this is bbc news with the latest headlines. on their way home. five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are back in the uk after being released in a prisoner exchange. we just want to let everyone know that we are now out of the danger zone and we're on our way home ourfamilies. meanwhile in russia, protests continue as the military prepares to mobilise an estimated 300,000 reservists as the conflict continues. west yorkshire police launch a murder investigation after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield yesterday afternoon. better access to gps and more appointments.

the health secretary sets out her plan for the nhs in england, but some doctors warn the changes will do little to improve patient care. i think we see some great experiences for patients. i'm also conscious that we hear regularly from patients how frustrated they are that they cannot get an appointment with their gp. what do you think should be done to make it easier to get a gp appointment and make the nhs work betterfor you? you can get in touch with me on @annitabbc or use the hashtag bbcyourquestions. at least ten people have been killed following another day of protests in iran over the death of a young woman in custody.

five british captives who were being held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are believed to be back in the uk after being released last night. the prime minister, liz truss, confirmed a prisoner exchange had been negotiated by saudi arabia. before being freed, two of the men, aiden aslin and shaun pinner, had been sentenced to death by russian—backed separatists. emma vardy reports. we just want to let everyone know that we are now out of the danger zone and on our way home to ourfamilies. their ordeal finally coming to an end. thanks to everyone that has been supporting us. it's really much appreciated. aiden aslin and shaun pinner had been held by russian—backed forces since they were captured in april. they had both moved to ukraine four years ago and joined the ukrainian armed forces. they had been helping to defend the country during the russian invasion. but after being captured,

they were accused of being mercenaries and told they faced the death penalty. aiden and shaun had been held alongside three other british men — john harding, andrew hill and dylan healy. but footage of the men arriving in saudi arabia was released last night after the saudi government confirmed it had been involved in negotiations to secure their freedom. aiden aslin�*s local mp condemned the russian—backed separatists for their treatment of the men and said he was delighted to see aiden freed. he has been through months and months of terrible treatment. you can only imagine what that has meant for his family back home in newark. it really has been a terrible ordeal for them not knowing whether they were going to get aiden home or whether, god forbid, the worst would happen to him. during their months of captivity, the men had been shown on russian tv as part of propaganda efforts by the kremlin, and had been told

that the death penalty would be carried out. their sudden freedom has come as a huge relief to family and friends. but it is not yet clear exactly how their release was achieved emma vardy, bbc news. we can now speak to dominik byrne the director of operations russian police are reported to have arrested hundreds of protesters opposed to the kremlin�*s decision to call up thousands of extra troops to fight in ukraine. a russian human rights group believes that more than 1,300 people were detained. the largest numbers arrested were in st petersburg and moscow but there've been anti—war protests in more than 30 other cities. mr putin has ordered the mobilisation of 300,000 reservists to fight in ukraine. west yorkshire police have launched a murder investigation, after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed to death outside a school in huddersfield. the teenager, who hasn't

been publicly named, was treated at the scene in fartown yesterday afternoon, but died in hospital. police described the killing as an "absolutely senseless loss of a young life". the health secretary therese coffey is setting out measures to address the pressures facing the nhs over the winter period. she will pledge today to make it easier for people to see their gps, allow doctors to take on more staff and improve the availability of same day appointments. previously, the government has committed to: reducing ambulance delays, all gp patients in england are to be offered an appointment for non—urgent needs within two weeks, gp practices will be able to recruit more support staff, including senior nurses, while pharmacists will be asked to take on more work to free up appointments. the announcement comes against a backdrop of record waiting times for hospital

treatment in england. but elsewhere around the uk, the nhs is also under pressure. with long waiting times the case in wales, scotand and northern ireland. from gp appointments to ambulances to busy hospital wards, the nhs is under pressure and waiting lists are growing. they were amazing. 0n the ward, they were amazing. gareth is now in hospital getting treatment for leukaemia, so we are speaking to him online. how have you been feeling? well, my treatment should have started last week, but there were a few complications. when he first fell ill with chest pains, he struggled to get a gp appointment. then he had to wait 15 hours in a&e before he could be seen and admitted — far longer than the four—hour target. it started off with we had been waiting an hour and we had not heard anything. by the time it came to it, it was like, we have been here ten hours, what is going on? and all they kept replying with was, we are short of doctors, we are waiting on doctors. the a&e was horrible.

it was a horrible experience. to the point where i'd think twice before i went back. the department is really busy at the minute. hospital bosses say record demand plus delays moving patients into social care are part of the problem. the same pressures can be seen across england. here in essex injune... i will estimate that by the time i go home in the morning at eight o'clock, some of you will still be here waiting for a doctor. and injuly, this sign in bolton warns of ao—hour waits for a medical bed. a core function of the nhs is the ability to respond to patients when they are acutely unwell and, at the moment, we can't do that reliably. this is going to be a really difficult winter and it is going to be really difficult the next few months. today, the new health secretary, therese coffey, sets out her plan to tackle those record waiting times. to start with, there will be an expectation that patients should get a gp appointment within two weeks.

pharmacies will take on more work to free up appointment slots and, later today, there should be more details of a plan to improve ambulance and hospital performance. but that might not be straightforward given the scale of the problem. the nhs constitution sets out 18 key pledges on waiting times covering everything from ambulance call—outs to cancer surgery. analysis for the bbc has found, at the moment, 15 of those 18 targets are being breached or missed. rachel is taking strong painkillers for the disorder endometriosis. she might need a hysterectomy to remove her womb. but she has been told surgery could take up to a year. what you are saying is you've got to wait to feel better. you have got to wait to be out of pain. i'm just pleading with the government to just do something, because i can't live like this and i know many other people can't live like this, either. those record waiting lists

are a problem notjust in england but across the whole uk. how the health service in each nation responds could make a difference to millions. jim reed, bbc news. the bank of england is expected to announce another big rise in interest rates today at noon. last month's half a percentage point increase, the largest for 27 years, took the base rate to i.75%. the continued rise in prices, and the scale of government spending, mean the bank is under pressure to announce a seventh consecutive increase. let's return to our top story today, the news that five british captives who were being held by russian backed forces in ukraine are understood to be back in the uk, after being released in a prisoner exchange. we can now speak to dominik byrne the director of operations at presidium network, which investigated the conditions in which british citizens captured in ukraine were kept.

