this is bbc news. the headlines... interest rates are increased by 0.5% as the bank of england tries to tackle soaring prices, taking it to 2.25%, which is the highest rate for m years. it will be a good thing for me, but i'm mindful of the younger members of my family, they've got big mortgages. prices are going up, and the interest rates are just one part of it, you know, the cost of living is going up, and that is something that is a bit of a concern. health secretary therese coffey is promising to improve access to gps as she lays out plans for how the nhs will reduce ambulance delays and waiting list backlogs in the commons.

most of the time patients have a great experience but we must not paper over the problems we face. we expect backlogs to rise before they fall. a teenager is arrested after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield in west yorkshire. five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are released in a prisoner exchange. ministers lift their ban on fracking in england in a bid to increase energy production — but critics are warning about environmental damage and a risk of earthquakes. retiring tennis champion roger federer will play the final match of his career in a doubles team alongside his long time rival rafael nadal as part of the laver cup tomorrow.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. interest rates have been raised to 2.25%, the highest level since 2008. it's the seventh consecutive time that they've been increased by the bank of england, in an attempt to curb soaring prices. the rate has gone up from 1.75%. the bank of england hopes it will help bring down inflation, which is the pace at which prices rise. inflation is currently at its highest level for nearly a0 years. the bank also forecast that the economy is already in recession. here's our economics correspondent andrew verity. in st albans in hertfordshire, house prices have long been out of reach for most young people growing up here, even when lenders were offering the cheapest mortgage rates ever seen. now, after the bank of england raised interest rates to their highest in 14 years, mortgage borrowers no longer have access to cheaper loans, and repayments can only be expected to rise.

i hoped to be able to drop it by 100 quid, but now it looks like i will be paying more for the exact same years. i booked a fixed term mortgage, so it doesn't affect me too much, but a couple of months ago i was more worried. at this local mortgage broker, the best fixed deals used to be as low as i.2%, now you would be lucky to get 3.6%, so anxious that existing borrowers to fix their interest rates before they go up again that lenders offering the cheapest rates cannot cope with demand. one lender's service levels went up to 14 working —— one lender's service levels went up to 40 working days to get an offer out. now, to get a mortgage offer out is normally 10—15 working days. rates are changing on a daily basis, lenders are pulling products on a daily basis. if you give a rate today, you don't know if it will be gone tomorrow. now, with the bank of england saying we have been in recession for the last five months,

businesses are trying to protect themselves from further interest rate rises. this farm in chester invested £5 million seven years ago to turn itself into a visitor attraction for kids, making and selling its own ice cream. because it fixed its interest rate on the amount it borrowed, it is safe from further rises, at least for now. it is more luck than judgment that we got a broker who advised us to move when we did, and we have a couple of years' grace, so if we were not, the increases that people are experiencing now, well, the business just wouldn't work, to be blunt. after seven rises in official interest rates in a row, we now have the highest rates we have had since november 2008, a nd interest rates on savings accounts are higher than they have been for most of the past decade and a half. because inflation is so high,

it still means that the real value of those savings is falling. after today's rising interest rates, in the city of london, the bank of england is now expected to continue to raise them to nearly 5% by next august, more than double their current level. let's speak to our correspondent andy verity who's with me now. in terms of interest rates, potentially 5%, that will affect anyone changing a mortgage. 2.25% is the official anyone changing a mortgage. 2.2596 is the official rate _ anyone changing a mortgage. 2.2596 is the official rate now— anyone changing a mortgage. 2.2596 is the official rate now but _ anyone changing a mortgage. 2.2596 is the official rate now but you _ anyone changing a mortgage. 2.2596 is the official rate now but you have - the official rate now but you have already seen the new deals on offer were much higher than a year ago, so you only have a minority of households, less than 10% on variable rate mortgages, and they will see their rates go up by about £30 on a tracker. but most houses have fixed rate mortgages if they have fixed rate mortgages if they have them at all. for those it is still a worry because when you come to the end of your fixed rate term, the new rate is going to be a lot

