of the british rankings to reach the third round at the washington open. it was his fifth match back as he continues his fifth match back as he continues his recovery from hip surgery. johanna konta is putting something ofa run johanna konta is putting something of a run together herself at the moment after inflicting the biggest defeat of serena williams' career. she beat another american at the soviet classics. she reached the

third round of this tournament which she won before two years ago. chelsea are closing in on a place after reaching the third qualifying round after a goalless draw against rosenberg. they led 3—1 from the first leg and despite the norwegian champions having the better chances, they could not score, which means celtic are now through to the next train to play against athens. when that and they face a play—off. tonight was a good demonstration that you cannot always play perfect football, especially in europe under pressure. there are questions asked about your resilience and i thought we stood up to that very well. it was a clean sheet and that was good to do, especially away from home. we won the tie last week with a great attacking performance and we defended well and tonight it was more about being solid and keeping a clean sheet. in the women's hockey world cup england will face

australia in the semifinals if they can get there. they have to get through their quarterfinal against the favourites, the netherlands, this evening. australia came through a tough match against argentina and it was goalless at the queen elizabeth 0lympic it was goalless at the queen elizabeth olympic park. it went to penalties which australia 14—3. germany are out despite winning all three of their group matches. they we re three of their group matches. they were beaten by spain. this was the only goal in the second half. they will face ireland in the semis if they can beat india tonight. everybody is just so ready to go. the past few days if you told us we could bring the match for, we would. we cannot wait to get out there, they atmosphere was unbelievable against england. the supporters have been beneficent, they have travelled in their numbers and you hear us before you see us, so cannot wait to get out there again. the women's british open is under way and play

got under way at royal lytham and saint anne ‘s this morning. bronte law was one of the early leaders, but she is currently tied for fifth at the moment. highlights on bbc two later on to night. at quarter past 11 the highlights of the first round. that is all for now. i will have more for you a little bit later on. an review in to the death of eighteen month old elsie scully hicks who was shaken to death by her adoptive father matthew in may 2016 has apologised for missing opportunites to raise safeguarding concerns. the child practice review undertaken by the cardiff and vale regional child safeguarding board has looked

at why social workers took the decision to entrust her to a man who shook her to death. 0ur correspondent tomos morgan is outside the review in cardiff for us now. good morning. that phrase, missed opportunity, it is a difficult phrase to hear as we have heard in previous child safeguarding cases. remind us of the background to this. yes, elsie scully hicks was first placed under matthew scully hicks' are back in september 2000 and 15. between september 2015 and may 2016, matthew scully hicks looked after elsie for the majority of the time and she suffered a catalogue of injuries, ranging from broken bones, head injuries and also she fell down the stairs. the ambulance was called several times on some of those

occasions and she was seen in a&e. in may 2016 when the ambulance was called for the final time she was taken to hospital and later died. a criminal trial came after that last year and it found that matthew scully hicks was guilty of elsie's death, she was 18 months old. this review today has found there had been some missed opportunities and that agencies failed to consider that agencies failed to consider that 18—month—old lc may have been harmed by her adoptive father. although she had been under his care since september 2015, she was only formally adopted two weeks prior to her death. beginning this press conference an hour ago the chair of the board apologised for her death. all the professionals involved in her care reported a committed, motivated and caring family. the review has found that the assessment

of the adoptive parents was strong and robust and was compliant with good practice standards. however, the review also found that there we re the review also found that there were areas of learning that should be acted upon to improve some systems and practices, particularly around timely sharing of information and data recording. it also identifies occasions when there were missed opportunities to raise safeguarding concerns. for this all agencies involved in elsie's care would like to sincerely apologise. the conclusion of the review is that there is willing that there should be acted upon to improve some systems and practices. the report recognises the extensive actions that have already been implemented by the agencies involved and the review makes nine further recommendations which are in the process of being progressed. i would

like to make clear that we are absolutely determined that implementing these recommendations will improve the way we do things, will improve the way we do things, will improve the way we protect children, and improve the lives of children, and improve the lives of children in ourcare. children, and improve the lives of children in our care. the review has also found that systems and practices should be changed by social services and by the local health board, following what has happened here. there was also a mention of a lack of curiosity into elsie's injuries in this review. the authors of the review have also said that there was no information available during the adoption process that could have predicted what happened to her. the health board have said they apologise and they have already begun implementing changes and the social services of the vale of glamorgan says lessons have been lowered. the authors of

the review have also said it is extremely rare for any child facing adoption to be harmed by parents. thank you very much. last december, indian medical student, turned model, manushi chhillar, was crowned miss world. winning the title put her on the covers of magazines around the world and sponsorship opportunities came flooding in. however the title also gives the winner the opportunity to spread awareness of issues close to their heart, in chhillar‘s case that's menstrual hygeine. she spoke to the bbc asian network's shabnam mahmood in london. miss world, 2017 is... india. the miss world, 2017 is... india. the miss world, 2017 is... india. the miss world crown, the blue crown as it is known as, is passed on every

year and it was made by the queen's jewellers to recognise beauty with a purpose and what it stands for. the moment it touched my head, it gives you this different kind of energy where you automatically realise your responsibilities and the kind of expectations that come with that crown. one of your focuses is on menstrual hygiene. it is still a taboo subject in india. what kind of reaction did you get? it is notjust a taboo in india, it is definitely a cause that might be different, but it is an issue across many countries in the world. there are a lot of cultural backdrops and people do not wa nt to cultural backdrops and people do not want to talk about it and they do not want to be seen to be associated with it. my ambition is to inspire girls and build that confidence. menstruation is our strength and should not limit us in any way. they should not limit us in any way. they should know what is available out there, how to use those products,

why it is important to use those products, and apart from using those products, and apart from using those products, the different hygiene practices you should follow especially when they come to taboos associated with menstruation. there are places in india where you are not allowed to bathe during menstruation which is one of the worst hygiene practices that can have. critics would say that beauty pa g ea nts have. critics would say that beauty pageants object if i women. what are your thoughts about that? that is a very old debate and being a person who has been a part of that and who has had a wonderfuljourney in beauty pageants would say that they empower women, they do not objectify them. the last miss india to win miss world went on to be a big bollywood star and now a hollywood star. is that something you want to do as well? two of them are both bollywood actresses and both of them had different journeys,

bollywood actresses and both of them had differentjourneys, so i know my journey will be different. it already has been very different. but i think because i am a different person i know i will have a very different story. i still have my couege different story. i still have my college to complete, i have my studies. but i have realised one thing, ido studies. but i have realised one thing, i do enjoy being in front of the camera. right now i do have my miss world duties, but once i am done with this, maybe, maybe not. maybe not? you have had bollywood offers ? maybe not? you have had bollywood offers? yes, i have, i am very fortu nate, offers? yes, i have, i am very fortunate, i have. yes, i have, iam very fortunate, i have. miss world, manushi chhillar. in a moment we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news. the bank of england is widely expected to raise interest rates in under an hour's time to the highest level since march 2009.

