“p up and to see, as sad as go up and to see, as sad as businesses will be to see their borrowing costs going up, we should keepin borrowing costs going up, we should keep in mind that we have lived over the past decade through a period of unprecedentedly low interest rates, so people who are old enough will recall a period in which interest rates were not one or 2%, but rather closer to four and 5% and i think we will have to get used to the fact that in the long run we will return to interest rates at those levels. and you talk about domestic borrowers but there is also the government with very high levels of debt, so it will impact in ways that are not necessarily completely obvious immediately. yes, so the borrowing cost of the government will go up too if and when interest rates do go up. the british government has very able

borrowing capacity, and not concerned about the solvency of the british government in the long run. it isjust in british government in the long run. it is just in terms of the amount of money that is being used to service the debts and how much that could be and obviously at the same time the protesters are saying one of the issuesit protesters are saying one of the issues it needs to be wages going up, sojust all issues it needs to be wages going up, so just all these issues it needs to be wages going up, sojust all these multi—factors and how they play into each other, it is obviously an extremely complicated picture and what are the dangers of one move potentially leading to something that could entrench the situation? yes. leading to something that could entrench the situation?- leading to something that could entrench the situation? yes, so on workers, workers _ entrench the situation? yes, so on workers, workers are _ entrench the situation? yes, so on workers, workers are right - entrench the situation? yes, so on workers, workers are right to - entrench the situation? yes, so on i workers, workers are right to expect their wages to keep up with inflation. what we want to avoid... i'm very sympathetic with that sentiment. what we all would be

wanting to avoid is for wages to go up wanting to avoid is for wages to go up because prices are going up and then at prices going up because wages are going up and getting into the spiral where everybody is left worse off, so the bank of england's job is to avoid these type of spirals by giving confidence that both wages and cost of living will grow at moderate rates and hopefully wages grow faster than the cost of living. wages grow faster than the cost of livina. . ~' ,, wages grow faster than the cost of livina. ., ~ i. ., wages grow faster than the cost of livin. _ ., ~' y., ., ., wages grow faster than the cost of livina. . ~ ,, ., ., , living. thank you for “oining us. thank you t living. thank you for “oining us. thank you very _ living. thank you forjoining us. thank you very much _ living. thank you forjoining us. thank you very much for - living. thank you forjoining us. thank you very much for having living. thank you forjoining us. - thank you very much for having me. now a look at the weather. whilst for some it will be a rather 5°99y whilst for some it will be a rather soggy saturday afternoon, for others, drowned right through parts of the east, hazy sunshine here. bit of the east, hazy sunshine here. bit of sunshine between the showers in scotland and northern ireland, but towards the south—west, rain will become heavy for a time, pushing him towards the midlands and north—east england certainly as we go through the afternoon. winds quite blustery, touch and was around some coasts and

coasts and hills and temperatures moderate than yesterday, eight to ii moderate than yesterday, eight to 11 degrees. rain will ease for some it tonight but then more rain it gathers later. clear conditions in the northern half of scotland, risk of frost and ice is going to sunday, but that will be a very cloudy day for england, wales, much of northern ireland, southern scotland. outbreaks a rain developing widely. most persistent across parts of southern scotland through sunday. putting eastwards through england and wales so after a dry start in the east, it will turn wetter here. driest in the far north of scotland. see you later. hello, this is bbc news. i'm joanna gosling. the headlines: british nationals are urged to leave ukraine immediately, as the us warns that russia could invade within days. the artillery systems and missile systems and the combat air are all in place that would allow pressure to launch at no notice an —— on

ukraine. —— an —— on ukraine. large numbers of people have defied an injunction seeking to end a protest in the canadian province of ontario. the so—called "freedom convoy" seems to have inspired copycats around the world — in france, president macron calls for calm. borisjohnson receives a legal questionnaire from police investigating lockdown parties at downing street and whitehall. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show with rajan datar. in the past few decades, the skyline of doha, qatar's capital city, has changed beyond recognition. the discovery of oil in the 1930s, and then natural gas in the early 1970s, marked a seismic change in the fortunes of qatar. and at a turbocharged pace, qatar's hopes, dreams and buildings have risen high

above the desert sands. since this small but mighty gulf nation won the right to host the fifa world cup back in 2010, it has spent billions on state—of—the—art stadia and infrastructure. and with the first match set to kick off this november, all eyes will be on qatar as it makes history, becoming the first ever middle eastern country to host the world cup. and i am here to meet some real players, both on and off the pitch. i asked someone here how much each of these were worth, and his answer was "priceless".

