at six — the government confirms it is scaling back its high—speed rail plans for england and spending billions on improvements instead. the extension of the h52 rail line between the east midlands and leeds has been scrapped. a new trans—pennine route linking leeds and manchester won't be built in full. if hs2 is not going to be arriving in yorkshire in the way it was meant to be arriving in yorkshire, that undermines the local place and that affects businesses of every sector. but the government says its £96 billion track and rail improvements will make journey times faster, sooner. i think that this is a fantastic, this is a monumental programme for rail investment, for commuters, for passengers in the east midlands, the west midlands, the whole of the north of the country.

we'll be getting the reaction of commuters and businesses. also on the programme tonight. ambulance services and a&e departments in wales record their worst ever performance times. victims of the cladding crisis. a new study reveals anxiety, depression and thoughts of self—harm. it's kind of like a crippling depression where you can't get up. i didn't see the point in anything, had a really bleak outlook on life. lady gaga talks to us about channelling her childhood experiences into her new film, house of gucci. and coming up on the bbc news channel, the latest on peng shuai, the tennis player who has not been heard of for two weeks since making sexual assault allegations against a top chinese government official.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the government has scrapped the h52 line between the east midlands and leeds, which was promised a decade ago. instead, as part of the integrated rail plan, the government will increase investment in existing lines, which they say will deliver faster journeys sooner. but labour has called the scaling back of the high—speed rail line a betrayal of the north. hs2 was originally meant to connect london with birmingham, manchester and leeds. the leg between the east midlands and leeds will now be scrapped. between manchester and leeds, there will be some improvements, with new high—speed rail in parts, but not what was planned. ministers say the journey between those two cities will still be cut from 53 to 33 minutes, instead of 29 minutes, as had been promised. in total, £96 billion will now be spent upgrading existing services, and building new, but shorter, stretches of high speed track.

katy austin is in leeds for us this evening. yes, the backers of this plan, including the prime minister, say it is much better value for money and strikes a much better balance between improving local services and delivering new high—speed lines. but others, including many in yorkshire, see the scaling back of two major rail projects as nothing less than a broken pledge. this south yorkshire logistics business has been on its own fast journey of expansion, and it is not done yet. the boss hoped hs2 stretching up to leeds would free up much more space on the railways for freight and ease road congestion. i really think that the country needs more rail, more rail infrastructure, to reduce carbon, take more wagons off the road and improve on supply chain demands. the government insists its new plan will still produce faster journey times and add capacity,

but deliver improvements sooner. that is not enough for some. if hsz is not going to be arriving in yorkshire in the way it was meant to be arriving in yorkshire, that undermines the local place and it affects businesses of every sector and therefore, people from all walks of life, whether they are in rail or whatever industry, are upset and invested in this decision. 42 of the £96 billion announced today was already allocated to the first stages of h52, linking london to birmingham and crewe. among the schemes to be funded by the remaining money are the western leg of h52 to manchester, and extensive upgrades to other parts of the rail network. two other sections of high—speed rail will be built but those sections will be smaller and cheaper than under previous proposals. the prime minister nearly missed his train to yorkshire today. once on board, though, he defended the changes. why should people in the north accept less than they were promised? because they are getting an absolutely fantastic new system and yes, of course... it is not quite what

they were promised. people will argue that you are better off spending a long time and tens of billions more carving through virgin countryside and building whole new lines everywhere, but what we are doing is doing something that brings the benefits ten years, or up to ten years faster, and delivers much shorter journey times. but labour has accused the government of going back on its word. the north of england have been betrayed because the prime minister made two very important promises, hsz all the way to leeds, a new line, that promise has been ripped up. he also promised northern powerhouse rail, a new, line from manchester to leeds, and that plan has been ripped up. the plans have received more of a welcome some places. so midlands connect thinks this is a win for the midlands because it will take high—speed trains from birmingham to the east midlands but also allows us to progress our flagship scheme, the midlands rail hub,

