this is bbc news. i'm clive myrie. our top stories for you at 5pm: the united nations launches an urgent appeal to help millions of people in pakistan, after historic floods submerge a third of the country. pakistan is awash in suffering. the pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids. industry bosses warn of mass pub and brewery closures across the uk within months due to rising energy costs. ukraine says its forces have broken through russian lines — in a major offensive aimed at retaking parts of the south of the country. two 16—year—old boys die after getting into difficulty in a lough in county londonderry. and the duchess of sussex says

she upset the "dynamic of the hierarchy" in the royal family "just by existing". good afternoon. the united nations has launched an emergency appeal for almost £140 million, to help pakistan deal with devastating floods that have killed hundreds of people. the un secretary general, antonio guterres, says the country was facing "a monsoon on steroids" that's left millions homeless. provinces like sindh and balochistan in the south are the worst affected, but mountainous regions in the north—west have also been badly hit. our correspondent danjohnson has the very latest.

so much of sindh province now lies under water after weeks of torrential monsoon rain. a third of the country has been affected, and so many people here have lost absolutely everything. translation: our houses - were destroyed by rain and floods. everything sank in water. we couldn't save our household, except for a few things. now we are sitting here in the open. translation: the rainwater came, our houses got submerged, - so we are building these makeshift tents next to the road. we are very poor. for god's sake, help us! give us something to eat. it is estimated 33 million pakistanis, one in seven of the population, have been touched by this unprecedented flooding that has caused $10 billion of damage to the country's infrastructure. so pakistan is appealing for further

international assistance and the un has announced an enormous package of immediate aid. pakistan is awash in suffering. the pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids, but the scale of need is rising like the floodwaters. it requires the world's collective and prioritised attention. the united nations is renewing a fresh appeal for $160 million to support the response led by the government of pakistan. aid is arriving, but many people are onlyjust starting to assess the damage and the death toll is rising, too. now, more than 1,100. many areas are still cut off, many people haven't had help. translation: there was a flash flood in our area. | we have no food, nobody helps us. we don't know whom to go to request for help. we are poor people. some people get, while some people

didn't receive the food. the rain may have stopped for now, but the floodwaters keep moving, putting more homes at risk. the damage to crops and livelihoods here means the suffering of this country and its people will only get worse. dan johnson, bbc news. the labour mp naz shah is visiting pakistan and joins me on the line. thank you for being with us. i am assuming that notjust you but your constituents, many in your constituency, are incredibly concerned about the situation in pakistan. ~ , ,., , ., pakistan. absolutely, clive. i am here with a _ pakistan. absolutely, clive. i am here with a huge _ pakistan. absolutely, clive. i am here with a huge community - pakistan. absolutely, clive. i am i here with a huge community across the uk, and we have very, very strong ties, and there's lots of effort in my constituency and across the uk to raise funds for the monsoon on steroids with the

secretary—general of the un is described as. it really is terrible. have you seen anything like this in pakistan? ., ., , ., ., . pakistan? know, the last flood which was catastrophic _ pakistan? know, the last flood which was catastrophic was _ pakistan? know, the last flood which was catastrophic was in _ pakistan? know, the last flood which was catastrophic was in 2010, - pakistan? know, the last flood which was catastrophic was in 2010, with i was catastrophic was in 2010, with this is a bigger scale, and pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable climate country and it has suffered losses in the last ten years, so a third of the country, and to put that into context, that is the size of the united kingdom, and this was a country are defacing director the inflation here is over a0%, this is a country with a very unpopular, people living on daily wages, ——

very, very young people. a third of the country... the size of the uk literally underwater and millions displaced. half a million in camps. and then we have the aftermath to come, which is that people don't have clean drinking water. people are staying on motorways across sindh, across balochistan and in the northwest, where the flash fling has killed people, people have lost their livelihoods, their stock, their livelihoods, their stock, their livestock has just washed away. people have lost loved ones and theyjust away. people have lost loved ones and they just are away. people have lost loved ones and theyjust are not away. people have lost loved ones and they just are not aware away. people have lost loved ones and theyjust are not aware they are, so the loss of life... i anticipate, unfortunately, will rise much more than the 1100 plus at the moment when we take stock of this. it is truly shocking. the un is

appealing and had put out an appeal for more than £140 million in aid. what is the most immediate thing you think the people on the ground actually need at the moment? i think immediate is — actually need at the moment? i think immediate is the _ actually need at the moment? i think immediate is the crisis _ actually need at the moment? i think immediate is the crisis response, - immediate is the crisis response, which is getting people to safety, then clean drinking water to be able to drink, but other than that... i think the british government for the money they have sent, but however, thatis money they have sent, but however, that is just over 1% of what the un have asked for, and we have at aid cuts, and the aid cuts we have had have contributed towards programmes addressing and mitigating the issue of climate change and we have lost a lot of money in pakistan. i would ask the british government to do more than what we are at the moment, because we really do need on the ground in pakistan, this country needs all the help it can get. qm.

