hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. a russian court sentences us basketball star brittney griner to nine years in prison. i made imade an i made an honest mistake and i hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here. the two—time olympic gold medallist was arrested with cannabis oil in her luggage. the us says, she shouldn't be injail. this is a miscarriage ofjustice. the _ this is a miscarriage ofjustice. the us— this is a miscarriage ofjustice. the us department of state has determined that ms. griner was wrongfully detained. nothing in today's— wrongfully detained. nothing in today's decision changes back.

china has fired missiles near taiwan in a show of force against nancy pelosi's visit to the island. and the bank of england makes its biggest rise in interest rates for nearly thirty years — while saying the uk's headed, for recession. a court in moscow has sentenced the us basketball player, brittney griner, to nine years in prison on charges of drug smuggling. she was also fined $16 thousand. here's ms griner arriving at the court for the sentencing. the olympic gold medallist was detained in february at an airport near moscow when cannabis oil vape cartridges were found in her luggage. here's what she said after both sides presented closing arguments. i made an honest mistake and i hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life. brittny griners's lawyers spoke

to reporters after the sentencing. we feel disappointment. you know, when we saw britney, i think it was tuesday and we were told we will see you on thursday. and she said, see you on doomsday. so it looks like she was right. appealed to biden again? well, it's up to britney, it's up to her family, it's up to her agent. we are only responsible for legal aspect here in russia. we will file in appeal. brittney griner is a superstar in her sport. a two—times gold medal olympian she plays centre for the phoenix mercury. she was in russia to play for a club there during the off—season for the us womens nba. at6 foot 9 inches tall she's considered perhaps the greatest female basketballer of all time. russian authorities previously released this cctv footage showing brittney griner being stopped

at sheremetyevo airport. ms griner says she has a doctor's prescription for medical cannabis which she uses to treat knee pain and joint inflammation. cannabis is illegal in russia for both medicinal and recreational use. brittney griner pleaded guilty to the charges, but as we heard, she told the court she did not intend to break the law. the wnba and the nba released this statement regarding brittney griner. .. and here's charge d'affaires of the us embassy in moscow, elizabeth rood. this is a miscarriage ofjustice. the us department of state

has determined that ms. griner was wrongfully detained, nothing in today's decision changes that determination. we will continue to be closely engaged in this case, we will remain in frequent contact with ms. griner and with her legal team. the trial has reached the top levels of us—russia diplomacy, with reports suggesting the conviction in the case could pave the way for a dramatic prisoner swap involving this man — the russian arms trafficker viktor bout. barbara plett usher is in washington. this was extremely high sentencing compared to what her lawyers were saying, other peoples sentencing for similar cases far, far less. in terms of what we are expecting, are we expecting a preserve swap year? you're right, it was almost the

maximum sentence, which is ten years. nine and a half years. britney griner had pleaded guilty saying that she had those cannabis oils in her luggage which she hadn't meant to bring in and break the law. hoping that would lead to a lenient sentence which it clearly didn't. will this lead to a prisoner swapped? the conviction in the sentencing has to happen before anything like that could take place. we do know there is a substantial proposal on the table, but they are by the biden administration. it has not revealed details of what that includes but is widely believed it's true in all they prisoners swap for griner and also another american detained in russia. and russian media have speculated that it might include victor, as you mention. we don't know anything about the timing, whether it is such a thing will go on for some time before that's what might be completed or whether that opens the door for it

to happen almost immediately. i would say the politics of very complicated. it's always sensitive to negotiate a person swap but of course russia and the united states have relations at an all—time low now. basically us isolating russia over diplomacy over your brain. that will play a role in terms of timing of whatever might be agreed. extremely complicated, extremely sensitive at this moment in terms of the reaction back in the us, president biden has not been mincing his words about this. h0. president biden has not been mincing his words about this.— his words about this. no, the administration _ his words about this. no, the administration has _ his words about this. no, the administration has been - his words about this. no, the - administration has been forthright about this in recent weeks. it did come under a lot of pressure to do something. britney griner is a big celebrity, obviously. and her wife was putting pressure on the administration of the wnba putting pressure on the end look like administration. the administration has taken quite in unusual public response to this. it should be said, there are dozens of americans

wrongfully detained around the world according to the state department designation. and this case has received more publicity pretty much more than any other. they have been quite clear that they will continue to try to take every avenue possible to try to take every avenue possible to win ms. griner release. eight to try to take every avenue possible to win ms. griner release.— to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion _ to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion in _ to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion in terms _ to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion in terms of _ to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion in terms of had - to win ms. griner release. eight lot of discussion in terms of had this i of discussion in terms of had this been somebody else. i heard comments that you had this been somebody along the lines of lebronjames, would there have been a different reaction given that this is been ongoing? reaction given that this is been onauoin ? ~ ~ reaction given that this is been onauoin? ., ongoing? well, i think you are referrin: ongoing? well, i think you are referring to — ongoing? well, i think you are referring to the _ ongoing? well, i think you are referring to the question - ongoing? well, i think you are referring to the question of. ongoing? well, i think you are - referring to the question of whether if it was a black man as opposed to a black woman and whether that would've meant much more attention from the administration to begin with. that was one of the criticisms. as i said, her case actually stands out anyway from other cases, which there are many in terms of getting publicity and of

getting a clear line from the white house and the state department in public this way. as a matter fact, ms. griner�*s case as well as a partner swat negotiated a few months after detention has really caused the families of other american hostages to come together, they've organised a campaign, they put up a mural in downtown dc, they've been knocking on the doors of the state department and the white house demanding attention to their cases as well. this follows up a move taken up a couple of years ago in which the statement department or the president designated an ambassador to deal with hostages. this is something that has been growing over time. but it is in unprecedented level of publicity now. i think you could put a lot of that gadget griner�*s celebrity. thank you for bringing us up to detail and giving us the context of all of that. china has fired missiles near taiwan

