tonight at ten: russia makes moves due tried to annex large parts of ukraine. four areas in ukraine now controlled by russian troops — around 15% of the country — say they will hold referendums on becoming part of russia. we report from one city where the bodies of dozens of civilians are being dug up. also on the programme: liz truss tells the bbc she is prepared to make unpopular choices as prime minister to ensure the economy grows. if that means taking difficult decisions which are going to help britain become more competitive,

help britain become more attractive, help more investment flow into our country, yes, i'm absolutely prepared to take those decisions. more rail disruptions — this time it's the london marathon that could be affected as rail workers announce more strike dates next month. and a peak audience of around 28 million people watched on tv as the queen's coffin was carried through london. and coming up in the sport over on the bbc news channel: england's cricketers mark their first match in pakistan for 17 years with a victory in the first t20 game in karachi. good evening. president putin is paving the way to try to annex a significant area of ukraine that are being occupied by russian forces.

officials in the russian controlled areas in the donetsk, luhansk, kherson and zaporizhzhia region have announced they plan to hold referenda onjoining russia in the coming days. ukraine and the us have said such ballots would be an illegal sham. russia has suffered a serious of setbacks on the battlefield in ukraine recently. in areas newly liberated by ukrainians forces, disturbing accounts of torture by russian soldiers are continuing to emerge. our senior international correspondent orla guerin reports now from the city of izyum. awarning, a warning, this report contains some distressing testimony. in the centre of izyum, the heart of darkness. ukrainian investigators say the russians turned this police station into a torture chamber. we were taken down to

the cells in the basement. our escort checking carefully every step of the way, in case the enemy left any booby—tra ps. you can just imagine the fear people must have felt when they were brought into these cells. on the walls, someone has scratched a date and it looks like the 22nd ofjune of this year. the conditions are squalid and there is just thin mattresses, no glass in the windows. people were kept here without light or heat and accounts are still emerging from those who say they were tortured here. we met one of them at the city's main hospital which somehow is functioning. mihilo has been treated here for his injuries. he is a pensioner aged 67 but that did not stop the russians.

he says they held him down and broke his arm. they suspected him of sabotage. "they tortured me for 12 days," he says. "i was taken from there half dead three hours "before our forces arrived. "they tortured me with an electric current. "they gave me shocks in my fingers. "how they burned. "they put needles into my back. "they were long and they put them under my skin. "here and here, inside." and across town, at the former russian command centre, a grim discovery. we are told there's blood on this axe.

the chief investigator says he doesn't know whose. then, suddenly, panic. distant whistle shouting "get to the basement," he says. police running for cover after what sounded like incoming fire. but this time, there was no explosion. in the forest at the city's edge they are still exhuming the dead. more than 160 so far, mostly civilians. officials say some had their hands tied and bore signs of torture. olaina arrives with her husband yuri. they have come to look for her father.

she's caught between hope and dread. her father was last heard from on the front lines in april. "we know families who were in the same situation "as we are now," says yuri. "but they have found remains. "they were happy to at least have a body to bury." in the countryside near izyum ukrainian forces are still on the move. having swept forwards so fast, they have to secure their gains and plug any gaps. inside the broken city, food is in short supply. she leaves with a handful. there is no power, no running water,

just war�*s long shadow. dasha cradles her son tim but can't soothe all his fears. "we are scared," she says. "we don't know if it will be safe over the longer term. "we're on thin ice. "military actions are still going on. "victory isn't certain." she says she's praying for peace, for a brighterfuture for ukraine's children, who have already suffered too much. orla guerin, bbc news, izyum. we can speak to our russia editor steve rosenberg who's in moscow. wrote let's talk about the referendums, that officials say they

