this is bbc news — i'm frankie mccamley. the headines at 8pm... a think—thank campaigning on behalf of low and middle income families warns "a catastrophe�* is coming this winter" — unless the government steps in to help with energy costs. i don't know what we're going to do. i'm just hoping that maybe somebody will offer us a lifeline, maybe the government will help, who knows? the shooting of 9—year—old olivia pratt—korbel — merseyside police say the suspected gunman is still on the run despite appeals to hand himself in. we will not rest until we find you. and we will find you. conservative leadership candidate rishi sunak says the government gave too much power to scientists during covid lockdowns.

but experts who advised downing street say ministers were responsible for decisions made. his comments come ahead of tonight's penultimate conservative hustings — with rishi sunak and liz truss facing tory votes in norwich. gcse results are out today for pupils in england, wales and northern ireland — the pass rate is down on last year but higher than it was before the pandemic. good afternoon. pressure is growing on the government to help households and businesses cope with soaring energy costs. a think tank has called for a universal 30% cut in bills — and businesses want covid—style

emergency grants to help companies that are struggling. the upper limit of what suppliers can charge per unit of energy in england, scotland and wales — the energy price cap — is set to be announced tomorrow. less than a year ago, a typical annual home energy bill — was about £1,200. it's now about £2,000 and it's forecast tomorrow to reach £3,500 per year, payable from this october. there are further increases expected in january. back in may, the government promised a £15 billion support package for households, but critics say this is not enough and that it doesn't cover businesses. our business editor, simonjack reports. making the daily bread takes a lot of energy. kneading machines and, of course, ovens are power hungry and this bakery in suffolk is bracing itself for a crippling rise in bills when its current commercial deal ends. it's a threat many businesses are facing.

we'll have no businesses left. i think there's so many locally that i speak to that will just close because they can't afford their electricity bills — i'm just hoping we won't be one of them. it's frightening, to be perfectly honest. i don't know what we're going to do. i'm just hoping that maybe somebody will offer us a lifeline, maybe the government will help. who knows? remember, companies�* energy bills are not limited by any price cap and business leaders want them to get more help and protection. energy prices are disproportionately hitting small and medium—sized businesses. we want to see emergency energy grants for smaller businesses, a reduction in vat from 20% to 5%, and more powers to 0fgem to ensure businesses are getting the right fixed rate contracts. this bakery�*s customers will learn how much their incomes will be squeezed tomorrow, when a new household price cap is announced. the price cap isn't really a cap at all — it's the amount of money energy companies are allowed to charge a household that uses the average

amount of gas and electricity. now currently, that's £1971. but on 0ctober1st, that will change and tomorrow, we'll find out to what. experts estimate it could exceed £3500. now, the support on offer is £400 off all bills come 0ctober, with people on qualifying benefits eligible for a further £650. but that support was set when bills were expected to hit £2800 this october. we are going to be well above that and there are estimates that bills could exceed £4200 in the cold months of january. little wonder that people in plymouth today were so concerned. we were talking about how worrying it's going to be. yeah. because it's like, you know, nobody earns loads and loads of money, so if it does double, it's quite a frightening situation. it is a concern but, _ unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do but wait and see what happens, isn't it? - just wrap yourselfl up like an eskimo! i do worry. i live on my own, sojust turning the oven on to cook one pie seems

ridiculous to me but you've got no choice. this crisis is affecting all of europe. france has capped price rises at 4% but has fully nationalised the already state—controlled provider edf, meaning taxpayers are footing the bill. in germany, households get a 300 euro payment, plus an extra 100 for each child, while public transport costs have been slashed and public buildings are having thermostats and lights turned down to reduce consumption. ministers here insist more help is on the way. we won't know exactly what till we have a new prime minister, but tomorrow we will know more about the size of the problem. simon jack, bbc news. although prices are soaring, the energy price cap does provide a limit to how high they can go — but many rural homes use heating oil which is not subject to the cap. campaigners say hundreds of thousands of families could find themselves in fuel poverty for the first time this winter — because of the high bills and old housing stock that's hard to insulate. ellie price reports

from rural south derbyshire. rich shaw's heating oil tank ran dry months ago. he can't afford to fill it up. we've got no heating, we've got no hot water, so we've been having to bath the kids in the sink. it's not ideal. luckily, we've had a warm summer, but come the winter, if we can't have central heating, it's just going to get cold. rich is disabled and can't work. the family have received extra financial help from the government towards the cost of living as part of their universal credit but say it's not enough. it's getting gobbled up. we can't save it up and buy a bulk order of kerosene because we're spending more on everything. it makes me feel like i'm failing. i can't explain to the kids why they're cold. i don't want to have to do that. rich is getting help from rural action derbyshire, a charity which bulk—buys heating oil so its clients can get the best possible price. this month, 500 litres cost them £450. an average family would use five times that in a year.

hopefully we'll be able to get you a delivery of oil in september or october. 0ccasionally, they can fill a tank forfree, and with heating oil prices more than double this time last year, they say more people are in need of their help. there is no regulator, there is no fixed price. it's hard for people to know how much they're going to be paying going forwards, and you don't pay monthly by direct debit — it's 500 litres is the minimum quantity, so you've got to find that money all in one hit. the end fuel poverty coalition protect by october this year, almost a third of rural homes will be in fuel poverty. in two years, that is more than doubled. but look how much it would cost to lift a household out of fuel poverty for some latest government figures are for 2020. in urban areas, it was £193. a rural household would need £501 a year extra. but those figures are calculated before this year�* energy price hikes, so the reality is likely to be much higher.