there are international calls for calm as supporters of zimbabwe's presidential rivals wait for the election results. the average person in this country checks their smartphone every twelve minutes, according to a new survey by the media regulator 0fcom hello, iam ben hello, i am ben bland hello, iam ben bland in hello, i am ben bland in the city where we are all awaiting that decision by the bank of england on the interest rates. these are the headlines this morning. at midday today the bank of england is expected to raise interest rates for only the second time in a decade. economists and investors expect the monetary policy committee to increase rates from 0.5% to 0.75%. the future of house of fraser has been thrown into doubt after its potential new owner walked away from a rescue. c. banner, which owns the toy store hamley‘s, had planned to take control of the struggling department store chain and inject £70m of cash. but the chinese firm said it would no longer proceed with its investment, plunging house of

fraser into crisis. energy supplier npower has been fined £2.4 million by watchdog 0fgem after the company, one of the so—called big six, failed to install advanced meters for electricity for business customers at nearly 4,000 meter points by the april 2014 deadline. it also wrongly installed about 200 traditional meters. we are here in the city because everybody is waiting for that decision to be announced by the bank of england on interest rates. let me show you the monitor that everyone's attention will be on. it is this bit here. we have got the current rate which is 0.5% and the expected rate which is 0.5% and the expected rate which is 0.5% and the expected rate which is 0.75%. midday exactly the figure will pop—up. it is important

because that base rate is used by banks to calculate as a benchmark the interest rates that you and i pay for loans, mortgages and also the interest rates we get on savings accounts. let's unpick all of this with lucy 0'carroll from aberdeen standard investments. most people are expecting the bank of england to increase the rate, albeit by quite a small amount, 0.25%. why is everyone expecting that rise? we have been expecting that rise? we have been expecting it because the back of england is signalling very strongly that that rate is coming. they are increasing interest rates because they think the mid—market is very tight and now is the time to do it. they also want to raise rates because if the damage from brexit is

greater than they expect, they want to have a bit in the locker and they can cut them back down again in a yea r‘s can cut them back down again in a year's time. whenever i talk about interest rates in the business news andi interest rates in the business news and i say rates are going up and thatis and i say rates are going up and that is good for savers, i get the deluge from people saying they never get the benefit passed on. why do the banks not so quickly increase the banks not so quickly increase the interest rates that people get on savings accounts? you are right, they do not see a rapid pass—through. there are a couple of reasons. one is the state of competition in the banking sector with new entrants coming in. and these new entrants are at getting save rs these new entrants are at getting savers moving to these new accounts. 0ften savers stick to what they know. it depends partly on what the bag of england does, but also what the banks and savers themselves are prepared to do. we often talk about the impact on borrowers, but a lot

of people are on fixed rates, it is those who are on the variable or the tracker mortgages who will see the difference. you are right, that happens the quickest and for those on fixed rate it is when they come to the end of their time and they are looking to remortgage, that is when they start to notice the rates area bit when they start to notice the rates are a bit higher. but if they are looking ahead and thinking about their finances maybe in looking ahead and thinking about theirfinances maybe in six months ora theirfinances maybe in six months or a year's time, they may take that into account already. it is not what you are faced with, there is no surprise, the bank of england is signalling that rates are rising, but they will be gradual and they will be limited. lucy o'carroll from aberdeen standard investments. we will be keeping a close eye on that screen and we will show you exactly what we are looking at and we will bring it to you live at midday on the bbc news channel as we get that interest rate decision from the bank of england. 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 reports 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 isjust something about a 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 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 still got these special treasures that we can hold on to and 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 waiting 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. smartphones have "revolutionised" the way we live over the past decade in the uk. one in five people spend more than 40 hours a week online and the average person is checking their smartphone every 12 minutes.

i have got mine to hand in the studio. i have got mine to hand in the studio. let's talk to em sheldon, a lifestyle blogger. but you are supposed to be using it a lot. it is one of those things, it is myjob, so i use it every single day and whilst it feels like an addiction, i know when to put it down and i understand the importance of putting it down as well. you say it feels like an addiction to you, in that you think you might want to use it less but you find it difficult to do that? i feel like i am difficult to do that? i feel like i a m co nsta ntly difficult to do that? i feel like i am constantly glued to it, responding to e—mails, comets, chatting to my followers and it is a 24/7 thing and there will always be someone somewhere in the world awake to chat to and from a social point of view it is good, but when i am out at dinner with my friends and family it is good to put it away and be present in the moment. have you had to adopt some techniques to

create that separating? yes, definitely and i find create that separating? yes, definitely and ifind i am create that separating? yes, definitely and i find i am so productive when i put my phone in another room. i will in another room andi another room. i will in another room and i will put it on charge at the other side of the room and i can only touch it when i my work. the key thing is not literally having it at yourfingertips. key thing is not literally having it at your fingertips. we are so addicted to that scroll in motion and we sit and scroll endlessly and by the time you stop, you have spent an hourdoing by the time you stop, you have spent an hour doing that and it is good to put it away and get on with your day. is that making you frustrated, unhappy? what are the feelings you associate with when you are using your phone and you think i should have been doing something else? when you have a list of work to do you a lwa ys you have a list of work to do you always try and procrastinate, do something anything, apart from that work, so i will be endlessly strolling. it is more aboutjust focusing on what i actually need to