dominik, thank you forjoining us. first of all we should say that there is a lot of intrigue about how exactly this prisoner exchange has happened, the mechanics of it, we simply don't know a lot of the details yet, do we?— simply don't know a lot of the details yet, do we? no, there has not been a _ details yet, do we? no, there has not been a huge _ details yet, do we? no, there has not been a huge amount - details yet, do we? no, there has not been a huge amount of- details yet, do we? no, there has not been a huge amount of detail| details yet, do we? no, there has i not been a huge amount of detail on the mechanism and process. even the families were kept very much in the dark until yesterday morning when it was guaranteed that they would be on if 1:2 7&3 y �* way to 7 7 " "&$y’t5’s;hai'77 ’ fl �*way to saudi arabia 7 " �*eqy’ts’sqlaii’résilian? 7 ' 77 �*7way7to7saudi7arabia7and7t7he7n7 7 7 to e§=§ ef�* t“? e'fi ti“??? §fi t“? there. what do mechanics are not there. what we do know is what the media have been reporting, in ukraine and worldwide overnight, that ukraine drew the deal released 56 prisoners, and had over 250 prisoners released back to them including these ten foreign captives. so that's the only mechanism of the deal let me know. we know that the saudi arabian prince was integral in this deal,

and basically working on this big deal as a mediator between ukraine and russia. that's really all the details we know and the mechanisms of. ~ ., details we know and the mechanisms of. ~ . . . details we know and the mechanisms of.~ . details we know and the mechanisms of. . , details we know and the mechanisms of. . of. what can you tell us about the conditions — of. what can you tell us about the conditions in _ of. what can you tell us about the conditions in which _ of. what can you tell us about the conditions in which the _ of. what can you tell us about the conditions in which the prisoners. conditions in which the prisoners were kept by russian backed separatists? 0f were kept by russian backed separatists? of the five british captives we have been told about, we have got the names of three of them and to have not been identified or named yet, but what sort of conditions where they held then? what we know from our reports and people reporting to us and more will come to light as stories come through, but they were kept very much in solitary confinement, away from other prisoners, they didn't really know who else was around them or captured with them. we do know that the standards were 0k, we know that the standards were 0k, we know that the standards were 0k, we know that the people that we have communication with, that they were fed and watered 0k, treated 0k, and if there were any medical issues

they had, it was taken on board. however we do know that they were put under pressure to release information, they were seen as, from the state that they were in donetsk, and they had levels of interrogation or pressure put on them. from the images we have seen overnight and this money, they all seem to be in very good health. how this money, they all seem to be in very good health.— very good health. how difficult is it for an organisation _ very good health. how difficult is it for an organisation i _ very good health. how difficult is it for an organisation i can - very good health. how difficult is it for an organisation i can sell. very good health. how difficult isj it for an organisation i can sell to find out this kind of details? it's really, really difficult. we have to go through huge amounts of verification with our sources and really see what the truth is. but also we have been in contact with some of these families and we know that they have had direct contact with their family members that were detained at the time. so with their family members that were detained at the time.— with their family members that were detained at the time. so we have got those direct — detained at the time. so we have got those direct stories _ detained at the time. so we have got those direct stories as _ detained at the time. so we have got those direct stories as well. - detained at the time. so we have got those direct stories as well. the - those direct stories as well. the other side _ those direct stories as well. the other side of— those direct stories as well. the other side of the _ those direct stories as well. the other side of the coin is the families waiting back home for news,

and the strain and pressure they have been under, for most of us, thankfully, is unimaginable. filth. thankfully, is unimaginable. 0h, completely- _ thankfully, is unimaginable. 0h, completely- it — thankfully, is unimaginable. 0h, completely. it has _ thankfully, is unimaginable. oi completely. it has been thankfully, is unimaginable. “i, completely. it has been a huge roller—coaster, especially for the five that have come back to the uk. my five that have come back to the uk. my family have been on a very up and down roller—coaster, being fed different stories through the media but also through different tax and social media. it really becomes very diluted and you don't want to believe —— they get different stories through different chats. but it is really great for these families that it is great to have them back and get back to a way of normal life now, that they have not had for six months. but we have to remember the family such as paul ewing's family who investigated who unfortunately died in captivity and the others who have died in the war setting, brits who have died in the war setting. setting, brits who have died in the warsetting. but setting, brits who have died in the war setting. but we also know of a number of us citizens and others

nationalities that are still under detention in donetsk at this time. i guess the timing of this might come as a bit of a surprise given president putin's televised address yesterday and what he said and how he said it. but what we know about the prisoners going in the opposite direction, back to russia? what the prisoners going in the opposite direction, back to russia? what we know so far — direction, back to russia? what we know so far is _ direction, back to russia? what we know so far is 55 _ direction, back to russia? what we know so far is 55 of _ direction, back to russia? what we know so far is 55 of them _ direction, back to russia? what we know so far is 55 of them were - know so far is 55 of them were russian soldiers, that were captured and pow status, and one oligarch who is believed to be very close ties to putin and was arrested trying to escape ukraine around the beginning of the war. so that's all we know at the moment. we wouldn't call this a straight swap, it seems to have been very well calculated swap by the ukrainians. but also what we are