not only are they paying more for their energy in the first place because rural households tend to be more expensive to heat but also the cost of stopping fuel poverty and introducing energy fuel measures like insulation are far greater in rural areas than they are in towns and cities. rich says he will have to rely on hand—outs to keep his family warm this winter and tucked away in the countryside, he won�*t be the only one. ellie price, bbc news. let�*s get more on this now with tessa khan, who is the founder and director of uplift — which is part of the warm this winter coalition of organisations that are campaigning for affordable energy. thank affordable energy. you forjoining us this evening. thank you forjoining us this evening. let�*s talk about rishi sunak and liz truss, what do you make of their pledges so far? in short, they are manifestly inadequate, given the scale of the crisis we are facing, which i think

will become much clearer tomorrow morning when the hike in energy bills is confirmed to be around £3500 per household. and then with those predicted to rise again early next year, what we need is notjust financial support at a much greater scale forfamilies and financial support at a much greater scale for families and individuals across the country than we have already had from the government, but this is a problem that is going to persist, notjust this winter, not next winter, but oil and gasp prices, gas prices in particular are forecast to stay high for at least three years. what we need from the government has a proper plan to fix a broken energy system which involves upgrading people�*s homes, people�*s bills are as big as they are because we are exceptionally reliant on gas to heat our homes and oil in rural parts of the country and we have some of billy keast,

coldest housing stock in europe. we need a national insulation programme thatis need a national insulation programme that is properly funded as well. the government has options on the table, including sources of revenue to fund those programmes, like properly taxing 0il those programmes, like properly taxing oil and gas uk companies while they are making record profits. they are not taking advantage of those options when people are starting to despair about what is camping this winter and next. , ,., ~ ., ,., ., what is camping this winter and next. , ., ., , .,, next. he spoke about what people need, if next. he spoke about what people need. if you _ next. he spoke about what people need, if you were _ next. he spoke about what people need, if you were in _ next. he spoke about what people need, if you were in government, | need, if you were in government, what would you do, what would you fix it be? , ., ., ., fix it be? first of all, i would make sure — fix it be? first of all, i would make sure no _ fix it be? first of all, i would make sure no individual - fix it be? first of all, i would make sure no individual or. fix it be? first of all, i would - make sure no individual or family is make sure no individual orfamily is pushed into fuel poverty as a result of energy prices rising that are completely outside of their control. i would make sure the financial support available to household is commensurate with the increase people are facing and then the next thing i would do, as i said, is address the fact we currently have huge amounts of energy wasted in

this country that is adding an average, £1000 to people �*s bills. people have uninsulated homes, so i would make sure we had a proper programme starting with those households that needed the most, but upgrade people�*s home so they are not losing warmth and energy through their windows, not losing warmth and energy through theirwindows, doors not losing warmth and energy through their windows, doors and roofs. then i would address the fundamental root cause of this problem which is, we are highly dependent at the moment as the uk�*s energy system on gas and oil. that means scaling up the abundant renewable energy we have access to. which in this country is nine times cheaper than gas. we can bring a lot more of that online and i would make sure that we are taxing profiteering oil and ask companies properly, so we have that financial support available to help people on the scale that they need.— support available to help people on the scale that they need. thank you very much- —

and tomorrow morning on bbc news as the new domestic energy price cap for england, scotland and wales is announced we�*ll be answering your questions on energy costs. at 11.30 here on the bbc news channel we�*ll be joined by a consumer expert and our personal finance correspondent kevin peachey. get in touch with your questions — by emailing yourquestions@bbc.co.uk or get in touch on social media using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions. the family of nine—year—old 0livia pratt—korbel, who was shot dead in her home in liverpool on monday night, have appealed for people to "do the right thing" to help find out "who took our baby away from us". merseyside police have said they will not rest until they find her killer. from liverpool, navtej johal sent this report. the police say they

are bearing down. this morning, police from merseyside police raided properties and part of a crackdown on organised crime. but the hunt for 0livia pratt—korbel�*s killer goes on. the nine—year—old died after being fatally shot by gunmen on monday night and today in a press conference, the police delivered a blunt message to the killer. i struggle to find the words to describe that individual and what they�*ve done. and the fact that having found out, and they will know what they�*ve done, they still do not have the conscience to come forward and give themselves up. we will come for you, we will identify you and bring you tojustice. 0livia�*s mother had opened the door after hearing a commotion outside. joseph nee, a convicted burglar and intended target of the gunman,

forced his way inside before he was shot, along with ms pratt—korbel and her daughter. they were strangers to the family. nee was with another man and taken to hospital by two other men in a black audi. police say they have spoken to all of them and nee will be recalled to prison for allegedly breaching the conditions of his licence. meanwhile, the talk here where 0livia lived and died is of the frustration and the fear that has infected this community since her killing. how does it make you feel, does it make you feel afraid? when she goes home with her mum, i lock my door. i lock my door with the key and she is frightened, are you? i feel i'm walking down the street and i have to look behind my back, do you know what i mean? it is a bit stressful, it's unsettling, really. scary, i feel so scared for— the grand children growing up today. 0livia�*s fatal shooting was the third in the space ofjust a week in liverpool. the other victims were 22—year—old sam rimmer and 28—year—old ashley dale.

police have made five arrests in connection with their deaths. but they are continuing to appeal for information, in a city desperate to see this innocent girl�*s killer brought tojustice. the family have issued a statement paying tribute to the nine—year—old. they said she was a unique, nosy and chatty little girl who broke the mould when she was born. although her life was short, her personality wasn�*t. she lived to the most she could and would blow people away with her wit and kindness. they say, we as a family are heartbroken and have lost a huge part of our life. they are urging people to come forward with information. they said it is not about being a snitch or a grass, it is about finding who took our baby away from us. please do the right thing. one other thing to mention is 0livia�*s mother, cheryl

has been allowed to leave the hospital. she was also injured in that shooting on monday night. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here�*s tulsen. good evening. england trail by 40 runs after the opening day of the second test against south africa at old trafford. the tourists won the toss and chose to bat, but were soon struggling against england�*s bowlers and were 77 for five at lunch. jimmy anderson took three wickets as did stuart broad and the tourists innings soon fell apart as they were eventually all out for 151. england made a poor start to their reply with alex lees out forfour, 0llie pope for 23 and joe root sent packing forjust nine.

