tv BBC News at Ten BBC News February 16, 2022 10:00pm-10:31pm GMT
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tonight at 10:00, further turmoil for the royal family, as police investigate corruption claims involving one of prince charles�* main charities. his prince's foundation is embroiled in allegations of cash—for—honours involving a saudi national. clarence house says prince charles had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or british citizenship. it comes as questions are raised about who'll pay for prince andrew's out of court civil settlement over sexual assault allegations. also tonight... children aged 5 to 11, right across the uk, will now be offered, a covid jab. ukraine's troops are still preparing for war, with the president saying russia isn't withdrawing its forces from the border.
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translation: when the troops do . withdraw, everyone will see it, . not just reconnaissance or the military. we'll all see. but, for now, it's just statements. storm dudley blows in with an amber warning of winds gusting over 80 mph. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, liverpool look to claim the advantage in their last 16 champions league encounter. could they get the better of italian champions inter? good evening. there's further turmoil tonight for the royal family, with the metropolitan police beginning an investigation into allegations of cash—for—honours linked to one of the prince of wales�* main charities. the inquiry centres on the prince's foundation and accusations involving
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a saudi national. clarence house says prince charles had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or british citizenship, on the basis of donation to his charities. the news comes as questions are raised about prince andrew, and how he'll pay possibly several millions of pounds agreed in a financial settlement with virginia giuffre, who'd accused him of sexual assault in a civil claim. there are no details of the size of the financial deal and prince andrew hasn't accepted any liability. he's also consistently denied the allegations. with the latest, here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. i'm here! turbulent moments they may be for members of her family. one person though was, as ever, staying calm and carrying on. good morning, your majesty. how are you? well, as you can see, i cant move. well, many congratulations on the start of yourjubilee year. good morning. the queen was at windsor castle this morning, meeting military officials. there are still evidently
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some mobility issues, but her appearance dispels the rumours that she caught covid from the prince of wales. and the underlying message — it is business as usual, despite the problems faced by not one, but two of her sons. first, prince charles. there is to be a formal police investigation into his charity, the prince's foundation, over allegations that honours and british citizenship were promised to a saudi billionaire in return for cash donations to the charity. in a statement, the metropolitan police said... the man who is expected to be at the centre of the investigation is michael fawcett, chief executive of the prince's foundation until his recent resignation.
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he's worked for charles for decades. he used to be the prince's valet. in a statement, clarence house said... and then, to prince andrew and the continuing questions around his out—of—court settlement with virginia giuffre, variously estimated to be costing him anything up to £12 million. it's not thought andrew has that kind of spare cash, so will the queen have to help him? if andrew goes to the queen for help more than likely the money will come from the duchy of lancaster, which is effectively the queen's cash cow. last year it brought her about £22 million in money. and it's really rental income from a portfolio of land. it seems inconceivable that any public money from the sovereign grant would be used. but already there are calls for greater openness from the palace. andrew is going to have to confirm that the public haven't paid this.
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because that threatens to have wider implications for the royal family. for the royalfamily, the threat of a damaging court case involving prince andrew has been avoided. but a number of questions remain. it is, of course, the queen's platinum jubilee it is, of course, the queen's platinumjubilee yeah, it is, of course, the queen's platinum jubilee yeah, it is barely february and she has all this on her plate? it february and she has all this on her late? , ., ., ., ., plate? it is not great for the royal famil , is plate? it is not great for the royal family. is it? _ plate? it is not great for the royal family, is it? just _ plate? it is not great for the royal family, is it? just as _ plate? it is not great for the royal family, is it? just as they - plate? it is not great for the royal family, is it? just as they started | family, is it? just as they started to settle the andrew mess, along comes the news of the inquiry into charles's charity come into this hole potentially murky area of cash for honours. charles is one of the biggest charity fundraisers in the country, he raises millions and millions of pounds for good causes every year. he has relied for years on this man, michael fawcett. he has also, of course, relied very heavily on billionaire benefactors from outside this country. quite where
