tonight at ten. pregnant women are urged to get fully vaccinated against covid because they face a higher risk of serious illness. we speak to one mother of twins who was seriously ill with covid when her children were born. she'd not been able to get vaccinated in time, her life was at risk and her message is clear. they were taking the decisions on my life. thinking ok, this woman might not make it. i wouldn't want any woman to face what i faced. we'll have more details of the study conducted by nhs england. also tonight... the energy needs of industry need more government attention, according to business leaders. to cross iranian territory, hoping to reach turkey.

the journey is full of risk, but some afghans still feel this is their best hope. the prince of wales tells the bbc that he sympathises with the aims of eco—protesters — but not with their methods. and, captain kirk takes a real—life journey into space — the 90—year—old actor william shatner explains why. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel. wales continued their quest to feature at a first world cup since 1958. they're in qualifying action away to estonia. good evening. pregnant women are being urged by the nhs to get fully vaccinated against covid. the appeal was made following official figures which show a significant proportion

of patients needing intensive care treatment are unvaccinated, pregnant women with covid. the royal college of midwives says pregnant women have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus. nhs england found that betweenjuly and september, out of 118 people who needed the most intensive kind of life support, 20 were pregnant women, with 19 of those unvaccinated. one of the women had received a single dose of a covid vaccine. with more details on the findings, here's our health editor, hugh pym. we've been trying to have a baby for a long time now. i can't believe we're still both here, to be honest. it's not long now and he's going to be in the world. claire is reliving her covid ordeal injuly, seriously ill when she was 26 weeks pregnant and then on a ventilator in intensive care 12 days. i thought i was going to die and i thought he was going to die and we'd waited so long for this

family that that was the greatest fear, that my husband was going to lose us both. claire did her own research on the vaccines, but by the time she decided to have the jab, it was too late, she'd got the virus. along with medical experts she's appealing to expectant mums to get vaccinated. some said the guidelines earlier this year were confusing but health leaders now say it's clear, covid can create serious risks for pregnant women. if they become unwell with covid—19 they are more likely to need intensive care. they are also more likely to give birth prematurely, and that has a long—term effect for the baby. they are unfortunately more likely to have a stillbirth and much more likely to have a cesarean section. here at royal papworth hospital in cambridge, there is a specialist unit using technology known as ecmo, in effect an artificial lung. some women who have just had their babies have become so sick that they have had to brought

here for treatment with the most intensive form of life support available for covid—19 patients. rachel is a consultant here. she has witnessed the heartache for mothers treated away from their babies. i think it is devastating for the mother, for the family and for our staff, seeing a woman being separated from their baby for weeks, it could be months. i often see tears in the unit from both sides. sultana was one of those mums, her twins were by emergency cesarean because she was so ill with covid. she had to be transferred without them to intensive care at royal papworth. while i was asleep my twins were born. i had no idea my babies were born. they were kept somewhere else. i'm lying down somewhere else deteriorating, and they were taking

the decisions on my life thinking, ok, this woman might not make it. sultana says she didn't get to hold her baby girls for weeks. for 41 days, this will always be a gap in my life. my husband was taking care of them, changing their nappies. my sister was doing that while i was not doing that? that gap can never be filled, regardless, i have the diaries, i have the photos, i was them through the screen. so i wouldn't want any woman to face what i faced. we are so excited today! these are happier times. she hadn't had a jab because she got ill in the early stages of the vaccine roll—out, but her plea to all expectant mothers is to get vaccinated as it can help families as well as protecting mums to be.

hugh pym, bbc news. the health secretary, sajid javid, has written to secondary school students in england, urging them to get vaccinated. the uk government says all 12—15 year—olds will be offered jabs before the half—term break this month, beginning on friday. but so far in england, only 11% in that age group have been vaccinated. in wales, the figure�*s 24% and in scotland it's 36%. as yet, northern ireland hasn't started vaccinations for 12—15 year olds. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more details. the decision to vaccinate all 12 to 15 year—olds was complicated. the health case was finely balanced, but other factors, like the impact on education through missed school days, meant the uk's chief medical officers decided it should go ahead. for this headteacher in greater manchester, it was the right decision but not one he wants to force on parents. we've made sure we've given

all the information to the parents from the local authority. we've been very clear that we are not a vaccination centre. we haven't been effectively promoting vaccinations and we've left it up to the parents and the pupil to make that decision. well, it's now three weeks since the launch of this vaccination programme for 12 to 15 year—olds, but there are some concerns that, in england at least, it's been a bit of a slow start. a number of factors have affected the roll—out. schools need to get parents to sign consent forms. parents who are hesitant about vaccines need to have a discussion with a health professional to address their concerns. and while drop—in centres are used in scotland, jabs in england are only delivered in schools. high infection rates among pupils have also delayed the process. you have to wait 28 days after testing positive before you have the vaccine. so far, vaccination rates in scotland are much higher. perhaps reflecting that use of drop—in centres. the nhs in england says almost 200,000 children have already been jabbed and experts believe the programme will