anderson had taken four wickets and stuart broad with three. the anderson had taken four wickets and stuart broad with three.— stuart broad with three. the titch can deteriorate _ stuart broad with three. the titch can deteriorate and _ stuart broad with three. the titch can deteriorate and it _ stuart broad with three. the titch can deteriorate and it brings - stuart broad with three. the titch can deteriorate and it brings the. can deteriorate and it brings the spinners and to play and can offer bouncers as the game goes on. but as a bowling group this morning we got together and fancied bowling and felt like the clouds would help the ball move a little bit and whether we could try and make some early inroads. i wasn�*t disappointed to lose the toss. it is a release of pressure when the team wins the toss and they go out and bat and bowl. ex—england batter gary ballance has apologised to azeem rafiq for using racist language against his former yorkshire team—mate. details of racial abuse at the county emerged in september 2020 when rafiq said discrimination had left him feeling suicidal. ballance made the apology in—person during a meeting with rafiq in london this week. after meeting, rafiq said: "all i ever wanted was acceptance and apologies for what happened." and we�*ll hear from rafiq live

in the news shortly. liverpool and rangers will meet in the champions league group stage, while manchester city�*s erling haaland is set to face his old club borussia dortmund. scottish champions celtic are in the same group as holders real madrid and chelsea face ac milan. group stage debutants eintracht frankfurt are in the same group as tottenham. bayern munich, barcelona and inter milan have all been drawn in the same group. west ham will be in tomorrow�*s draw for the group stages of the europa conference league. they beat danish side viborg 3—0 in the second leg of their qualifer — gianluca scamacca put them ahead. before said benrahma made it 2—0 and thomas soucek added a third. 3—0 on the night, 6—1 on aggregate. also in the europa league

— hearts are currently 0—0 with zurich, 2—1 behind on aggregate. in the europa conference, linfield who are hoping to be the first irish league side to reach a european qualifying stage are drawing 0—0 against rigas futbola skola, that one is 2—2 on aggregate. confirmation of west ham�*s result, and you can see the latest scores on the bbc sport website. england manager sarina wiegman has been named uefa women�*s coach of the year after leading the lionesses to a historic victory at the euros. wiegman beat lyon manager sonia bompastor and germany coach martina voss—tecklenburg to the award after leading england to their first major tournament success since the 1966 men�*s world cup. andy murray will begin his us open campaign against the argentine francisco cerundolo — while cameron norrie the world number 9 will start against frenchman benoit paire — when the tournament gets underway on monday. defending champion emma raducanu will also face a french opponent — starting against world number 37 alize cornet.

elsewhere harriet dart will take on the 10th seed daria kasatkina, dan evans will playjiri vesely and kyle edmund starts againt casper ruud. one man who wont be competing at flushing meadows is three—time champion novak djokovic. the winner of 21 grand slams today confirmed that he wont be travelling to new york because he has not had a covid 19 vaccine. since october 2021, the united states has banned non—vaccinated visitors. there is more on that and the third grand tour of the year on the bbc sport website. that�*s all the sport for now. azeem rafiq has accepted an apology from cricketer gary ballance, and called for his former yorkshire team—mate to be "allowed to get on with his life". ballance had previously admitted

using racist language towards him. rafiq�*s explosive evidence, about racism at yorkshire county cricket club, to the sports select committee last winter led to seven people, including ballance, and the club being charged by the england and wales cricket board. they were charged with a breach of its code of conduct, and anti—discrimination code. yorkshire is now under the new leadership of its chairman, lord patel. well we can speak now to azeem rafiq, who joins us from barnsley. were you surprised by gary ballance�*s apology? from the offset, all i have really wanted is apologies, some acceptance and make sure no one ever goes through what i went through. it was a surprising thing for me, but it has been a long time coming. i was fully confident that once we got in the room and talked about the situation that it would start to bring some closure to both of us and it would be a significant step

forward. ~ . , ., forward. what exactly did he say to ou? was forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it — forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it over— forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it over a _ forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it over a phone - forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it over a phone call, - forward. what exactly did he say to you? was it over a phone call, did| you? was it over a phone call, did you? was it over a phone call, did you get together? we you? was it over a phone call, did you get together?— you get together? we met face-to-face _ you get together? we met face-to-face in _ you get together? we met face-to-face in london - you get together? we met| face-to-face in london and you get together? we met - face-to-face in london and hosted you get together? we met _ face-to-face in london and hosted by face—to—face in london and hosted by julian mederel from the pca. it was very genuine, it was incredibly moving. it has been really helpful on the human level for myself and i am sure the same for gary as well, for us to stop putting our lives back together.— for us to stop putting our lives back together. for us to stop putting our lives back touether. ., . .. ., back together. you have called for our back together. you have called for your fellow — back together. you have called for your fellow team _ back together. you have called for your fellow team mate _ back together. you have called for your fellow team mate to - back together. you have called for your fellow team mate to be - back together. you have called for your fellow team mate to be able | back together. you have called for i your fellow team mate to be able to get on with his life, what about you, how do you feel going through all of this? , ., , , .,, , all of this? obviously, it has been re all of this? obviously, it has been pretty well _ all of this? obviously, it has been pretty well documented _ all of this? obviously, it has been pretty well documented the - all of this? obviously, it has been - pretty well documented the struggles i�*ve had from the minute i spoke out, before that and since dc ms. i think it was a little bit naive as to how difficult it would be for me and my family. but i am determined to make sure the pain we have all gone through, it comes to some sort

of positive for someone else coming into the game in the future. you 'ust into the game in the future. you just mentioned, _ into the game in the future. you just mentioned, some kind of positivity to come from this, do you feel that it�*s happening, do you feel that it�*s happening, do you feel there is a shift change in cricket and will be see positive things coming from this? we cricket and will be see positive things coming from this? we live in ho e. but things coming from this? we live in hope. but yorkshire _ things coming from this? we live in hope. but yorkshire we _ things coming from this? we live in hope. but yorkshire we have - things coming from this? we live in hope. but yorkshire we have seen i things coming from this? we live in| hope. but yorkshire we have seen a lot of good changes and things are moving in the right direction. there is a long way to go. i would have liked a lot more tangible changes from my dcms, but that doesn�*t seem to have happened. ijust hope gary�*s bravery today can be a significant step forward for us to start looking at solutions and how we look at putting the game back together. gary has come forward, he has apologised. you called him brave there, what about others that haven�*t necessarily come forward and given an apology or admitted any mistakes? i think it is for all of us to look