do on my to—do list, rather than just strolling. there are a huge amount of positives associated with smartphone technology, but there are negatives as well. do you see a time when people will be actively switching off from their smartphones much more? we see a lot of resource we re much more? we see a lot of resource were no phones are allowed, everyone has to have a digital detox and people have to completely switch off their phones and enjoy the world, so rather than seeing the world to an iphone, taking a picture, we see the world through our eyes first and thatis world through our eyes first and that is nice. it is important when you are out for dinner with friends and family, or my boyfriend, we put our phones away and we can chat and we like to be in the moment more. but like now you are one of those people who reaches for their phone within five minutes of waking up? definitely, but it is because it is myjob. the first definitely, but it is because it is my job. the first things definitely, but it is because it is myjob. the first things i want to do is to become a chat with my

followers, engage with them on instagram and it is that constant need to chat to people and to respond to people. need to chat to people and to respond to peoplelj need to chat to people and to respond to people. i don't think five minutes after i wake up i am in a good enough states to chat to anyone, so well done to you. thank you very much for talking to us. emma sheldon, lifestyle blogger. 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. people in chile have begun receiving payouts as compensation for the country's largest paper mill having colluded with its main competitor to set the price of toilet tissue. every chilean and foreign resident over the age of eighteen is eligible to receive about ten us dollars. the cmpc firm has made available a fund totalling one hundred and fifty million dollars.

a slightly quirky story for you there. just a reminder that in a few moments' time, we are expecting that interest—rate decision from the bank of england. it is widely predicted that the bank of england will be raising interest rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, which would take the interest rates to their highest level since march 2000 and nine. we will have it live here on the bbc news channel. in a moment we'll say goodbye to viewers on bbc2. first we leave you with a look at the weather. it isa it is a humid day wherever you are today, but we are seeing some big contrasts depending on the cloud. the further east and south you are, the more likely it is that you have blue skies. if you travel west, there is a lot of low cloud. it

rolled in overnight and some of that will linger into the afternoon. quite murky conditions and we have seen outbreaks of rain as well. you can see on the satellite picture. it may linger a bit longer as we had through into afternoon. the best of the brightness always tends to favour the south and east of the country and here we will see those temperatures rocket. even in scotla nd temperatures rocket. even in scotland in the east there is some sunshine, but later on in northern ireland and the west of scotland we will see some rain moved in. temperatures in the mid—20s in scotland. this evening we will keep the cloud in northern ireland with outbreaks of rain gradually working their way into southern scotland. even under clear skies it will be a muqqy even under clear skies it will be a muggy night. temperatures will not be much lower than 16 celsius. another area of frameworks is way into northern ireland at dawn on friday morning. it will act as a bit

ofa dividing friday morning. it will act as a bit of a dividing line. fresh air working its way in from the north, to the south it will remain humid. just a risk of one or two showers here and there and those temperatures rising in the south—east sector. tomorrow it could hit 33. as we head on into the weekend we will start to see a bit ofa weekend we will start to see a bit of a change because we have got pressure building out to the west. that will gradually start to feed in north westerly air, a bit of a cooler air flow. it will squeeze out that humidity as we had through into saturday, but it may linger a little while longer in the south—east sector. 0n while longer in the south—east sector. on saturday a lot of fine and dry weather around, perhaps in scotla nd and dry weather around, perhaps in scotland we could have a few showers and also in east anglia, but a lot of fine, and also in east anglia, but a lot offine, dry and also in east anglia, but a lot of fine, dry weather to be had. temperatures still around 30 in the south—east, but a little bit cooler the further north you travel. 0n

on sunday bit more cloud in scotland once again, but plenty of fine, dry weather to be had and some good spells of sunshine and temperatures still doing well on sunday, but not as high as tomorrow. within the next few minutes the bank of england is expected to announce a change in interest rates — with a potential rise possible for only the second time in a decade. economists and investors expect the monetary policy committee to increase rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, if that goes ahead it would affect tens of millions of savings accounts, loans and mortgages. our business correspondent, ben bland, is in the city of london with more. it doesn't sound much, a quarter of a percentage point, but it is symbolically very significant because if it happens, it would be only the second rate rise in a

decade. it would take the base rate to the highest level we have seen since 2000 it's to the highest level we have seen since 2000 its is important because that base rate is used as a benchmark by banks. —— since 2009. everyone is anticipating the announcement, we can see where that number will appear and it is there, it has just appeared. the rate number will appear and it is there, it hasjust appeared. the rate is expected has gone up 20, that —— 0.75%. that is based on the fact that wages have been growing an average prices growing at 2.4%, the latest figure. higher than the bank ‘s target of two percent. this is what people were expecting, james, but progress to the reasons why this

will have an effect. this is good news, the bank confirming that lots of the damage done post crisis which was many years ago has to large degree been put into the rear—view mirror. the economy is in a much healthier, sturdier place, unemployment is low, jobs are coming consistently month on month, and while headline growth is not at the pace we would like it to be ideally, we are still in positive territory. that's been the case for a number of years. it was starting to be increasingly obvious that the bank had not been responding to the underlying economic reality and i think this really does confirm that the economy is in a good place. that said, some people will look at the bigger picture and say there's lots of uncertainty around brexit, not some uncertainty around because of the trade row between the us and china. lots of people say, they

don't feel necessarily that much better off all stop why is the bank putting rates up, which will cost them more on their mortgage, in some cases? essentially, yes. there is always uncertainty. we spend a lot of time talking about uncertainty at the moment as if there are times when we have a high degree of certainty, i would argue that certainly not the case. in terms of save rs certainly not the case. in terms of savers and borrowers, this does tend to be bad news for borrowers and good for savers. the last eight, nine, ten years have been really bad the sabres and good for borrowers. a good step on balancing who is benefiting from policy and who is suffering. that is healthy and should help to support the economy. ido should help to support the economy. i do not think this will drag the economy down, it will support economy, the and make it a more sustainable one. the last time the rates went up, and was in the city, november 2017 last year, we were talking about how an interest rate rise benefits savers. people got in

touch and said actually, it doesn't feed due to the personal savings accounts. they turned out to be right. —— it does not feed through. why is it savers don't necessarily see the interest rate go up by the same amount? it takes time, it has to work to the system and the first thing to say is that the banks are the intermediary, the cost of money if you like, that's what an interest rate is, the price of money, that is set by the central bank, then that must filter through the banking syste m must filter through the banking system before it gets to consumers and customers. it may take time for that to happen and the bank is managing a heck of a lot in terms of its business model and its profit margins which can decide decide to protect or it can decide to pass on that benefit as it sees fit. the vote by new monetary policy committee was unanimous, what does that tell us, what clues does that give us potentially about the speed of future interest rate increases? in on one of itself, it does not