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this inquiry will go, we will have to see. he has said he will cooperate fully with it. turning to andrew, where will the cash, to settle out of court settlement with virginia giuffre? it is not clear, and buckingham palace is resolute in not saying anything at all all about it. other points, will andrew remain duke of york? well, i see no evidence to suggest that he won't. we have to remember that he has not been found culpable of any wrongdoing. i think the queen would be reluctant to take the title of duke of york away from him. will he should he remain a council of state? there are four such people who can deputise for the queen in certain circumstances. another one is harry, duke of sussex, and it may be thought to be rather old that two people who have stepped back from royal life should have this role. but to change it would require legislation. but to change it would require legislation-— legislation. 0k, many thanks. nicholas witchell, _ legislation. 0k, many thanks. nicholas witchell, there. - children aged between five and ii in england, northern ireland and scotland, are to be offered a covid jab. wales made the same
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announcement yesterday. the body which advises on vaccinations says it should be a low—dose injection offered on a non urgent basis. several other countries, including america, already offer covid vaccinations to young children. in england, the programme begins in april. here's our health editor, hugh pym. excellent, all done and dusted. covid jabs have already started for some young children, those who are clinically vulnerable or living with someone who has an immune condition, and there is plenty to put them at their ease. now that offer�*s to be extended to all five to ii—year—olds, with the expert committee saying the covid risk is low but the future is uncertain. we are offering this vaccination to five to ii—year—olds now in order to futureproof their defences against a future wave of infection. we do not know how severe a future wave might be. it might be more or less severe than the current 0micron variant. the health secretary, today on a hospital visit in birmingham, gave the go—ahead for vaccination
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of younger children in england, as did ministers in the other uk nations. one thing the nhs will be doing as it rolls out this particular offer is... starting from april in the easter holidays and making sure that where it is offered, vaccine centres or in some cases maybe pharmacies, that it is a child friendly offer. but some parents we spoke to at the school gates in birmingham seemed sceptical. this is quite a young age, and i think their immune system is quite strong to fight, actually, against the coronavirus. they are too young, really, i think, personally. you know, people are bad with it anyway, the side—effects of it. if it meant we could do more things i socially then i would, definitely. l but if it doesn't make i any difference in terms of social passports, - then i probably wouldn't. 0ne head teacher in leicester welcomed the move. transmission is the problem, really,
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so if it reduces that it would certainly be of benefit. not only to the children and the staff because that is what disrupts their learning when they cannot come to school. the latest extension of the vaccination programme comes after the 0micron wave and a surge of cases among schoolchildren. figures from the office for national statistics suggest that 71% of eight to ii—year—olds in the uk have covid antibodies, reflecting previous infections and offering some protection, compared with 90.2% of 12 to 15—year—olds and 98% among adults. those higher levels, also reflecting the impact of vaccination. some other countries are already jabbing five to ii—year—olds, including the united states, which started in november. italy, as well as france, germany and canada are among other countries doing the same. it has taken the uk longer to follow suit.
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hugh pym, bbc news. those testing positive for covid who're at high risk are being offered new treatments to fight the virus. the antibody and anti—viral drugs significantly reduce the likelihood of serious illness. our medical editor, fergus walsh, has been to the royal victoria infirmary in newcastle, where the first covid—i9 patient was cared forjust over two years ago, and he's been finding out how medical treatments have improved. covid—fighting antibodies in a bottle. 100,000 doses of sotrovimab are on order for vulnerable patients like david, who is immunosuppressed and covid positive. hi, david. hello. i'lljust get you hooked up. the monoclonal antibody cuts the risk of hospital admission and death by up to 80%. as soon as this one—off infusion is over, david will continue self isolating at home. i was only diagnosed with covid yesterday
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and they are saying this already, it will boost my ability to fight the virus. it'll give it a helping hand. mattias schmidt treated the uk's very first covid patient in january 2020. we didn't know what we were dealing with. it was an unknown disease. he says doctors are now far better equipped to combat the virus. two years ago we had nothing. now we have a range of treatments available which reduce the severity and prevent death in a huge number of patients. the aim now is to stop covid before it takes hold, with anti—viral pills like molnupiravir and paxlovid, to be taken at home. the hospital pharmacy is dispatching prescriptions to high—risk adults newly diagnosed with covid.
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in trials, paxlovid cut the risk of hospital admission by nearly 90%. as you can see today we've got two empty beds. so we can immediately admit two critically ill patients who require intensive care. the reduction in pressure on the nhs is largely due to vaccines which are keeping the vulnerable out of hospital. the milder 0micron variant is also helping. it's a very different situation to where we were during the peak of the pandemic, with the unit entirely full of covid. at the peak, a year ago, there were 90 covid patients in critical care across the trust. now there are three. and when covid patients are admitted to hospital, it's usually to general wards like this one. you're looking much better. you are definitely looking better, james. oh, thank you. covid patients like james are treated and discharged home in days rather than weeks.