at everything that has gone on over the last couple of years. for people to reflect on their behaviour and whether, instead of sitting on the side and watching the show, they could have helped. not allow people to go through what they have. i would urge them to have a think about it and see if everyone can start to do this and we can start to move forward. start to do this and we can start to move forward-— move forward. finally, the lord patel, the _ move forward. finally, the lord patel, the chairman _ move forward. finally, the lord patel, the chairman of - move forward. finally, the lord | patel, the chairman of yorkshire county cricket club, do you feel he is bringing in change?— is bringing in change? definitely. leadership really _ is bringing in change? definitely. leadership really matters, - is bringing in change? definitely. leadership really matters, lord l leadership really matters, lord patel definitely gets it, he has had his own struggles and there has been a group of people, ex leadership from yorkshire who have been very resistant to change and trying to attack him. he is a determined man and the only reason yorkshire county cricket club is still around. we have a really good chance with him at the helm at yorkshire and hopefully the game can really learn

from yorkshire now and see how it can go in a different direction. thank you ever so much for coming on and speaking so openly with us this evening, azeem. really appreciated. conservative leadership candidate rishi sunak has said the government gave too much power to scientists during covid lockdowns. but experts, who advised downing street, insisted that ministers were responsible for the decisions that were made. well, tonight the other contender, liz truss, has said she agrees with her rival�*s assessment. ididn�*t i didn�*t actually sit on the covid committee during that time, i was busy striking trade deals around the world. my view is that we did go too far, particularly keeping schools closed. i have got two teenage daughters and i know how difficult it was for children and parents and i would not have a lock again. if you were on the committee, you would say that? i you were on the committee, you would sa that? . , , . ., say that? i was very clear in cabinet, — say that? i was very clear in cabinet, i — say that? i was very clear in cabinet, i was _ say that? i was very clear in cabinet, i was one - say that? i was very clear in cabinet, i was one of- say that? i was very clear in

cabinet, i was one of the i say that? i was very clear in l cabinet, i was one of the key say that? i was very clear in - cabinet, i was one of the key voices in favour of opening up. well let�*s speak now to christina pagel, who�*s professor of operational research in public health at university college london, as well as being a member of independent sage. how do you feel listening to that on hearing the comments and reading the comments that rishi sunak is med? it just feels like they are trying to rewrite history. that is not what happened, the scientist didn�*t decide on lockdown, they gave their findings to the government and the government, ifanything, decided findings to the government and the government, if anything, decided to late and didn�*t listen to the science. i don�*t understand where that narrative is coming from, if he wanted to avoid lockdown we would have had to put measures in very early on. we didn�*t do that so by the time we lockdown, the situation was out of control and the nhs was facing collapse. 150,000 people died in the first two waves, i don�*t

understand how much worse they were prepared for it to get. ba; understand how much worse they were prepared for it to get.— prepared for it to get. by the sounds of — prepared for it to get. by the sounds of it, _ prepared for it to get. by the sounds of it, do _ prepared for it to get. by the sounds of it, do you - prepared for it to get. by the sounds of it, do you think- prepared for it to get. by the i sounds of it, do you think there prepared for it to get. by the - sounds of it, do you think there is a bit of blame shifting going on? it is notjust blame shifting, it is this denial of quite how serious the situation was in 2020. it was before the vaccine, no treatments and a completely new disease and we were filling up intensive care beds, masses amounts of the nhs had to be shifted over to care for curvy patience. that happened. it wasn�*t just people were not turning up for appointments, i don�*t know how you can pretend it wasn�*t as bad as it was, it was bad and it was scary. reading some of the interview rishi sunak has given, he said schools might not have closed in the way they did. he says he thought really hard to keep schools open, but if it wasn�*t for scientists, it would have been different? in

wasn't for scientists, it would have been different?— wasn't for scientists, it would have been different? in march 2020, we did not know _ been different? in march 2020, we did not know enough _ been different? in march 2020, we did not know enough about - been different? in march 2020, we did not know enough about how - been different? in march 2020, we did not know enough about how it i did not know enough about how it transmitted, we did not know enough about how children were affected and how schools contributed to the spread. it was the right decision to close the schools, it was only three weeks at the end of time. by september 2020, we knew it was airborne and several scientists including sage are calling for clean air and schools. we still haven�*t done that two years later. if we had put those mitigations in place and imposed masks, we could have kept the schools open in the january 2021. the reason they were closed for so long is because they didn�*t listen to sage, who were advising those kind of measures in that time period. those kind of measures in that time eriod. , , ., those kind of measures in that time eriod. , , ,, ,, those kind of measures in that time eriod., , ., ., ,., period. just drilling down into some ofthe period. just drilling down into some of the point — period. just drilling down into some of the point that _ period. just drilling down into some of the point that rishi _ period. just drilling down into some of the point that rishi sunak - period. just drilling down into some of the point that rishi sunak has . of the point that rishi sunak has come outwith. he said at some point, scientists didn�*t know that treasury staff were on phone calls and claimed that minutes between

sage scientists and government were edited? i sage scientists and government were edited? ~ , ., , edited? i think it is a little bit inappropriate _ edited? i think it is a little bit inappropriate by _ edited? i think it is a little bit inappropriate by being - edited? i think it is a little bit inappropriate by being so - edited? i think it is a little bit. inappropriate by being so gleeful say they didn�*t know either on the phone call. the way sage works, it discusses the uncertainties and then the evidence on the come up with the consensus position and the consensus position is reflected in the minutes. that is how it is meant to work. , ,, .,~ minutes. that is how it is meant to work. , ,, ., , work. rishi sunak has done this interview and _ work. rishi sunak has done this interview and then _ work. rishi sunak has done this interview and then you - work. rishi sunak has done this interview and then you hear- work. rishi sunak has done this interview and then you hear liz| interview and then you hear liz truss also backing him up in some respect, what is your response to these two, one of them will be prime minister? mr; these two, one of them will be prime minister? g ., , , , , minister? my honest response, they are both trying _ minister? my honest response, they are both trying to — minister? my honest response, they are both trying to get _ minister? my honest response, they are both trying to get elected - minister? my honest response, they are both trying to get elected by - are both trying to get elected by the conservative party membership and they are saying what they think they need to say to get that to happen. that is what it seems like. liz truss promising she would never do another lockdown. how can you promise that? you don�*t know what will happen in the future, you don�*t know how bad the situation can get.