needs all the help it can get. 0k, we are going _ needs all the help it can get. 0k, we are going to — needs all the help it can get. 0k, we are going to leave it there. naz shah, labourmp, we are going to leave it there. naz shah, labour mp, who is visiting pakistan, thank you forjoining us. dr lisa schipper is a research fellow at oxford university's environmental change institute. it is good to see you. the figures are staggering. 0ne it is good to see you. the figures are staggering. one third of the country, an area the size of the uk, underwater. just explain how that happened. underwater. just explain how that ha ened. , , underwater. just explain how that hauened. , , , underwater. just explain how that hauened. , , happened. basically, this is a monsoon _ happened. basically, this is a monsoon season _ happened. basically, this is a monsoon season in _ happened. basically, this is a monsoon season in pakistan, happened. basically, this is a - monsoon season in pakistan, and as a consequence, probably, of climate change, we are seeing this extreme event and a huge amount of rainfall and a country that is not necessarily prepared for this kind of rainfall and therefore does not have the measures in place to be able to control it. qm. have the measures in place to be able to control it.— have the measures in place to be able to control it. ok, so when we talk about — able to control it. ok, so when we talk about climate _ able to control it. ok, so when we talk about climate change, - able to control it. ok, so when we talk about climate change, we - able to control it. ok, so when we talk about climate change, we are j talk about climate change, we are talking about the atmosphere heating up talking about the atmosphere heating up and more able to absorb moisture,

and as a result, monsoons and rains are heavier. and as a result, monsoons and rains are heavier-— are heavier. yeah, exactly, and climate change _ are heavier. yeah, exactly, and climate change is _ are heavier. yeah, exactly, and climate change is caused - are heavier. yeah, exactly, and climate change is caused by - climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, which are for merely from burning of fossil fuels, primarily in the global north, and so that is why we have this discussion we just heard now about who is responsible for addressing the cause of this problem. i addressing the cause of this roblem. ., ., , addressing the cause of this roblem. ., .,, ,, addressing the cause of this roblem. ., .,, i. ., addressing the cause of this roblem. ., ., , , ., ., ., problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust — problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust speaking _ problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust speaking to _ problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust speaking to me - problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust speaking to me a - problem. i mean, as you alluded to, the mpjust speaking to me a few. the mp just speaking to me a few seconds ago, she said pakistan is responsible for 1% of global emissions and yet it is the eighth most vulnerable country to the devastating effects of climate change. devastating effects of climate chance. . ~ , ., , change. yeah, i think it needs to be clear that climate _ change. yeah, i think it needs to be clear that climate change _ change. yeah, i think it needs to be clear that climate change is - clear that climate change is extremely serious, it is something we have to address, but it is so serious because of the current development models and what climate change reveals is the failures in development that we have, and if we

did not have corruption, social inequalities and unfair national resource extractions and other symptoms that are the legacy of colonialism, we will probably not have as many people affected around the world, because this is really a double hit for the global south, because there developing context has been hit in the way the north has benefited, and they benefited by emitting greenhouse gas emissions that hit the global south again really hard. it that hit the global south again really hard-— that hit the global south again reall hard. , , really hard. it is those countries in the global— really hard. it is those countries in the global south _ really hard. it is those countries in the global south that - really hard. it is those countries in the global south that are - really hard. it is those countries in the global south that are the | in the global south that are the poorest, that are least able to deal with the worst of climate change. precisely. and this is where it is import to be clear that it is not just climate change coming out of the blue and effecting these countries, that it is that developing context that makes these impacts on currently challenging, and it is also what we have so many

people who are sensitive and exposed to these events, climate hazards. that is... we often categorise countries in the global south like pakistan as the most vulnerable to climate change, but let's be clear, it is notjust because of climate change. in it is not 'ust because of climate chance. ,., ., it is not 'ust because of climate chance. ., , ., it is not 'ust because of climate chance. ., change. in important points to make. dr lisa schipper. _ change. in important points to make. dr lisa schipper, thank _ change. in important points to make. dr lisa schipper, thank you _ change. in important points to make. dr lisa schipper, thank you for- dr lisa schipper, thank you for joining us. thank you. six of the uk's largest pub and brewing companies are warning that the industry's likely to be hit by a wave of closures in the coming months, because of rising energy prices. unlike households, businesses aren't covered by an energy price cap, and the fear is that their costs could rise by as much as 300%. in an open letter, bosses are calling on the government to limit energy price rises. with more, here's our business correspondent theo leggett. a pint in a pub is part of the fabric of life in britain, but now the industry says it is under threat. energy costs have risen dramatically and some landlords are expecting their bills

to treble this winter. andrew taylor has been running this bar in london forfour years. as he recently told the bbc, his business made it through the pandemic, but the current crisis means he will soon have to make tough decisions. we are absorbing a lot of the increases that we have seen, but there will become a time where we will start to have to start passing these onto the customer. it is incredibly concerning. you know, this site has 15 full—time members of staff. we don't want to lose any of those. you know, they've been with us for a while. so, you know, it is always in the back of the mind. he is not alone. others within the industry say they are desperate for help. among them, the head of the brewhouse and kitchen chain. we need several areas of help, predominantly a business energy cap as soon as possible. we are an energy intensive sector and it's a big part of what we do. we provide warm environments, we cook food, my business brews

on site, so it is really important that we get some kind of cap, some kind of support. even before the current crisis, pubs up and down the country were finding it difficult to make ends meet. the fear is that now this could be the final straw and thousands may have to shut their doors for good. but it is notjust pubs that are struggling. small businesses throughout the economy are finding high energy costs a heavy weight to bear. at this farm shop and cafe in leicestershire, electricity bills are set to soar from £17,000 to almost £76,000 a year. during the pandemic, the business had government backing, including under the eat out to help 0ut scheme. the boss says support now is needed just as urgently. this is a £50,000 increase on the costs we have got. we can't afford it. not that long ago, they were asking people to come and eat here for free. we didn't ask for that and,