seeing, we believe, it really shows how the offensive in the last few weeks has been from ukraine, it's put so much pressure on russia, that they seem to be really struggling to hold those territories that they have captured and really be able to mobilise in ukraine. so this is really the first signs that there are willing negotiations that could work towards peace.— are willing negotiations that could work towards peace. thank you for talkin: to work towards peace. thank you for talking to us. _ work towards peace. thank you for talking to us, dominik. _ let's get more now on the plans to address the problems in the nhs over the winter period. let's talk about delivery again, that keyword, liz truss has made this one of her priorities. so how is that government going to deliver on these plans, and is there more money to back them up? plans, and is there more money to

back them no?— plans, and is there more money to back them up? well, that is the big cuestion. back them up? well, that is the big question- the _ back them up? well, that is the big question. the government - back them up? well, that is the big question. the government has - back them up? well, that is the big l question. the government has made the nhs a priority, they want to sell some of the big problems that we all know exists when it comes to getting an appointment or phoning an ambulance or the care sector. what a lot of people are still looking for other detail of how that is going to happen. so the new health secretary trescothick is starting to —— therese coffey is starting to put that out today, she is setting a target of everyone getting a gp appointment within two weeks or a day if it is an urgent case, but quizzed this morning she said it was an expectation rather than a guarantee. so there are big questions about how that is exactly going to be fulfilled. 0ne questions about how that is exactly going to be fulfilled. one of the things that the government has been talking about is trying to deal with staffing issues, to get more people working in the nhs, or to get to those who have retired back to work

when possible. have a listen to the health secretary this morning. i think we see some great experiences for patients, i'm also conscious that— for patients, i'm also conscious that we — for patients, i'm also conscious that we hear regularly from patients how frustrated they are that they cannot _ how frustrated they are that they cannot get an appointment with their gp. cannot get an appointment with their gp~ after— cannot get an appointment with their gp. after we have had a situation with getting through covid, both in the nhs _ with getting through covid, both in the nhs and in social care, where there _ the nhs and in social care, where there was— the nhs and in social care, where there was a — the nhs and in social care, where there was a magnificent response to -et there was a magnificent response to get us _ there was a magnificent response to get us through that, now we have the aftermath— get us through that, now we have the aftermath of covid. the pandemic exacerbated our backlogs, that's why we have _ exacerbated our backlogs, that's why we have been investing money in things— we have been investing money in things like — we have been investing money in things like diagnostic centres, that's— things like diagnostic centres, that's why we have set out proposals in terms _ that's why we have set out proposals in terms of _ that's why we have set out proposals in terms of aspects of new hospitals. but indeed one of the things— hospitals. but indeed one of the things that this national emergency we are _ things that this national emergency we are still seeing necessitates is a nationat— we are still seeing necessitates is a national endeavour. so we are still seeing necessitates is a national endeavour.— we are still seeing necessitates is a national endeavour. so that is the health secretary's _ a national endeavour. so that is the health secretary's explanation. - a national endeavour. so that is the health secretary's explanation. no| health secretary's explanation. no real specifics there, one of the things the government has been considering whether it could relax

rules around doctor's pensions to allow retirees to come back and do some work to alleviate some of the pressures. butts, annita, with all of this, with everything we hear from the government this week, it's about trying to set out a strategy of what liz truss is trying to do in the two years before they expect a general election. the big challenge for liz truss and her team is going to be showing she can do it. thank ou ve to be showing she can do it. thank you very much. — to be showing she can do it. thank you very much, nick. _ to be showing she can do it. thank you very much, nick. joining - to be showing she can do it. thank you very much, nick. joining me . to be showing she can do it. thank i you very much, nick. joining me now is chief executive of the nhs confederation, matthew taylor, which is the membership body for organisations which commission and provide nhs services. thank you for your time today. let's begin with primary care, and to rees —— therese plan to hire more gp assistance and senior nurses, also getting

pharmacies involved and allowing pharmacists to deal with minor illnesses and dispense medication. the royal college of gps says this is lumbering a struggling service with more expectations without the means to achieve them. do you agree with that assessment from the royal couege with that assessment from the royal college of gps? i with that assessment from the royal college of gps?— college of gps? i think they're a bit of context. _ college of gps? i think they're a bit of context. it _ college of gps? i think they're a bit of context. it is _ college of gps? i think they're a bit of context. it is important. college of gps? i think they're a bit of context. it is important to | bit of context. it is important to point out that gps have already this year undertaken millions more consultations than they were before covid, nearly half of the patients who contact their gp will get an appointment on the next day if that is what the gp feels is necessary, and nearly nine out of ten people do already see their gp within two weeks. so, you know, i guess having a new target, reassuring the public, thatis a new target, reassuring the public, that is politics. i'm not sure what difference the target itself will make but much more importantly, we welcome the steps which the secretary of state announced to make

it easier to appoint new roles when it's part of the primary care team. primary care teams is much broader thanjust gps and primary care teams is much broader than just gps and enhancing the role of community pharmacists, enabling the gp practices to bring in roles like advanced nurse practitioners is all good news. we have been calling for these kind of meshes and we welcome them. the challenge is going to be, firstly how we get the stuff. we have 132,000 vacancies, so it is a good thing to say that we can bring new people into the primary care team but we have got to find those people. they have got to be trained up. the second thing i need to say is, what we need is a comprehensive plan for the health service to deal with the situation we are in and the winter pressures which are starting to come towards us, and a medium—term plan. so we are hoping that we will hear today from the secretary of state, as well as her ideas for primary care, that we are going to hear action across the rest of the system and in particular this very, very hard

problem that the fact that one in seven patients in hospital do not need to be there but it is difficult to discharge them because of problems we have in social care and community services. we want to hear today more money to enable people to get out of hospital because if we can't get out of the people out of the back of the hospital, that is why we have ambulances waiting and thatis why we have ambulances waiting and that is why it takes them so long to respond to calls. we need to invest in social care and get people out of hospital. i think the secretary of state is going to be saying something about that later today but she hasn't disclosed it yet what that is. , . , she hasn't disclosed it yet what that is. , ., , she hasn't disclosed it yet what that is. , . , , , that is. the primary care, the gps and pharmacists _ that is. the primary care, the gps and pharmacists involved, - that is. the primary care, the gps and pharmacists involved, sociali and pharmacists involved, social care at the other end, hospitals in the middle, i want to come back to hospitals and second but on that social care aspect, you have talked a lot at the nhs confederation about discharge to access fund, access to discharge, i beg your pardon, i may have got wrong way round. what suggestions do you have that the