all you can promise is do everything you can to prevent that are part of that would be learning from the pandemic. but we are not doing that. i don�*t feel particularly confident and sadly there is nothing i can do about it. ., , ., ., ., about it. you 'ust mentioned another lockdown, mf— about it. you just mentioned another lockdown, do you _ about it. you just mentioned another lockdown, do you think— about it. you just mentioned another lockdown, do you think there - about it. you just mentioned another lockdown, do you think there could i lockdown, do you think there could be another lockdown? ida. lockdown, do you think there could be another lockdown?— be another lockdown? no, i don't think it is likely. _ be another lockdown? no, i don't think it is likely. certainly - be another lockdown? no, i don't think it is likely. certainly not - think it is likely. certainly not with the current situation in the pandemic, but there will be other pandemics, there will be other respiratory viruses coming that still could be another really bad variant, although that is increasingly unlikely. thank you very much- _ meanwhile, as tory party members choose the next prime minister — some people appear to getting tired of the whole leadership contest — including one woman who confronted the health secretary steve barclay while he was out speaking to tv cameras in east london. take a listen.

don�*t you think 12 years is long enough? 12 years! you�*ve done bug are all about it. people have died and all you�*ve done is nothing. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello. the torrential downpours and thunderstorms that drenched some southern and eastern parts of england today also swept away the warm and humid air. so overnight, it is going to feel much cooler and fresher. we could see some fog patches developing through parts of the midlands, east anglia down into the southeast. but we�*ve got this zone of cloud working in from the west, bringing some showers through northern ireland, southwest scotland, northwest england, wales and the far south west of england. and that zone of cloudy and showery weather will continue to push its way eastwards as we go through the day tomorrow. for central and eastern parts of england, some fog patches to start off, they should clear, then we will see some spells of sunshine, but things will tend to cloud over through the day. northern scotland likely to stick

out into some sunshine. top temperatures, 17 to 24 degrees with a much cooler, fresher feel. and we keep that fresher feel as we head into the weekend. a bank holiday for most of us, of course, it will be largely dry with sunny spells and just one or two showers. this is bbc news — i�*m frankie mccamley — the headines. a think—thank campaigning on behalf of low and middle income families warns "a catastrophe�* is coming this winter" — unless the government steps in to help with energy costs. the family of nine—year—old 0livia pratt—korbel — have urged her killer to hand himself in. merseyside police say the suspected gunman is still on the run despite appeals to hand himself in. conservative leadership candidate rishi sunak says the government gave too much power to scientists during covid lockdowns. but experts who advised downing street say ministers were responsible for decisions made.

his comments come as tonight�*s penultimate conservative hustings gets underway — with rishi sunak and liz truss facing tory votes in norwich. gcse results are out today for pupils in england, wales and northern ireland — the pass rate is down on last year but higher than it was before the pandemic. it�*s been an anxious day for hundreds of thousands of teenagers in many parts of the country — with gcse results for the first exams sat in person since the pandemic. as with a level results last week, they reveal major regional differences. overall, the pass rate in england, wales and northern ireland has fallen since last year — where grades were determined by teachers. but the results remain higher than before the pandemic.

just over 73% of gcses this year were the equivalent of a pass or higher — that is measured differently across the nations and so equates to grades 4 or c and above. that�*s down from 77% last year but higher than 2019 when 67% of gcses were a pass or higher. more than 26% of gcses were awarded the highest marks — that is grades 7 or a and above.and of those top marks, london was 10 percentage points higher compared to yorkshire, the humber and the north east — from where our education editor branwenjeffreys now reports. i�*m more excited than i am nervous. like, the pressure still hasn�*t hit me yet. i couldn't sleep at all. it was a nightmare. oh, no, yeah, i was really nervous. so, friends came together to get their results. i passed! yeah!

after their worries, real grades on paper. did you try hard in english? did i? you got a five and a four. that�*s good. 0verall, there are fewer passes because of the return of exams, so across england, more will resit english or maths at college. the fact that i�*ve come out with a three is really good to me, because i know that if i do resit, then i can try again harder and i can get that pass. grace didn�*t know she�*d get the grades she wanted. all that's stacked against you, you've worked. i'm so proud of you. it�*s been an emotional day for teachers, too. they�*ve kept this year group going through covid. results were as they expected, but today has been a reminder of a north—south divide in top grades. a lot of our children are very disadvantaged and have been disadvantaged throughout their entire school career. and when you look at that and you add to that the fact we�*ve had a pandemic, there is a lot of work that is needed to support

those young people. and, you know, that�*s absolutely right that we do that, but it�*s very easy and it�*s very convenient sometimes just to look at those headline figures. the pandemic has led to more disruption, more lost learning in the north, on top of a gap that already existed. to understand the difference in results, you�*ve really got to look outside schools. of course, there are wealthy people in the north, but there are also communities where childhood is spent mainly in poverty, where poor housing and a lack of money limits children�*s sense of opportunity. but this is a time for many to celebrate. whether collecting results in northern ireland... i did not expect to get what i did get, considering the year we�*ve all had. ..or in wales, most 16—year—olds were firmly focused on their next steps. what we've got to do is, fill out the application form, just answer a few really easy questions... at newcastle college, grace was using her gcses to sign up for a btec, with others getting

advice on their options. there is nothing beats that real, first—hand feeling that you get off talking to somebody. and that is both through our subject specialist curriculum experts but also our student services team, who provide a lot of information and advice around the wraparound support, the financial assistance that some students require when they come to college. it�*s such a big step into theirfuture, with hopes they can leave the shadow of covid behind. this evening, there are plenty of families who will be celebrating. teenagers, and frankly their parents who are very relieved they�*ve got there the return of the exams after there the return of the exams after the pandemic. this is a partial step back to pre—cobit normality, but it is also a reminder of the damage that disruption to education has left in its wake. we are seeing that in that widening gap between the north and south of england in