to be honest, we didn't need that, but now we actually genuinely need help to pay for electric, to keep the lights on and keep us cooking, so they have got to rethink what they are doing. the government says that no new policy will be announced until the new prime minister is in place, although it insists it will continue to support businesses through the winter. many pubs and other operators say urgent action is needed now, or they will soon be ringing up last orders for good. theo leggett, bbc news. we can speak now to greg mulholland, who's the chair of the campaigns for pubs. hejoins me from 0tley in west yorkshire. good afternoon to you. thanks for being with us. ijust wonder, given what we heard in that report by theo leggett, the backing the government gave to your industry during the pandemic, like perhaps you feel the government has not come forward now? the reality is that the situation

with spiralling energy bills and just to be clear, some of the figures you heard there from we are talking about 300, 400, some members talking about 500 present rises and energy bills. the... the reality is, without intervention, direct intervention from the uk government to stop energy bills being so unaffordable, then many thousands of pubs, and indeed many small businesses, will soon not be able to get through the winter. so there must be action and it must happen soon.— it must happen soon. indeed. my oint is it must happen soon. indeed. my point is why _ it must happen soon. indeed. my point is why you _ it must happen soon. indeed. my point is why you think _ it must happen soon. indeed. my point is why you think the - point is why you think the government intervention has not come? do they not get how dire the situation is?— situation is? that is certainly the feelin: situation is? that is certainly the feeling amongst _ situation is? that is certainly the

feeling amongst publicans. - situation is? that is certainly the - feeling amongst publicans. publicans are dismayed. there is real despair amongst publicans and indeed many small brewers. you heard about energy use in drooling. as you mentioned, pubs are more places you can go, and we have many vulnerable people who go to the club partly to keep warm —— energy use in brewing. the government does not understand simply having an energy cap for consumers, which is quite right, is not enough. we will close lots and lots of small businesses and lead to huge numbers ofjob losses, so i'm glad to hear the government now... the future prime minister, whoever thatis, the future prime minister, whoever that is, and we will find out hopefully quite soon, is now talking about intervening, but the sooner we hear about some concrete plans and a date from which that will happen, because the bill increases already happening, pubs and businesses are being locked into 12 months deals

they know they cannot afford, so the action must come soon, it must come before the winter, or the consequences for pubs and many small businesses will be dire. what consequences for pubs and many small businesses will be dire.— businesses will be dire. what would ou sa to businesses will be dire. what would you say to those — businesses will be dire. what would you say to those people _ businesses will be dire. what would you say to those people that - businesses will be dire. what would you say to those people that would | you say to those people that would argue public finances are stretched, there is a cost—of—living crisis, inflation is through the roof, so on and so forth, and there are schools that have issues. the health service has issues. there are whole ridge of other things in society having to deal with this crisis, and perhaps pubs are not at the top of the list. very simply, the energy market is failing spectacularly, and that affects the senses and schools, but we are talking aboutjobs and livelihoods here. not talking about something peripheral. we are talking but seeing hundreds of thousands of jobs go if the government does not intervene, because that is the effect will on pubs alone, so there needs to be an energy cap across the

board which will help all parts of our society. there has to be control, that has to be intervention, whatever the government feels is appropriate, but without that source of support, and we did see it through covid, that was unprecedented... that was the type of government intervention know none of us would have imagined, it needs to happen again. pubs are more than local businesses, they are part of the identity of our communities, villages, towns and cities, and without intervention, many of those will simply disappear, and it will change the face of the country, so we just hope that the new prime minister will swiftly, as the first thing they do, announced proper intervention in the market for all users, including small businesses. 0k, we will leave it there. greg mulholland from the campaigns for pubs, thank you forjoining us.

greg, thank you. and it's being claimed that many more nurseries have closed for good during the latest summer term than in previous years, because rising energy bills and high inflation are driving operators out of business. the national day nurseries association, says that between april and july, 65% more nurseries closed, compared to the same period last year. the association is warning that this coming academic year, there will be a huge reduction in places. let's go to ukraine now. ukraine says it's successfully broken through russian lines, after beginning a counterattack in the south of the country. the fighting is centred around the city of kherson, which was seized by russia at the start of their invasion six months ago. ukraine's president zelensky has urged russian troops to flee, but the kremlin claims the ukrainian offensive has been a failure. 0ur correspondent hugo bachega has more details. well, for quite some time,

it has been expected that the ukrainians would launch a major offensive to retake kherson, a major city in the south of the country. kherson has been under russian occupation since the early days of the war. and for weeks, the ukrainians have been targeting russian positions, supply lines, infrastructure deep inside russian controlled territory, away from the front lines. and that's only been possible because of the sophisticated weapons being supplied by the west. we could be seeing the beginning of this counteroffensive. yesterday, the ukrainian military said operations had been launched in multiple locations in the south. today, the ukrainian military said russian positions, ammunitions depots, equipment had been attacked. now, it is really, really hard to independently verify those claims, because it is difficult to get access to residents living in kherson, in occupied territory,

but last night president zelensky didn't talk about what was happening in kherson. he said ukraine was taking back territory. but he had a message to russian soldiers — if you want to survive, it's time to go home. hugo bachega there in kyiv. the first shipment of wheat from ukraine to africa has arrived on the continent. ukraine and russia are the world's biggest exporters, but shipments stopped following russia's invasion in february. a recent agreement between the two countries, mediated by the un and turkey, means around 50 ships have now been allowed to take stocks from ukraine. the vessel, the brave commander, which is now docked in djibouti, is carrying an aid shipment bound for ethiopia, where drought and conflict affect over 20 million people. 0ur africa correspondent catherine byaruhanga reports. coming from war—torn southern ukraine, the cargo on this ship is destined to help people facing their own