which will unlock 11 million seats along the rail network, allowing us to have quickerjourneys from places like hereford, worcester and other cities up and down the midlands. and opponents of hs2 are celebrating. is it good news or what? yes! _ the railway would have torn right through this village near rotherham. in parts of northern england, though, there is a feeling what could have been a golden opportunity has been diminished. katy austin, bbc news. one city that will definitely lose out is bradford. the city had hoped to be included on the proposed new leeds to manchester line with a station built for the new trains. danny savage has been there getting reaction to today's news. the north of england, a place where new trains run on old lines. there is a lot of land outside as well, and we could make this into a station by 2028. there was hope that this market in bradford would be redeveloped as a station for a new high—speed trans—pennine link, known as northern powerhouse rail. but today, that hope died. really disappointing.

i mean, i am somebody who puts my place above politics. so i genuinely believe government when they say they want to level up and they want to invest, but this is a real kick in the teeth for the north. journey times from bradford to leeds will be halved, but passengers heading west, to manchester and beyond, are disappointed. i catch the train from bradford to bolton. it can take up to two hours. it would have been great for the north. to be able to travel on a train that gets you somewhere to your destination a lot faster. instead of a new link, this existing one, between huddersfield and leeds, is going to be upgraded. today's announcements will transform this line but it won't be easy. this is a railway the victorians built. there is an awful lot of engineering work to be done, and it will take years. the plan has divided tory mps, whose constituencies are 75 miles apart. what i was very hopeful to see

was northern powerhouse railj with a stop in bradford. we are one of the most socially deprived areas of the uk, - and i'm really passionate - about increasing that economic | prosperity of the bradford district, and of course that relies on having excellent transport links east, but also west, to manchester. i think levelling up, personally, is about creating good, sustainable, well—paid jobs, and helping people to get there, and there are lots of things to celebrate, from a nottinghamshire perspective, in this plan. but what do the paying customers in leeds think? it seems like obviously on the lancashire side it has all been sorted that way, they have given us these fantastic times of when you're going to get to london, but here, it seems as if we have been forgotten, yet again. i think itjust creates a bigger divide, doesn't it, with the north and the south, which is a shame. yes, i suppose it is disappointing, but again, it is not something - i was desperately in need of. i think what we've got already is more than sufficient. - in time, passengers will notice a better rail network in the north,

but today's announcement falls far short of aspirations this government built up. danny savage, bbc news. our correspondent caroline davies is in westminster. a lot of anger and disappointment. ministers say journey times will still be substantially faster. how realistic is that? well, the government would certainly say they have put this through a full assessment and its workable but it is notjust aboutjourney full assessment and its workable but it is not just about journey times, it is not just about journey times, it is not just about journey times, it is also about capacity and without the extra high—speed line, that will be reduced. it is really important to remember the background to this. conservative party policy has been about hs2 to leeds for years and along with northern powerhouse rail, that has been a key part of the levelling up agenda. whatever way you term it, this is a different plan. the government say a better plan, the old one was outdated and this one will deliver more faster but labour has said of course this is a broken promise that leaves the north behind. some tory mps have reacted in different ways,

this was not going to be to everyone's advantage but those who feel like they have been left behind say their constituents already feel like they have been short—changed. caroline davies in westminster, thank you. nhs hospital emergency departments in wales and its ambulance service have recorded their worst performance figures ever. last month, ambulances reached just half of life threatening calls within eight minutes. waiting lists have grown again, with 21% of the welsh population currently waiting for planned treatments. our wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. for linda, life on the waiting list is about managing pain and frustration. 0h! it is almost two years since she was referred for a double knee replacement. she can no longer work and at the age of 50, now needs a wheelchair, but still no date for her operation. my life is running away and i have got no future at the moment until i have a date that i know things are going to start to pick up.