particular. the government is putting £5 billion into education recovery. most of it so far into tutoring. at the take—up of that has been twice as high in the wealthy southeast as here in the northeast of england. 0ne southeast as here in the northeast of england. one reason that from this autumn, schools are going to get more money directly to spend on improving results. home office figures show thatjust a handful of foreign nationals have been removed from the uk under tougher asylum rules introduced after brexit. since formally leaving the eu in january last year, the government says claims can be ruled "inadmissible" if the asylum seeker arrived from a "safe third country". our home editor mark easton has been looking at the figures. you may remember that the the inadmissibility rules were hailed as a kind of post—brexit solution to what the government calls the broken asylum system. if a migrant claims sanctuary in the uk having come from a safe country,

often in europe, they could be sent back to where they came from. and what we�*ve seen is in the first 18 months of that new rule, 17,000 asylum claimants were identified as being potentially inadmissible, butjust 21 people have actually been removed, returned to countries that include denmark, germany and ireland. you might ask how many have been returned to france? and the answer to that is zero. none at all. not under this scheme, i should say. it calls into question that the policy, because since brexit we�*ve seen around 52,000 migrants crossing the channel in small boats from france, 23,000 already this year and around 1300 crossing in a single day earlier this week, a record. next week, the home office are expected to sign a deal with albania to fast track returns there and actually to allow albanian police to operate in ports in kent. after the announcement of that deal overnight, we had hoped to talk to our home office minister

about how this policy would work, not least because 53% of albanians currently are granted asylum when they come to the uk. and we also have a record 117,000 people in the asylum system awaiting an initial decision. but the home office unfortunately said they were unable to even accept our bid for an interview. let�*s speak to the immigration lawyer harjap bhangal. hejoins us now. thank you. what do you make of those figures hearing those? , ., ., , ., ., those? they are quite astronomical in a sense that's, _ those? they are quite astronomical in a sense that's, you _ those? they are quite astronomical in a sense that's, you know, - those? they are quite astronomical in a sense that's, you know, we - those? they are quite astronomicali in a sense that's, you know, we have in a sense that�*s, you know, we have been dealing with these for quite a few years. the figures revealed applications that were still pending and have been waiting a year to be decided. an asylum claim letter they can take about two or three hours to be decided be decided if decided by someone with expertise. my claim is waiting a year to be decided is a great mystery, and the suggestion is

it�*s great mystery, and the suggestion is it's 97 great mystery, and the suggestion is it�*s 97 system broken but the home office that�*s broken. they can�*t 0ffice that�*s broken. they can�*t deal with the claims, they can�*t remove people fast enough. they have people waiting in detention for months. these return agreements come i think this is about the sixth or seventh one signed in 15 months, you know, a couple of weeks ago, one has been signed with pakistan, india, nigeria, albania, but there should be a lot tomorrow. actually, once they are intimate they should be put into place and they should start working, and that doesn�*t seem to be happening at the moment. {iii working, and that doesn't seem to be happening at the moment. of course, we had that partnership _ happening at the moment. of course, we had that partnership with - happening at the moment. of course, we had that partnership with rwandal we had that partnership with rwanda and the government is saying that partnership would fix the system and cracked down on those who enter illegally and allow us to support those in genuine need, they say. what is your reaction to that? initially we know that rowenta had only allowed 500 places, then after

that, the statement was given cut down to 200 spaces, so the government�*s policy rests on the fact that they are hoping that by sending 200 people to rwanda, they will each add 30,000 people from crossing. now, at least 29 need thousand of those people who cross know they are not going to be sent to rwanda because the 200 people or the 500 people in rwanda are fall. so that�*s definitely not going to work as a deterrent. we see it is not working. last week we had 1300 odd people crossing the channel. it's odd people crossing the channel. it�*s definitely not a deterrent. it's it�*s definitely not a deterrent. it�*s something that was pushed out there hopefully as a scaremongering tactic. it didn�*t work. what infection needs to happen is they need to catch the gangs that have been trafficking these people from the same ports to the same places. we know where they get on, we know where they get off. for the last 20 years, the locations remain the same. the government tells us we cannot pester these gangs, they are too sophisticated. they should appoint a task force, unique for us

to catch these gangs just as they deal with drug dealers. to catch these gangsjust as they deal with drug dealers.— to catch these gangsjust as they deal with drug dealers. when people iet into the deal with drug dealers. when people get into the country _ deal with drug dealers. when people get into the country and _ deal with drug dealers. when people get into the country and they - get into the country and they do apply for asylum, how complex is that? it apply for asylum, how complex is that? , ., . ., , apply for asylum, how complex is that? , , that? it is quite a complex system. the home office _ that? it is quite a complex system. the home office have _ that? it is quite a complex system. the home office have to _ that? it is quite a complex system. the home office have to find out . the home office have to find out where they have come from, they have to listen to their claim and have to then decided to. interview them. they can either detain them are release them into the system. public claims can be fast tracked. what the problem was, a lot of the home office staff were not trained enough, and some of them where gap year students making decisions. when they were appealed to a 50% of those decisions turned out to be wrong. therefore the courts overruled the dismissal of the asylum claims and found out actually the home office has decided these claims wrongly. in some cases took the home office two years, three years, just to make the wrong decision, which was then

overturned by an appeal which took another year. that�*s the problem. the problem is at the home office infrastructure. the system can be fast tracked and has been fast tracked in the past, we sought the detention centre fast track scheme, the cases used to be decided in a weekend a court on the premises where thejudges to weekend a court on the premises where the judges to sit and decide appeals very quickly. however, it�*s the home office staff, the home office infrastructure thatjustice 0ffice infrastructure thatjustice isn�*t good enough. we know this, because the house of commons select committee reports come every year for the past few years has been telling us the home office is not fit for purpose, yet we continue to use the home office and not do anything about it.— use the home office and not do anything about it. think you ever so much for giving _ anything about it. think you ever so much for giving your— anything about it. think you ever so much for giving your views - anything about it. think you ever so much for giving your views there. i google has been criticised by environmental campaigners the headlines on bbc news... a think—thank campaigning on behalf of low and middle income families warns "a catastrophe�* is coming this winter" — unless the government steps in to help with energy costs. the family of nine—year—old