as part of huge military drills. it's in response to us house speaker nancy pelosi's visit to the island. five of these missiles landed in the waters of japan's exclusive economic zone. chinese state media has released this footage of the military drills. they're beijing's biggest ever exercises in the area. taiwan says they amount to a blockade. but china remains defiant. china has repeatedly made it clear our stern opposition and stress that we are firmly opposed to taiwan independence separatists forces and foreign interference and we will allow no no room for any form of taiwan independent forces. if the us continues down the wrong path and all consequences shall be borne by the us. and do not say that we have not told them an advance. the us as first made a malicious

provocation and china has been compelled to act in self—defense. so whatever we have done in response as a countermeasure would be justified at a firm that resolute. this map shows where the drills are taking place, in the six areas highlighted in red. three of them encroach into taiwan's territorial waters, one even crosses taiwan's maritime border. taiwan's representative to the us said: "china's irresponsible taiwan's representative to the us said... and the us secretary of state had this warning for china. i hope very much that beijing will not manufacture a crisis or seek a pretext to increase its aggressive military activity. we and countries around the world believe that escalation serves no one and could have unintended consequences that serve no one's interest, including members and including china. but china's ally, russia, has defended the drills. translation: we know that the tensions in - the region around taiwanl

were triggered artificially. you and i are well aware| of what provoked them — nancy pelosi's visit. it was a completely. unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation. as for military manoeuvres in the asia—pacific- region around taiwan, - this is china's sovereign right. kremlin spokesperson given the reaction in terms of russia of course being an ally to china. this isjust ally to china. this is just the beginning of these drills. that's riuht. beginning of these drills. that's right- there _ beginning of these drills. that's right. there is _ beginning of these drills. that's right. there is going _ beginning of these drills. that's right. there is going to - beginning of these drills. that's right. there is going to be - beginning of these drills. that's right. there is going to be four| right. there is going to be four days of theirs. we don't know exactly the chinese are planning. but clearly they started. as you pointed out with your graphic, by taking an exercise which effectively surrounds taiwan. darting their exercises around the island, at six different points for that in some ways practising for a blockade, there could be of future potential

strategy. will see what they do in the next few days with the china cm to eight chinese embassy holding a briefing here for a journalist tomorrow. that's pretty unusual. we will see what they say on that as well. and tensions really are at their highest now i would say between beijing and washington for perhaps more than a quarter of the century. it's a very serious situation, there are risks here, the americans do have military assets in the western pacific and they've already accused china this year of dangerous games and that area with flybys and boats. there could be a miscalculation thrown into the equation as well.— miscalculation thrown into the equation as well. there is potential miscalculation. _ equation as well. there is potential miscalculation. also _ equation as well. there is potential miscalculation. also there - equation as well. there is potential miscalculation. also there is - equation as well. there is potential miscalculation. also there is the i miscalculation. also there is the practical impact, these are very busy waters or goods going through. you really have to look at a map and this is the channel past taiwan,

through the south china sea, the straits of malacca, that's the artery that connects the indian ocean and the pacific ocean. vast amounts of world trade goes through that area. vast amounts of oil travels by tanker through that area. these are incredibly important shipping rings for the world economy. shipping rings for the world economy-— shipping rings for the world econom . . ~ , . shipping rings for the world econom . ., ~' y . ., economy. thank you very much for remindin: economy. thank you very much for reminding us— economy. thank you very much for reminding us of— economy. thank you very much for reminding us of all— economy. thank you very much for reminding us of all of— economy. thank you very much for reminding us of all of that. - it opposes countries having official exchanges with taiwan and it's also not ruled out the use of fourth two forced to achieve unification. for many living in taiwan these tensions are nothing new. basically i'm not afraid. when they said that _ basically i'm not afraid. when they

said that for quite a while. translation: i think i'm already used to— translation: i think i'm already used to the — translation: i think i'm already used to the threat _ translation: i think i'm already used to the threat from _ translation: i think i'm already used to the threat from china - translation: i think i'm already used to the threat from china and i've used to the threat from china and i've accepted _ used to the threat from china and i've accepted it _ used to the threat from china and i've accepted it. actually, - used to the threat from china and i've accepted it. actually, taiwanl i've accepted it. actually, taiwan cares _ i've accepted it. actually, taiwan cares more — i've accepted it. actually, taiwan cares more about _ i've accepted it. actually, taiwan cares more about the _ i've accepted it. actually, taiwan cares more about the economy. i we will get the view from beijing. translation: i think the pelosi visit is a good thing. it gives us an opportunity to surround taiwan and then use the opportunity to take taiwan by force. earlier than expected. i think we should thank comrade pelosi.— comrade pelosi. translation: psychologically _ comrade pelosi. translation: psychologically i _ comrade pelosi. translation: psychologically i think _ comrade pelosi. translation: psychologically i think emotions comrade pelosi. translation: - psychologically i think emotions are running _ psychologically i think emotions are running high for chinese people when she came _ running high for chinese people when she came. but when we come down and think about _ she came. but when we come down and think about it. _ she came. but when we come down and think about it, we must have faith in our— think about it, we must have faith in our motherland and that they the government have already figured out a solution. the impact of these drills is already being felt. we know that more than 50 international flights to and from taiwan have been cancelled. and it's likely there'll be delays to global shipping and disruption to global supply chains. that's because the waters around taiwan are some of the busiest