this is the perspective that players will have as they walk out onto the game for the first match of the tournament here at the al bayt stadium. and this may be historic, but for some it is also a controversial world cup. what we sometimes suffer from as a country, that people actually would makejudgements without actually listening to the other side, or actually try to search for the truth before they make their own opinion.

it's hard to believe how far and how fast qatar has developed. but this is a place that has always relished defying expectations. roughly the same size as yorkshire in the united kingdom, qatar is a mainly desert landscape, surrounded by the gulf on three sides. it hasn't been the easiest of places to prosper. historically it was the arduous task of pearl diving that was qatar's main economy — until, that is, the discovery of oil and gas. oil workers arriving in the 1940s brought with them a game to play in their spare time. that sport has now brought the focus of the world to qatar. and that game was the beautiful game — football.

as hosts, qatar qualified automatically for the world cup. they will make their first ever appearance at the tournament. almoez ali is a striker for the qatar national team, and he hopes to become a household name when the competition kicks off this november. he says qatar may be seen as underdogs, but thinks this is a side who should not be written off just yet.

in december 2021, qatar hosted the fifa arab cup. using the new world cup stadia, this competition acted as a warm—up for this year's big tournament. and the qatar national team actually won third—place play—off. from a personal level, what was it like to play in the arab cup? when qatar first won the world cup bid, critics pointed to its lack of footballing tradition.

but almoez ali believes the dream of playing in a world cup is a universal dream for every footballer across the world. but what else does qatar have to offer? well, you don't have to drive far out of the city of doha for the roads to end and the sands to begin. explorers from across time talk about the arabian desert as a place of hardship.

0h! some, like the 1930s adventurer bertram thomas, went even as far as to call it the "abode of death". qatar had a long and proud history before discovering oil and gas, and it was learning to cope with this hot and harsh environment that helped to shape the country for those who call the desert home. living here, they carved out their culture, instilled their traditions and created the nomad lifestyle. people who would come to be known as the bedouin.

temperatures can reach as high as 50 degrees celsius in qatar during the summer months. in the winter, when the weather is cooler, mohammad al—ghethani and his family built traditional bedouin tents in the desert to get back to their roots. why is it important for you to do this? so qatar today is very different to how it was when the bedouins well, like you were talking, were in the desert. how can bedouin culture connect with modern qatar?

if it's a real taste of bedouin culture you want to experience, thenjanuary hosts a month—long falcon festival called marmi. if you had to compare being a spectator at a football match and a spectator here,

how similar are they? this is more exciting than football? yes. ali al—mehsadi organises the festival, and tells me that falconry is more than just a hobby here, it is a way of life, and it's recognised by unesco as living human heritage. one of the most popular events at marmi sees the falconer and falcons getting in touch with their bedouin past. over a two—kilometre distance, each falcon hunts a pigeon, replicating days gone by when falcons were used to help hunt for food

in the desert. the festival is broadcast to a national tv audience, and has impressive prizes ranging from brand—new cars, to huge amounts of prize money. with so much at stake, marmi is a one—stop shop for all your falconry needs, from gps trackers to remote planes, used to teach falcons their craft. and it is even a place to train the falconers themselves. bite it with my mouth? yes. wow, so i put my mouth here... close it, yes. and same one, right hand... laughs. ok, again, again. after the birds retire from competition, they are kept by their falconer or released into the wild to breed.