will hold in russian —controlled parts of ukraine, how significant is this move?— parts of ukraine, how significant is this move? ~ , ., ., this move? when i first heard about these referendums, _ this move? when i first heard about these referendums, the _ this move? when i first heard about these referendums, the first - this move? when i first heard about these referendums, the first thing l these referendums, the first thing that came to mind when i heard about them was what vladimir putin said, on the 24th of february, when he announced the invasion of ukraine, he said it is not their plan to occupy ukrainian territory. that did not age well because basically these so—called referendums in russian occupied areas of ukraine, they are a vehicle to allow moscow to annex another chunk of ukrainian territory and it has been done very quickly in and it has been done very quickly in a hurry, very fast, ithink and it has been done very quickly in a hurry, very fast, i think because of the ukrainian counteroffensive we have seen in recent days which has been pretty successful in reclaiming some occupied land. these referendums i think raised the stakes, moscow is raising the stakes with them, and i predict that once

these areas miraculously declare that they want to be part of russia, what we will see is a at st ukraine, if you tried to get these areas back, you will be attacking what we now consider to be russia with the big consequences —— what we will see is russia saying to ukraine. steve rosenberg. _ is russia saying to ukraine. steve rosenberg, thanks _ is russia saying to ukraine. steve rosenberg, thanks for _ is russia saying to ukraine. steve rosenberg, thanks forjoining - is russia saying to ukraine. steve rosenberg, thanks forjoining us. the prime minister, liz truss, says she is prepared to take difficult and unpopular decisions to help get the uk economy growing. in her first bbc interview since she became prime minister, liz truss, said by focusing on economic growth the uk will be more attractive to investors. and she defended plans to lift the cap on bankers' bonuses at a time when cost of living pressures are increasing. she was speaking during her first foreign trip as prime minister as the government prepares to make a series of major announcements now the official period of mourning for the late queen is over. from new york, here's our political editor chris mason.

within hours of the queen's funeral, liz truss flew out of the country, her first overseas trip in office bringing her here to new york for a gathering of world leaders at the united nations. she has been prime minister forjust a fortnight, and what a fortnight. at the top of the empire state building she reflected on her opening days in downing street. it has been a very, very momentous time for our country and i was hugely honoured to be asked to form a government by her majesty the queen. and i think the news of her death was a shock to me, as it was a shock to the nation. after ten days of reflection, politics is roaring back. expect a blitz of announcements in the coming days with a focus on growing the economy, even if some of the ideas for doing that will cause a row. lots of families at the moment are really struggling and they will see that one of the things you are happy to see

happen is for bankers to get bigger bonuses. whose side are you on? what i want to see is a growing economy, so everybody in our country has the high paid jobs that they deserve, the investment into their town, the new businesses being set up. that's the kind of britain that i want to see. and if that means the rich get richer, that's fine? if that means taking difficult decisions which are going to help britain become more competitive, help britain become more attractive, help more investment flow into our country — yes, i'm absolutely prepared to take those decisions. you are willing to do unpopular things if you think it can contribute to a bigger economy? that's right. and i will always work to make sure that we are helping those who are struggling. that's why we took the action that we took on energy bills, because we didn't want to see households facing unaffordable bills.

labour accuse the government of having the wrong priorities in wanting to lift the cap on bankers' bonuses. the pound has been tumbling, interest rates are rising, some prices are soaring. do you accept that despite your interventions, times are going to be tough for people this winter? we're facing incredibly tough economic times. i'm here in new york at the united nations. we've had the invasion of ukraine which has pushed up energy prices. we're still seeing the after—effects of covid. what is very important, as well as growing our economy, we are also protecting our economic security. the conservatives won the last election with one prime minister, borisjohnson, and are now led by another, chosen only by party members. so, what will change? i will be my own prime minister, and i wouldn't compare myself to any predecessors and the times we are in are different from the times predecessors have been in.