0livia pratt—korbel — have urged her killer to hand himself in. merseyside police say the suspected gunman is still on the run despite appeals to hand himself in. conservative leadership candidate rishi sunak says the government gave too much power to scientists during covid lockdowns. but experts who advised downing street say ministers were responsible for decisions made. google has been criticised by environmental campaigners for changing how it calculates the impact of flights on climate change. the world�*s biggest search engine has taken a key driver of climate change out of its calculations and will now only use co2 emissions. so why has it done this and what impact is it likely to have? here�*s our climate editor, justin rowlatt. well, we all know google.

it is by far the biggest search engine in the world , with nine out of ten internet searches. the company says one of its goals is to use its position to... build tools that enable travellers and businesses around the world to prioritise sustainably. that�*s from the chief sustainability 0fficer. it offers to calculate the climate impact of our flights, but that calculation has change. look at this. the red bar shows before the change and the blue bar after. the impact has almost halved, according to google. why? carbon dioxide isn�*t the only way flying warms the climate. those high clouds that our craft lead in their wake can have a powerful warming effect as well, for example, and there are other warming impacts. working out these non—c02 factors is complicated and uncertain, but here is what the uk government suggest you should do. take the co2 emissions,

multiply it by 1.9, so basically double it, and that gives you the real carbon footprint. google has taken that 1.9 factor out, and the question is, why? here is what google posted on the website where it showed its methodology. it said that following discussions with industry partners, it recognises that non—c02 factors are critical to include in the model and wants to put them back in future. so what�*s going on? when i phoned google and they told me it is worried about the accuracy for individual flight estimates. it says it wants to understand better the variations based on critical factors like time of day and region of individualflights. scientists agree that it is difficult, but look at this — this, 1.5% of all warming caused by human activity is what they are leaving out of their calculations.

and the dear is that will make all of us less likely to switch to lower carbon forms of transport, and will also reduce the pressure on airlines to reduce their emissions. as many parts of the world are facing soaring temperatures and serious droughts — china has been particularly hard hit by a record heatwave. severe droughts are threatening crops and drying up riverbeds. officials have issued a national red alert — with some provinces experiencing temperatures of over 40 degrees. the heatwave has also affected hydro—electric power — forcing companies to temporarily shut down and leading to other energy—saving measures. 0ur beijing correspondent stephen mcdonell reports. in august, laoye temple is normally surrounded by water. this year, you can walk to it across the dry bed of poyang lake. for 70 days, the yangtze river basin has been caught in a record heat wave, and low river levels have hit hydroelectricity production.

one of the worst affected cities has been the inland metropolis of chongqing — home to tens of millions of residents. they�*ve been riding underground trains in the dark because of power rationing. translation: this year, | you turn on the cold water tap for a few minutes, and yet it�*s still coming out extremely hot. the weather is so hot, i cannot sleep. then i wake up with the heat as well. environmentalists are opposing calls for more fossil fuel electricity to guard against future drought effects on hydropower. to ensure the energy supply of residents and industry supposed to be the most priority thing for china to do right now. but we�*re also concern that this kind of narrative will, you know, give opportunity for more new coal power plants in the local provinces. china has been experiencing extreme high temperatures across vast

swathes of this country for months on end, bringing climate change into sharp focus for people on the street. then, to make things worse, this turned into a drought, which is really hitting the economy. consumers across china could find certain foods harder to come by unless the drought breaks soon. what�*s more, if china can�*t rescue its autumn harvest and has to buy more food from overseas, this could have an effect on global supplies. crops are said to be under severe threat, according to chinese officials. so extra water has been diverted from neighbouring provinces to the driest areas. translation: with | water, there is hope. this water is coming all the way from hunan. even water for everyday use has been hard to come by in some communities. with river levels so low, previously submerged 600 year old buddhas have again become visible. they�*ll gaze out onto what humans have made of the world until the rains return,

replenishing the water, which will eventually reclaim the relics. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. feeling�*s watchdog says electricity has been restricted apartment in ukraine. earlier thursday ——been restored to the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in ukraine. earlier on thursday, ukrainian officials said the russian—occupied site had been disconnected from the national grid for the first time in 40 years. they said a fire had interfered with overhead power lines, and radiation levels were normal. in recent weeks, there have been growing fears of a nuclear disaster at the site. russia and ukraine have blamed each other for shelling nearby. let�*s get more in this now with edwin lyman — who�*s director of nuclear power safety at the union of concerned scientists in washington. thank you so much forjoining us this evening. what can ukrainian authorities and the international

community do to help? mei]! authorities and the international community do to help? well time i think the most _ community do to help? well time i think the most important - community do to help? well time i think the most important thing - community do to help? well time i think the most important thing is i community do to help? well time i | think the most important thing is to do everything possible to ensure that there is a reliable off—site power to the planned, and in the event that that is fully disrupted, if there is reliable and on—site back—up power, ensuring there is enough fuel for emergency diesel generators and other equipment and making sure that all that equipment isn�*t good working order. right making sure that all that equipment isn't good working order. right now, we know that — isn't good working order. right now, we know that russians _ isn't good working order. right now, we know that russians occupied - isn't good working order. right now, we know that russians occupied this | we know that russians occupied this site, what sort of record does moscow have when it comes to producing and handling nuclear power? producing and handling nuclear ower? ~ ., , , ., power? well, of course, they are the oster power? well, of course, they are the poster child — power? well, of course, they are the poster child for _ power? well, of course, they are the poster child for the _ power? well, of course, they are the poster child for the world's _ power? well, of course, they are the poster child for the world's race - poster child for the world�*s race nuclear disaster which was chernobyl, and the circumstances here are to friends, but there is concern that the russian military which construct ash controls the site is suppressing the ability of the ukrainian workers to communicate