humanitarian crises. the mv brave commander took two weeks to get to this red sea port in djibouti. it's loaded with much needed wheat, which will feed 1.5 million people in ethiopia for a month. we will, over the course of the next couple of days, discharge this vessel, load it onto trucks and move it up into ethiopia. from there, we will be supporting northern ethiopia, the refugees, and then of course those affected by the drought. this shipment comes in as a lifeline for over a million people who don't have food in ethiopia right now. but this isn't enough. this region is facing its worst drought for 40 years, and the un hopes that the private sector will take inspiration from this shipment and bring in more grain. across east africa, it's getting harderfor over 20 million people to find food after nearly two

years of drought. a famine might be declared in parts of somalia. back in ethiopia, over 2 million livestock have died since the start of the year. even camels are dying. this man is trying to save his last one. translation: i'm a pasturalist. in fact, i was one of the successful pasturalists. i had 15 camels. 14 of them died one by one. and i'm only left with this one. this one is also very sick, as you can see. i don't know whether he will die or survive. this first shipment of grain from ukraine is a symbolic step and offers some relief, but it's not clear yet if any other ships will follow its lead. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, djibouti. two 16—year—old boys have died

after getting into difficulty in a lough in county londonderry. police say officers were called to reports of a number of people in difficulty in the water. the boys had stopped off at the lough while cycling in the area. 0ur reporter keiron tourish sent us this update. a poignant scene at enagh lough as a teenage outing for a group of six boys turned to a terrible loss of two young lives. a full scale emergency operation was launched around 6:30 yesterday evening. the air ambulance as well as police, the fire and rescue service and foyle search and rescue were involved. the group of teenage boys had been out for a cycle, and some decided to go for a swim in the lough and one got into difficulty. a friend then tried to help, but also faced similar difficulty. one of the teenagers died and a late—night search got under way for the second boy. his body was later recovered from the water. last night, it was pretty chaotic here.

families were arriving of some of the young boys who had been involved. they were obviously very anxious. the young boys themselves who had survived or weren't involved in the incident were obviously extremely traumatised by what they had seen. it is an absolute tragedy, you know, to wake up this morning to find out that we've lost two young 16—year—old boys to the lough when they were just out cycling with friends and enjoying their last few days of summer. one other boy was treated in hospitalfor his injuries, which are not life—threatening. three other teenagers were left shocked, but not physically injured. a scene of tragedy and one of sheer | despair, when you think of the two| young lives that are lost - and on behalf of the community, the wider community, _ our condolences to their families at this very, very tragic time. this is such a traumatic experience, especially for those young people who were in the prime of their lives, just having received their exam results, going into a new school term, it's absolutely devastating that their lives have been cut short. the boys were members of the indian

community and regularly attended mass with theirfamilies in the waterside. as i say, they are here forjust over 20 years, but they certainly have made it their home. and they work of course at the altnagelvin hospital and they work in other caring situations, settings, and of course, the parents and the two mothers of these two boys are also in the hospital. one of the fathers works in the hospital. the other has a local business here. so they are very much in the community and anybody certainly who comes to church here will certainly know them and they certainly will be feeling very, very sad for them today. the police service of northern ireland say that while their inquiries are continuing, at this stage, they are treating this as a tragic drowning incident. the duchess of sussex says she has upset what she called the "dynamic of the hierarchy" of the royal family "just by existing". in an interview with the american magazine the cut, the duchess talked about her exit from the royal family and said it "takes a lot

of effort to forgive". she also spoke about prince harry's relationship with his father, prince charles. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell told us more about the reaction to the interview. yes, what does one make of this? i guess reactions will depend on whether you are a supporter of meghan or not. there are many who are, mostly young people, and they, i'm sure, will say, "good on her, strong, independent, articulate woman." those who are not as sympathetic to her may raise an eyebrow and wonder why a prolonged period of dignified silence doesn't recommend itself to her. within the palaces, given that she's not a working member of the royal family, there is absolutely no comment, but i would think that there is a sense of weary resignation amongst royal officials. this really is something that the queen could do without at this time of her life, a stirring of the pot yet again. in terms of what she's said in this magazine interview, this comment that she upset

the dynamic of the hierarchy, well, what actually does she mean by that? i know myself how much the palace bent over backwards to help her, but the relationship simply did not work out. nicholas witchell reporting there. a drought has been declared in the whole of the south west of england, despite recent rainfall. the decision means 11 out of the environment agency's 14 english regions are now officially in drought, after some of the driest conditions in nearly 90 years. let's get the latest darren

bett has details. let's get the latest weather. darren bett has the details. at the end of this week and more especially into this weekend, the weather will change again and there is some rain in the forecast. very quite weather before then, mind you. sometime around today. the best of the sunshine to end the day is going to be across wales and the southwest of england, cool in eastern scotland. we will see some clear skies developing across many parts of the country overnight, but there is this area of cloud coming in off the north sea and i could bring some showers into the northeast of

england later on in the night. i had of that, further north, in the northeast of scotland, temperatures could be down to 3 or 4 degrees night, sequentially start here for tomorrow. but some sunshine on the way tomorrow. we will see some patchy cloud developing, the odd shower going. 0ne patchy cloud developing, the odd shower going. one or two light showers who develop in the east of england. looks like it will be a dry day in scotland and northern ireland. looks breezy, but temperatures again reaching the mid—20s in southern england and south wales.