shipping lanes in the world. this picture gives you an idea ofjust how busy. all of those ships are being forced to reroute. so could this escalate further? here's one perspective from a former nato commander. i think on this occasion the chinese not ready for any sort of military action. xijinping wants to be anointed in his third term as party head in a few weeks' time. —— xi. i don't think the economy this is a good time for china to act in relation to taiwan. frankly, they can't take on the united states at the moment in military terms. so we are safe for a while. so a former nato commander there saying china can't take on the us in military terms. given these drills are taking place around taiwan, let's compare china and taiwan in terms of armed forces. china has a total of more than two million active forces, dwarfing taiwan'5169—thousand. china's ground and air forces are ten times

the amount of taiwan's. but, as you can see, taiwan does have a large number in reserve. it's a similar picture when we look at weapons. china vastly outnumbers taiwan in terms of tanks, aircraft, submarines and naval ships. its artillary exceeds eight thousand, nine hundred in total — compared to just over two thousand for taiwan. lets look at this further, veerle nouwens is a senior research fellow at the royal united services institute. veerle, you focus on the asia—pacific region. china's military capabilities are vastly greater than taiwan's. with that in mind, is there any possibility these drills could spiral into open conflict? i into open conflict? think that possibility of course is i think that possibility of course is always there. particularly given the sensitivity of the current tension and also the fact that there are so many exercises being done,

the fact that missiles reportedly now have flown over taiwan. misunderstandings could happen, miscalculations can happen and that certainly is very dangerous. but i would add that i think no sides really at this moment would want conflict there is i'm sure a lot of commission kate mack communication going on. ab. commission kate mack communication auoin on. �* ., ., commission kate mack communication rroinon. �* ., ., ., commission kate mack communication rroinon. ., ., ., , going on. a lot of communication but as we saw one _ going on. a lot of communication but as we saw one of _ going on. a lot of communication but as we saw one of our _ going on. a lot of communication but as we saw one of our maps, - going on. a lot of communication but as we saw one of our maps, three . as we saw one of our maps, three of these drills have crossed over having encroach into taiwan's territorial mortars. i wonder what that means in terms of the impact in what china is doing in terms of the message they're trying to get across here. , ,., , message they're trying to get across here. , ,. , ., , message they're trying to get across here. , , ., , ., here. the message is that they are dee rl here. the message is that they are deeply displeased _ here. the message is that they are deeply displeased with _ here. the message is that they are deeply displeased with this - here. the message is that they are deeply displeased with this visit. . deeply displeased with this visit. they think the united states is holding out of its type china one policy. i think it's already been mentioned, it's a crucial yearfor china. the party congress is coming out, xi has to look strong to domestic audiences well. encroaching

into taiwan's territorial waters is new. and i think this really adds to that chipping away of taiwan's own buffer zone, that chipping away of taiwan's own bufferzone, its that chipping away of taiwan's own buffer zone, its own maritime area. and that is an escalation of sorts. and that is an escalation of sorts. and for taiwan, you talk about this escalation of sorts, what recourse do they have?— do they have? they are trying to kee- a do they have? they are trying to keep a level-headed _ do they have? they are trying to keep a level-headed response i do they have? they are trying to i keep a level-headed response not do they have? they are trying to - keep a level-headed response not to keep a level—headed response not to engage, ii imagine too strongly. but signalling serious displeasure. i think there were also reports today that they were able to dissuade or respond to drones by using flares. it's these types of responses that they are looking up. of course also reported publicly on what's actually happening. it’s reported publicly on what's actually ha- rernin. �*, ., reported publicly on what's actually harrernin. v . ., reported publicly on what's actually hauaenin, �*, ., ., ~' , reported publicly on what's actually ha enin, �*, ., ., 4' ,., happening. it's important to keep a record of what _ happening. it's important to keep a record of what is _ happening. it's important to keep a record of what is happening. -

happening. it's important to keep a record of what is happening. when | happening. it's important to keep a i record of what is happening. when we talked about the possibility of this premium reach with a miscalculation, what would that look like, what would that have to look like to escalate this further given as we just mentioned, they have already encouraged into those maritime waters of taiwan?— encouraged into those maritime waters of taiwan? very typical to sa . i waters of taiwan? very typical to say- i don't _ waters of taiwan? very typical to say. i don't think _ waters of taiwan? very typical to say. i don't think there's - waters of taiwan? very typical to say. i don't think there's an - waters of taiwan? very typical to say. i don't think there's an easy| say. i don't think there's an easy calculation in that respect. but you can imagine something misfiring or landing somewhere it's not supposed to. there's one thing which is to send a direct signal that it's another to misinterpret that signal because something has gone astray. that is very dangerous. i think everyone is monitoring this extremely closely.- everyone is monitoring this extremely closely. thank you very much for speaking _ extremely closely. thank you very much for speaking to _ extremely closely. thank you very much for speaking to us _ extremely closely. thank you very much for speaking to us and - much for speaking to us and reminding usjust how much for speaking to us and reminding us just how displeased china is with nancy pelosi is a visit to taiwan. nancy pelosi is now in south korea, where she has expressed concern over the increasing threat posed by north korea.