government might be willing to put more money into that do actually get people who do not need to be in hospital but have nowhere to go to out of hospital to deal with those ambulance weights and so forth? so ambulance weights and so forth? sr we have had discharge to assess funding before and it has been pretty successful and we have learned how to best use it and in essence, it is really funding to enable us to discharge patients into the kind of care that they need, whether that is residential or other care, and then assess their long—term need, rather than the situation where they have to stay in hospital while the assessment is taking place. that's an effective way of helping hospitals deal with this growing issue of people in hospital who don't need to be there so we are hoping we are going to hear that scheme, which was abandoned earlier this year, is going to be renewed and we are going to invest in that. we also help —— hope that we will see investment in social care. we have got even more

vacancies in social care and our colleagues in local government are not able to give the support that they want because of that problem. the other thing is really important, and liz truss did say during her campaign for leadership that he would put money into social care by taking it from the health service, that simply isn't going to work. if you do that you are just shifting problems around the system. we need to hear about funding today as well. and just coming back to hospitals sitting in the middle of primary care, on one side, and social care on the other, you talked about winter pressures, everyone i have spoken to in terms of health professionals this year has said, those winter pressures have effectively been running right through the year. so what sort of pressure do you think hospitals are going to be under and the coming months? it’s going to be under and the coming months? �* , ., ., , going to be under and the coming months? �*, ., ., , , , months? it's going to be pretty intense, months? it's going to be pretty intense. we — months? it's going to be pretty intense, we don't _ months? it's going to be pretty intense, we don't know- months? it's going to be pretty| intense, we don't know because months? it's going to be pretty - intense, we don't know because we don't know how bad flu is going to be, let me take this opportunity to encourage people to get a flu jab.

we don't know how challenging covid will be, and again, if you are entitled to it, please get that covid job as well. the signs are that we could have both of those things and they could even combine in a way that is going to be really challenging. as you say, in august, it felt in many parts of the health service like we were in midwinter in terms of demand. we need a comprehensive plan and action on pensions to bring pet doctors in and encourage —— to bring doctors in and encourage —— to bring doctors in and encourage them to do more work if they can. the other thing we need is they can. the other thing we need is the medium term, the fundamental problem is the demand we are facing, the gap between that and the capacity we have got week. so the one thing i would encourage people to listen to today is does the secretary of state commit to a properly costed a medium—term workforce plan? it takes ten years to fully trained doctors. we need to know that the government is

committed to addressing the workforce issue. unless we do, however good the announcements we have heard today will be, unless we address that workforce problem and fully fund that workforce challenge, we are not going to be able to get out of crisis mode and create the health service we need fit for the 20th century —— the 21st century. thank you very much. the ban on fracking has been suspended. it was suspended in 2019 after concern about earthquakes. this is still controversial subject and that has not gone away, the government is doing this to try to make a difference to energy supplies but what difference will it make, and will it make bills cheaper? the answer to _

will it make bills cheaper? the answer to the _ will it make bills cheaper? iie: answer to the second will it make bills cheaper? tie: answer to the second question will it make bills cheaper? ti2 answer to the second question is, no, it will not make bills any cheaper, certainly not in the short term. whatever gas ultimately which gets extracted from any fracking in this country will be sold, unless the rules are changed a lot, at international prices, so it would be have no effect on what people pay long—term either. what it does do in theory is boost energy security a little bit, it provides more domestic sources of energy. there is an awful lot of uncertainty here. we simply don't know how much recoverable gas is underground in this country, and we don't know how much of it is going to be recoverable because only three wells have been drilled so far, those had their operations are stopped because of earth tremors, and there is very little information as a result about the conditions that people attempting to extract gas will face. in terms of the controversy around the environmental impacts, and safety impacts, we understand that

the government is looking at raising the government is looking at raising the magnitude limit on tremors allowed through the process of fracking. so could we expect local communities to try to dispute this and try to go to court and stop the government doing this? that and try to go to court and stop the government doing this?— government doing this? that will de-end government doing this? that will de end on government doing this? that will depend on the — government doing this? that will depend on the local— government doing this? that willj depend on the local communities themselves, and what kind of position they take on this. what the government seems to be doing here is bearing in mind what the british geological service has said in the report adds today which seems to suggest that while there is a case for having what they call a traffic light system for regulating how drilling proceeds and where you have pauses if things go wrong, it's worth considering at what point it is pausing operations, depending on the tremors involved. because not .5 magnitude is very, very low, a quad roller —— oh well which was drilled is in 2019 by cuadrilla did provoke a 2.9 earthquake which is greater.

the government wants drilling and expiration to proceed without having to stop whenever there is a very small tremor. so it is a balance. how does this fit into the government's net zero strategy? the government's net zero strategy? ti2 government's net zero strategy? ti2 government says this is fully within the net zero strategy and at the same time as allowing this and further exploration in the north sea as well, 100 new licences expected to be issued, it is investing heavily in nuclear and renewables and so on. so the government insist this is compatible with net zero. the new york attorney general has announced that she is suing former president donald trump, three of his children and his real estate business, the trump 0rganization. letitia james said a three—year investigation showed that mr trump's business repeatedly used false statements to get banks to lend it money on favourable terms. david willis reports. claiming that you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal. it's the art of the steal.