the headlines: the united nations launches an urgent appeal to help millions of people in pakistan, after historic floods, submerge a third of the country. industry bosses warn of mass pub and brewery closures across the uk within months, because of sky rocketing energy prices. ukraine says its forces have broken through russian lines in a major offensive, aimed at retaking parts of the south of the country. two 16—year—old boys die after getting into difficulty, in a lough in county londonderry. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre.

this year's 0pen champion cameron smith hasjoined the rebel saudi funded liv golf series. the world number two, who won his first major at st andrews last month, is the highest ranked player to defect to the lucrative new series that has caused a huge rift in golf. he will be in the field for fourth liv event of the year that starts in boston this friday. here's our golf correspondent iain carter. this is undoubtedly liv�*s biggest coup to be able to attract cameron smith who won in such sensational fashion at st andrews injuly but is also the reigning champion on the players championship, which is the biggest event on the pga tour, so a big blow for the pga tour to lose the winner of their flagship event but also a massive coup for liv golf because this player is at the height of his powers, the world number 2, reigning open champion.

and he isjoined by his fellow australian marc leishman but also just four games into premier league season, scott parker has been sacked by newly promoted bournemouth. kick off at half seven this evening. they are one of three teams to points the leader arsenals who played tomorrow night. seagulls are enjoying the lead five matches and before this one. ~ , ,., y lead five matches and before this one. , lead five matches and before this one. anybody will tell you if you -la four one. anybody will tell you if you play four matches _ one. anybody will tell you if you play four matches and _ one. anybody will tell you if you play four matches and you - one. anybody will tell you if you play four matches and you get l one. anybody will tell you if you l play four matches and you get ten points are quite happy with that. maybe liverpool and city have to do a bit better. generally for the rest of us that's a fantastic return. we are happy. i could say, small samples so we have to remain focused, humble, respectful. just go to follow him.

chelsea are managed to off—load their winger going on loan to buy her who's in for the rest of the season. that's nearing completion, chelsea still linked to a number of other targets as well. it's very close to the end of the transfer window and when the 1st of september comes i will be a happy coach no matter what happens and i will try to find solutions and not think what could have happened or what could be. everything that matters is reality at the moment and today everything that mattered was to find a way to hang in this game and win this match even from a disadvantaged position and what will matter in southampton is the same, find a way to win, step up individually and posted team from my side and this ——push is what we will do no matter if the players come or not.

jack ross and scott parker paid the price for 9—0 defeats over the weekend for that ross was sacked after the thrashing by celtic. parker has also lost his job today after bournemouth went down by the same score line at liverpool. that was their third defeat in a row in his interview on saturday parker criticised the clubs lack of investment in his squad saying the team was ill—equipped at this level. something that the bournemouth owner took umbrage with. gary 0'neill will take temporary charge against wolves tomorrow night. you can go to the bbc sport website on the very latest of day two and the us open. in the last hour cameron norrie took the first set foot up 6— love he was flying through that match. the second set was a little bit different. he'sjust second set was a little bit different. he's just taking second set was a little bit different. he'sjust taking it second set was a little bit different. he's just taking it on a tie—break, 7—6 with two sets to the good. emma raducanu begins the defence of her us open title later tonight against french player alize cornet.

all the details on the bbc sport website. hugh ferris will be back at half past six with sports day. ali, thank you for that. in a week's time the uk will have a new prime minister. as well as the cost of living crisis — the new resident of number 10 faces a number of foreign policy challenges. from the ongoing war in ukraine — to the growing threat from states like china. meanwhile — britain's biggest warship, the hms prince of wales, could miss important tests involving the latest fighterjets and drones after a propeller shaft malfunctioned a few miles after it set sail. i'm joined now by former uk permanent representative to nato, the uk@s first national security adviser, and vice—chair of the royal united services institute, lord peter ricketts. good to see you. thank you for joining us. what do you make of the

problems with this warship? it means we've only got one carrier, as it were, a large carrier in operation at the moment, isn't it? it were, a large carrier in operation at the moment, isn't it?- at the moment, isn't it? it does. these things _ at the moment, isn't it? it does. these things happen _ at the moment, isn't it? it does. these things happen to - at the moment, isn't it? it does. these things happen to new - at the moment, isn't it? it does. these things happen to new very complicated pieces of military equipment. they do have their snags in theirfaults. the equipment. they do have their snags in their faults. the embarrassment is that this was going to be a big show, this was going to be the prince of wales going across to america. it had been played up by the government in the media and now we get this rather embarrassing breakdown. i think it will be sorted out, it may miss some of the training it had to do. perhaps it's a little bit of a reminder not to be too boastful about britain's military capabilities. we have two carriers, juan is now off the air. was still a medium size country and we shouldn't be boasting too much about the world class military when things like this can go wrong. fiiq