everything is deteriorating by the day, and the pain is unbearable. it is unbearable to live with. across wales, a fifth of the population is now on a waiting list, and of those, almost half have been waiting over six months. coronavirus has clearly added pressure on the nhs but the problems here predate the pandemic. surgical waiting times in wales have not been reached at any point in the last decade, despite reforms and investment. surgeons say they too are frustrated. even before the pandemic, i was seeing patients who had waited two years for their surgical treatment. i wouldn't say the pandemic is convenient but it certainly has given politicians of all sorts across the country something else to blame. ambulance response times and waits in a&e are also now the worst on record. under the welsh labour government,

some targets have never been hit. —— some targets have not been hit in a decade. of course people in wales deserves better. it is very difficult to deliver on this in the middle of the pandemic and what is... but the problems predate the pandemic. well, we have put in significant additional resources over several years. 53% additional staffing since... in those past 20 years, and so we have invested in the nhs. linda fears her wait may soon enter a third year. until then, every day means enduring more pain. hywel griffith, bbc news. and now for the latest government figures on the pandemic. there were 46,800 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — the highest daily figure for a month — which takes the average to 39,500 new cases reported per day in the last week. 199 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test.

on average in the past week, 147 related deaths were recorded every day. almost 13.9 million people have now had their booster injection. the man who led the review, ten years ago, into the future funding of social care in england has told mps that poorer people will be hit hardest by the government's proposed changes to the social care cap. sir andrew dilnot said he was very disappointed that under the new plans, a signficant number of england's poorest pensioners — especially those in the north — face paying the same for their care as wealthier people in the south. in september, the government said no one would pay more than £86,000 in care fees during their lifetime, from 2023. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns has the details, ten weeks ago, the government announced a plan for social care in england. well, it is very complicated. a main point was that no one should have to pay more than £86,000

over their lifetime for care costs. now, the detail, including that any help pensioners get from their local authority won't count towards that cap. giving evidence to mps today, the economist who led a review into social care. he says he's very disappointed. people who are hit hard are those who have long care journeys, who go on needing to make a contribution to their own, and they end up having to spend exactly the same amount as their better—off counterparts. let's take two pensioners, with the exact same health problems, meaning they need £860 worth of care a week. pensioner a lives in a terraced house in guildford, valued at around £160,000. that means he doesn't get any help until he's spent £86,000. pensioner b also lives in a terraced house, in hartlepool. this is worth about £80,000,

which means he does qualify for some immediate help — let's say the council pays half. until yesterday, it was assumed they would both pay for their care until the costs had reached that cap at 100 weeks. after that, the government will take over. now, that is still true for pensioner a, but the new detail changes things for our less well—off pensioner b. now he would need to continue paying for 200 weeks. in other words, they both end up paying the exact same amount, but it is a much higher proportion of pensioner b's assets. the prime minister insists everyone will be better off under the new plans than the existing system. this is a massive improvement for everybody in the whole country, because what we're saying is that, for the first time in history, we're stopping people having to pay unlimited quantities for their care. critics warn that this plan could largely affect people in parts of the country with lower property prices.

for people of low and moderate levels of wealth, it's less good. for them than the scheme we thought the government was committed to, l and what that will mean is, - for those people, those with low or moderate levels of wealth, they may still need to use - all of the assets and savings - they have to pay for social care. there will be a vote on this in parliament next week. it will be interesting to see if conservative mps in the north and the midlands will back an idea that could hit their constituents harder. catherine burns, bbc news. the time is 6:1pm. our top story this evening. the government confirms it is scaling back its high speed rail plans for england, and investing £96 billion on improvements instead. and, coming up, how babies' heads are being reshaped, with the pioneering use of virtual reality, at great 0rmond street children's hospital. and coming up on sportsday on the bbc news channel, steven gerrard looks ahead to life at aston villa, saying it's a very unfair to call the club a stepping stone towards his dream job of one day managing liverpool.