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i'm just going to do a test to see how fast and how much you can blow out... but this virus is leaving a bitter legacy — long covid. you really do blast the air out... danielle got infected in the first wave. a fitness instructor, she still suffers severe fatigue and brain fog nearly two years later. i'm 31, but i feel like i'm 61. i feel like my bodyjust is so much older than what i am. i have lost a lot of my life, especially when it affects my job in so many ways. in, and blow! she's having her lung function assessed. there is no magic pill for long covid. but this clinic says most patients will eventually get better. after two punishing years, the uk is emerging from the shadow of covid. new variants may emerge, but it is science, through vaccines and medicines, but is set to liberate us. fergus walsh, bbc news, newcastle.
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borisjohnson says there's currently little evidence that russia has begun withdrawing its forces from the border with ukraine, despite claims by president putin that he's pulling some troops out. ukraine's government has been holding what it calls a "day of unity" in response to fears of a russian invasion. western intelligence estimates, suggest russia still has well over a hundred thousand troops encircling the country. ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, has been on a nationwide tour, from rivne in the west to mariupol in the east, to inspect defences and rally ukrainian forces. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford, travelled with him. today was ukraine's turn for a show of force, aiming its tanks and missiles at an imaginary invader.
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military exercises, is the president looked on. it's the kind of cross—border attack that western governments fear russia is planning here. some had even named today as the launch date. instead, volodymyr zelensky was on a morale boosting tour. laid out for him to admire, weapons sent by allies, including britain. remote assistance. i asked mr zelensky whether the threat had receded now. translation: we react to the reality we have. l we don't see any withdrawal yet. we've only heard about it. when the troops to withdraw, everyone will see that. notjust reconnaissance or the military, we'll all see it. but, for now, all we have are statements. so, they are preparing for every scenario. this exercise is all about simulating a massive incursion into ukraine. and, of course, in this country, that's notjust a hypothetical threat, because there are still tens of thousands of russian troops on ukraine's border.
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today, moscow produced this, meant to prove its tanks were heading home, never a threat. and this — vladimir putin, busy showing he doesn't need friends in the west, he has other options. so, nato are still sounding the alarm about the biggest concentration of forces in europe since the cold war. we face a dangerous moment for european security. russia has amassed an invasion force on the borders of ukraine. at the same time there are signs from moscow that diplomacy should continue. ukrainians today put on a show of unity, a flutter of patriotism and defiance. this nation, that is trying to turn west, but that russia won't let go. from military exercises, president zelensky headed
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towards ukraine's very real conflict, and we flew east alongside him, to where troops have been fighting russian backed forces for eight years now. there, he told soldiers they were heroes, thanked them for standing firm in a crisis which the world is watching nervously, but in which it's ukraine that is on the front line. sarah rainsford, bbc news, mariupol. 0ur north america editor sarah smith is in washington. sarah, is the white house still convinced president putin is not moving his troops from the border? the line has been repeated through the administration today, there is the administration today, there is the difference between what russia says and _ the difference between what russia says and does, as there is scepticism because they say they have still— scepticism because they say they have still not been able to verify on the _ have still not been able to verify on the ground any movement of russian —
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on the ground any movement of russian forces back towards their garrisons, — russian forces back towards their garrisons, and that is a scepticism reflected — garrisons, and that is a scepticism reflected among western leaders including borisjohnson. tonight the uk chief— including borisjohnson. tonight the uk chief of defence intelligence edge. _ uk chief of defence intelligence edge, contrary to their claims, russia — edge, contrary to their claims, russia continues to build military capabilities near ukraine, including armoured — capabilities near ukraine, including armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital. there also continues that frenzied international diplomacy we had seen over recent days _ diplomacy we had seen over recent days. president biden was talking tonight— days. president biden was talking tonight to the german chancellor and after that— tonight to the german chancellor and after that meeting they have said they really need to see concrete steps _ they really need to see concrete steps of — they really need to see concrete steps of de—escalation from russia, while _ steps of de—escalation from russia, white the _ steps of de—escalation from russia, while the white house is still waiting — while the white house is still waiting for a response to proposals it sent _ waiting for a response to proposals it sent to— waiting for a response to proposals it sent to the kremlin three weeks a-o it sent to the kremlin three weeks ago to— it sent to the kremlin three weeks ago to talk— it sent to the kremlin three weeks ago to talk about the situation in eur0pe, — ago to talk about the situation in europe, and they say they have not had a _ europe, and they say they have not had a response yet.— europe, and they say they have not had a response yet. thank you, sarah smith in washington. _ the cost of living hit a new 30—year high last month, as energy, fuel and food costs continued to soar. prices surged by 5.5% in the 12 months to january.