things like this can go wrong. ok. if ou are things like this can go wrong. ok. if you are a _ things like this can go wrong. ok. if you are a national security adviser and you had to have a bit of adviser and you had to have a bit of a chat with mr rishi sunak or liz truss next monday afternoon, what would be the first thing you would say to them? i would be the first thing you would say to them?— would be the first thing you would say to them? i think the immediate crisis is what's _ say to them? i think the immediate crisis is what's happening _ say to them? i think the immediate crisis is what's happening in - crisis is what's happening in ukraine. that of course is going to be front and centre of any new prime minister. actually, ithink be front and centre of any new prime minister. actually, i think both of them would tend to carry on the policy of borisjohnson's government, which has been a successful piece of british support to ukraine both economically and militarily. that is the most immediate crisis. behind that is a very complicated issue of dealing with china, which i think needs to be a multi layered strategy if i had enough time with the new prime minister i think that want to come on to talk about china after updating the weapons on ukraine. first of all ukraine, one suspect your message would be, stay the course. don't slip up on this. stat; course. don't slip up on this. stay the course- _

course. don't slip up on this. stay the course. it's _ course. don't slip up on this. stay the course. it's very _ course. don't slip up on this. st: the course. it's very important course. don't slip up on this. 5t

germans are suggesting, never mind what emmanuel macron is suggesting about some kind of commendation some kind of deal or parts of the donbas. stay the course. that is key. stat; stay the course. that is key. stay the course- _ stay the course. that is key. stay the course. stay _ stay the course. that is key. 5t

the country is in our economy? yes, absolutely- — the country is in our economy? yes, absolutely- liz _ the country is in our economy? yes, absolutely. liz truss _ the country is in our economy? yes, absolutely. liz truss was _ the country is in our economy? 1:23 absolutely. liz truss was reported to have decided that she's going to be top on china. and friends of liz truss toll as she wants to elevate china to the same status as russia as an acute threat to the uk. i think in some way she's absolutely right. china is a threat, as you say we've got to be very vigilant about them stealing our secrets, our intellectual property and we got to stand with the americans and being very firm with china about the risk of invasion of taiwan and throwing their weight around in asia. we've got to call them out on the awful human rights abuses, as the government has been doing to their credit. i think where it's difficult is the economic because of liz truss is the economic because of liz truss is talking about putting china on the same level as russia, does that mean storm sanctions on economic relations with china? we do £90 billion of trade a year with china, it's our third—largest market. i think we need to have what i is a multi layered strategy with china.

tough and vigilant on every security aspect of being willing to work with china on things like trade, china two climate change, public health. china such a major actor in the world i don't think we should completely cut them off. good to talk to you- _ completely cut them off. good to talk to you. thank _ completely cut them off. good to talk to you. thank you _ completely cut them off. good to talk to you. thank you for - completely cut them off. good to talk to you. thank you forjoining| talk to you. thank you forjoining us. more now on the energy bills as energy bills spiral. the body that represents the industry uk music warns that uk venues face closure without swift action to soaring energy bills. the group is calling on the government to cut vat from its current 20% to give a lifeline to music businesses fighting for survival. joining me in the studio is jamie njoku—goodwin, chief executive of uk music — which represents venues, studios, and other music businesses. good to see you. how dire could the situation be?—

good to see you. how dire could the situation be? �* ., ~ ., situation be? bad. at the moment the rice situation be? bad. at the moment the price doesn't — situation be? bad. at the moment the price doesn't apply — situation be? bad. at the moment the price doesn't apply to _ situation be? bad. at the moment the price doesn't apply to businesses. - price doesn't apply to businesses. so why households are seeing huge pressures businesses are seeing huge increases in energy bills. the music venue trust is estimated that the average increase has been 360%. that's just the average increase. some are seeing increases of up to 140%. to put that into actual numbers normally at music venues will be having bills without £1245 a month, it's now up to £5,200. there are venues across the country, the studios who are seeing huge costs and pressures. these are the sorts of increases you can't find somewhere, you can't cut something here or there. there is lots of looking in the mirror thinking how we are going to be able to survive this. i we are going to be able to survive this. . . we are going to be able to survive this. ., ., . ., ., ., this. i had a chat with someone from the representative _ this. i had a chat with someone from the representative from _ this. i had a chat with someone from the representative from the - this. i had a chat with someone from the representative from the pub - the representative from the pub industry. they are saying we've got businesses that cannot go out of

commission, they're going to go to the wall because they are having to pay such high energy costs. ijust wonder if you believe that the government is actually thinking as laterally as it should in terms of all those other sectors within society that are affected by the problems that we have here. as a result, they haven't really been on top of the situation. i result, they haven't really been on top of the situation.— top of the situation. i accept that the government _ top of the situation. i accept that the government can't _ top of the situation. i accept that the government can't change - top of the situation. i accept that the government can't change the j the government can't change the global price of energy. 0ne the government can't change the global price of energy. one of the things you can do is reduce the burden that these businesses are fighting. even before energy bills were going out vat, business rates were going out vat, business rates were causing big pressures for businesses, businesses, recording studios actually, one of the things government could be doing now is reducing that burden by looking at things like cutting the vat rate. they did it during the pandemic. so two years ago we were hit by a global pandemic and the government recognise these businesses were facing huge pressures. sylvia did not vat was cut by 25 foot tub is now gone up 20% and we are in crisis again. if the government wants to