more than four years after the grenfell tower fire, up to half a million people are still living in blocks of flats with flammable cladding and fire safety issues. it's left many feeling scared, and trapped in their own homes. now a new study of those caught up in the cladding crisis has found people are being treated for anxiety and depression, on medication — with some even having thoughts of self—harm and suicide. sarah corker has been given exclusive access to the report. are you 0k? sophie bought herfirst home in chelmsford just weeks before son reuben was born, a proud moment. but all that quickly changed. which bit of the building is the problem? so, all of this is acm cladding. that is the same type of cladding as grenfell. to remove it could cost flat owners thousands, and living here is taking its toll on sophie's mental health. it's kind of like a crippling

depression, where you can't get up. um, just couldn't see the point in anything. and i've had such bad issues with my anxiety. some days, ifeel like i can't leave the house and i have, like, physical problems leaving the house because i feel so sick. sophie's now been prescribed anti—anxiety medication, and her doctor was so shocked by the cladding situation, he wrote to sophie's mp, imploring her to raise the issue in parliament. the housing select committee has warned that a cladding scandal is becoming a public health crisis, and psychologists have told the bbc that people living in these conditions, with no end in sight, will need long—term counselling and support to get through it. new research by the university of sheffield, based on a series of in—depth interviews, found the situation is having a catastrophic impact on the mental health of some leaseholders. things like just feeling that they couldn't go on, that they were trapped and they could not see a way out of this crisis was leading

to feelings of suicide and self—harm and in those situations, individuals had to seek immediate help, either for themselves or for a member of the household. it's like having a ball and chain wrapped around your leg. willis a junior doctor who owns a flat in sheffield with dangerous cladding. so i am going to show you this video diary you did a year ago to see what's changed for you. he sniffs. i'm just... i am just so exhausted and so tired of this situation. it is so consuming. an absolutely fantastic supporter of us. campaigning for change has helped him cope, but will deeply regrets his decision to ever buy a flat. i was so embarrassed. i was utterly ashamed that i, like, a sensible person, had made this colossal mistake,

like, this huge error ofjudgment. the impact it has had on my mental health will stay with me forever. the government says it has allocated £5 billion to make the highest risk blocks safe. but we also have a responsibility to relieve some of the obligations that are being faced by leaseholders at the moment, who are innocent parties in this. are you going to hold my hand? back in chelmsford, since we filmed with sophie, the developer has now agreed to pay to remove the dangerous cladding. it is a huge relief. but for thousands of others, the way for help continues. sarah corker, bbc news, in essex. the former yorkshire cricketer azeem rafiq has apologised and said he is "deeply ashamed", after it emerged he had used anti—semitic language in social media messages ten years ago. rafiq has been at the centre of the racism controversy which has engulfed yorkshire cricket club.

so, messages sent on social media ten years ago. what more can you tell us? fin ten years ago. what more can you tell us? , ._ ten years ago. what more can you tell us? , , tell us? on tuesday we saw quite harrowin: tell us? on tuesday we saw quite harrowing testimony _ tell us? on tuesday we saw quite harrowing testimony he _ tell us? on tuesday we saw quite harrowing testimony he gave - tell us? on tuesday we saw quite i harrowing testimony he gave about the racism he had experience, which he said had robbed him of his career. tonight he has had to apologise on social media for these historic messages he exchanged with another player which appeared to be anti—semitic in nature. tonight he said, i have absolutely no excuses. i am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offence. i was 19 at the time and i hope and i believe i am a different person today. i am incredibly angry at myself and i apologise to the jewish incredibly angry at myself and i apologise to thejewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this. there has been a big response. the board of deputies of british dues has responded, saying azeem rafiq has suffered terribly at the hands of races so he will well understand. we have no reason to believe he is not completely sincere. rafiq told the bbc yesterday that he hopes by speaking out this will be the moment not only sport but society as a whole moves

in a different direction.— a man who stabbed eight people in birmingham city centre in september last year — killing one of them — has been detained for a minimum of 21 years. zephaniah mcleod, who's 28 and has paranoid schizophrenia, will serve his sentence in a secure hospital. from birmingham, phil mackie reports. in court it was described as a murderous rampage. zephaniah mcleod stabbed eight people, killing one, and leaving two more fighting for their lives. , , ., , their lives. they were serious attacks, often _ their lives. they were serious attacks, often targeted - their lives. they were serious l attacks, often targeted towards people's head, neck and upper chest areas, which have left victims with some catastrophic injuries. in areas, which have left victims with some catastrophic injuries.- some catastrophic in'uries. in the onusifon — some catastrophic in'uries. in the confusion, police _ some catastrophic injuries. in the confusion, police did _ some catastrophic injuries. in the confusion, police did not - some catastrophic injuries. in the confusion, police did not initially| confusion, police did not initially realise all the attacks were related, but within a day they had arrested mcleod. jacob billington died after being stabbed in the neck. ~ . ., ., .,