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inflation is now rising faster than wages, and is expected to climb above 7% this year. here's our business editor, simonjack. getting food to market takes time and money. at this wholesale market in bristol the effects of a 50% rise in oil prices in the last 12 months is showing up in the price of fruit and veg. things are just going up. certainly transport, packaging, wages. all three. nothing coming down, nothing coming down. this time last year a lorry from spain cost £2,200 to get to bristol market. now we are paying £3,600. it can't be absorbed any more, we are at a point where we cannot absorb any more. it's a constant pressure. petrol prices hit a new record this week and the recent surge in the cost of crude oil means more pressure is in the pipeline. i can't afford to live as it is. i'm getting rid of my car because i can't afford to keep it any longer. i'm happy to get buses and stuff, moving forwards. it would have gone to half a tank. it's gone tojust over a quarter now. i only put £20 in, obviously.
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but, no, it isjust how it's going to be, isn't it? you're frightened to use them, now. these price pressures would be more bearable if wages were keeping up. but, as the treasury acknowledges, so far they're not. over the last year, average wage rises were distorted by people coming back off furlough to full wage packets. at the last look, they're rising at under 4%. meanwhile, prices have been rising steadily and overtook wages late last year. when those lines cross over, it means on average people are getting poorer every day, with public sector workers and pensioners among the hardest hit. painful for individuals but also very uncomfortable for a government, which won't want to see it persist. but it's about to get worse, with real implications for the public finances. in april, a 54% rise in energy bills and a £6 billion tax hike on wages will push prices even higher, increasing the cost of the government's inflation—linked debt repayments.
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we estimate that in this year this will add 11 billion to the interest spending and it could add a similar amount or even more to that interest spending next year. rising oil, gas and electricity prices are affecting countries around the world. that doesn't make them any less painful or easier to fix. inflation will be setting new records and tightening its squeeze on household budgets for many months to come. simon jack, bbc news. police have issued new pictures of a sex offender who's still on the run from an open prison in lincolnshire. paul robson, who's 56, absconded from jail on sunday. he's serving a life sentence for attempted rape and indecent assault, and police have urged people not to approach him. at least 78 people have died and many more have been left homeless as heavy rain caused mudslides in eastern brazil. police and firefighters are helping the rescue effort as the search continues for those missing in the tourist city
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of petropolis near rio dejaneiro. in just three hours the city was hit by as much rainfall as it would normally get in a month. a met office amber weather warning is in place until midnight as storm dudley blows in, bringing gusts of between 70 and 100 miles per hour. ferry crossings and most of scotland's train services have been cancelled. parts of northern england and northern ireland also face the worst of the winter storm. here's alexandra mackenzie. storm dudley approaches, the fourth storm to hit scotland in three months. it meant that rush—hour started early, trains were cancelled across much of the country, from four o'clock this afternoon as winds of up to 80 mph were forecast. this was the last train arriving in
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bathgate in west lothian, some travellers had to make alternative travellers had to make alternative travel arrangements. i go travellers had to make alternative travel arrangements.— travel arrangements. i go to edinburgh — travel arrangements. i go to edinburgh and _ travel arrangements. i go to edinburgh and realise - travel arrangements. i go to edinburgh and realise just i travel arrangements. i go to - edinburgh and realise just about every train out of edinburgh to the west was cancelled, i have had to jump west was cancelled, i have had to jump out the last train out of town, the bathgate train, and get my wife to pick me up. —— i have had tojump on. to pick me up. -- i have had to “ump on. ,, ., ,, to pick me up. -- i have had to “ump on, ,, ., ,, ., to pick me up. -- i have had to “ump on. ,, ., , to pick me up. -- i have had to “ump on. ,, , , on. shops and cafes lost people sta ed on. shops and cafes lost people stayed away- — on. shops and cafes lost people stayed away. storm _ on. shops and cafes lost people stayed away. storm dudley - on. shops and cafes lost people stayed away. storm dudley has| stayed away. storm dudley has brought wind and heavy rain, the town of bathgate has been deserted this afternoon as people have been advised to go home early and warned there could be more to come. with many ferry services cancelled, caledonian macbrayne said they would prioritise getting essential to island communities. it is prioritise getting essential to island communities. it is going to be incredibly _ island communities. it is going to be incredibly disruptive, - island communities. it is going to be incredibly disruptive, most - be incredibly disruptive, most services cancelled, but we will see available windows when the weather improves through thursday before we hit the next storm forecast for friday. in hit the next storm forecast for