tell us much about the speed of future increases, the bank has been consistent on that subject in its communication recently, they are not looking to be aggressive, they are looking to be aggressive, they are looking to be fairly sanguine and steady about how they go about correcting monetary policy. to some degree that's right and national, but again the unanimous decision, thatis but again the unanimous decision, that is a way of engendering confidence. the people listening to that decision can feel confident this is a good idea, a good thing, not something to be fearful of all that can cause people to change their behaviour in a negative fashion. this is the bank rubber—stamping the health of the uk plc as we stand here today. when we talk about the impact on borrowers, mortgages, lots of people, most people who take out a mortgage on a fixed term, so they will not see any rate rise affecting them immediately. but the three and a half million or so who are on variable or tracker mortgages are those who will be impacted. absolutely, again, part of the

reason the bank wants to communicate about future interest rate changes is to give consumers that opportunity, that warning sign that they might want to think about taking a fixed rate mortgages rather than trackers. this is a small change from a very low rate, yes, mortgage payments will go up but when we are trying to analyse the entire economy has one, i think it's important to keep things in context and recognise just how small a change this is an recognise the benefits as well as the potential costs of doing so. thank you very much indeed. to give you a bit of an idea about the kind of impact this has, the nationwide estimates that this kind of interest rate wise, zero on a £200,000 mortgage will probably increase the interest payments by about £25 a month. —— an

increase of 0.25%. thanks very much. what does this say about the economy? the outlook is considered to be broadly positive at the moment. external events notwithstanding, for example, things could change quite dramatically over the next year or so if, for example, britain was to leave the european union without some kind of concrete deal. the outlook at the moment is asi deal. the outlook at the moment is as i say relatively positive, unemployment is low, there isjob creation out there, that means wages are likely to rise and that means that the bank of england wants to keep a lid on inflation. inflation targets a re keep a lid on inflation. inflation targets are 2% or close to 2%, it's currently above that. although headline growth is not particularly

strong, the rest of the economy is looking in relatively robust shape. some economists are saying that the political uncertainty, with wage growth still an issue, they think this is not the time for a rate increase. clearly there is that school of thought as well, questioning this decision by the bank of england. yes but you have to put these things into context, rates have been low for a long time. traditionally what the bank has been ina traditionally what the bank has been in a position to do is cut rates, in order to give people more money in their pockets and boost the economy. at the moment, interest rates are at a low—level, even at zero historically low, that does not give the bank a huge amount of room for manoeuvre. 0ne the bank a huge amount of room for manoeuvre. one thing that i can look at doing is, while conditions are relatively positive, boost interest rates which would give it some ammunition if it needs it in the event of a downturn over the next couple of years. thanks for that. our business editor,

simonjack, is at the bank of england for us. what is the bank of england trying to do with this increase in rates, obviously very symbolic. what is the purpose? what they are trying to say is that after many years where wage growth was pretty stagnant, around one and three quarters percent, it has now picked up 22 and percent. they think it will go higher, it's all about your payslip. they think that wage growth is the wellspring of all other types of inflation. if we start getting paid for, for, more money chasing goods and services and overall inflation goes up which is already above target. the other signal they are sending here is we are for the first time in 30 years spending more than we are actually earning, we are supplementing our lifestyles either by savings or by borrowing more. the bank of england would like to see us giving a little

bit of a nudge to encourage us to save a bit more and borrow a bit less. that is one of the by—products of this rate rise today. let me ask you a question i am sure is very much on everyone's minds. the start of more rises to come? lots of people will remember before the crisis, interests rates of five plus percent, older viewers will run the double digit interest rates. we are not headed back there, they have done detailed research to say even in the foreseeable future we will never see that again. what they are suggesting is we may see another one or two rate rises over the next couple of years. the world has changed, there's a lot more saving going on, this is not lift off for people who are worried about their mortgage cost, this is more like an old man slowly getting out of a chair he's been sitting in for about ten years. ok, thank you. how is this decision going to affect

the money in your pocket and the money you pay out? let's talk to silvia dall angelo, senior economist at hermes investment management.... let's talk about mortgages. how protected is the mortgage market from this increase? good afternoon. the mortgage market is fairly protected. there are a fuel elements of resistance, first of all, 50% of outstanding lending is on fixed rate. 80% of new lending is also on fixed rate. the other source of resilience here is the fact that rates are fixed for longer, it used to be two to three years, now it's like five to ten years. finally, the

share of houses with a mortgage has declined from 40% to 29% over the last ten years. however, there are also some areas of vulnerability. the decline in the share of houses in the mortgages reflects a shift from home ownership to the rental market. here we have rates in the buy to let business which are fixed for a very short time, between two and three years. therefore landlords might be tempted to pass on higher costs because of higher policy rates. to their tenants. in terms of the actual mortgage market and how people have approached their decision when taking out a mortgage, particularly for those with newer mortgages, they are tending to go for fixed rates now. mortgages, they are tending to go forfixed rates now. that offers them some protection? i hope you can hear me... hello? i think we may

have a problem. now, unfortunately we have lost that line to sylvia. apologies. we will be bringing you lots more coverage here on the bbc news channel about that increase in the interest rate the base rate going up to its highest level since march 2000 up from zero 20. we will be answering your questions on how the interest rates rise could affect you. with the personal finance journalist, sarah pennells and the consumer expert, jasmine birtles. send us your questions and we'll try and answer them. send them on twitter with the hashtag bbcaskthis or text 61124 or email askthis@bbc.co.uk. the forensic investigation of grenfell tower has been completed and the site is no

longer required as a crime scene, the metropolitan police have announced. the enquiry continues of course into the circumstances, but the metropolitan police just announcing that the forensic investigation of g re nfell tower that the forensic investigation of grenfell tower has been completed, a painstaking investigation at the site, no longer required as a crime scene. zimba bwe's electoral commission has appealed for patience as it collates the final results of monday's presidential election. three people were killed yesterday when soldiers opened fire during protests about alleged election fraud the commission said it could not say whether the results would be announced today or tomorrow — but it insisted significant progress was being made. zimba bwe's current president emmerson mnangagwa has spoken with opposition leader, nelson chamisa to try to diffuse the situation.