in a joint statement with the speaker of parliament in seoul, kimjin—pyo, she said she supported efforts to maintain strong and extended deterrence against pyongyang. our seoul correspondent jean mckenzie has more. certainly pelosi is visit here to south korea, she arrived last night, she's been here today is not as high—level as it could have been. she met with the head of the national assembly, she met with the head of the nationalassembly, her she met with the head of the national assembly, her counterparts in parliament. she hasn't met with south korean president, she hasn't met with south korean foreign minister. the president is on a holiday but he is on the night it's very different from the trip that ms. pelosi may back here in 2015 when she met both the president and the foreign minister. after a bit of back—and—forth they did agree finally this morning that the president would speak to ms. pelosi on the phone. but really, yes there is some timing issues here and there

is some timing issues here and there is in x use of bad timing but there are people saying that this actually was a much more deliberate attempt by the south koreans to try and avoid antagonizing the of it when the presidential office was put on this today they admitted that they hadn't made the decision not to meet with ms. pelosi matters of national interest. this shows a government that came into office here just three months ago and it came in promising to build a deeper relationship with the us, signalling that it was good to reduce its dependence on china. but it really shows this incident how delicate that balance still is to strike and how difficult these decisions are. the bank of england has given a stark warning that the uk will fall into recession this year, as it raised interest rates by half a point. the biggest interest rate rise for almost 30 years. they've gone up from 1.25% to 1.75%. the bank is doing this

to try to control inflation. that's the rate at which prices go up. the bank predicts inflation, currently at 9% will reach hit 13% in the autumn. andrew bailey is the bank's governor. we've been hit by a very super bare shot and that shock is coming through energy prices, it's coming from the actions of russia to be blunt. when you look at what's happened to gas prices since may, this is a big impact, whatjim was reporting this morning. i'm afraid is directly to inflation but it will have an effect on the economy. i'm afraid as you say, yes we are forecasting a recession. the bank of england expects the economy will shrink in the final three months of this year and keep shrinking through 2023. this chart shows how the downturn in

red. it's predicted to be bigger the 19905 recession with in blue which followed in 2008, the financial crisis in yellow lasting longer. as for interest rates, they are still low compared to previous periods, but the bank has been steadily raising them, six times in a row. small businesses say higher borrowing costs could make a recession worse. paola diboski is a manufacturer of bubble toys in bangor, north wales. it's crippling. its interest rate rises or something like could really stop the small businesses like us who are ambitious, who are timely, who are ambitious, who are timely, who are ambitious, who are timely, who are doing our absolute best. and they could stop this growth or stymie it, curtail it at a time when we really need to be making changes. the bank's aim is to bring inflation down by discouraging spending. raising interest rates does that — by making all kinds of borrowing more expensive.

for instance. the rate increase rise will add £52 a month to the cost of the average tracker mortgage. the banks' governor says he's aware that only adds to the pain for households already struggling with higher energy bills, but he says taking action is necessary. our concern is to ensure that this very big shock that can hit inflation, ternet people of course this winter, it doesn't then get embedded into the system. that's the real concern we have. and we are seeing it, i go around the country a lot we are us being terms that feel they can set prices quite aggressively. we are concerned about that and that's what were trying to head off. i'm afraid the really blunt message i have two people and thatis,if blunt message i have two people and that is, if it does become more embedded the problem gets worse, we will have high inflation for longer and the bank of england will have to raise rates even higher then they would otherwise do.—

would otherwise do. certainly a blunt message _ would otherwise do. certainly a blunt message there. - would otherwise do. certainly a blunt message there. it - would otherwise do. certainly a blunt message there. it is - would otherwise do. certainly a blunt message there. it is clear that the overall picture for the uk households and businesses is really concerning. fiur households and businesses is really concerninr. _, ., . ., concerning. our economic editor. the decision today — concerning. our economic editor. the decision today was _ concerning. our economic editor. the decision today was to _ concerning. our economic editor. the decision today was to raise _ concerning. our economic editor. the decision today was to raise by - concerning. our economic editor. the decision today was to raise by half - decision today was to raise by half of pipe. the surprise was the forecast on notjust inflation but 13% but at the same time a recession lasting longer than one year. that would up and the household finances of many ordinary families and it could wreck the government finances to. right now there are few good options in the sense of our households. for the bank of england and for the government do that we are fully in control of rampant inflation and its impact on the economy. fin control of rampant inflation and its impact on the economy.— impact on the economy. on our website we _ impact on the economy. on our website we do _ impact on the economy. on our website we do have _ impact on the economy. on our website we do have a _ impact on the economy. on our website we do have a special. impact on the economy. on our - website we do have a special section dedicated to the cost of living with an article explaining how this interest rate rise will affect households was up to check that out. you can also get in touch with me

via social media. hello there. hosepipe bans are starting to come into force over the next few days. for hampshire and the isle of wight, we've got a ban coming in place for friday. then, across south east england next week and the week after that, parts of southern wales hit by one as well. it's all because we've not seen so much in the way of rain over the course of this year. so far, only two thirds of the amount of rain we'd normally see has fallen across parts of england. not quite as dry as 1976, but not too far behind, and there is no rain in the forecast across those very driest areas — not just for the next five days, but next week looks completely dry as well. now, on thursday, we had some fine spells of sunshine across england and wales, but for scotland and northern ireland, a few passing showers — one of these captured there in the highlands — and there'll be more showers to come

overnight across scotland, northern ireland and a few for the northwest of england and wales. one or two heavy one mixed in as well, but further southwards, southern wales, the midlands, east anglia, southern england, it's dry. a comfortable night's sleep for all of you, temperatures 8—11; degrees. we get off to a fresh start to the day on friday. lots of sunshine across the whole of the country, but again, there will be a few passing showers for scotland, northern ireland, the northwest of england and wales, but for the south, it's dry again with no showers in the forecast. temperatures very similar to those of thursday. high teens across northern areas, the warmest spots about 211—25 across eastern areas of england. and it means, again, we've got more fine weather for the commonwealth games. the athletics, perfect conditions — 20 degrees and light winds, lots of sunshine. as we head into the weekend, there will be some thicker cloud just working into the northwest of scotland, bringing a little bit of rain here, but further southwards, again, it's the same old story of dry conditions, lots of sunshine and just starting to creep up a little bit.