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frida . ., ., ., friday. in the north of england damaue friday. in the north of england damage was — friday. in the north of england damage was caused _ friday. in the north of england damage was caused by - friday. in the north of england damage was caused by high i friday. in the north of england i damage was caused by high wins, friday. in the north of england - damage was caused by high wins, like here in northumberland, and thousands were left without power. —— high winds. the amber warning remains in place until midnight and there is more to come on friday. storm eunice is expected to hit with possibly even stronger winds and heavy snow. storm dudley still has a couple of others to run, it is still fairly windy here in livingston, but scotrail has said tonight there is some damage to overhead power lines and fallen trees on the track. they had said engineers will be out overnight but they have warned there is likely to still be some disruption to rail travel tomorrow morning. alexandra mackenzie live in livingston, thank you. liverpool have beaten inter milan 2—0 in the first leg of their champions league
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last 16 tie. the game looked set to be a goaless draw, until roberto firmino and mohamed salah scored deep in the second half. it's been a less than satisfying winter olympics so far for team gb. great britain is still without a medal 12 days in. dave ryding, who recently became the first british skier to win an alpine world cup race, had been a medal hope but he missed out, as laura scott reports from beijing. team gb needs someone to ride to the rescue of these games. the rocket is away! step forward dave ryding to try. the clock went green, he was up, but slalom doesn't forgive errors and he just couldn't carve the time back, finishing 13th. well, it's becoming an all—too—familiar pattern at these 0lympics — team gb�*s medal hopefuls finishing way out of contention. dave ryding just the latest example of that. and with the end of the games looming, the hunt for medals is becoming more desperate by the day. i think we'd love to be on the medal
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table, obviously, at this stage of the games but i think the athletes, more than anyone, are disappointed with that. i think if you look back, we have had some really promising results, looking to the future, but of course we're not going to shy away from some that are disappointing. much of the fallout will wait until after the finish line of these games has been crossed, but reviews have been promised into the number of brits who crashed out early. the british boys have flipped over! difficult questions are already being asked, though, around skeleton, after britain failed to make a podium for the first time since 2002. i just think that they got _ the technical part of the equipment wrong, and that's what slowed the athletes down. _ because look at laura deas — her slides were amazing - but the equipmentjust did not let her sort of produce - the speeds that she deserved. concerns are now creeping in that team gb could return home empty—handed, despite £27 million of funding.
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but with six wins in a row and a semifinal spot secured, bruce mouat�*s curling team could well spare britain's blushes in beijing. laura scott, bbc news, beijing. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello there. the first of our storms, storm dudley, is starting to ease off into the north sea towards scandinavia. and so, now the strongest of the winds will gradually start to die down. we still keep some showers, though, some of those wintry at lower levels. and the winds still noticeable first thing in the morning — gusts in excess of 40—16 mph potentially on exposed coasts. some of those showers, yes, still of snow, will start to ease as we go through the day. and into the afternoon, it is certainly the calm before the storm as we continue to see a blustery afternoon with some sunny spells and highs of 5—12 celsius. but through the latter stages of thursday into friday, all eyes once again out into the atlantic as storm eunice approaches.
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now this storm is expected to undergo rapid intensification — and on the leading edge through northern ireland and certainly central and southern scotland, snow will be the main issue which will cause disruption. amber weather warnings for the strength of the winds, damaging gusts of wind across england and wales.
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this is bbc news, the headlines... nato leaders who've been meeting in brussels say they're considering strengthening the bloc�*s eastern flank, in the light of the crisis over ukraine. that would mean creating new battle groups in central and southern europe. nato also says, it's seen no evidence to confirm russia's claims, that some forces have been pulling back, following the completion of military exercises in crimea. police in london are investigating allegations of cash for honours linked to one of the prince of wales's charities. his aides say he had "no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or british citizenship" to a saudi national. at least 70 people have died in landslides in brazil. a month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours, causing landslides in the town of petropolis, not far from rio de janeiro.
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