earlier i spoke to our correspondent in harare, nomsa maseko. indeed it is a real concern, and those are also the words echoed by the commonwealth observer mission who denounced the use of excessive force on civilians by the military. it is, though, calm at this stage. i took a drive earlier to see what was it looking like around the streets of harare, and outside the headquarters of the ruling pf party there was a military presence. outside the headquarters of the opposition movement for democratic change, there were water tankers there, also a huge police presence and many shops remain closed at this hour. in just the last few minutes, the zimbabwe electoral commission announced that they will make an announcement later on today. in terms of when the country will know who the next president will be.

had we expected to get that announcement, do we know why the announcement has not been made yet? according to zimba bwe's electoral commission, they say they received an unprecedented number of presidential hopefuls in this year's election, it's the first time ever that 23 people wanted that top position, 19 men and four women. they say that is the reason why they have taken so long in accounting and verifying those results. there are also saying they do not want... they appreciate the fact that the delay has caused tensions in the streets of harare but they say they are still busy with the verification process and as soon as they are done with that, they will make the announcement. they were very quick to remind the country that they are still within the confines of the law, which says that they have five days after voting in which they can

make the announcement, but of course, that has led to protests that we saw here yesterday, which led to the death of three people. they could very well see many more people wounded. briefly, happily heard any more from nelson chamisa, the leader of the mdc? nelson chamisa's spokesperson spoke yesterday in which she said that yesterday's military scenes, using excessive force on civilians, took them to the dark days of the massacres, and also the 2008 killings in which hundreds of people shortly were killed shortly after results were released that there could be a presidential run—off.

they said zimbabweans were feeling very vulnerable in their own country and he was saddened by what they saw on the streets of harare. four men have died in a crash in bradford. the crash happened earlier this morning and has been referred to the police watchdog. the crash happened on bingley road at the junction with toller lane early this morning. 0ur correspondent, jon donnison has been following the story. four men have been killed and what the ideal pc is saying is that the bmw car was being followed by an unmarked police car. we don't know the circumstances, we have got a statement from the independent 0ffice statement from the independent office for police conduct, there are regional director saying this is the most tragic incident and our sympathies are with the families and friends of those who have died.

independent investigation has been opened, they are on the scene at the moment gathering evidence and there will be some sort of investigation there. a rapper in london's drill music scene has been stabbed to death on the same street in south east london where his friend was shot dead in may. the 23—year—old rapper was known as incognito and sk. he was friends with fellow rapper rhyhiem ainsworth barton, who was shot dead in the street in may. two other men were injured in the stabbing on warham street in camberwell yesterday evening. 0ur reporter greg mckenize is at the scene with the latest. the police were called here to the brand in at about seven o'clock last night to reports of multiple injuries from stab wounds when they arrived. they discovered three men who had been stabbed in separate incidents, and one of those three, a 22—year—old has died here at the scene, locals have called him sk. police have made two arrests, those

men currently being interviewed at a local police station, being held on suspicion of attempted murder. the leaders of northamptonshire county council have insisted they will protect vital services as they try to save 70—million pounds. last night residents protested outside an emergency meeting where councillors discussed how to make savings.their proposals will go to a full council meeting next week. the conservative authority has already imposed spending restrictions twice this year. 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 per cent of eligible teenagers have taken part and it has cost 634—million pounds. the government insists the scheme has improved the lives of 400—thousand young people. a report out in the uk says smartphones have "revolutionised" the way we live over the past decade. for the young, they have

been a gamechanger. one in five people spend more than 40 hours a week online — checking their smartphone every 12 minutes. rory cellan—jones reports. 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 headlines on bbc news... the bank of england has announced that interest rates will rise for only the second time in a decade. they'll go up from a half of one per—cent to nought point seven five per—cent. there are international calls

for calm as supporters of zimbabwe's presidential rivals wait for the election results. the average person in this country checks their smartphone every 12 minutes, according to a new survey by the media regulator, 0fcom. sport now. good afternoon. india are batting at edgbaston. that's because england's final pairing didn't last long this morning. sam curran was out off the tenth delivery of the morning, edging a catch to the wicketkeeper. they added just two runs to their overnight total and were all out for 287. that means they lost their last seven wickets for just 71 runs. india are xx for x. india are 50 without loss at the moment. andy murray says his win against british number one kyle edmund is his best since his return from injury. murray won in three sets against the man who replaced him

at the top of the british rankings, to reach the third round of the washington 0pen. this was murray's fifth match back as he continues his recovery from hip surgery. johanna konta is putting a run together. after inflicting the biggest defeat of serena william's career, she beat another american at the silicon valley classic, sofia kenin, to reach the third round of this tournament she's won before. the sale winger chris ashton has been named in the england squad. he scored 19 tries in 39 tests for england, and has not played for his country since 2014. but he ended his contract with toulon early to push for a recall and scored a hat—trick for the barbarians against england earlier this year. celtic are closing in on a place in the champions league group phase after reaching the third qualifying round after a goalless draw against rosenborg. they led 3—1 from the first leg and despite the norwegian champions having the better of the chances, they couldn't score so celtic are through to the next round to play ache athens.

win that and they face a play off to then earn a spot in the group phase. the women's british open is under way, the fourth major of the year on the women's tour. play got under way at royal lytham and st anne's this morning. ariya jutanugarn is the world number one, she's bidding for back—to—back majors after winning the us open. bronte law the best of the british so far, in the clubhouse on 2 under par, after a round of 70. three shots off course leader. highlights are on bbc two later tonight. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. 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 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 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 affects 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 devolved government at stormont 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 the department for work and pensions

is trying to ensure that people get the help they need. 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 about 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. it's a very hot again for some of us. let's look at the weather. spot

on. for some of us it's going to be very hot again but much more limited, mostly the south and east, stretching up into yorkshire for a time. lots of sunshine in scotland right now, 25 the expected high for the likes of aberdeenshire. further west, that cloud limits the temperatures. some rain overnight, perhaps rain further south across northern england, possibly even north wales by morning. with all that cloud, we will see temperatures ata high that cloud, we will see temperatures at a high today, not particularly dropping off tonight, probably into the high teams and we will notice it is more humid compared to last night. we have that rain potentially across north england and wales, the dividing line between the more bearable temperatures to the north and some bright sunny weather, and that heat further south, which is going to continue into the weekend, even next week once again. this is bbc news,