18 for belfast, 23 for cardiff and 26 in london. now, looking at the weather patterns through the second half of the weekend and into next week, we get this area of high pressure becoming much more dominant. that means the winds will be later and with lots of sunshine around, we'll see those temperatures start to build day by day. so, a very warm or even hot spell of weather with temperatures across the warmest spots of england peaking back into the 30s, but getting warmer as well for scotland and northern ireland with a lot of dry weather and sunshine for next week. that's you forecast.

hello and welcome to outside source. a russian court sentences the us basketball star brittney griner to nine years in prison. aldo i made an honest mistake and i hope that and the rulinr , honest mistake and i hope that —.ic the ruling, it goes honest mistake and i hope that —."ic the ruling, it goes in my liking. the olympic gold medallist was arrested with cannabis oil in her luggage. the us said she should not be jailed. this luggage. the us said she should not be “ailed. , , ., luggage. the us said she should not be “ailed. , , . ., be jailed. this is a miscarriage of 'ustice. be jailed. this is a miscarriage of justice- the _ be jailed. this is a miscarriage of justice. the us _ be jailed. this is a miscarriage of justice. the us department - be jailed. this is a miscarriage of justice. the us department has. justice. the us department has describe — justice. the us department has describe it brittney griner was wrongfully detained.— describe it brittney griner was wrongfully detained. former police officers are arrested _ wrongfully detained. former police officers are arrested in _ wrongfully detained. former police officers are arrested in the - wrongfully detained. former police officers are arrested in the us - wrongfully detained. former police officers are arrested in the us overj officers are arrested in the us over the killing of breonna taylor, who

was shot dead in her apartment two years ago. two years since a deadly blast killed over 200 people at the port of beirut, their families are still calling for justice. welcome back. let's get more on our top story. brittney griner, the us basketball player and olympic gold medallist, has been sentenced to nine years in prison in moscow on charges of drug smuggling. president biden has called the sentence unacceptable and demanded her immediate release. he said his administration would pursue every avenue to bring her home. here's our russia editor, steve rosenberg. in court today, brittney griner said she made an honest mistake when she brought vape cartridges with cannabis oil into russia. she made a plea for leniency that fell on death ears. she was sentenced to nine years in a russian prison. her

defence eat said —— team said they will appeal, and president biden said she should be released immediately. might russia release brittney griner? we know america and russia have been talking about a possible prisoner swap that could involve brittney griner, and also former us marine paul whelen, also injail russia, washington former us marine paul whelen, also in jail russia, washington said former us marine paul whelen, also injail russia, washington said it has a proposal on the table. some reports suggest in order to bring these people home, america may be prepared to release the notorious arms traffic of victor boots, sentenced to 25 years in an american jail ten years ago. victor boot was alleged to be one of the most prolific arms dealer in the world,

dubbed the merchant of death, so it would be a controversial swap. this is someone the kremlin has long wanted to bring back to russia. if it manages to bring him back, there's no doubt the authorities here would prevent that as a major victory. here would prevent that as a ma'or victo . ., ., , here would prevent that as a ma'or victo . . ., , ,, here would prevent that as a ma'or victo . . ,, , victory. that was steve rosenberg ex . laininr victory. that was steve rosenberg earplaining the _ victory. that was steve rosenberg explaining the bigger _ victory. that was steve rosenberg explaining the bigger picture - victory. that was steve rosenberg explaining the bigger picture of. explaining the bigger picture of what we found out. danielle gilbert is an expert on international hostage situations. she's also a fellow at dartmouth college. we are talking about a hostage expert, is that what we are really looking at, even that cannabis is illegal in russia and there was a trial, and miss griner did plead guilty. the sentencing is very high

compared to others, but has she been effectively taken hostage? first compared to others, but has she been effectively taken hostage?— effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank effectively taken hostage? first of all. thank you _ effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank you for _ effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank you for having - effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank you for having me. - effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank you for having me. i - effectively taken hostage? first of all, thank you for having me. i am very careful about when i'm willing to use terminology like hostage and hostage taking, and i think there are several really good reasons that we should consider brittney griner as a hostage. first of all, she admitted to having .7 grams of hash oil in her luggage, but she was charged with international drug smuggling and given a sentence of nine years, and i have. as a trumped up nine years, and i have. as a trumped up charge that suggest that she's been used for leverage —— nine and a half. there's also idea floating in the public about prisoner swap to get her and other americans home. you don't engage in prisoner swaps when it's a legitimate criminal trial. the british public is very familiar with these kinds of scenarios because of british citizens that have been held in

similar situations in countries like chiron like nazim zaghari—ratcliffe and in china —— in iran. i5 chiron like nazim zaghari-ratcliffe and in china -- in iran.— and in china -- in iran. is there is no known — and in china -- in iran. is there is no known negotiation _ and in china -- in iran. is there is no known negotiation but - and in china -- in iran. is there is no known negotiation but there . and in china -- in iran. is there is no known negotiation but there is and in china -- in iran. is there is. no known negotiation but there is a possibility of us walk, what would we make of this? the possibility of us walk, what would we make of this?— possibility of us walk, what would we make of this? the us government announced last _ we make of this? the us government announced last week _ we make of this? the us government announced last week that _ we make of this? the us government announced last week that they - we make of this? the us government announced last week that they had i announced last week that they had previously put a substantial offer on the table to get brittney griner and paul whelen out of prison in russia. the white house did release details, but reports have suggested that it's a prisoner swap for a convicted arms dealer in prison in the united states known as viktor bout. typically these are made when the... whether it's a prisoner exchange. but it was always clear that the russians wouldn't properly come to the negotiation table until the trial reached its conclusion, and cocktail they had sentence