we are entering a new era. it is a more insecure era and what my government is about is about delivering for people, making sure that people have the jobs, the opportunities and the future that they can rely on. this afternoon the prime minister met the french president emanuel macron. insecurity abroad, insecurity at home, a problem not unique to the uk. and that is why a lot of the conversations here between world leaders are dominated by the situation in ukraine, domestic implications, international implications, international implications, and liz truss said the uk will at least match in military aid spending for ukraine the amount spent this year, next day, that was £2.73 spent this year, next day, that was £2.3 billion, and on the economic approach of this prime minister, compared with the last one, it will

be markedly different, and in particular this willingness to take on unpopular ideas if they are seen to contribute to wards economic growth. there are a couple of challenges for liz truss, will it work and sadly, can she take people with her? there is a logical to pursuing unpopular policies, new democracy, it is that you lose unless you can convince people to change their mind to go with you, and that is the challenge liz truss is taking on. studio: chris mason, thanks forjoining us. the focus for the government this week will be firmly on the cost of living and the economy with more big announcements to come. our economics editor faisal islam is here — so what are we expecting? it isa it is a very important week for the new administration in establishing their credentials on economic management and if they get it right we should all have lower bills and also for businesses and inflation will come down and growth will be higherfor will come down and growth will be higher for longer, will come down and growth will be higherfor longer, that will come down and growth will be higher for longer, that is their

target. if they get it wrong, borrowing will rise in interest rates could rise, and inflation, that could stay higher for longer, and so we have three days of big announcements and tomorrow we have the business energy plan. remember the business energy plan. remember the promise for domestic users, equivalent help would also come for businesses and that is coming tomorrow, and also insight as to where that might be for business users, they cut their energy in terms of p per kilowatt hour we are expecting a cap of about 2ip for electricity and that is about a third to lower compared to current prices, so that could be a big benefit and that could apply to fixed rates even from april. but mainly it from october. the details really matter. on thursday we have an interest rate decision from the bank of england that could see a rise in interest rates we have not seenin rise in interest rates we have not seen in 33 years, 0.75%, and could

be seen as a verdict on whether or not the bank of england think the government's plans could prolong inflation, and on friday we get the mini budget, it will outline the cost of the energy plan and also further tax cuts promised in liz truss's leadership campaign but what we won't get as a forecast. mps would like a forecast to calm down the markets and give clarity to everybody but we are not going to get that on friday, but a big week for economic management. important week ahead- — for economic management. important week ahead. thanks _ for economic management. important week ahead. thanks for _ for economic management. important week ahead. thanks forjoining - for economic management. important week ahead. thanks forjoining us. . railway workers are resuming their strike action next month in their long running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. the walk—outs are timed to coincide with the conservative party conference. they'll also affect runners and supporters taking part in the london marathon. our transport correspondent, katy austin is at london's euston station

strikes scheduled for this month have been called off following the news of the queen's death but it has now been confirmed that train drivers in the aslef union at 12 train companies will walk out again on the 1st of october, the first day that more than 40,000 rail workers who are in the rmt union working at network rail and i4 train companies will also take part in strike action and it is expected members of the tssa union willjoin them but they haven't confirmed that publicly yet. so the 1st of october looks like the most disrupted day of strike action we have seen so far on the railways since the summer began, as many as 90% of the usual services may not run, and then on the 5th of october, thatis run, and then on the 5th of october, that is a wednesday, another strike is in the calendar, this time only by train drivers in the aslef union but still it will have a pretty big impact. now, the two strike dates combined will book end the conservative party conference, and as you say, will also have a big

impact on people who are travelling for the london marathon which takes place on sunday second october. why is it happening? in summary, aslef says train companies still haven't offered pay rise to cope with high inflation, that its members are dealing with at the moment. and the rmt union says its ongoing dispute is over pay, job security and over working conditions. for its part the rail industry says bosses do want to give a pay increase but that can only be afforded if reforms or modernisations are agreed to. so far, talks have not produced any breakthroughs. at austin, thank you. —— katy austin, thank you. health officials in pakistan say they've seen a sharp increase in diseases like malaria and dengue fever in pakistan after the devastating floods there. the head of the world health organization has warned the rapidly rising numbers could become a second disaster.