our latest headlines. the bank of england has raised interest rates to 0.75%, the highest level since march 2009. there are international calls for restraint in zimbabwe after soldiers opened fire to disperse opposition protestors claiming election fraud. we are bringing you a conference on the bank of england where the governor mark carney is talking about the interest rate rise. good

afternoon, everyone. ifa about the interest rate rise. good afternoon, everyone. if a week is a long time in politics, two years is an eternity in monetary policy. two yea rs an eternity in monetary policy. two years ago, the mpc cut bank rates to an historic low. today the mpc is raising the bank rate by a quarter ofa raising the bank rate by a quarter of a percent to three quarters of a percent. two years ago the uk economy had substantial spare capacity and domestically generated inflation was low. business confidence have fallen sharply to levels last seen in the wake of the financial crisis. inflation was expected to overshoot its target entirely because of the sharp drop in sterling would itself reflected the view of financial markets that brexit would bring, a large negative shock to uk relative incomes. in these circumstances the mpc chose to supportjobs these circumstances the mpc chose to support jobs and activities. these circumstances the mpc chose to

supportjobs and activities. that strategy has worked and employment is ata strategy has worked and employment is at a record high and there is limited spare capacity in the economy, real wages are picking up an external price pressures are declining. with domestically generated inflation building and the prospect of excess demand in the economy emerging, a modest increase in the monetary policy is now appropriate to keep the inflation at 296. uk appropriate to keep the inflation at 2%. uk growth in the second quarter is estimated to have rebranded as expected, consistent with the mpc was myjudgment expected, consistent with the mpc was my judgment that the slowdown expected, consistent with the mpc was myjudgment that the slowdown in the first quarter, that primarily reflected the weather, not the economic climate. construction output rose in may at its strongest rate in two years. retail sales grew at the fastest pace in three years and broader survey indicators of output growth have been along with the committee's expectations. the latest expectations, conditioned on the gently rising path of interest rates, uk demand is expected to grow

at around its current pace. household consumption is expected to grow at a modest rate broadly in line with real incomes. with continued support from external demand, limited spare capacity, the relatively high rates of return on capital and the low cost of finance, business investment is expected to expand at an annual rate of 3.5% over the forecast period, a subdued pace relative to past recoveries, reflecting the drag on brexit related uncertainties. although trade tensions have increased, global growth has become more and even, global growth is still projected to remain above trend, supporting uk activity over the next few years. uk exporters remain in a sweet spot with sterling down 17% in anticipation of a brexit that has not yet happened. 0verall demand growth is likely to average 1.75% over the forecast, just above the new, subdued rate of supply growth.

that is more than sufficient to absorb a very limited degree of spare capacity that currently remains in the economy and to move the economy into excess demand by late 2019. turning to inflation, cpi inflation has fallen back towards the mpc‘s inflation has fallen back towards the mpc's 2% inflation has fallen back towards the mpc‘s 2% target since the start of to 2018, which was 2.4% injune. above target inflation continues to reflect the effect of storing's past depreciation as well as higher energy prices. the committee's latest inflation projection is higher than in may, reflecting the effect of recent rises in energy prices and the 2.5% recent depreciation of sterling. this could inject some volatility for inflation in the near term. the bigger picture remains one of external cost pressures easing with the peaking pack on inflation from the referendum effect on falling sterling behind us and domestic

pressures continuing to build as slack is absorbed. the labour market is strong. unemployment is at a 42 year low and is projected to fall a little further below the mpc‘s estimate. the employment rate and the number of vacancies are at record highs and job to job flows are back around precrisis levels. pay growth has picked up in recent yea rs pay growth has picked up in recent years as the labour market has tightened and companies have found it harder to recruit and retain staff. across the economy as a whole, growth in average which is, excluding bonuses, has risen from around one and three quarters of a percent a year to around 2.5% in 2016, and that wage growth is expected to pick up little further to around 2.75% by around the middle of this year. the picture of strengthening pay is corroborated by a range of indicators. a median pay

settle m e nt a range of indicators. a median pay settlement recorded in the bank's database has settlement recorded in the bank's data base has risen settlement recorded in the bank's database has risen to around 2.5% this year, after having been steady at around 2% for each of the past three years. survey evidence from our agents suggest pay settlements will rise further this year. direct pay indices remain above the historical averages for both permanent and temporary employees. although the current rates of pay growth are lower than precrisis averages, this largely reflects weak productivity growth. as a result, domestic inflationary pressures are rising with whole economy unit labour cost growth increasing from 0.5% on average in 2010—15, to 1.75% in 2016 and two above 2% most recently. unit labour cost growth is projected to average 2.25% over the forecast, a rate that is consistent with inflation. in this environment

and ongoing limited and gradual tightening of monetary policy is likely to be required in order to return inflation sustainably to its target at a conventional horizon. the mpc‘s central projection, conditioned on a market path for the bank rate that incorporates around three rate rises over the next three yea rs, three rate rises over the next three years, inflation remains above target at the conventional two—year horizon. if the bank rate were to remain at its new level at 0.75, inflation would be expected to remain above 2% throughout the next two years. the two issues will have a particularly important influence on monetary policy going forward. you can guess the first, which is brexit, it is on the front of the papers and top of the news most days. as has been the case for some time, the mpc‘s forecast is conditional on the assumption of a relatively smooth transition to an average of a range of outcomes. this

is not a prediction, but the simplifying assumption that broadly reflects how uk businesses and households are behaving. the committee recognises that the economic outlook could be influenced significantly by the response of those businesses and households and financial markets to developments related to the process of eu withdrawal. those negotiations are now entering a critical period with the eu and the uk both seeking an agreement by the end of the year. although the range of potential outcomes is wide, what matters for monetary policy is how people react to these developments and how these reactions affect the balance of supply, reactions affect the balance of supply, demand and the exchange rate. pacifier, british households have been resilient but not indifferent to brexit news. consumer confidence has been little changed in recent months, below its pre—reference levels, but around is longer term average. household