died after being stabbed in the neck. ~ ., ., , ,, ., , neck. welcome to the garden sessions will sto neck. welcome to the garden sessions will step this — neck. welcome to the garden sessions will step this is — neck. welcome to the garden sessions will stop this is him _ neck. welcome to the garden sessions will stop this is him on _ neck. welcome to the garden sessions will stop this is him on the _ neck. welcome to the garden sessions will stop this is him on the left - will stop this is him on the left with his band. _ will stop this is him on the left with his band. the _ will stop this is him on the left with his band. the singer, - will stop this is him on the left i with his band. the singer, second from right, is his best friend, michael callahan, who was also stabbed. michael nearly died. in a statement read in court, he said he sometimes wished he hadn't made it but he has made astonishing progress and was determined to come to court. at the time, mcleod was psychotic and hearing voices. he had only recently been released from prison and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed — and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed to _ and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed to carry _ and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed to carry out _ and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed to carry out a _ and wasn't being supervised. mcleod was allowed to carry out a rampage l was allowed to carry out a rampage on the _ was allowed to carry out a rampage on the streets _ was allowed to carry out a rampage on the streets of _ was allowed to carry out a rampage on the streets of birmingham, - on the streets of birmingham, attacking — on the streets of birmingham, attacking eight— on the streets of birmingham, attacking eight innocent- on the streets of birmingham, i attacking eight innocent people. this included _ attacking eight innocent people. this included my lovely- attacking eight innocent people. this included my lovely son - attacking eight innocent people. | this included my lovely sonjacob and his— this included my lovely sonjacob and his friend _ this included my lovely sonjacob and his friend michael. _ this included my lovely sonjacob and his friend michael. those - this included my lovely son jacobi and his friend michael. those who were _ and his friend michael. those who were responsible _ and his friend michael. those who were responsible for— and his friend michael. those who were responsible for the - and his friend michael. those who i were responsible for the monitoring of mcleod _ were responsible for the monitoring of mcleod have _ were responsible for the monitoring of mcleod have many _ were responsible for the monitoring of mcleod have many questions - were responsible for the monitoring of mcleod have many questions to. of mcleod have many questions to answeh _ of mcleod have many questions to answer. ,., . of mcleod have many questions to answer. . ., of mcleod have many questions to answer. ., ., ., , , answer. the impact of what happened are still being — answer. the impact of what happened are still being felt, _ answer. the impact of what happened are still being felt, not _ answer. the impact of what happened are still being felt, not least - answer. the impact of what happened are still being felt, not least by - are still being felt, not least by the family and friends of jacob the family and friends ofjacob billington, who the family and friends of jacob billington, who was described as a talented and decent young man with a bright future ahead of him. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham.

new virtual reality technology is being used for the first time by surgeons at great 0rmond street hospital in london to help families facing agonising decisions about agreeing to surgery on their children. the first to benefit are parents of babies who have a condition which affects the way their child's skull develops as bbc click�*s lara lewington explains. you're a lovely boy, aren't you? archie was born with sagital sinistosis, which, although not life—threatening, left his parents faced with a difficult decision, whether to risk surgery or leave nature to take its course, with the physical and psychological impacts that would follow. obviously, there is always that worry about what he's going to have done. virtual reality is helping them decide. parents amanda and judd can interact along with the surgeon in this immersive illustration of the procedure. from all angles, they can see exactly how archie's head can be reshaped with surgery. so here, the grey is the head shape as it is now. the green is the predicted headship.