brittney griner, because there leverage that is highest —— and until. leverage that is highest -- and until. ~ , ., leverage that is highest -- and until. ~ ,, leverage that is highest -- and until. ~ i. ., until. when you look at the potential — until. when you look at the potential of _ until. when you look at the potential of a _ until. when you look at the potential of a prisoner i until. when you look at the i potential of a prisoner swap, until. when you look at the - potential of a prisoner swap, we're talking about a gold medallist and olympian and somebody who moscow wants back, described as the merchant of death, as steve rosenberg called him. how does that compare? how are we meant to think about this? ~ ., , �* _, about this? well it doesn't compare. it's not about this? well it doesn't compare. it's not fair- — about this? well it doesn't compare. it's not fair. there's _ about this? well it doesn't compare. it's not fair. there's no _ about this? well it doesn't compare. it's not fair. there's no moral- it's not fair. there's no moral equivalent. we shouldn't even pretend there is. but that doesn't mean the government should not use the tools they have to bring our citizens home. it would be a great thing to see some compassion on the russian side, to see that they're releasing not only american citizens, but this olympic athlete, this american all—star who is also a

beloved athlete in russia. it would beloved athlete in russia. it would be great to see her come home, even if we don't have to accept that a trade is fair.— trade is fair. fascinating to hear our trade is fair. fascinating to hear your pempective- _ trade is fair. fascinating to hear your perspective. doctor- trade is fair. fascinating to hear. your perspective. doctor danielle gilbert, a leading expert on international hostage situation, thank you very much for talking is through. let's go to beirut, because it's the two—year anniversary of its deadly port explosion, and still, there's been no full investigation into what happened. it's widely seen by lebanese people as an example of corruption and bad governance by a ruling elite who are also responsible for severe economic crisis. people who lost loved ones or had livelihoods ruined that day were protesting today. carine tobey is there. people here were gathering to say one thing — they said, we wantjustice. they feel like two years on the investigation has stalled, there are no answers to basic questions about what happened, about

the responsibility of what happened. there is a lot ofjustice obstruction here. the investigation, politicians summing to interrogation not appearing before the judge, and a lot of things that have given but they say that despite the frustration, there is no despair and that they are determined to get to the bottom of it. let's remind ourselves what happened that day. this was the moment of the explosion in the port. we know thousands of tonnes of the explosive chemical, ammonium nitrate, were stored in a warehouse without safety measures. after, it emerged they'd been there for several years, and lebanese officials knew about it. it was of the most powerful non—nuclear blasts on record — destroying huge parts of beirut. more than 200 people were killed. around 7000 people were injured. hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless. so, for survivors and families of those who died,

there's been no closure. elias khoury was killed in the explosion while at home. his mother spoke to the bbc. in our case, it's not only the feeling of grief, it kills you from the inside. there is another feeling of injustice that shatters you in every way. this injustice i mean, it's because of the way our loved ones were killed. there was no war and it wasn't a terrorist attack. since the explosion these grain silos by the port have become a symbol of the inaction. they've been fermenting for 2 years. this was over the weekend — parts of them fell after fires ignited because of the heat.

protestors gathered there to mark today and more silos fell again. carine was there when that happened. they felljust minutes ago. these silos that withstood explosion the last two years completely crack. there has been lots of fires erupting in recently because of the fermented grain it and the heat, the summer heat. just one hour before marking the exact two years anniversary of the beirut blast explosion they fell behind me. this happening at this exact moment is something, a lot of symbolism for a lot of people. extraordinary symbolism. and of course, this is all happening while lebanon is in a severe political and economic crisis. it's got triple—digit inflation rates. there's limited food and clean water. medicine supplies are

running out and there are massive fuel shortages. there's an electricity crisis and regular blackouts. the world bank released a report this week which said responsibility for the crisis lies with lebanon's elites misusing money. it said "this has been deliberate". here's one economist�*s reaction to that assessment. the process as a result of mismanagement of funds. we were surprised _ mismanagement of funds. we were surprised that all of the statements and other— surprised that all of the statements and other executions about the failure — and other executions about the failure of— and other executions about the failure of the lebanese state to respond — failure of the lebanese state to respond to the crisis. and the corruption and

inaction of lebanon's authorities has been evident in the investigation into the explosion. as we've heard, despite protest and activism, it's stalled. that's led to violence. influential political figures have fought hard against giving evidence, meaning that investigation has been suspended again and again. so there's high—level political resistance to the investigation within lebanon. un experts have called for an independent, international investigation. and for many lebanese people, the explosion in the port two years ago has exposed that too. and even marked a turning point,

as one lawyer explains. we've seen all the strategies and the tools— we've seen all the strategies and the tools that the forces have used in order— the tools that the forces have used in order to — the tools that the forces have used in order to stop accountability. but we have _ in order to stop accountability. but we have today as a society that is more _ we have today as a society that is more aware — we have today as a society that is more aware of that regime. let's turn to the us now. four us police officers have been arrested and charged over the fatal shooting of breonna taylor two years ago. their alleged crimes include the illegal use of force and obstruction. we share but we cannot fully imagine the grief felt by breonna taylor's loved ones and all of those affected by the events of march 13, 2020. breonna taylor should be alive