more than 1,500 people lost their lives in the floods and 33 million people have been directly affected. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan has been to thatta in sindh province where families are in desperate need of aid. and just a warning, this report contains upsetting images from the start. baby screams. already in pain — pakistan's living through a never—ending nightmare. ten—month—old saeed lost his home in the floods. now he's fighting for his life. as his mother noohr watches on, doctors give him an urgent blood transfusion. he's suffering from a severe case of malaria. translation: we are really poor. i'm worried for my child. _ i feel helpless that i can't do more for him. our homes were flooded. since then, everyone seems to be getting malaria. including two—year—old saima,

who we meet in the next bed along. her grandfather ghulam brought her to hospitalfrom his submerged village far away. translation: you can see i'm really worried. | we are struggling to get proper treatment. she has had diarrhoea and she has a fever all over her body. almost everyone on this ward has fled from the floods, and almost every patient here is young. and this child, with this patient, this is a five—year—old female child. as dr ashfaq explains, living in the open has left thousands even more vulnerable, displaced and in distress. all of this surrounding water, there are so many mosquitoes. not only this malaria but they are spreading dengue as well. we have too much burden now of these malaria cases. and now we have malaria treatment only for three days.

pakistan's health care system is struggling to cope with an influx of waterborne diseases. a country already ravaged by the floods is now facing a medical emergency. and even when these patients recover, many don't have a home to go to. not far from the hospital, large swathes of this province remain under water. rural sindh is the worst affected area. and one of pakistan's poorest. hundreds of thousands have set up shelter on this river bank. families who came here seeking sanctuary, now struggling to stay alive. the risk of disease, the latest burden to those who have already been left with nothing. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sindh province. police in leicester say arrests could go on for months after the violent scenes in the city on saturday involving men from sections of the south asian muslim

and hindu communities. nearly 50 people have already been arrested in the past few weeks since the problems began. today, leaders from both faiths in leicester have come together to appeal for calm. our midlands correspondent navteonhal reports. the sight of a city being damaged — notjust its streets and property but also its reputation. leicester has prided itself on being a place where people from different backgrounds live peacefully side by side. on saturday night, after weeks of incidents and arrests, involving mainly young men from parts of the south asian hindu and muslim communities, large—scale disorder broke out in the city. for the first time, it has left people living here feeling worried. have you ever seen anything like what happened here on saturday night before? to be honest, no, no. this is very, very a surprise, actually, to be honest. because just recently, two weeks ago or three

weeks ago it started. people around here are feeling scared? yeah, people are scared. i'm living here 20 years. i've never seen here like this. sikhs have got the gurdwaras, hindus have got temples, - muslims have got mosques. you know, everybody, - they are doing their own things, you know, not fighting with each other. - the reasons why things came to a head here on saturday night are complicated. we've spoken to lots of people in this city in recent days, and they've cited everything from disinformation on social media to tensions in indian politics playing out on the streets of leicester. there have also been concerns about people from other cities coming to leicester to fan the flames of conflict. today, hindu and muslim leaders appealed for calm outside the local mosque, delivering a statement on behalf of both communities. we together call upon the immediate cessation of provocation and violence,

both in thought and behaviour. meanwhile, the police have faced criticism for not being better prepared for saturday's disorder. were you caught on the hop on saturday night? looking at what we knew, what we were facing, and the declining threat at that time, i think we had the right resource for what we knew at that time. and i suspect these arrests will go on for several weeks, if not months, in relation to this, so i am anticipating we are in this for the medium to long haul to see this all the way through. dozens have already been arrested over the past few weeks, some of them from outside the city. and a 20—year—old man has been sent to prison for ten months in connection with the unrest on saturday. but the fear and concern following recent events here will take time to address. navteonhal, bbc news, leicester. the inquest has opened into the death of a teenage girl who took her own life five years ago, after being exposed to harmful content online. 14—year—old molly russell viewed

large numbers of social media posts about depression, suicide, and self—harm. her father ian, has since campaigned for online safety, and hopes the inquest will be a turning point. he is expected to begin giving evidence tomorrow. a peak audience of around 28 million viewers in the uk watched the queen's funeral yesterday making it one of the country's biggest ever tv events. the vast majority of them were watching on the bbc. and those figures don't include the number of people steaming the coverage online or on phones. our media and arts correspondent david sillito is here. big numbers watching it. a specific moment, 12.25 yesterday afternoon as the funeral procession is passing through parliament square to whitehall, 9.5 million watching on bbc alone and then you have to remember there are another 50 plus