during their career, a top falcon can be worth up toi million qatari riyals, which works out roughly at £200,000. bite, bite, more, more! 0k. finished. done it! i am a successful falcon handler! how do you know that the falcon is happy and healthy? this one, same as my son. this one is the same one from my family. i like this one, i give him everything, i take care about this falcon. when he is sick i take him to the emergency hospital or something, to be checked this one, what has happened. because i take care about this falcon, the same i take care about my children.

after arriving back at the city of doha, it was as if i had spent too long in the hot desert sun. i was greeted with what seemed to be a mirage. a herd of almost identical white arabian horses, running around in front of me. i asked someone here how much each of these were worth, and his answer was "priceless". established by the ruling royal family, this world—class equestrian centre, al shaqab, is built on the site of a battle which took place in 1893 between the bedouins and the ottomans. the battle would eventually lead to qatar's independence, and was won thanks to the speed and bravery of the arabian horse.

the vision of this place is simple — to breed and train arabian horses in their homeland to win a whole host of equestrian competitions across the globe. these pure—breds, like al sakr here, are essentially treated like sporting superstars. nothing but the best for them! across the water from the corniche's towering skyscrapers is the souq waqif. its mud—rendered buildings and labyrinthine streets act as a juxtaposition to the state—of—the—art construction projects happening around it. but this is the beating heart of doha. over the centuries, merchants would sail straight into this place where the sea lapped at its stone streets, or they crossed miles of desert to meet others and sell their wares — and that's the role it

still plays today. and even the camels have stuck around! this place is as traditional as it gets in qatar. in a conservative and somewhat male—dominated society, chef shams al-qassabi is a trailblazer. shams is the souq waqif's first ever businesswoman and she made her mark by opening her restaurant, shay al—shmous, selling authentic qatari cuisine.

0h! you can taste the lemon. mmm. mmm! spicy! mmm! wow! strong! it has a tang. oh, i like this! oh, if you're giving me some more, i will have some more! thank you. the taste is so distinctive. her food is pretty tasty but don't just take my word for it — the walls of her restaurant are a who's who not just of qatari culture but

international supermodels... just here. gisele, the supermodel. yes! ..hollywood stars... this is my qatari mother. she is saying that this is my qatari mother. wow. ..and football legends. david beckham. this is number one! very good. he very, very nice. very good, yes. and friendly. is he handsome? gentleman. is he handsome? you would think he's handsome? nice! his manners. yes, this is very... she is like, "why are you asking about this?" i'm very shallow! i'm like this. i just care about looks! the world cup stadia are a perfect example of where old meets new, from designs inspired by boats from qatar's pearl fishing days to a whole stadium made to look like a giant

traditional headdress. and the opening match of the competition will be played here, at the 60,000—seater al bayt stadium. this is the perspective the players will have as they walk out onto the game for the first match of the tournament here at the al bayt stadium. perfect, pristine conditions. it is inspired by the bedouin tent and like in the past, i mean, like, this is, i mean, usually the people who are living in the desert, when they welcome their guest, you can see, i mean, they would host them, they would have, like, the bonfire and, you know, welcome them and for us, i mean, like, choosing it to be the opening of the world cup, it has this symbolic, because this is where the arab usually would be welcoming their guest. the stadium has almost everything a fan or player could hope for. temperatures may be cooler when things kick off here in november but in case

it gets a bit too hot, there's air—conditioning — notjust in the stands but on the pitch itself. meaning that the temperature on the pitch will be a very comfortable 19—21 degrees. one of the first things the players will see when they arrive here is this mural. look closely and you'll see it is made up of faces of workers who helped to build this stadium. qatari nationals make up less than 15% of the country's population, so the economy relies heavily on workers from abroad. and one dark cloud hanging over the build—up to this event has been press reports about the deaths of migrant workers involved in the construction of the world cup sites. and although the qatari authorities strongly dispute the figures, they say that the world cup has been a catalyst to push through reforms. looking at a young country, and even when you want to change policy and procedures, and even when you put the policy and