referencing donald trump's self aggrandising account of his wheeling and dealing in the world of manhattan real estate, the new york attorney general accused the former president of lying about his wealth. donald trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself, and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us. in a filing that runs for more than 200 pages, letitia james claims that financial statements relating to the trump family business were, in her words, not only grossly inflated, but objectively false. the extent of the fraud, she says, was staggering, and aimed at inducing banks to lend money to the trump organisation at favourable terms. the lawsuit accuses mr trump and his three adult children of massively inflating the value of nearly all of their marquee properties, among them his winter retreat, mar—a—lago.

trump's financial filings value the property at nearly $740 million yet its real worth, she said, was just 75 million. most bizarre was the exaggerated value of his penthouse apartment at trump tower, based on an assessment which tripled the square footage. trump's $327 million valuation, said the attorney general, would have made it the most the expensive property of its kind in the history of new york real estate. the attorney general is seeking to recover $250 million in allegedly unlawful profits and a ban on donald trump and his children doing any future business in the state in which he made his name. he did this with the help of the other defendants, his children. although she doesn't have authority to file criminal charges, the attorney general is intending to refer her findings to federal prosecutors. a move which only adds to mr trump's post presidential legal woes.

he was already the subject of nearly half a dozen other criminal and congressional investigations at a time when he is said to be weighing the possibility of another run for president. mr trump has called the civil investigation a witchhunt, conducted by a democrat politician who is running for election in november. his lawyers claim the lawsuit is meritless. but the fate of the family business, not to mention the carefully crafted image of a self—made millionaire that was so crucial to his initial image of a self—made billionaire that was so crucial to his initial run for the white house, may soon rest in the hands of a judge. david willis, bbc news, washington. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. a weis good morning, currently a band of rain is weeping slowly southwards and eastwards, gusty winds around it, behind at the winds drop away, and for scotland and

northern ireland, a return to sunshine and showers. for northern ireland, a return to sunshine and showers. for the rest of encland sunshine and showers. for the rest of england and _ sunshine and showers. for the rest of england and wales, _ sunshine and showers. for the rest of england and wales, as _ sunshine and showers. for the rest of england and wales, as the - sunshine and showers. for the rest i of england and wales, as the weather front sinks— of england and wales, as the weather front sinks south, it will produce more _ front sinks south, it will produce more . ., , front sinks south, it will produce more ., , , ., more cloud, but behind the weather front we are — more cloud, but behind the weather front we are in _ more cloud, but behind the weather front we are in cooler— more cloud, but behind the weather front we are in cooler air. _ more cloud, but behind the weather front we are in cooler air. this - front we are in cooler air. this evening and overnight, the french jhonny�*s southeastwards. under clear skies across scotland, northern ireland, northern england and north—west wales, some patchy mist and fog.

hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. back home — five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are back in the uk after being released in a prisoner exchange. we just want to let everyone know that we are now out of the danger zone and we're on our way home ourfamilies. meanwhile, in russia, protests continue as the military prepares to mobilise an estimated 300,000 reservists as the conflict continues.

west yorkshire police launch a murder investigation after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield yesterday afternoon. the government has lifted its ban on fracking in england in a bid to increase uk energy product, but critics warn about significance damage to the environment and a risk of earthquakes. better access to gps and more appointments — the health secretary sets out her plan for the nhs in england, i think we will see some great experiences for patients, and we also hear regularly how frustrated they are that they cannot get an appointment with their gp. what do you think should be done to make it easier to get a gp appointment and to make the nhs work better for you? you can get in touch with me on @annitabbc or use #hashtag bbcyourquestions.

and at least ten people have been killed following another day of protests in iran over the death of a young woman in custody. sport, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. yes, good morning, the financial crisis that is facing rugby union english premiership clubs has widened with a second club now in trouble. 0ne widened with a second club now in trouble. one of the big names, wasps, they say they intend to appoint administrators. it follows a threat of action from hmrc against the club over an unpaid tax bill. the business is not in administration, but the club says the move provides a crucial period of grace and buys its time to continue negotiations with a number of interested parties to secure their future. of interested parties to secure theirfuture. the of interested parties to secure their future. the administration could mean relegation from the premiership. the issues are more immediate for

worcester warriors, who have been told to prove they can safely stage this saturday's match with newcastle by midday today, or they would be suspended from all competitions unless they can prove they have a credible plan for the future by five o'clock next monday evening. last night, they called on the current coach to play, along with a former player who came out of retirement in a match they lost 49—21, in a cup they won last season. scotland are top of their nations league group after an impressive win over ukraine in glasgow. ukraine ended their world cup hopes back in june, but this felt very different as the hampden crowd were treated to an attacking performance, lyndon bikes scoring twice, two very similar goals. they host the republic of ireland is next on saturday. i republic of ireland is next on saturda . ~ , ., saturday. i think people forget, the -la ers saturday. i think people forget, the players more _ saturday. i think people forget, the players more disappointed - saturday. i think people forget, the players more disappointed that - players more disappointed that anybody that they couldn't go to the

world cup, so they wanted to show that what happened in the summer was a blip, a one off, and credit to them, we changed the system, we had a lot of information to give them in a lot of information to give them in a short period of time,. very important in the context of the team moving forward. royals are building up moving forward. royals are building up to a first world cup away to belgium tonight, and they host poland on sunday. their talisman is still gareth poland on sunday. their talisman is still garet �* . , poland on sunday. their talisman is stillgaret , ., , poland on sunday. their talisman is still garet , ., , ;;;~, still gareth bale, but now he is 33, he has two — still gareth bale, but now he is 33, he has two carefully _ still gareth bale, but now he is 33, he has two carefully balances - he has two carefully balances workload between playing for los angeles fc and preparing for qatar in november. —— he has to. mr; angeles fc and preparing for qatar in november. -- he has to. my focus now is the — in november. -- he has to. my focus now is the next _ in november. -- he has to. my focus now is the next two _ in november. -- he has to. my focus now is the next two wales _ in november. -- he has to. my focus now is the next two wales games, i in november. -- he has to. my focus. now is the next two wales games, but then it _ now is the next two wales games, but then it will— now is the next two wales games, but then it will be straight back to la, and then— then it will be straight back to la, and then after that straight back to the world — and then after that straight back to the world cup, so ijust need to concentrate on the here and now, rather— concentrate on the here and now, rather than — concentrate on the here and now, rather than looking too far ahead, and that— rather than looking too far ahead, and that will put me in a good position— and that will put me in a good position going forward. it is all