data from 60 operations over the course of seven years has been harnessed to create these images. it's hard to put words to it, but as well as it's a lot to take in, it is reassuring. reassured, four weeks later they brought archie in for his surgery. the theatre is just being prepared, as in a few minutes, archie is coming in for his surgery, where a spring like this is going to be inserted into his skull through a small cut. it will immediately expand and start to change the shape of his head, and then continue to do so over the next four weeks. at that point, it can be removed. this technique provides the predictable outcomes that made the data usable for creating the visualisation with 90% accuracy. 0k, spring engaged.

we just finished and the surgery went really well, and we saw an expansion on the table, and we should meet our predictions over the next few weeks. two weeks on from surgery, and we visited archie and his family. archie is doing really well. having the opportunity of doing the vr really reassured us that we were doing the right thing. yeah, we're happy. so the hope is for a future where more people can feel better prepared, ahead of surgery, thanks to a clearer vision of what to expect. lara lewington, bbc news. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall have arrived in egypt for a two—day visit, as part of their middle eastern tour. upon their arrival in cairo, prince charles held talks with egypt's president, before visiting the ancient giza pyramids and the sphinx. the pair were given a tour by the egyptian minister of antiquities,

including of the seventh wonder of the world — the great pyramid, which they partially climbed up. next week sees the release of a new film, house of gucci, starring the singer lady gaga. she plays patrizia gucci, and prepared for the role by drawing on the abuse she suffered as a teenager. here's entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba. it was a name that sounded so seductive. in 1998, patrizia reggiani was convicted of arranging the murder of herformer husband, maurizio gucci of the gucci fashion empire. to play her, lady gaga immersed herself in months of preparation. i don't consider myself to be a particularly ethical person.

finding the pain of the character experienced as a woman in a male dominated world came from her own past. what was the most relevant about my personal experiences, lizo, was the trauma that i have been through in my life, being assaulted when i was 19 by a music producer. i took from every trigger point that i could find, so it was very painful. the singer has spoken before about how, two years before she became one of music's biggest stars, she suffered not one but multiple sexual assaults. it led to post—traumatic stress disorder. i it led to post-traumatic stress disorder. ., it led to post-traumatic stress disorder. . , ,, , , disorder. i have complex ptsd. it is multile disorder. i have complex ptsd. it is multiple incidents. _ disorder. i have complex ptsd. it is multiple incidents. i— i used all of them, at different times in different moments in the script. it is what i was compelled to do for the role because i thought

to myself, well, there is simply no other answer for why she would have her husband murdered. gucci needs new blood. goodbye, 1930s. hello, �*80s! she says the film's director, ridley scott, was constantly concerned that she was immersing herself too deeply into painful memories. reliving your trauma for a character is maybe not the healthiest thing, but i'm a romantic. i have a romance with this script, a romance with my character, a romance with the cast. it was, i think, in a way, therapeutic, in the way that, what he called it was an exorcism. i relived all of this to play her. lady gaga, thank you so much for your time. time for a look at the weather. another beautiful day 2 soak up some of autumn's glory. he would have thought mid november we would actually be seeing temperatures into the mid teens? that's what we've heard today in aberdeenshire, 16

celsius, parts of northumberland as well and parts of north england generally. the mild weather is set to stay with us as high pressure dominates the weather story over the next few days, dragging in this south—westerly flow. yes, this is where the front will bring some outbreaks of rain but chiefly to the north—west of the great glen, but all the cloud around through the night we will start of tomorrow are incredibly mild full stop these temperatures feel more like daytime maximums and minimums. so a mild start to friday, a murky start, a lot of cloud, thick enough for some drizzle on west facing coast. there is the weather front, bringing some outbreaks of rain but into the afternoon to the east of the pennines, eastern scotland, we were super glad breaking up, some sunshine and yet again temperatures into the mid—teens. not for long however. things are set to change as we move into the weekend. that weather front, we move into the weekend. that weatherfront, a cold front, will gradually sink its way south. the wind direction changes to a northerly, driving in colder, arctic air with it. so on saturday, outbreaks of rain to