support the cultural sector cutting vat should be some things they are doing. the business sector we saw just how important it was during the pandemic of live music is one of the things we miss the most of recorded music was the thing that got us through it. we know how music means to millions of people across the country. there's a real risk of seeing venues, recording studios closing permanently as a result of the energy increases we are seeing at the moment. for the energy increases we are seeing at the moment.— the energy increases we are seeing at the moment. for those who would an ue that at the moment. for those who would argue that for — at the moment. for those who would argue that for hundred _ at the moment. for those who would argue that for hundred billion - at the moment. for those who would argue that for hundred billion was - argue that for hundred billion was sent to an extent in dealing with the crisis of covid you've got a whole host of other sectors in dire need now because of the rising energy prices. schools, hospitals and so on. perhaps music venues, they should be at the bottom of the list. , , , ., list. firstly, we saw 'ust how important * list. firstly, we saw 'ust how important these h list. firstly, we sawjust how important these things - list. firstly, we sawjust how important these things were | list. firstly, we sawjust how - important these things were during the pandemic. speak to lots of people getting back to music venue was one of the things people look forward to most. these are economic drivers, they supportjobs but also our mental health. they are vital for communities. lots of these venues, this is it because of bad

business decisions or the market working perfectly, this is out of their control, these are venues that have adapted to make sure they could be working in the modern world. these energy price rises are threatening them. we see how important these businesses are whether it's venues, recording studios with up during the pandemic government recognise that for the governments felt billions supporting cultural infrastructure because government understood how important it was we protect these spaces. i think it doesn't make much sense to say you're going to protect these bases through the course of the pandemic but then when his energy price rises say, actually no, it would be a huge waste of money to spend money supporting the sectors during the pandemic onlyjust to see mass catastrophic failure right now. see them once and see them go to the wall. lots of calls on taxpayers money. and attempt to try and deal with the whole situation. thank you for joining with the whole situation. thank you forjoining us.

you're watching bbc news. our top story. the united nations has launched a bill to help millions of people in pakistan after historic floods submerge a third of the country. industry bosses warn of mass pub and brewery closures across the uk within months because of the skyrocketing energy prices. the duchess of sussex says she upset the dynamic of the hierarchy of the royal familyjust by existing. a judge in australia has convicted a former teacher of murder, in a case that was the subject of a popular true crime podcast. chris dawson, who's 74, had denied killing his wife lynette, who vanished from their home on sydney's northern beaches in 1982. 0ur correspondent in sydnery, phil mercer, has more. for 40 years, chris dawson had evaded justice — until today, being found guilty of murder here at the new south wales supreme court in sydney.

the judge has demolished the defence's argument that chris dawson wasn't responsible for his wife's murder, justice ian harrison saying that although wholly circumstantial, the case against him was compelling and persuasive. christopher michael dawson, on the charge that on or about 8th of january 1982 at bayview or elsewhere in the state of new south wales you did murder lynette dawson, ifind you guilty. you may sit down. as for lynette dawson's family, they'd be relieved, of course, at the guilty verdict, but for them, questions remained. how and where was she killed, and where is her body? a critical part of this case was the teacher's pet podcast. it was first broadcast in 2018 and led to a reinvigoration of the police investigation. it gave fresh impetus to the inquiry. later that year chris dawson was

arrested and charged with murder. at 74 years of age, he may never see the light of day as a free man again. he is yet to be sentenced but could spend the rest of his life in prison. phil mercer, bbc news, in sydney. people living in shetland would need to earn at least £100,000 a year to avoid fuel poverty. that's the warning from the islands' council. it estimates that by april the average household energy cost per year will be over ten thousand pounds — more than double that of the rest of the uk. jothohnson reports. stocking up the peat fire. 82—year—old crofter barbara fraser has been heating her kitchen with peat for decades but relies on electricity to keep the rest of her croft house warm and power the lights. it's a huge, huge rise that nobody expected and it's always a bit colder here. we have a lot of wind.

it's estimated by april the average energy cost per year for a house in shetland could be over £10,000, double that of the rest of the uk, with 96% of households spending over 10% of their income on energy. this will hit everybody, it doesn't matter who you are or what you do, you will feel this impact and that is a real concern. we need the government to step in and fix this. shetland's colder climate, coupled with poor insulation and a lack of cheaper energy options, are pushing up the cost of living. for over 45 years the islands have been at the heart of oil and gas development, they've brought wealth and created an oilfund of nearly £1 billion, but islanders haven't seen lower energy and fuel costs. i think i am now paying over £300 a month which is more than double what i was paying previously.

we are paying more for heating than for our mortgage, our house. people will go back to burning peat and wood because it's _ the only way to keep warm. the uk government say they are already providing £37 billion to help with the cost of living which is targeted at those most in need. barbara fraser hopes the government can find the extra money like they did during the covid crisis to help ease the burden for those struggling to heat their homes so far away from london this winter. jothohnson reporting. police in liverpool have made more than 30 arrests in 24 hours and a crackdown on organised crime. 0livia was shot dead at her home on monday night. a little earlier correspondence give us his update. just over a week since the horrific events which happened here. a week

since the street where 0livia lived and died heads been cordoned off and continues to be cordoned off the essex police continue their work here. we were watching detectives this morning going door—to—door. but the extent of the police activity goes far beyond the street, even this area across the whole city. merseyside police have been clear for a while at the murder of olivia pratt—korbel did not happen in isolation. she is one of three people who were shot dead across merseyside within a week. they say they are in relentless pursuit of organised criminal gangs in this city. they say the fact it is part of their wider operation they've now arrested more than 200 people for connections to those gangs and within the last 24 hours alone 32 people have been arrested. merseyside police say they have the assistance of officers from other forces who are coming to help. in such tasks is monitoring the roads,

there are police monitoring vehicles in and out. they say there is still a lot to do. and they are being helped by members of the community bringing it back here to this area and around this place, they said they're getting information continually, which they are monitoring acting on and the officers both uniformed and detectives trying to find out what happen here will work relentlessly around the clock until those responsible are brought to justice. in recent weeks, dozens of warnings have been issued for beaches and water courses in england and wales, because of raw sewage being pumped out by water companies. the companies say they have no choice but to this, during spells of heavy rain. the government has announced a plan to tackle the issue in england but critics say the new rules don't go far enough. tim muffett reports from whitstable, in kent. all too often these swimmers in whitstable take an unlucky dip. it is effectively human excrement.