make a difference. not only does this vaccine help to prevent severe disease and hospitalisations and, of course, deaths, but it also helps to reduce transmission, so if we have 12 to 15 year—olds vaccinated, they are not only less likely to be sick, but they are also much less likely to give this virus to someone else. and the parents we met in altrincham were happy to give their consent. they need to be secure as well. for their education, too? that's correct, to stop spreading the virus, definitely in the class, because there are many students in there, so why not? we just looked at both the positive and the negative sides of the vaccinations and we decided, in terms of avoiding the risk for covid, we would like to take the pfizer for my son, actually. there are some concerns that, after a good start, the vaccination programme across the uk has stalled, at least compared to

other european nations. the progress of this latest roll—out will be an important test. dominic hughes, bbc news, altrincham. the latest official figures on the pandemic show there were 40,221; new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means on average there were nearly 38,000 new cases per day, in the last week. as of friday, there were more than 6,500 people in hospital in the uk, with coronavirus. another 28 deaths have been recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test result, which means on average there were 111 deaths per day, in the past week. 0n vaccinations, 85.5% of the population aged 12 and over, have had their first dose of a vaccine, and 78.6% have been double jabbed. the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, has now made a formal request to the chancellor to support industries affected by soaring energy prices. yesterday, treasury officials accused him of making up claims that

he'd already held talks on the matter. during the day, the steel industry asked ministers to stop "sitting on their hands", and to come up with a swift solution, as our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports. welcome to europe's biggest bottling plant. they make five million bottles a day here, and these furnaces have to get up to 1,600 degrees celsius. all of this is powered by gas. it is extraordinary times, we haven't seen anything like this since we started in business. at the moment, domestic customers are partly shielded from the current price spike because of the price cap and fixed deals, but big companies like this one are feeling the heat right now. they're charged a new rate for gas each day, reflecting the global market, so the price they're having to pay to run this place feels nearly as high as the temperature.

we have little option but to pass these prices on to our customers who will, in theory, pass them onto retail and consumers and that should be a big concern, i guess, for government and for all of us. we're only a couple of miles down the road, but this is where we'll all feel the impact because products made using that expensive gas will be hitting the shelves within the next couple of weeks and we will all be having to pay more as a result. so should the government step in to help big business? what about all companies? you know what i mean? the small independent shops and hairdressers, you know, all companies, they are desperate but what about the families on the street as well? why should it be just companies? you know, it'sjust something about the prices that needs addressing full—stop, really. if the government is going to pay the gas bill, - then they should own the company. why should the british taxpayer pay? things are going up all the time. you know, things which were 20p last week are now 29p and 39p.

everything is going to go up. a few weeks ago, the government decided they would step in and pay the gas bills for one company who make most of the country's carbon dioxide. that funding has come to an end, and today we've heard a deal has been reached for food companies to just pay more for the carbon dioxide they need. but with gas prices staying high, other industries are now demanding the same treatment. either the government foots the bill, or customers will be paying more at the tills. colletta smith, bbc news, in frodsham. 0ur political correspondent nick eardleyjoins me now from westminster. is there any sign, do you detect, of some political solution to this? ministers have been struggling to put on a united front over the last 36 hours. yesterday we had the business secretary saying he was in talks with the treasury. a treasury source denied that the said the

business secretary was mistaken. and with the prime minister on holiday it was left to his spokesman to insist to ministers that we are working on a solution together. there has been a concrete proposal from the business secretary to the treasury tonight. that is likely to involve alone and likely to cost hundreds of millions of pounds over the next few weeks. there was no confirmation from number ten about its position. the treasury is still working through the various options. but the expectations in the business department tonight is that they have the prime minister's backing to bring in a significant support package in the next few days. hick package in the next few days. nick eardle , package in the next few days. nick eardley. thanks — package in the next few days. nick eardley, thanks very much. the prince of wales has told the bbc that world leaders heading for the un climate change conference in glasgow next month must take bold action on global warming, rather than "just talk". in a wide—ranging interview, prince charles also said he understood why climate change

activists took to the streets, but he said that actions such as blocking roads were not helpful. he was speaking to our climate editor, justin rowlatt, in the gardens of the balmoral estate in royal deeside. lovely to see you. great to see you. this was a rather empty field that the farm didn't need any more, so i thought, "ah..." the great thing was i managed to plant it the same year that my grandson was born, the eldest, george. it's a legacy, an inheritance for your grandchildren. how worried are you about the state of that inheritance? deeply worried. i've always felt that we're somehow trained to believe that nature is a separate thing from us and we can just exploit and control and suppress everything about her without suffering the consequences. the narrative has changed. you know, lots of the things that you said are now mainstream... it's taken far too long. ..and world leaders are gathering

