prince harry makes his first public appearance since announcing he and meghan will be stepping back from front—line royal duties. the duke of sussex met schoolchildren at buckingham palace as he hosted the draw for next year's rugby league world cup. so the couple have said they want to step back from royal duties, so could this be one of the last time as we see prince harry representing his family in this way? we'll have more from the palace as talks continue to work out the future roles of harry and meghan. also this lunchtime: time for life or death decisions on climate change — a warning from sir david attenborough. we have been putting things off year after year, we've been raising targets and saying, "oh, well, if we do

it within the next 20 years or if we do it..." the moment of crisis has come. the nhs condemns what it calls shameful tactics by betting companies to fuel gambling addiction. tv cameras to be allowed in crown courts in england and wales — but only for thejudge‘s sentencing remarks. and england make a solid start in the crucial third test against south africa. and coming up on bbc news — a ban on children heading footballs could come into force in just a few weeks in scotland because of fears of a link between head injuries and dementia.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. prince harry has made his first public appearance since announcing that he and his wife meghan want to scale back their royal duties. the duke of sussex has been at buckingham palace hosting the draw for next year's rugby league world cup. meghan is currently in canada with their son archie, as intensive talks continue with royal officials about the couple's future. helena wilkinson reports. prince harry looked relaxed as he returned to royal duty today, in the gardens of buckingham palace he spent time watching a local schoolchildren play rugby and meeting them after. it is moments like this where his popularity as a leading royal is clear, it is where he shines — butjust how much more of these will be doing in the future? as part of the day's engagement, prince harry went on to host the draw for the league world

cup. australia... the competition ta kes pla ce cup. australia... the competition takes place late next year in 17 cities across england. there will be a mental fitness charter running alongside it which prince harry has been involved in. for many years, it has been at the forefront of promoting good mentalfitness... he also presented and invictus games video released last night. all of these comes nearly a week after prince harry and his wife meghan said they wanted to step back from their roles as senior royals. on tuesday, she spent time with those involved in a charity in vancouver which campaigns for teenage girls living in poverty. she also visited the downtown eastside women's centre. exactly what role the couple will have going forward is still very much unclear. talks are continuing to take place behind

closed doors. on monday, after a family meeting, the queen asked for decisions on the sussexes' future to be within days. at the moment, there are many unanswered questions as to how their new roles will work. we'll prince harry, for example, be able to continue with his role as patron of the rugby football league if the couple spend a considerable time in canada? couple spend a considerable time in canada ? today was couple spend a considerable time in canada? today was a traditional royal engagement for prince harry. it is probably the last time we will see him do this sort of thing in the ukfora see him do this sort of thing in the uk for a while. he is expected to join his wife in canada in the not—too—distant join his wife in canada in the not—too—dista nt future. join his wife in canada in the not—too—distant future. helen wilkinson, bbc news. our royal correspondent sarah campbell is at buckingham palace now. there may not be too many more of this type of appearance from prince harry. indeed, and no disrespect meant to be rugby football league, but i don't think lines of royal correspondence have lined up to

watch that drawer before, and that is when things weren't normal, prince harry in the garden of buckingham palace, doing what he has done so many times before, as a member of the royal family, to shine a spotlight on a cause or event, this time the rugby world cup, and also an accompanying mental health charter to go along with it. but he and meghan have made clear this is not the future they see for themselves, so watching him, there are many questions to ask, which is, will this be the last time, at least for a while, that we will see him at an engagement such as this? will he wa nt to an engagement such as this? will he want to remain patron of organisations such as this? and if so, how will he do that if he is spending considerable time on another continent? as per the queen's request, those discussions as to the couple's future are continuing behind closed doors, and one brave reporter today, braving, breaking protocol, did shout a question, did ask, how the

discussions are going, he just smiled and carried on walking. all right, sarah, thank you very much, sarah campbell, our royal correspondent. the naturalist and broadcaster sir david attenborough has told the bbc that "the moment of crisis has come" on climate change. he says governments can no longer put off taking urgent action to reduce global warming. sir david says the current wildfires in australia are clear evidence of the consequences of rising temperatures. he's been speaking to our science editor, david shukman. the fires in australia are ferocious, out—of—control, and far worse than usual. they've made headlines around the world, and scientists have warned that climate change has made them more severe. now sir david attenborough agrees with them. as i speak, south—east australia is on fire. why? because the temperatures of the earth are increasing. that is a major national, international catastrophe. and to say, "oh, it's nothing