today. the justice breonna taylor should be alive today. thejustice department is committed to defending and protecting every single person in this country. lets remind everyone what happened. breonna taylor was shot in her home in louisville in 2020, by plain—clothes police. at the time, the police said they were executing a search warrant as part of a drugs investigation. no drugs were found in the property. it led to scenes like this — racial injustice protests all over the country. this is the lawyer for breonna taylor's family reacting to the news. because of breonna taylor, we can say this— because of breonna taylor, we can say this is— because of breonna taylor, we can say this is the day that black women saw equal— say this is the day that black women saw equaljustice in the united states of— saw equaljustice in the united states of america. let's cross over to will clark, a reporter for news radio. let's cross over to will clark, a reporterfor news radio. this has been a long time coming. just bring

your reaction initially. i been a long time coming. just bring your reaction initially.— your reaction initially. i think it kind of came — your reaction initially. i think it kind of came out _ your reaction initially. i think it kind of came out of _ your reaction initially. i think it kind of came out of nowhere . your reaction initially. i think it| kind of came out of nowhere for those of us here in louisville. we were aware that the fbi was involved. but the decision, at least from a public perspective, came abruptly. we got a notification from the justice department about an hour before mary garland was at the podium, and we were able to piece some things together. by and large, the government kept this pretty close to the vest until they announced it at the podium. one of the charges against brett hankinson, firing through the door and the blinds, he had been acquitted on that in a state courtjust a few months ago. so, he can go back and get this on a federal charge and a civil rights charge, so he'll go

through that whole process again. the rest of it is basically undermining the entire foundation of the breonna taylor search warrants. it alleges thatjoshua james and two others played a role in falsifying the affidavit that led to the warrant, and after the fact, the two conspired to cover up what they had done and one of them went so far to be accused of lying to the fbi white what reaction can be accused of lying to the fbi white what reaction— what reaction can we expect from r-eole? what reaction can we expect from people? we _ what reaction can we expect from people? we know _ what reaction can we expect from people? we know after _ what reaction can we expect from people? we know after her i what reaction can we expect from | people? we know after her death, there was so much anger on the streets. it was a heightened time in the us. what can we expect going forward? i the us. what can we expect going forward? ~ �* , the us. what can we expect going forward? ,, �* , ., ., the us. what can we expect going forward? ,, �*, ., ., , ., forward? i think it's going to be a lot more peaceful _ forward? i think it's going to be a lot more peaceful than _ forward? i think it's going to be a lot more peaceful than what i forward? i think it's going to be a | lot more peaceful than what we've seenin lot more peaceful than what we've seen in the summer of 2020. that was basically a public cry for justice.

they wanted action, they waited on local state of message and from daniel cameron, and they weren't satisfied. they 's to seek action from the department ofjustice as the justice that they weren't able to get at a state or local level. so i think within the community, you see a lot more... i don't want to say happiness because this is certainly not a happy situation, but a lot more people who are pleased with this movement of the federal government. the department of justice is involved. when that happens, that's a pretty solid signal to those being indicted or charged that you're going to do sometime, that the federal government takes civil rights violations very seriously. when you

look at the louisville police department, already under a full—blown investigation, these four officers may very well be poster children for cracking down on things like trying to falsify a document or aggressive force. 50. like trying to falsify a document or aggressive force.— aggressive force. so, a pretty stronr aggressive force. so, a pretty strong message _ aggressive force. so, a pretty strong message there. i aggressive force. so, a pretty strong message there. will. aggressive force. so, a pretty i strong message there. will clark, thank you very much for speaking to us. lots more on our website about that statement. still to come — we would be looking at carl reeves, so stay with us for that. birds from every continent — except antarctica — have been found to be nesting, or tangled, in our rubbish. here's our science correspondent victoria gill. a grim, but familiar sight in many urban waterways.

how many different types of plastic are just floating here? yeah, i can see easily, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... seven or eight different kinds of plastic, just here. and it's the wildlife that inhabits these waterways that's living with — and living in — our rubbish. these images, submitted by members of the public and collected by scientists, show the global extent of the problem. scientists asked people to upload photographs and reports of birds entangled or nesting in rubbish. we've got about 400 reports covering every continent except antarctica. wow. literally everywhere. and then covid happened. is that more of an environmental problem than plastic bag? yeah, so masks is not

just one thing. you think about you've got the ear loops, which are made of elastic, you've got sheeting on them, you've got the rigid piece of flexible plastic that, you know, fits over your nose. so you've got a whole bunch of ways that wildlife can seemingly interact with this. 0k, buddy. in some cases, like this one in stratford—on—avon, nature lovers have been able to help. hey, come on, buddy. 0h, perfect, well done. there we go. but this project shows the surge in pandemic—related waste that's ending up in the environment. scientists say our management waste can't cope and wildlife are bearing the consequences. victoria gill, bbc news. this is outside source live

from the bbc newsroom. our lead story... the us basketball star, brittany griner, has been sentenced to nine years for drug offences. president biden called her sentence unacceptable. i can't believe i'm going to say this, i have good news coming from australia. the great barrier reef has the largest amount of coral cover in 36 years, according to a new report by the australian institute of marine sciences. the reef is considered healthy — or high value — when over 30% is covered in coral. in the northern and central region of the reef, coral cover is now above 33%. but scientists warn that this has been driven by a fast growing weedy coral — called acropora — that's highly susceptible to future climate impacts including coral bleaching and cyclone damage. and although there's been

growth in the northern and central region — the southern part of the great barrier reef has seen a decrease in coral cover, thanks to damage caused by cyclones and a rise in coral—eating starfish. here's one of the scientists behind the report. so, today, ithink what we're seeing is that the great barrier reef still is a resilient system. you know, it still maintains that ability to recover from disturbances and if you give it enough chance, it can do that. but the worrying thing is that, you know, the frequency of these disturbance events are increasing, particularly, you know, the mass coral bleaching events. coral bleaching occurs when the water temperatures rise. it's become an existential threat to the reef. before 2016, there'd only ever been two mass bleaching events. but since then, there have been four, including this year, during a la nina, when temperatures should typically be cooler. unesco has responded by threatening