freely about safety problems with their own regulator, and that is of great concern because he can�*t have good nuclear safety without a workforce that is functioning free of any kind of coercion and doing what they need to do to keep those plants say. what they need to do to keep those lants sa . ., ~ , what they need to do to keep those lants sa . . ~ , ., plants say. talk us through the implications — plants say. talk us through the implications of _ plants say. talk us through the implications of the _ plants say. talk us through the implications of the plants - implications of the plants completely losing power. in the event that _ completely losing power. in the event that all _ completely losing power. in the event that all power _ completely losing power. in the event that all power is - completely losing power. in the event that all power is lost - completely losing power. in the event that all power is lost to l completely losing power. in the| event that all power is lost to an operating reactor, there will only be a very short window to intervene may be a few hours before the fuel could start overheating and melting, and ultimately producing an accident like we saw at the fukushima nuclear reactors injapan 2011 when the fuel amounts out of the reactor vessel and radiation is released into the environment. that�*s one of the worst cases that could happen. environment. that's one of the worst cases that could happen.— cases that could happen. from the

information _ cases that could happen. from the information that _ cases that could happen. from the information that you _ cases that could happen. from the information that you have, - cases that could happen. from the | information that you have, however it should people be in nearby areas? this has come about because of some power wires. should we be right about others going down nearby? i think there is cause for concern because you need to have reliable off—site power and you should have redundant supplies of that off—site power and what�*s happened over the last few months as the off—site power lines have been degraded to the site and we are left in this rather unstable situation where right now they are on the depending on when off—site power line, so there is very little resiliency, that�*s why there has to be an increased focus in bolstering that power supply as well as the emergency power is. so power supply as well as the emergency power is.- power supply as well as the emergency power is. so if you are in charie emergency power is. so if you are in charge of this _ emergency power is. so if you are in charge of this plant, what _ emergency power is. so if you are in charge of this plant, what would - emergency power is. so if you are in charge of this plant, what would you be doing now? what precautions would you be putting into place?— you be putting into place? certainly if i were in charge _ you be putting into place? certainly if i were in charge and _ you be putting into place? certainly if i were in charge and i _ you be putting into place? certainly

if i were in charge and i were - if i were in charge and i were rationed, i would ask the military to stop its military operations at this plant, by all accounts, they are using it as a shield, they are storing military vehicles and possibly also other military equipment at the site, and that is only making it more of a target and for potential larger military conflict, so the first thing to do is to de—escalate the situation by ensuring the civilian nuclear facility is not a military target and will be insulated from attacks ljy and will be insulated from attacks by either side. {iii and will be insulated from attacks by either side.— by either side. of chris, the nuclear power _ by either side. of chris, the nuclear power plant, - by either side. of chris, the nuclear power plant, its - by either side. of chris, the - nuclear power plant, its creating power, electricity to people in ukraine. is it plausible that russia could change that and divert? it is lausible could change that and divert? it is plausible that _ could change that and divert? it 3 plausible that there are a lot of rumours to that effect that would

amount to theft because this plant is the property of crane and the electricity should be accredited to the ukrainian people, so any attempts to divert it would amount to misappropriation of someone else�*s energy, and that is just wrong. else's energy, and that is 'ust wroni. ., ~' else's energy, and that is 'ust wroni. ., ~ i. wrong. ok, well thank you ever so much forjoining _ wrong. ok, well thank you ever so much forjoining us. _ now it became extinct and bright more than 40 years ago, but thanks to conservation work ——but thanks to conservation work, the large blue butterfly has now had a bumper summer. thousands have been recorded this year with the restoration of wild meadows, and south west england now has the world�*s greatest concentration. helen briggs has the story. the vibrant flash of the large blue butterfly, declared extinct in the uk in 1979, it had to be rescued by bringing caterpillars in from sweden. and now decades of conservation work�*s paying off, with more large blue recorded this summer

than at any time in 150 years. for one scientist, it�*s a dream come true. it�*s been a great thrill to see the butterfly back in such large numbers again. i, alas, was present when the large blue went extinct in this country many years ago and, at the time, i never thought i�*d see it back. but now, to look at it and watch perhaps some four, five, six or more all on one patch of flowers is just terrific. the butterfly�*s tricky to protect because it�*s fussy about where it lives and depends on ants. the young caterpillars trick the ants into taking them into their nests to spend the winter underground. restoring the flower—rich meadows that the butterfly likes to lay its eggs has been key to turning its fortunes around. i�*m just trying to get the large blue back on these sites. we�*re actually recreating a missing type of habitat that for various

reasons of land use change had more or less disappeared from at least the northern half of europe. you can now see the large blue across much of southern england, alongside other rare insects. the butterfly remains endangered, with climate change and extreme weather the greatest challenges ahead. but the resurgence is, for today at least, providing a bright spot for conservationists. helen briggs, bbc news. 110w now for a look at the weather. hello. the torrential downpours and thunderstorms that drenched some southern and eastern parts of england today also swept away the warm and humid air. so overnight, it is going to feel much cooler and fresher. we could see some fog patches developing through parts of the midlands, east anglia down into the southeast. but we�*ve got this zone of cloud working in from the west, bringing some showers through northern ireland, southwest scotland, northwest england, wales and the far south west of england.

and that zone of cloudy and showery weather will continue to push its way eastwards as we go through the day tomorrow. for central and eastern parts of england, some fog patches to start off, they should clear, then we will see some spells of sunshine, but things will tend to cloud over through the day. northern scotland likely to stick out into some sunshine. top temperatures, 17 to 24 degrees with a much cooler, fresher feel. and we keep that fresher feel as we head into the weekend. a bank holiday for most of us, of course, it will be largely dry with sunny spells and just one or two showers.

hello, i�*m nuala mcgovern. you�*re watching the context on bbc news. the redacted mar—a—lago search affidavit is now in the hands of a usjudge. will we learn why the former president�*s mansion in florida was searched? we�*ll ask a former federaljudge the key issues under consideration. gcse grades show a growing regional divide in england, with the north falling further and further behind london. as britain comes underfire from france, for dumping raw sewage into the sea, we will look at the effect it�*s having on shellfish production. tonight with the context, former secretary of state for education and international development, justine greening, and the former republican governor and now co—chair of the forward party, christine todd whitman.