to do with the climate," is palpably nonsense. and because the most recent talks on climate change in madrid last month ended with little agreement, sir david says that key decisions can no longer be delayed. we have been putting things off year after year, we've been raising targets and saying, "oh, well, if we do it within the next 20 years, or if we do it..." the moment of crisis has come. this is notjust having nice little debates and arguments and coming away with a compromise. this is an urgent problem that has to be solved, and what's more, we know how to do it — that's the paradoxical thing, that we're refusing to take steps that we know have to be taken. and every year that passes makes those steps more and more difficult to achieve. from your observations and travels, what's your sense about whether people understand the importance to their own

lives of the functioning of the natural world? the natural world is not just an inanimate object from which you can plunder riches and plunder food, which is whatever you require. we actually depend upon the natural world for every breath of air we take and every mouthful of food that we eat. that may sound extreme, but if you have the basic understanding of the way that the world works, the natural world works, you know that we breathe oxygen, and that oxygen isn't renewed automatically — it comes from plants. and if you wreck the oceans, and if you knock down the forests, you reduce the amount of oxygen that there is in the atmosphere for us to breathe. as new research says the melting of the ice sheet is accelerating and extremes of weather are set to become more severe, sir david hopes the world will now respond. david shukman, bbc news.

joining me now is our global science correspondent, rebecca morelle. at the moment of crisis has come, pretty strong words. it is probably fairto pretty strong words. it is probably fair to say that this is his strongest warning yet on climate change. he said during the interview that he has been warning the world about this problem for the last 30 yea rs, about this problem for the last 30 years, its urgency, and we have heard him speak in the past about seeing the natural world change before his very eyes while he has been filming his landmark documentaries. the thing that is different about this is that you could really hear the exasperation in his voice as he spoke about the lack of action, you can see the frustration in his body language, and he is warning that decisions to cut our greenhouse gas emissions have just been pushed further and further down the line, and if we don't do anything now, it is going to be very hard to solve this problem. what about the timing of these remarks? it does feel like we

are hitting a pivotal moment with climate change, we havejust are hitting a pivotal moment with climate change, we have just found out we finished the warmest decade on record, scientists are publishing ever more worrying research about the impact of global warming, people are taking to the streets to protest, and now sir david attenborough adding his voice, but in 2020 countries around the world are going to have to set out in the greatest detail yet how they plan to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. the issue is, what they have promised so far isn't enough, the world is going to reach dangerously high temperatures and stale, but we are going to find out if they are willing to step up their ambitions, and it is all going to come to a head at a major un meeting in glasgow at the end of the year. but as sir david want, the window of opportunity to act is closing fast. rebecca, thank you, rebecca morelle, oui’ rebecca, thank you, rebecca morelle, our global science correspondent. you can find out more about how we'll be covering climate change this year here on the bbc. just go to our website, bbc.co.uk, or the bbc news app. the national health service

says betting companies are "shameful" in the way they target problem gamblers. clare murdoch, head of mental health services in england, says the nhs cannot to be expected to pick up the pieces. she's calling on the betting industry to end aggressive tactics which lock gamblers into a cycle of addiction. here's our health editor, hugh pym. the gambling industry is coming under increasing scrutiny. addiction and mental health problems are creating concern among health leaders. online gambling's links with major sporting bodies are a particular focus of attention. that's the background to the latest strongly worded letter from nhs england to gambling companies, which calls for more action including restrictions on incentives such as tickets and vip treatment. this industry, which by the way invests more than £1.11 billion a year in advertising alone and which helps it generate its £14 billion profits, invests amongst other things

in aggressive advertising, the use of social media. when you have got problem gamblers who try to stop gambling, it becomes really difficult for them to get away from it. one reformed gambler told us he started young on fruit machines and then was drawn into online gambling, including on his phone. his betting habits swallowed up 60% of his income, and he missed out on family holidays with his daughter. i think it's important that we have got this message from the nhs, because this sort of gambling is inherently linked to mental illnesses, and a lot of people have extreme mental illnesses, far more extreme than i have suffered. the betting and gaming council, representing the industry, said in response to the letter, "we take our responsibility to our customers incredibly seriously and we are determined to raise standards and improve safer gambling." "we are currently working with a range of stakeholders on safer gambling initiatives. "