in glasgow to talk about the kind of issues that you were... yeah, but they just talk. and the problem is to get action on the ground, which is what i've been trying to do for the last a0 years. what about the people that protest? what about, kind of, extinction rebellion? do you understand why they go out...? yes, of course i do, but it isn't helpful, i don't think, to do it in a way that alienates people. so, i totally understand the frustration. the difficulty is how do you direct that frustration in a way that is more constructive rather than destructive? so, people should really notice how despairing so many young are. is our government doing enough to make these things happen? i couldn't possibly comment. it's true to say that you've got a pretty hefty carbon footprint. it must take a lot of gas to heat a palace. yes, yes, but i have tried, for a very long time, to make sure that the heating's done in a way that is as sustainable as possible. so, i've got electric cars. like my old aston martin, which i've had for 51 years, runs on, can you believe this, surplus english white wine and whey from the cheese process.

so, what would you say to people watching this in terms of diet? should they be eating less meat? for years, i haven't eaten meat and fish on two days a week, and i don't eat dairy products on one day a week. it's an autumn garden, isn't it? it's really for autumn colour. and a bit of spring. a lot of parts of britain arejust prairie farms. avenues... cos one of the things i've been wanting to do... avenues of trees... ? yes, i've been wanting to help plant avenues of trees which could commemorate all the people who've died during this pandemic. in fact, there was a wonderful example in australia, after the first world war, when they planted avenues of trees to commemorate all the people who died. when you take what a difference, you know, urban trees make, and they're wonderful

in the landscape as well. the prince of wales talking to our climate editorjustin rowlatt. and if you want to see that whole interview, prince charles and his battle for our planet, it's on the bbc iplayer right now. in turkey, the authorities have boosted security on their border with iran and warned they won't accept an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing the taliban in afghanistan. turkey already has the world's largest refugee population of around 4 million people. of those, 3.6 million are syrians and there is evidence of growing anti—migrant sentiment among the turkish population. many afghans make the journey to turkey through iran, hoping to travel onwards to europe. 0ur international correspondent 0rla guerin has been to the turkish border province of van, and sent this report. turkey is cracking down on those who sneak across the border.

even those in this smuggler�*s safe house, who may have fled in fear from the taliban. well, the operation here has taken just a few minutes. there are about a0 men inside sitting down looking tired, some looking quite scared. the conditions are pretty squalid and the police here are telling us they believe these men have come from afghanistan. we were flown across van province to turkey's remote eastern border, where many try to enter. if they can get past this, turkey's border wall with iran. built three years ago and now being extended. since the fall of kabul, reinforcements have arrived. there's been an about—face in turkey on refugees and migrants. the country has already absorbed

3.6 million syrians. the local governor says there will be no influx across this border. the watchtowers here were funded by the european union. it doesn't want a new wave of arrivals reaching its doors. take a look at the terrain here. this is a mountainous region. it's exposed, the ground is rough, and crossing iran to reach the turkish border here can take a month or more. the journey is full of risk, but some afghans still feel this is their best hope. like this group, who we

found on turkish soil. among them, men who stood against the taliban. afghan soldiers and police. like this man from kabul. here he was, proudly serving his country. he told me in recent weeks the taliban have killed some of his brothers in arms, despite promising an amnesty. soon they were on the move and on the run, hoping to avoid capture by the turkish police. "0k, 0k, we're coming," he tells the waiting smuggler. but since we filmed these pictures, he and some of the others have been detained.

they can no longer go forward, and they dare not go back. 0rla guerin, bbc news, on the turkish iranian border. the family of a healthcare worker who died after the manchester arena bombing have criticised some emergency services. the inquiry into the bombing has heard thatjohn atkinson might have survived had he been treated more quickly. today his family refused to accept an apology from the ambulance service's operational commander on the night. the royal society — the learned society founded in 1660 which includes some of the world's most eminent scientists — says it's looking at every possible option for improving the number of black scientific researchers. eminent black scientists have told bbc news that they believe the field of research is institutionally racist and suffers from systemic bias. black people account forjust 1.7% of research staff in the uk. 0ur science correspondent

pallab ghosh has the story. drjazmin scarlett has been trying to get a job as a researcher for more than a year. she's a highly qualified geoscientist. dr scarlett was also awarded a prestigious metal from the royal geological society, but so far she's received more than 30 rejections. sometimes i feel like is it because i am black that i've been rejected, particularly because most of my peers, for example, who are white, they have gone on to be successful and get positions. and i'm still stuck in this almost never—ending cycle where there's no way i feel like i can progress in my own career aspirations, where others can. there's plenty of enthusiasm for science from these students starting out at imperial college, but the data shows that once they begin research, black people drop out in greater numbers than any other ethnic group at every stage of their scientific careers.