over for england's _ position going forward. it is all over for england's women's i over for england's women's cricketers after slumping to a heavy defeat against india in canterbury. the indian star was the captain who scored a sublime 143 not out. england were always struggling after that, finally beaten by 88 runs, india 2—0 up with the final match at lord's on saturday. andy murray says it will be a special time for him when he plays alongside roger federer, rafael nadal and novak djkovic this weekend. it promises to be a hugely emotional occasion, with federer bringing down the curtain on a remarkable career. the 20 time grand slam champion announced his retirement last week. he will be part of a european team squaring up against the rest of the world. i think it is going to be really special, yeah, like, for me personally, getting to be on the team with him, you know, being around roger and novak again for the last time, they have all been a huge

part of my career, with everything that has gone on in the last few years, with various injuries and stuff, everyone getting older, there have hardly been any tournaments where we have been together at the same events. the where we have been together at the same events-— same events. the perfect time for federer to — same events. the perfect time for federer to say _ same events. the perfect time for federer to say goodbye _ same events. the perfect time for federer to say goodbye with - same events. the perfect time for federer to say goodbye with his i federer to say goodbye with his former rivals and friends all on the same team this weekend. that is all the sport for now. he will be missed by many tennis fans. thank you very much. protests which started in iran have now been taking place in cities across the world over the death in custody of a young woman who was detained by the morality police for violating the islamic republic�*s dress code. emily brough has this report. an eruption of demonstrations in iran since the death of a woman for allegedly breaking strict hijab rules. her name was mahsa amini. she was 22.

she collapsed after being taken to a detention centre to be educated. eyewitnesses say she was beaten. the police have denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered sudden heart failure. since her death, women in iran have burnt headscarves. the wearing of the hijab in iran is now being challenged in the way it never has been in the past 40 years. some have even cut their hair. and what started as protests in one country has now spread around the world. from new york, where the un general assembly is being held, to amsterdam, and in norway, the iran human rights group director spoke about their concerns for protestors. we are worried that, unless the international community gives clear support to iranian people's demands, they are demanding normal life, i am concerned that many people

will be killed. and numerous protesters have already been killed, and the anger has escalated — from both men and women who've taken to the streets to stand against a rule that's been in place for decades. and to stand up for mahsa amini, who has now become a symbol of defiance. emily brown, bbc news. israel's ultraorthodoxjews are struggling to come to terms with recent high—profile sex—abuse scandals. what's added to the shock is how some rabbis in this insular, israel's ultraorthodoxjews are struggling to come to terms with recent high—profile sex—abuse scandals. what's added to the shock is how some rabbis in this insular, devout community have criticised victims for speaking out. that's sparked anger and led to an unprecedented wave of activism in the ultraorthodox,

or haredi, world. it's being compared to the me too movement which began in the united states and went viral on social media. a warning — some listeners may find parts of her report distressing. a survivor's pain. he prays alone in the forest, far from the packed ultraorthodox synagogues where he grew up. he tells me how, when he was a child, a leading light of the ultraorthodox world exploited his position to groom and sexually abuse him. it left him feeling suicidal. itjust happened when i was 16 years old. i don't want a life any more. i don't want this life, i don't want it any more. i try to say it, but i'm still afraid from him. in this religious society, talk of sex is taboo. but last year, an expose suggested his abuser had dozens of victims. soon, more and more scandals came to light, revealing abuse by other community leaders over decades. this is instructions for parents

how to talk with the children about sexual abuse... after a popular children's author and therapist was accused of abuse and shot himself, some rabbis lashed out at his victims. religious activists have since begun an unprecedented campaign. they say they had to act. that's what it took. it took someone who was trusted and famous, people loved him, and he was still in therapy with children. and he constantly hurt them, finally kills himself, and then they blame the victims. and that was enough, the haredi exploded. some people are calling this a me too moment, but it's not about workplace harassment. what we're seeing here is often child sex abuse, and it's about using powerful religious institutions and customs to cover it up. these ultraorthodox schoolgirls are among those who've spoken out in the media about their alleged abuse. they say religious leaders ignored accusations about a head teacher.

so will rabbis now take a new approach? we've heard complaints about the culture of shame and the culture of secrecy. do you see that as a problem? translation: yes, it's a very big problem. - once, we used to brush this stuff under the carpet. today, there is no such thing. if someone abuses a young boy or a young girl, immediately we call the police. but survivors of abuse insist it's not so clear—cut. this has been a moment of reckoning, but they say more must be done to ensure there's lasting change. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. a world first study has found unborn babies react to foods they do and don't like and that they change facial expressions in the womb in response. researchers from durham university took ultrasound video scans of 100 pregnant women to study how their unborn babies responded after being exposed to flavours

from foods eaten by their mothers. well, joining me now is one of the report's co—authors, professor nadja reissland, who heads the foetal and neonatal research lab at durham university. wide we can tell our viewers there are some very _ wide we can tell our viewers there are some very cute _ wide we can tell our viewers there are some very cute baby _ wide we can tell our viewers there are some very cute baby scans - wide we can tell our viewers there - are some very cute baby scans coming up, but why were you asking this particular question in the first place? particular question in the first lace? ~ ., particular question in the first lace? . ., 4' ., particular question in the first lace? ~ ., ~ ., ., , ., place? well, we do know, from prior research, place? well, we do know, from prior research. of — place? well, we do know, from prior research, of course, _ place? well, we do know, from prior research, of course, that _ place? well, we do know, from prior research, of course, that nutrition i research, of course, that nutrition which the foetus receives during the time in the womb is an important education for later health, so we wanted to see whether foetuses can taste these different flavours, so we gave them a bitter and a non—bitter taste, healthy vegetables, and usually it is