charities helping problem gamblers say the issue needs action from a range of parties, including government. gambling disorder is a behavioural addiction recognised by the world health organisation, and it is incumbent upon us all to work together to ensure we shine a spotlight on that hidden addiction. a ban on online betting with credit cards has been announced, but the nhs, which has to fund more addiction treatment, says a stronger response from the industry is urgently required. hugh pym, bbc news. foreign ministers from five countries which had citizens on board the passenger plane shot down over iran last week are meeting in london today. canada, ukraine, sweden, afghanistan and britain will seek to maintain pressure on iran for full access to any inqiry. the group will also discuss seeking compensation for the families of the victims. james landalejoins me now.

what are the minister is hoping to achieve with these talks, james? well, ben, above all theyjust want to coordinate their response. before the talks here at the canadian embassy in london, they held a brief ceremonyjust to mark embassy in london, they held a brief ceremony just to mark the embassy in london, they held a brief ceremonyjust to mark the moment, commemorate the dead, they lit a candle and stood for a period of silence in front of a plaque of the names of all of those who died. part of the discussions are issues to deal with the loved ones, the families of those who died, how do you help support them, give them help, consumer issues, visas, information, all of that side of things. the other side of the debate is going to be what pressure they put on iran over the investigation. ministers are, as i understand it, calling for an open, transparent investigation, wanting to make sure that their officials can get access to all the information on the ground. you now, the details about these issues, how do you identify these issues, how do you identify the dead, how do you repatriate the remains back to the right countries, all of those kind of issues that

need to be sorted out. ultimately, there will also be discussions about when and whether iran is going to ta ke when and whether iran is going to take formal responsibility, because there are legal issues about compensation. so a lot to discuss. the problem they've got is discussing all of this stuff, dealing with iran, at a time of acute national crisis, only recently after the american assassination of after the american assassination of a top iranian general, and a continuing dispute over the iran nuclear deal. so as well as all the usual complications of a major air crash, on top of the problems in the region. so it is a difficult discussion, ben. james, thank you very much, james landale, our diplomatic correspondent there. the number of people cautioned or convicted for carrying knives in england and wales has reached its highest level since records began more than a decade ago. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw is with me now. pretty worrying figures. yes, these

figures cover people who have been caught with knives last year, so these are people who are given cautions or who was sentenced by the courts, and what the figures showed is that 14,135 people were dealt with for knife possession offences during that period. that, in fact, is the highest number since the figures were first compiled in 2007. now, when you add in other weapons, the number rises to around 22,300. these figures have been going up steadily since 2013, so they come as no surprise, but they are clearly of concern, and particularly because the number of repeat offenders, the number of people who have been caught before, cautioned or convicted before, is going up, the proportion is now 29%, 29% of all those people caught with weapons have done it before, which suggests that whatever penalty they had before hasn't really worked. now, the government will point out and say that in fact more people are

being sent to prison for knife possession offences, that is correct, about 38% are jailed — and the average sentence length has gone up, it is now over eight months. but the fact remains that we have a problem here, it could partly be because more people are being stopped and searched, the police have increased their use of stop and search, so they could be finding more weapons and finding more knives, but it also reflects this growing trend of some young people carrying weapons for their own protection, and that clearly is continuing. danny, thank you very much indeed, danny shaw, our home affairs correspondent. our top story this lunchtime: the duke of sussex meets schoolchildren at buckingham palace in his first public appearance since announcing he and meghan will be stepping back from front line royal duties. and coming up, calls for urgent reform of the business rates system as empty premises cost taxpayers a billion pounds a year. coming up on bbc news, british tennis player liam broady