channels covering the event and altogether it is 28 million people. and also you have to remember that throughout the day the audience, say, for instance, bbc one, it never went below ten or 11 million. a lot of people were dipping in and out throughout the day. the bbc alone said it reached 32 million people on the day. and one figure really struck me. when you look at it, many points in the day, more than 95% of the total live tv audience was watching the same thing at the same time. landmark moment. it certainly was, david sillito, thank you. for the first time in a cricketing generation england are playing a game in pakistan. their 17 year absence from the country has been based on security concerns. some cricket feared they would never return. so the start of the t20 series in karachi has been warmly welcomed. joe wilson reports. the love of cricket prevails in pakistan. it's the great distraction and entertainment through troubled times.

in a karachi park matches overlap and intertwine while at the national stadium they wait. the plans, the protection, for england to finally play here again. in 2009 a bus carrying sri lankan cricketers came under attack elsewhere in pakistan. here in karachi this is the security convoy which escorts the players of pakistan and england from their hotel to the stadium every time. and all of this so that cricket matches can be played. pakistan's players wore special shirts, on the back of the numbers are half submerged to symbolise floods, to express solidarity. then the captain gave the crowd a reason to cheer. babar azam, few in the world bat better. although maybe mohammad rizwan does. there are so many talented players but pakistani cricket needs teams to tour here and a sense of gratitude spans from fans to the coach.

all the boys, all the players, they have a very strong and long relation with each other. and the cricket, i always say, it brings the people, the communities, the countries, close to each other. but make no mistake, the job is to compete. especially if you are luke wood, just starting your england career. pakistan were restricted to 158 from their 20 overs. now this was alex hales, batting back from the wilderness, reviving his international career — he made 53. and with harry brook playing shots like this, england remained in control of the chase. the value of this match was that it was played, but with four balls to spare, england were there. it is a particular triumph to win in pakistan and it always has been. joe wilson, bbc news, karachi. time for a look at the weather. it has been a fairly quiet weather

picture over the past few days but let me take you to the other side of the atlantic first, to look at the scenes, this was the turks and caicos this afternoon, a first major harry kane of the atlantic season has hit home after leaving a trail of destruction in puerto rico and the dominican republic and bermuda is next in its sites, you can see the swell of cloud and the winds have developed around 130 mph and may take a swipe at bermuda before heading north. —— hurricane. it could still be a hurricane as it slams into eastern canada due to unusually warm waters. and rather than spinning towards us it could head towards the arctic with unusually warm air. on our shores we have been cooler about things getting milder tonight particularly in the north and west of scotland, strengthening south—westerly breeze. further south the coolest conditions tomorrow morning, 6 degrees across parts of rural southern england. some mist and fog patches and cloud across eastern england. this is a warm front, warm air toppling around it, but with it comes a lot more

cloud in the north and west of scotland and later northern ireland, outbreaks of rain. the odd isolated shower elsewhere, chiefly the hills of southern scotland and northern england but for most people a lot more cloud in the north and west of scotland and later northern ireland, outbreaks of rain. the odd isolated shower elsewhere, chiefly the hills of southern scotland and northern england but for most people are in north—west scotland winds could get close to gale force and it is here and across the rest of scotland and northern ireland outbreaks of rain developed widely through tomorrow night and into thursday morning, although a bit of shelter, bit of rain shadow effect in north—east scotland will keep things a bit drier. the rain on thursday spreads into north—west england, north and west wales, the isle of man, a pretty wet and gloomy day. brightening up to the north and west of it, feeling fresher, temperatures in the teens, to the south and east of that front another warm day with temperatures up to 22 and may be 23 celsius and sunny spells. that weather front will be on the move through the rest of thursday night into friday. by friday, you can see

into friday. by friday, you can see in our capital city is forecast, in london it will start to show its hand. not a london it will start to show its hand. nota huge london it will start to show its hand. not a huge amount of