difficult, if you are a mother, you know, to feed your children green vegetables, so by introducing that early on, we hope that foetuses learn about these flavours. whether they like them or do not like them, we do not know, but the expressions look very much like that. so when you give them a flavour that is like kale, they make grimaces. which you do if you do not like it! just kale, they make grimaces. which you do if you do not like it!— do if you do not like it! just as we seak, do if you do not like it! just as we speak. here _ do if you do not like it! just as we speak. here we — do if you do not like it! just as we speak, here we go, _ do if you do not like it! just as we speak, here we go, and - do if you do not like it! just as we speak, here we go, and you - do if you do not like it! just as we | speak, here we go, and you know, do if you do not like it! just as we - speak, here we go, and you know, you can absolutely clearly see, on one side of the screen, a smiling baby. and on the other side one is pulling a definite expression of, hmm, don't like that! so the smiling baby was responding to the carrot, yes? and the other baby was responding to kale, correct?

the other baby was responding to kale. correct?— the other baby was responding to kale, correct? . ., kale, correct? yeah, there were two urou -s kale, correct? yeah, there were two arou -s of kale, correct? yeah, there were two grouos of babies. — kale, correct? yeah, there were two groups of babies, one, _ kale, correct? yeah, there were two groups of babies, one, you - kale, correct? yeah, there were two groups of babies, one, you know, i groups of babies, one, you know, foetuses, the mother got kale flavoured capsule suites so that they would not react to the flavours themselves, and it was only the foetuses' reaction that we would analyse. the other group got carried flavoured capsule is. and we compared the two groups in terms of facial reactions. and what they found is that the foetuses who received the kale flavour in the amniotic fluid, 20 minutes after the mother had eaten the capsule, it went into her small intestines, of course, and into the bloodstream and then the placenta and then the amniotic fluid, so 20 minutes afterwards, we could see the facial expressions, which were just very, very amazing. and you can look in the paper, if you look in the paper, you can see there is a big difference between the foetuses who

receive the kale flavour compared to the foetuses who received the carrot flavour. so the foetuses who received the carrot flavour. . , the foetuses who received the carrot flavour. ., , ., the foetuses who received the carrot flavour. . , ., ., , , flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received _ flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received the _ flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received the kale _ flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received the kale like - flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received the kale like it? - flavour. so did any of the foetuses who received the kale like it? did| who received the kale like it? did they smile in response, or did you find it was very divided, they were smiling for carrot and not for kale? it was quite divided. however, we are at the moment analysing data, so it is a very fine—grained analysis of facial movements, and it makes up what i call a gestalt, the expression that we were to say is a smiling or whatever. and we are looking at what happened after birth, so in the first month of the birth, so in the first month of the birth, we gave these foetuses who had received kale, we gave them the smell of kale or carriage, and we wanted to look at whether the expressions changed over time. so, basically, whether the foetus gets used to the bitter flavour and

therefore starts to like it or not. like an adult, when you eat a new flavour, you might grimace because it is an unknown, and then after a while, you might actually start to like it a lot. it is like marmite, basically. i like it a lot. it is like marmite, basicall . ,, like it a lot. it is like marmite, basicall . , , , like it a lot. it is like marmite, basically-— like it a lot. it is like marmite, basicall . ,, , ., ., basically. i guess it is about how ou basically. i guess it is about how you might _ basically. i guess it is about how you might encourage _ basically. i guess it is about how you might encourage people, i you might encourage people, children, babies, to eat certain types of food, healthier foods, and whether those tastes can be developed. whether those tastes can be developed-— whether those tastes can be develoed. , ~ ., ~ ., whether those tastes can be develoed. , ~ .,~ ., ., developed. exactly. we do know that they develop — developed. exactly. we do know that they develop a _ developed. exactly. we do know that they develop a taste _ developed. exactly. we do know that they develop a taste for _ developed. exactly. we do know that they develop a taste for the - developed. exactly. we do know that they develop a taste for the culture l they develop a taste for the culture in which they live, because what the mother each goes into the amniotic fluid and therefore into the taste buds of the foetus, so they get used to either, for example, a curry diet or green vegetables a lot, they might get used to the more bitter diet as well. and that is what we want to find out.— want to find out. fascinating research. — want to find out. fascinating research, thank _ want to find out. fascinating research, thank you - want to find out. fascinating research, thank you very - want to find out. fascinating i research, thank you very much want to find out. fascinating - research, thank you very much for talking to us about it, professor

reissland, from durham university. you are welcome. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you some breaking news that has come in in the last couple of minutes, police investigating the killing of a 15—year—old schoolboy in huddersfield yesterday afternoon have made an arrest, they say. a 16—year—old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder this morning and is in custody, say west yorkshire police. the attack happened yesterday outside the 15—year—old's school. he hasn't been publicly named yet. he was taken to hospital but died very shortly afterwards. police say this was an absolutely senseless loss of a young life. so just to reiterate, west yorkshire police say they have arrested a 16—year—old on suspicion of murder this morning. he is in custody, this is in relation to the investigation

into the murder of a 15—year—old schoolboy outside his school yesterday afternoon, who sadly died shortly after arriving at hospital. we will have the latest weather forecast coming up injust we will have the latest weather forecast coming up in just a few minutes. the uk will host the eurovision song contest next year on behalf of ukraine, but it's yet to be decided where the sing—off will be held. seven cities are in the running, and our arts correspondent david sillito has been taking a look at what each of them has to offer. today he reports from birmingham, which last hosted the event in 1998. bonsoir, mesdames et messieurs, bienvenue to the national arena of birmingham. birmingham, 1998, and the uk entry, imaani. singing.