has described an e—mail sent to players about air quality at the australian open as a slap in the face after he was made to play his first round qualifying match on tuesday. for the first time, tv cameras are to be allowed to film in crown courts in england and wales. the broadcasts will be restricted to the sentencing remarks the judge makes at the end of a trial. some barristers have warned tv coverage could lead to unfair criticism ofjudges. here's our legal correspondent, clive coleman. this is a moment of history. this is the first time that we have been allowed to broadcast television pictures from court number one at the old bailey — the most famous criminal court in the world. it's here that people like the kray twins, ruth ellis — the last woman to be hanged in britain — the wartime traitor lord haw—haw and the yorkshire ripper peter sutcliffe were tried and sentenced, but when they were sentenced

the only members of the public who got to see it were the few people sitting up there in the public gallery. new laws will allow television cameras to film judges' sentencing remarks in murder, terrorism and other serious high—profile cases. it's a radical extension to the operation of open justice and has been welcomed by thejudiciary. there are two reasons, i think. the first is that it's important that the justice system — what happens in our courts — is as transparent as possible and is consistent with the interests ofjustice, and the second is that it aids public understanding of what the courts are doing. the new measures will apply to crown courts in england and wales. filming in the scottish courts has been allowed since 1992, subject to strict conditions. you were convicted after trial of the murder of margaret fleming. so, is there an unequivocal

welcome for filming judges passing sentence? if the public see their face in the living room and are able to identify them more readily then unfortunately they are more likely, we think, to be personally attacked, and possibly details published about them which shouldn't be. the change in the law doesn't mean that television and online audiences will experience the full drama and turbulence of a criminal trial, like that in america's 1995 trial of oj simpson for the murder of his ex—wife nicole and her friend ron goldman. we, the jury, in the above entitled action, find the defendant orenthaljames simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder. victims, witnesses, lawyers, jurors — none of those will be seen. but it does mean that for the first time millions of viewers will get to see and hear the sentencing remarks ofjudges in some of the most serious criminal cases that come before the courts. clive coleman, bbc news.

the government is revealing proposed new laws under which farmers will be rewarded for protecting the environment, tackling climate change and boosting wildlife. the new agriculture bill will replace eu rules which mean farmers are paid according to how much land they own. our environment analyst roger harrabin is with me now. how significant is this proposed legislation? probably the biggest change in countryside policy since the second world war. we have been trying to encourage more and more food production but it has had devastating impact on wildlife, causing pollution on land and in the air, and the government is trying to change the subsidies, threw away the subsidies after brexit and have a different sort of subsidy that is for things that benefit the public.

one major clause has gone into the bill which was around in the last parliament, one major clause in which farmers will be rewarded for protecting soil. we have massive soil loss in this country and it is a serious issue. this legislation so far has generally been very well received by the nfu and environmentalists. the agriculture bill is completely radical in terms of how we approach farming in this country. what is particularly important is the new measures on soils. we really need healthy soils, not just to deliver food on our plates, but to tackle the climate emergency and restore nature, but what we want to see from government now is support for farmers to implement this bill and make it a reality. that means proper advice and support and monitoring. i should say this is a very broad bill. farmers are also going to be rewarded for protecting water supplies, helping capture water on the land to stop flooding, cutting

pollution, encouraging wildlife, incentives for new forestry. i think we are going to see a very different —looking countryside in years to come. empty business premises cost taxpayers £1 billion a year, which has prompted calls for urgent reform of the business rates system. analysis by bbc news has found some councils lose out on millions of pounds of potential income through a tax relief on empty properties. the treasury said it would announce a review of business rates "in due course". our correspondent david rhodes reports from middlesbrough. our high streets are in trouble — shops and restaurants are shutting as more of us stay away from towns and city centres. in middlesbrough, this restaurant has been open forjust six months, but the burden of its business rates bill puts its future in danger. we'd factored in a rateable valuation of around £12,000, and we got our bill through,

and they'd valued us at 18,000. the evaluation, which ultimately means the pounds and pence rate bill that we have to pay, that the business has to pay or we get taken to court, will see us close. business rates are a form of tax. half the money collected is kept by local councils, and the other half goes to central government. when a retail unit is empty, councils can't collect business rates for a period of up to three months. last year, empty properties cost councils across the country nearly £1 billion in lost revenue, with councils in the north being hardest hit. middlesbrough council needs to cut its budget next year by around £1 million. now, that could affect local services like the library, and empty shops cost middlesbrough £2 million a year in lost business rates. if that money could be collected, it could go towards funding vital local services. empty shops, empty offices, empty anything that is commercial is a nightmare for us. we do get rates on empty properties, but there's a window