spending has been increasing broadly in line with real incomes, though major purchases have slowed and the housing market is subdued. financial markets, particularly sterling, marked down the uk's relative prospects, with sterling assets having increased somewhat in recent weeks. since the referendum business investment has picked up, but businesses have invested much less aggressively than usual in response to an otherwise favourable environment. there are signs that business sentiment is softening again with references to uncertainty in their conversation with bank agents and policymakers spiking sharply, and concerns about brexit in surveys such as deloitte's, now at their highest level since the referendum. the second issue that will influence monetary policy setting equilibrium interest rates is as obscure as brexit is

prominent. the equilibrium interest rate is the interest rate that if the economy starts from a position with no output gap and inflationary target, it would sustain output at potential and keep inflation at target. this is not a direct guide to setting monetary policy, it is a way to think about the forces acting on the economy and whether policy as a whole is stimulative or contracting. the appropriate level of bank rate depends not only on the level, but also on the need to close any output gap that might exist and whether shops merit varying horizon or whether the mpc seeks to determining the target. the mpc today published its assessment of the factors influencing it. the key message is, the level of bank rate consistent with output potential, inflation target, has fallen

significantly from precrisis levels. this has been caused by both structural forces such as productivity and demographics, and shorter term forces as uncertainty in private and public deleveraging. both of those have pushed the equilibrium rate down further. even though the bank rate has been low, the stance of monetary policy in recent yea rs the stance of monetary policy in recent years has been mildly rather than wildly accommodated. indeed, the fact that today the economy is near full employment and core cpi tells us that the combination, sorry the core cpi is at 1.9%, tells us that the combination of historically low rates and asset purchases two yea rs low rates and asset purchases two years ago was about right. tighter policy then would have led to worst outcomes now. the box also provides context to a long—held guidance that rate rises are expected to be limited and gradual. limited because

we think those structural factors that have pushed down our equilibrium interest rates are likely to persist. and gradual because we think the domestic shorter term factors, particularly those headwinds from uncertainty and fiscal drag will fade slowly. as a result, our star can be expected to rise gradually and policy needs to walk, not run, to stand still. to conclude, in recent years the uk has faced a series of supply shocks and regime shifts that have created a set of difficult trade—offs for monetary policy. brexit is the most recent and potentially the most important example. but if the economy work to continue to develop broadly in line with these inflationary projections, the mpc judges that an ongoing tightening of monetary policy over the forecast horizon would be appropriate to return inflation sustainably to its 296 return inflation sustainably to its 2% target. as was the case before,

thatjudgment relies 2% target. as was the case before, that judgment relies on 2% target. as was the case before, thatjudgment relies on the economic element being broadly consistent with the mpc‘s predictions and it relies on households and businesses and financial markets how they respond as brexit progresses. the mpc reminds that any further increases in bank rate are likely to be ata increases in bank rate are likely to be at a gradual pace and to a limited extent. the bank is well prepared for whatever path the economy takes, including a wide range of potential brexit outcomes. the uk banking system has sufficient capital to continue lending even through a disorderly and cliff edge brexit, however unlikely that might be. a cliff edge brexit risks that the private financial institutions cannot self cell, the bank of england is working with her majesty's treasury to find solutions. with those issues across border, the bank is working with the mpc to manage them. the mpc will respond to a persistent change in outlook to bring jobs and activity.

that is how we set policy two years ago, that is how we are setting it today and that is how we will do so in the future. i appreciate your questions. if you give us your name and the organisation you represent and the organisation you represent and please stick to one question. i will go to bed and then back there. ,, way will go to bed and then back there. " way from sky news. you spent the last five years or so trying to prepare households and businesses for this moment when we will move out of crisis era rates to something getting towards normality. do you think people and businesses are ready for this? i will draw your attention to something which is the ons attention to something which is the 0ns talking about the fact that households have become net borrowers across the economy, but there might be pockets of household at the lower end of the income spectrum that have larger amounts of debt. are you

concerned about the impact this will have? i will make a few points and then pass to ben. the first thing is, we spent a tremendous amount of time as the nbc and the fvc looking at the various cohorts of household ifi at the various cohorts of household if i can put it that way, so highly indebted households, households with a cleaner balance sheet and household in different regions and household in different regions and household with a lot of assets, and try to determine whether pockets of risk are and what can be done about them. if it is the mpc, what is the aggregate impact of any change in monetary policy on spending decisions on the economy? we make the point as the mpc, what we are looking to do is to return inflation not just to target, looking to do is to return inflation notjust to target, but looking to do is to return inflation not just to target, but sustainably to target. we are looking to take into account the feedback from the change in interest rates. the second

thing is part of our guidance, in fa ct thing is part of our guidance, in fact the first purpose of our guidance on interest rates which has been twofold, one is expected interest rates to go up, but secondly expect them to go up at a gradual pace, which is to give households first and foremost, and businesses and financial markets, some context to the type of changes we think are necessary for that sustainable path for the economy. you can look at a variety of ways in the situation, but in the run—up to this increase, about three quarters of households have expected that rates would go up over the course of the year, similarly the same proportion of businesses. for financial markets it is precisely calibrated to certain point in time. then what we do, to go back to the first point, is look very carefully

at the ability for various households to shoulder interest rate increases. the benefit of interest rate increases is to those households that carry savings, it is detailed in this monetary policy report that some of this analysis that we look at, and it is not rental, but the important thing to recognise is that since the financial crisis over the course of the last ten or 11 years, uk households have worked very hard to put themselves in a better financial position. that has been difficult because real income growth has been slow. but the fact is, they have paid down a lot of debt and actually their ability to service that debt, their ability to service that debt, the ability to pay that, has improved quite markedly. i will give you two snapshots on this that are detailed in the report, but if you look at the average debt service

ratio of households it is currently well below historic averages, and certainly below the peak going into the crisis. it would take another 100 basis point increase in interest rate, so a 1% increase in interest rates instantaneously to bring that debt servicing burden back to the historic average. that is a calculation that is done without any increase in household income alongside. it would be a pretty curious set of circumstances that the mpc were to raise interest rates substantially without a growth in household income. secondly, the other calculation that is important is if you look at those households who are more burdened i heavy debt, those who have debt service ratio is about 35—40%, to get that proportion

of household back to the historic average, not the precrisis peak, would take 200 basis points of rate increases again without any corresponding increase in wages. so there is a lot more capacity through there is a lot more capacity through the hard work of uk households that they have created to service those debts. the last point before i pass to ben to talk about balance sheets, and the mpc is very cognitive of this, one thing the mpc did, and the national policy committee, was to put in place a mortgage affordability test. if anyone who has taken a mortgage out in the last three years, they would know you would have to be able to service that mortgage not at the current 2% rate on a 75 two—year fixed rate you can get today, but at 7%. 0k?