to put the world heritage site on it's in danger list as a result. for more, i'm joined by richard leck, from world wildlife australia. we talk about unesco possibly putting the coral reef on its danger list. what do you think this latest report, slight good news, will they do that now?— do that now? obviously, it's a decision for _ do that now? obviously, it's a decision for unesco, - do that now? obviously, it's a decision for unesco, but i i do that now? obviously, it's a. decision for unesco, but i think it's important to celebrate this moment that the reef is still resilient. but it is a cautious welcome here. it's almost like there's been a goldilocks moment where we haven't had significant cyclones in the great barrier reef. while we have had two recent coral

bleaching events, and hasn't resulted in significant mortality. the pressure the governments are under to improve management is really important and leaving that option is important.— really important and leaving that option is important. thank you for ex . laininr option is important. thank you for earplaining that — option is important. thank you for explaining that we _ option is important. thank you for explaining that we have _ option is important. thank you for explaining that we have to - option is important. thank you for explaining that we have to be i explaining that we have to be cautious when it comes to these reports�* findings. when we talk about the climate bill, what are you hoping that that bill�*s impact will have on the reef and on its ability to recover? for have on the reef and on its ability to recover?— have on the reef and on its ability to recover? ., , , ., , to recover? for the past ten years, australia has — to recover? for the past ten years, australia has really _ to recover? for the past ten years, australia has really been _ to recover? for the past ten years, australia has really been a - to recover? for the past ten years, australia has really been a global. australia has really been a global leg up when it comes to action on climate change. we�*ve just seen the new government here in australia

passed a new climate change bill, which is fantastic. it�*s not everything, but it is heartening that we�*re starting to turn the trend around and starting to take climate action seriously. obviously, climate action seriously. obviously, climate change is the basic method to the great barrier reef, the most iconic reef on the planet. many years, conservation this and scientists have said if australia can�*t do everything it can to protect this reef from 60,000 jobs, what hope is there for it worldwide? i think the actions we see today are the start of this turning around. fin the start of this turning around. on that note, thank you very much for talking us through it and giving us a little bit of positivity. richard leck, thank you very much. lots more

on this website from me, thanks for watching. bye—bye. hello there. hosepipe bans are starting to come into force over the next few days. for hampshire and the isle of wight, we�*ve got a ban coming in place for friday. then, across south east england next week and the week after that, parts of southern wales hit by one as well. it�*s all because we�*ve not seen so much in the way of rain over the course of this year. so far, only two thirds of the amount of rain we�*d normally see has fallen across parts of england. not quite as dry as 1976, but not too far behind, and there is no rain in the forecast across those very driest areas — not just for the next five days, but next week looks completely dry as well. now, on thursday, we had some fine spells of sunshine across england and wales, but for scotland and northern ireland, a few passing showers — one of these captured

there in the highlands — and there�*ll be more showers to come overnight across scotland, northern ireland and a few for the northwest of england and wales. one or two heavy one mixed in as well, but southern wales, the midlands, east anglia, southern england, it�*s dry. a comfortable night�*s sleep for all of you, temperatures 8—11; degrees. we get off to a fresh start to the day on friday. lots of sunshine across the whole of the country, but again, there will be a few passing showers for scotland, northern ireland, the northwest of england and wales, but for the south, it�*s dry again with no showers in the forecast. temperatures very similar to those of thursday. high teens across northern areas, the warmest spots about 211—25 across eastern areas of england. and it means, again, we�*ve got more fine weather for the commonwealth games. the athletics, perfect conditions — 20 degrees and light winds, lots of sunshine. as we head into the weekend, there will be some thicker cloud just working into the northwest of scotland, bringing a little bit of rain here, but further southwards, again, it�*s the same old story of dry conditions, lots of sunshine and just starting

to creep up a little bit. 18 for belfast, 23 for cardiff and 26 in london. now, looking at the weather patterns through the second half of the weekend and into next week, we get this area of high pressure becoming much more dominant. that means the winds will be later and with lots of sunshine around, we�*ll see those temperatures start to build day by day. so, a very warm or even hot spell of weather with temperatures across the warmest spots of england peaking back into the 30s, but getting warmer as well for scotland and northern ireland with a lot of dry weather and sunshine for next week. that�*s you forecast.

a double warning from the bank of england which there is a recession is coming and inflation could peak at 13% by december. gdp is coming and inflation could peak at 13% by december.— is coming and inflation could peak at 13% by december. gdp growth has slowed and the _ at 13% by december. gdp growth has slowed and the economy _ at 13% by december. gdp growth has slowed and the economy is _ at 13% by december. gdp growth has slowed and the economy is forecast i slowed and the economy is forecast to enter recession this year. interest rates rise by half a point to 1.75%, the biggest in 30 years. some firms say the decision is concerning. some firms say the decision is concerning-— some firms say the decision is concernina. �*, . , , , concerning. it's crippling, interest rate rises could _ concerning. it's crippling, interest rate rises could stop _ concerning. it's crippling, interest rate rises could stop a _ concerning. it's crippling, interest rate rises could stop a small i rate rises could stop a small business like us. abs, rate rises could stop a small business like us.— business like us. a high court heafinr business like us. a high court hearing is _ business like us. a high court hearing is set _ business like us. a high court hearing is set to _ business like us. a high court hearing is set to begin - business like us. a high court hearing is set to begin in the l business like us. a high court i hearing is set to begin in the next hour to determine whether archie battersby can be moved into a hospice.