procedures, the implementation of it, it's a journey and you can see like there is progress happening when it comes to their accommodation, to their wage — protection of their wages, as well as, like, i mean now, i mean with the abolishing of the kafala law, people can actually change jobs and we have introduced like a new minimum wage in the country, so there has been progress. always actually take constructive criticism on board. there is more room to actually progress, but i mean, like, i do believe this is — will be one of the biggest social legacies of the world cup. they're expecting over a million fans to attend this year's world cup, but some people ask will everybody be welcome? for us, i mean, like, everyone is welcome and what we actually ask people is to respect our culture and our tradition. i mean, public displays of affection, whether it is heterosexual or it was — or homosexual, it's something people frown upon here in qatar, so what we will ask

people gonna come and enjoy the game but at the same time, actually respect the local custom and tradition of the country. last year's arab cup proved that qatar knew how to host a major sporting event, but what about the fans who like to cheer on their team with a drink in hand? first, i mean, alcohol is not a part of our culture but hospitality is. alcohol is available in a licensed hotel and during the tournament, there will be a designated area where people can — who would want to actually consume alcohol — can actually watch a football match and have a drink. away from the news reports is a whole nation of people waiting in anticipation to see what will happen when the biggest football tournament on earth arrives on qatar's shores later this year. and i, for one, want to know

what it means to those who call this country home.

whilst there will be some at some turnaround at times over the next couple of days, our weather has taken a turn for the much more changeable. the reason is a driving jet stream, rhythm of fast flowing air which drives low pressure systems. kicking into life this week across the atlantic and with it, one

area of low pressure followed by another, and another. that means we will see pretty wet weather at times. first half of the week is mild before colder later on and with it we will see pretty strong winds as well. bear that in mind if you have got any half term plans at this week. set a meet today get ready for wetter weather this afternoon. have rain into the first part of this afternoon for north west england, wales on the south—west. to the south—east and east anglia, as well as the channel islands, here about the winds are, and for scotland and northern ireland, a mixture of sunshine and showers for the afternoon, best of the brighter skies at the further west you are. winds coming in from itself to south—westerly, so it will be milder. no blue skies to speak of in cardiff for wales against scotland and they could be some heavy rain around, even on the approach to it as well. that rain does start to fizzle towards tonight, reaching the south—east for a while and then more wet weather gathers towards the west into tomorrow morning. tonight,

chance of frost and ice in scotland and northern ireland but the weather charts for sunday is all telling, area of low pressure spinning off the atlantic. the first of several areas of low pressure. the rain will be transferring northwards. parts of the east starting with dry, may be bright weather, not the style you make the same as today but rain will sweep eastwards during the day. rain likely to be around the southern half of scotland, particularly in the borders and lothian. driest, brightest conditions in the north and it will be a fairly mild today. so that outbreaks are very willing across east anglia and the south—east, that area of low pressure is starting to clear away and as it does so, it brings in north north westerly winds for monday. temperatures drop again, outbreaks of rain, lots of cloud through eastern parts. may be lingering more cloud across parts of

england and wales, but monday, sunshine and showers but feeling chilly at the fort milder conditions on tuesday. —— before the conditions. this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world... more countriesjoin the us and uk in urging their citizens to leave ukraine immediately, as the us warns that russia could invade within days. if president putin decides to take action, we will swiftly impose severe economic sanctions in coordination with allies and partners around the globe. this risk escalatin: partners around the globe. this risk escalating in — partners around the globe. this risk escalating in a _ partners around the globe. this risk escalating in a way _ partners around the globe. this risk escalating in a way that _ partners around the globe. this risk escalating in a way that is _ partners around the globe. this risk escalating in a way that is really - escalating in a way that is really quite _ escalating in a way that is really quite terrifying. this is the largest— quite terrifying. this is the largest concentration of troops on the european continent in 70 years. borisjohnson receives a legal questionnaire from police investigating lockdown parties at downing street and whitehall. large numbers of people have defied an injunction against the protests in the canadian province of ontario.