rate on a 75 two—year fixed rate you can get today, but at 7%. ok? we just raised interest rates by a quarter of a percent. it all fits together. the question is important, but we have got to look at it in the aggregate and bring it back together. i want to talk a bit about the financial balance of household and to remind people about the revisions to that number. household saving has two bits, a financial bit, what are they adding to the natural assets less the debt? then it has the physical bit, new housing mostly. the 0ns bit is about the financial balance. it is true that if you look at the latest data, 2017 is the first year for many in decades in which that was negative, but it is not the first year in which the initial estimate was negative. i have taken a number

since 2000, so 17 years were up until 2016, the initial estimate was negative on 13 occasions, so 13 out of 17 years it was negative and in every single year the latest estimate is about that and have been revised up 17 years in a row and the average revision is pretty big, about 50 billion quid. i have no doubt at all it is clear that saving has fallen in the last two years since the referendum and that is likely to be a feature of the data even when they do settle down the estimates. but i think one should probably wait until they settle down to conclude that it is definitely negative. that remains to be seen. itv news. you have been talking about average household debt levels. the concern among charities in

particular is those on lower incomes and the 0ns suggest they are the most overextended. 0ne charity has responded and is saying the wider economy can cope with higher interest rates, but it does not mean individual households can. how many individual households can. how many individual households can. how many individual households do you think will struggle to absorb this interest rate rise? when i went to qualify my answer, i am qualifying your question, because i went into detail, i did not talk about the aggregate. by going into those vulnerable households which experience consistently in this economy, it happens to correspond with other economies, where households get into real trouble in terms of servicing their debt is when that debt service ratio gets to around 35 and 40%. as the mpc, but

even more so as the sbc which talks all the time to the mpc, we spent a lot of time looking at those key points. we do look at exactly this issue. the other thing we do is we look at not just this disaggregated data by cohorts, but we look at survey evidence in terms of ability to handle rate increases and what will individuals have to do potentially to adjust to these rate increases? 0ne potentially to adjust to these rate increases? one of the issues is whether the cohort, the poorest households, what is the debt burden? what is the nature of the debt burden of the poorest households and what is the impact of that? mortgage debt is quite often not mortgage debt, it is quite often credit card debt, it is quite often credit card debt unfortunately, or overdraft

debt. that is relatively rate insensitive. it is a relatively high cost d e bt insensitive. it is a relatively high cost debt and is a difficult position to be in, but the impact of a25 position to be in, but the impact of a 25 basis point change on the mid—19 credit card bill is relatively minor, in many cases it is not passed on by the credit card company. but to go to the specific question, the estimate is around 2.596 question, the estimate is around 2.5% of households, the energy survey, something we ran on twice a year basis to assess precisely these issues in terms of sensitivity, about 2.5% of households would have to ta ke about 2.5% of households would have to take quite significant action in order to adjust to a rate increase. but i will finish on this, which is to put it back up, monetary policy, like financial stability policy, is for the economy as a whole. 0ne

like financial stability policy, is for the economy as a whole. one of the reasons why that is the case is that the pressure is ultimately on inflation and the forces that determine whether the economy can get to and remain in full employment have to be addressed on the economy asa have to be addressed on the economy as a whole. the households that are most affected by higher, volatile inflation, and most likely to be out of work unfortunately are the poorest households. the best thing we can do is to make sure that we are keeping inflation sustainably at target and keeping this economy on track. the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, explaining the reasoning behind the bank was my decision to increase interest rates from 0.5% to 0.75%. he is saying that britain's economy was recovering from weakness earlier in the year. the bank's monetary policy committee unanimously decided to go

for that increase in the base rate, now at its highest level since march 2000 and nine. more on that throughout the day. in a moment it is time for the one o'clock news, but first let's take a look at the weather forecast. temperatures have once again ascended into the high 20s in southern and eastern areas and that isa southern and eastern areas and that is a bit warmer than yesterday. you can see clear skies in dorset. but it has not been the case everywhere. it has been raging in north—east scotla nd it has been raging in north—east scotland this morning and we still have a weather front in central parts of the uk with another pulse of rain coming in later on in the day. the best of the sunshine has been eastern scotland and southern and eastern areas. elsewhere there isa and eastern areas. elsewhere there is a bit more fair weather cloud around. it is quite low in the irish sea coast, but still that sunshine

prevails in eastern scotland. in the evening more rain will come back into northern ireland and south—west scotland. not heavy rain, we have had drizzly rain in the irish sea coast, but by and large it is fine and dry and it will be hot and fair for the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. the rain continues and it will be another muqqy continues and it will be another muggy night and it will be madly in southern and eastern areas, compared with a comfortable night last night. as we move into friday that weather front straddles the country and it is the dividing line between that heat and increasingly hot weather in the south and east of the country compared with fresh atlantic air to the north. although there will be a few showers across parts of scotland and northern ireland, there will be fair weather around on friday and it will feel quite comfortable. more rain comes into wales and northern england, perhaps a wet day at times, but not a wash—out. it will still be

pretty warm. 25 anthony cloud, but possibly 32 or 33 in southern and eastern areas. that he continues over the weekend across the bulk of england and wales. a lot of dry and bright weather in northern ireland and scotland, but variable temperatures. 0n scotland the temperatures. 0n scotland the temperatures will be held down with the rain and the wind. high temperatures further south. the northern half of the country will keep the cooler and pleasant conditions. hotter in the south—east. interest rates go up to their highest level since 2009. the bank of england increases the base rate to 0.75% to try to tame inflation. we'll find out what today's decision means for borrowers and savers. also this lunchtime: an independent review into the murder of a toddler by her adoptive father, says some opportunities were missed to raise concerns about her care.

appeals for calm in zimbabwe, after fatal protests about the election — the results of the presidential vote are promised soon. the number of calls made on mobiles falls for the first time ever — though new research shows we check our phone every 12 minutes. and, holiday—makers going abroad are warned to prepare for extreme heat — many parts of europe are hitting temperatures into the 40s.