anything from baby wipes, tampons, toilet roll. it's brown stuff in the water - and it's very sort of, like, foamy. if it starts getting - foamy, you get out quick! today the water seems clear, but heavy rain can leave the sea polluted for days. with sewerage pipes unable to cope, raw sewage is sometimes discharged into the sea. lots of people reporting to us that they've been sick from swimming — so ear infections, eye infections, and kind of bacterial infections resulting in sickness and diarrhoea. sewage being discharged into the sea in sussex this month. around 50 beaches across england and wales have been given pollution warnings in august. well, most of the uk has a combined sewerage system, which means that rainwater and waste water from toilets and bathrooms travels along the same pipes to sewage treatment works. but if it's been raining heavily, those pipes can be overwhelmed,

potentially flooding treatment plants, roads — even people's homes. so to stop that happening, in exceptional circumstances, water companies can legally discharge raw sewage into rivers and the sea. but the circumstances have to be exceptional — otherwise water companies might be breaking the law. in july last year, southern water was fined a record £90 million for illegally dumping billions of litres of untreated sewage into the sea in hampshire, west sussex and kent. on friday, the government published a plan to tackle the problem in england. water companies will need to invest £56 billion over 25 years on infrastructure. by 2035, all storm overflows which discharge water into bathing areas will need to be improved. well, i welcome this plan — i mean, it's going to be increasing the capital investment by water

companies into sorting out the treatment of our waste water by more than double over the next 25 years. and that in itself was double the level that it was in the decade prior to privatisation. in a statement, southern water said the discharges it sometimes releases into the sea were heavily diluted — typically being 95% rainwater. the campaign group sos says the government plans are woefully inadequate. it wants the water industry to be renationalised. and if the sewage discharges don't stop soon it fears swimming in the sea will no longer be worth the risk. tim muffett, bbc news whitstable in kent. a man in southampton has broken the guinness world record for growing

the worlds largest cucumber. there he is. an amateur. reduce the whopping 44—inch monster. he also happens to be 44 years old. he's been growing oversize vegetables for more than seven years. it attempted to break the world cucumber record several years before. whatever floats your boat. whatever floats your boat. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. thank you it's been a decent day today for many parts of the country. some like summer sunshine. of the next few days it's generally going to be dry with sunny spells. quite breezy for some parts of the uk, temperatures a little bit higher. by the end of the week and into the weekend in particular the weather will start to change as we will see a little bit later on. this is the satellite picture of the last few hours. we've even had one or two showers from the cloud may leak across northern ireland, quite cloudy central parts of scotland so temperatures this evening are a little bit lower. the higher

temperatures in the sunshine across more southwestern parts of england and south wales with up we will see clear skies developing across many parts of the country overnight. however, there is cloud coming in off the north sea that will a few showers into the north east of england later. clear guys in scotland in the northeast, scotland aberdeen could be down to three or 4 degrees. quite a chilly start on wednesday morning. place starting dry and sunny, we will see cloud bubbling up through the day for that wanted to two showers continue and across the bar north of england the odd possible in eastern england but a dry day for scotland and northern ireland, temperatures reaching 19 or 20 degrees here for the higher temperatures across the south of england and south wales, mid 20s lightly but it will be quite a breezy day. stronger winds probably tomorrow, the winds not quite so strong on thursday. we still get high pressure extending all the way down from the arctic circle keeping it dry and find a photo again, plenty of sunshine around just a bit of patchy cloud here and there. chance of some rain perhaps into the channel islands and in the far

northwest of scotland the cloud will increase in later in the day. temperatures are changing a great deal. warm in the sunshine if you got those temperatures into the mid—20s or so. by the end of the week pressure is going to be falling, whether it comes in from the south or a weather front from the south or a weather front from the atlantic, the weather is going to be changing in time before the weekend. certainties about the details of the rain but this is our friday's looking and we should see rain coming into western scotland and northern ireland for the head of that some sunshine for the uk but they may well be showers cope be heavy rather hit and miss them again at warm and the sunshine. leiter wins for the southern half of the uk, the breeze picking up eastern scotland. first half of the week it looks like this. looking at lower pressure coming in from the atlantic, a couple of bands of rain that could be heavy, potentially thundery pushing across the uk. some places will be dry particularly towards the north east of the uk. lighter winds in between those downpours in the south and it will feel warm in the sunshine.

today at six:

a warning from hospitality bosses — the energy crisis could see the closure of pubs across the uk. they've sent an open letter to ministers. they say that without government support, landlords may call last orders, but for good. support, landlords may call last if support, landlords may call last we keep increasing beer if we keep increasing the cost of beer and food, the customers won't come out any more. they can't afford it. and we'll be looking at how the cost of living crisis is already hampering the government's levelling up plans. also on the programme: the worst floods in pakistan's history — an inquest into the death of nine—year—old 0livia pratt—korbel how police officers try to her life. the worst floods in pakistan's history — the un launches an emergency appeal. it's chief says the region is a climate crisis hotspot.