where we lose money, and that adds up to a lot. the stupid, crude nature of business rates damages places like middlesbrough. it's completely unfair, ungoverned, and it doesn't work, and we need to scrap business rates. the government says the business rates system is designed to redistribute income to the needs of local areas and that it will announce a review of business rates in due course. but for retailers on the high street, they face many problems, and business rates arejust one of them. david rhodes, bbc news, middlesbrough. there's been some respite for the firefighters battling the bushfires in australia. rain has fallen on parts of south eastern australia — up to 80 millimetres of it in some areas — with more expected. but the rain brings its own problems — there are fears that ash and other debris from the fires could taint drinking water supplies. our correspondent shaimaa khalil is in balmoral in new south wales. for the firefighters that have been working nonstop to control

blazes across victoria and here in new south wales, rainfall has come as a much welcome respite. here in the town of balmoral, i've been told that up until only three days ago some of these trees were still smouldering. so, yes, the rain has come as a much—needed change in the weather, but can it actually help with the fires that are still burning? so, we want at least another couple of days' minimum of decent rain that we've had today. that would have a big effect on the fire itself, potentially, hopefully, to either if not stop it, quieten it down quite dramatically. well, i guess, locally, for us here in balmoral, the clean—up comes to a standstill, because the machinery working in the mud, i guess, causes its own problems, the risk of trees falling over, the risk is high again with the wet ground and the wind there. there are concerns that wet weather could bring about landslides and flash flooding, and in fire—affected areas, rain could then push debris of soil, of rocks and of ash into reserves and contaminate water. so, yes, cooler weather

is a relief for so many people, but heavy rainfall can bring about its own set of problems. cricket now and england have made a solid start to the third test against south africa in port elizabeth. joe root won the toss and batted, a few moments ago england were 136—3. our sports corresondent joe wilson reports. into the mind of south africa's captain. thursday morning what did faf du plessis foresee? well, not this. england batting without alarm. batting with increasing certainty. with crawley and with sibley. and the umpire making encouraging signs. remember, england won the last test in thrilling fashion. now, in port elizabeth... well played. when you are on top, stay on top.

that's the idea. but you're only a second away from a setback. dom sibley had made 36, caught. finally south africa had something. there was relief in the captain's embrace. batsmen dream of the moment when everything aligns. well, joe denly‘s shot here deserves a replay. he probably felt it deserved more than four runs. lovely position in the cover drive. zak crawley on 44, feeling serene, but did he remember how sibley was out? just. ..like that. trap set, batsmen caught. crawley‘s regret. mind you, it was an excellent catch. england's captain came in. scoring was steady. ok, it was slow. in port elizabeth the ocean looked intriguing, but promised bigger waves to come. at times, it felt that way at the cricket. joe wilson, bbc news.

the former formula 1 world champion fernando alonso has escaped serious injury after rolling his car at the dakar rally. it was his first time competing in the race, which this year is being held in saudi arabia. alonso rolled his car several times after driving over a sand dune. it eventually ended up back on its wheels at the bottom of the dune, and the two—time f1 champion was able to continue — despite a smashed windscreen. not surprisingly perhaps, he slipped from tenth place to fourteenth. time for a look at the weather. pretty windy and rainy. again. good news for the weekend. most of us will see dry weather. this is the low pressure bearing down on us at the moment. strong winds already costing in excess of

60 mph in some coastal areas. a lot of cloud further eastwards as well so some fairly dismal conditions out there. lunchtime brought thick cloud across shropshire. the rain is not far away for many eastern areas and it will continue its progress eastwards and combined with the strong winds, fairly atrocious conditions just strong winds, fairly atrocious conditionsjust in time strong winds, fairly atrocious conditions just in time for rush hour. it is relatively mild today compared with yesterday but the rain keeps coming as we go through this evening as well. there is a concern. it doesn't take a lot to get standing water on the faster route so that could be treacherous if you are travelling. the rain clears elsewhere but it could be the early hours before we say goodbye to it across kent and essex. largely frost free except for in northern ireland with the potential for icy patches. sunny spells and scattered showers tomorrow, more so in the morning for

england and wales and the afternoon for scotland and northern