who came a very creditable second to israel's dana international. what were your feelings at the time? absolute terror, if i'm honest. absolute terror. massive venue. i cried quite a lot, certainly in the dress rehearsal, there was tears. and my management team drew lots as to who was going to come down and tell me off for crying. why were you crying? i was so scared. i was just so scared. describe what the actual atmosphere of a live eurovision was. it's a massive carnival of madness. 0rganised madness. definitely. it's very well run, isn't it? oh, to the tee. to the second. you have no regrets, though? absolutely not. and i would say to anyone, if you get the chance to do it, go for it. the event, the crowd? it was massive. you know, an amazing band and the crowd was incredible. such a huge building. you know, it was amazing. a phenomenal experience.

there is no doubt in my mind that birmingham could do it again and a thousand times better than they did it before, and they did a pretty damn good job when i was there. you know, i'm back in birmingham. eurovision, more than just another event. it was a chance to show off a changing city. and that evolution has only gathered pace in recent years. a city centre of cars and concrete has gone. 25 years on, and the library looks a little different, doesn't it? indeed, when you walk around here, you realise quite how much has changed. the city has acquired a completely new skyline. the old industrial birmingham is no more, and this is a chance for the city to show the rest of the world that there has been here an urban transformation. 1998, eurovision song contest. am i right in thinking that was a

bit of a turning point for the city? yes, it was. people's image of birmingham is still— the birmingham, really, of the 1950s and 1960s. they don't think of piazzas, do they? no, the squares we've created, it's a very walkable city centre. it also has kind of a spiritual effect on the city, as well. it's like self belief. it is, yes, and we saw during the commonwealth games, people here in birmingham rediscovering their pride and confidence in their city and realising that birmingham can do these major international events as well as any other city anywhere in the world. birmingham is more than well—placed for a second eurovision, and for one couple, it would mean everything. would it be fair to say you are fond of eurovision? oh, no, no, we absolutely love it. we are not fond of it at all. i'm fond of my husband, but my goodness, eurovision is far more important. he likes eurovision more than me, that's true. that's not true. 0k, it might be. the atmosphere in 1998

when you were here watching it. the cityjust came to life. it came to life for the whole month, because we had the g8 just afterwards and the lions international, which had 35,000 people, so it was just a wonderful month. it was like a coming out ceremony almost for birmingham, wasn't it? it was that moment where it said, "look, we are a different, new city." 0h, absolutely. birmingham was blossoming enough to give me hay fever, even back then. should it come back here next year? of course. not should, it will. bringing it back to brum will be the icing on their eurovision anniversary, and a celebration of birmingham pride. # where are you, where are you now?

0ne one of ourtop one of our top stories later is the health secretary setting out more information about how the nhs will work over the winter, we have been asking for your comments and what you would like to see, this is from tony, who says gps could so easily do much better if they actually helped patients first time every time. the reason they are overloaded is because they don't deal with issues properly, he says. this is a very different view, our surgery uses nurse practitioners very well and also assesses quickly using trained staff on the telephone, with treat at home options, if a doctor is needed for an appointment, it reduces unnecessary appointments and fast tracks others. this is from malcolm, who says, could you ask the health secretary why i had to wait

two years for a new knee but i could haveit two years for a new knee but i could have it done privately with the same surgeon in seven days? keep your thoughts coming in, this is due to be announced later, you can do that on twitter. right now, time for a look at the weather, carol is back. we have rain currently pushing southward and eastward through the early part of the day, and it will can you to do that through the rest of the day. some has been heavy, across scotland and northern ireland, making good inroads across northern england and also north west wales. it is courtesy of this weather front, wales. it is courtesy of this weatherfront, not only wales. it is courtesy of this weather front, not only wet, wales. it is courtesy of this weatherfront, not only wet, but blustery winds around it, heavy conditions represented by amber, but behind it, they aren't that cold front, pressure conditions coming our way. that cold front will develop a wave, which means it will literally be doing a bit of that, so the rain position could change. but for now it is heading southwards, we

will hang on to the cloud in the south—east for longer. behind the blustery rain, winds will drop, and for scotland and northern ireland, some sunshine with a few showers. milder conditions prevailing in the south, 21 degrees is possible around london and east anglia, but compared to the last few days, cooler in the north, looking at 14—17 . so we pick up north, looking at 14—17 . so we pick up this band of rain through the evening and overnight, eventually it makes its way down towards the south—east. behind that, for the rest of the uk, clearer skies, a few showers, and locally mist and fog patches forming in scotland, northern ireland, northern england and north west wales. 0vernight lows between seven and nine in northern areas, cooler than of late, between seven and nine in northern areas, coolerthan of late, but still mild in the south. we start friday morning with this waving front in the south producing cloud

and rain in the south—east, down towards the channel islands. but as i mentioned, the rent might be further north orfurther i mentioned, the rent might be further north or further south. away from that, dry weather, bright or sunny intervals, one or two showers, most of the north west of scotland in the morning, more widespread through the course of the day. an isolated shower in northern ireland, northern england and wales, cooler conditions further south. for the weekend, for many, it will be cool, dry, sunny spells. we have the dregs of the front in the south—east on saturday, move away from here, we are looking again at a lot of dry weather, a few showers on the brisk northerly wind, feeling: the north sea coastline, but by saturday it will be cooler for us all.

this is bbc news, these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. a prisoner exchange sees more than 200 prisoners of war released by russia. they include more than a hundred members of the azov battalion as well as five british soldiers who were volunteering with ukrainian forces. we just want to let everyone know that we are now out of the danger zone and we're on our way home to our families. meanwhile in russia, protests continue as the military prepares to mobilise an estimated 300,000 reservists as the conflict continues. a teenager has been arrested after 15—year—old boy was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield in the north of england yesterday afternoon. the uk government has lifted its ban

on fracking in england in a bid to increase energy production, but critics