after a while, ijust felt like i don't belong, sort of, in, like, where i was... this woman is one of them. she was among the brightest students at imperial and got a first—class degree. she tells others who also left science why she couldn't see a future as a physicist. i think once you look at the faculty, as well, you don't see people that look like you in those positions where they would recommend you for a phd, where they would support you, and, yeah, cos you don't see that, it becomes hard to imagine what your life would be like in that space. the latest data shows that 6.3% of black people who begin research drop out after a few years. that compares with 3.8% for white students. and it's harder to get the top jobs. 3.5% of black researchers are made professors. that compares with 11.9% for their white colleagues. i think that the research culture

in the uk is definitely— institutionally racist, _ and i think at the root of all this is the idea that academia - and science and these very clever people are not representative of broader society, there's no discrimination amongst us - because we're clever and smart and we're progressive and liberal. but racism and racists persist within those networks, too. l senior black researchers say the problem isn't so much aggressive or overt racism, but more a lack of support and understanding. the leader of the country's most influential scientific body wants all options to be explored to change the situation. this includes tying funding to improvements in racial diversity in universities. we could look at other areas where this has been done, particularly in gender. what has worked in other areas, and can we replicate that? so, i think everything is on the table. i'm very open to trying to help find solutions to this, whatever they are.

drjazmin scarlett fills out anotherjob application, hoping that she'll be judged not by the colour of her skin, but by her qualities as a scientist. pallab ghosh, bbc news. football, and in tonight's world cup qualifier, wales beat estonia. a goalfrom kieffer moore put wales in the lead after 12 minutes and they held on for a 1—0 victory, which keeps them in third place in theirgroup. the veteran actor william shatner, who played captain kirk in the �*60s television series star trek, will finally get an opportunity to venture into space at the age of 90, and he admits he's terrified at the prospect. he'll be onboard the spacecraft developed by the multi—billionaire founder of amazon, jeff bezos. high winds at the launch site have delayed the launch until wednesday, as our correspondent sophie long

reports from texas. as cool and calm as captainjames t kirk. for decades, he played a character synonymous with space exploration. now, at 90, he's about to boldly go where no nonagenarian sci—fi star has gone before. what a thing to happen. he's the oldest guy that went into space! i want to have the vision. i want to see space. i want to see the earth. i want to see what we need to do to save earth. i want to have a perspective that hasn't been shown to me before. and you're going to hear the engine cut off... his highly anticipated blast—off has reignited interest both in both the star trek... that's exactly what i would have done. ..and blue 0rigin brands, taking the world of pr to a stratospheric level. now, fire blind, lay down a pattern. it comes amid claims the space company has a toxic environment and failed to adhere to proper safety protocols, accusations it denies. thatjust hasn't been .

my experience at blue. we're exceedingly thorough, from the earliest days up - through now as we've - started our human flights, and safety has always been our top priority. j # rocket man # burning out his fuse out here alone...# there's debate over whether he'll return to earth an astronaut, but as he himself said, he will be a real rocket man. fantastic! like blue 0rigin owner and star trek superfanjeff bezos, he'll experience zero gravity before gliding back to earth. the billionaires leading this space race say it's more than a rocket—fuelled ego trip. yeah! well done! they claim it could help us all to live long and prosper. sophie long, bbc news, west texas. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.

well, it's not been a bad day across most of the uk today. some hazy sunshine out there, but not everywhere. northern parts of the country have been fairly overcast. a weather front has been brushing the north all day long, and it's been quite wet in the north—west highlands, the hebrides as well. but to the south, we've got the clearer spells, and this is how it's going to continue through the night. the clearest of the weather will be across southern and central areas, whereas across scotland and to an extent also the north sea counties, it will be fairly overcast. but where the skies clear, that's where we'll have the lowest temperatures, around 6—7 in the south. so, here's tomorrow's weather, and again cloudy across much of scotland, also the north east of england and down that north sea coast. but the further west and south you are, the brighter the weather will be. light winds, some sunny spells there in cardiff and 17 degrees, not bad at all. and that's how it's going to be on wednesday, as well, even a degree or so higher. 0n the whole, it's a fine day midweek.

you're watching bbc news. the latest headlines. in the uk, new data shows the one in six of those ill with covid—19 are unvaccinated pregnant women. iraq says it has captured the financial chief of the group that because itself the islamic state. central been apprehended outside of iraq, the militant group are still carrying out attacks in the country. the blood led by the powerful cleric might end up with the power to anoint the next minister. they will make rotella terry measures against the country following a controversial court ruling that goes against one of the court rulings of the european union. we have come out and support of the eu. those are the headlines.