higher than the old one. there is concern for all households and questions about what you can do about it. if you are fixed for the next five years you are ok, but if you are only fixed for the next couple of years you could be better to pay a redemption charge. h0??? to pay a redemption charge. how cuickl to pay a redemption charge. how quickly might _ to pay a redemption charge. how quickly might we _ to pay a redemption charge. how quickly might we see the interest rate rise affecting inflation? there are so many factors driving it. what are so many factors driving it. what will affect inflation _ are so many factors driving it. what will affect inflation more _ are so many factors driving it. what will affect inflation more in - are so many factors driving it. iwisgt will affect inflation more in the short term is the government measures to help with energy bills. they will bring down the headline rate but they are expected to cost more than £100 billion. when you add that to all the spending going on in the economy it can only mean it adds to inflationary pressure, which is recognised by the bank of england monetary policy committee. it said it was adding to inflationary pressure, which is part of the reason they expect rates to get up

to nearly 5%. in reason they expect rates to get up to nearly 5%— reason they expect rates to get up to nearly 596. in terms of saying we are in recession, _ to nearly 596. in terms of saying we are in recession, what _ to nearly 596. in terms of saying we are in recession, what does - to nearly 596. in terms of saying we are in recession, what does that. are in recession, what does that mean? ~ , ., , are in recession, what does that mean? ,., , . ., are in recession, what does that mean? , . ., mean? we should be clear, it means economic activity _ mean? we should be clear, it means economic activity receding, - mean? we should be clear, it means economic activity receding, all- mean? we should be clear, it means economic activity receding, all the i economic activity receding, all the buying and selling, goods and service, you produce less. part of the reason that has happened is actually royal holidays, a jubilee in the second quarter and the period of mourning. but previously the bank of mourning. but previously the bank of england said all through next year we would be in recession but they say it is milder now. but now we have stagflation.—

sarah pennells is a consumer finance specialist at royal london. she can tell us more. in terms of the people who have got mortgages, we heard from andy about what this will mean. those on trackers will feel it immediately. people on variable rate mortgages such as trackers or discounted rates or indeed the standard variable rate will see they are mortgage payments rise. with tracker rates it tends to be almost instant, with standard variable or discount rates there can be a bit of a lag but it tends to be weeks rather than months. for someone with a £200,000 mortgage on a standard 25 year term repayment basis, 0.5% rise will cost them roughly an extra £50 per month. that is bad enough for those on variable rate mortgages but as andrew was

saying we know there are millions of people who took out fixed rate mortgages five years ago or so and those deals are going to come to an end and i think they are going to be in for quite a financial shock when they come to look to remortgage. find they come to look to remortgage. and that will be very difficult. what will people do if they can't manage on the newer deals? fix, will people do if they can't manage on the newer deals?— on the newer deals? a few things, firstl if on the newer deals? a few things, firstly if your _ on the newer deals? a few things, firstly if your deal— on the newer deals? a few things, firstly if your deal is _ on the newer deals? a few things, firstly if your deal is going - on the newer deals? a few things, firstly if your deal is going to - firstly if your deal is going to come to an end, don't assume that all mortgage lenders are going to charge the same or take the same approach. this is where a good mortgage broker can come into their own. not only will they help you find the best deal, it is not always about the headline interest rate, mortgages often come with extra costs and those can add substantially to the amount you have to pay. as we heard in the package earlier, some mortgage lenders have so much business that actually they are taking weeks to process. these

are taking weeks to process. these are the things are good mortgage broker can help you with. if you are struggling with payments, there are a couple of steps, first contact your mortgage lender who should be able to help you come to a plan where you can repay some of the money that you owe possibly by extending the mortgage or looking at other deals, but if you feel you're not getting anywhere or you are really worried and struggling with other costs, which have gone up as well, food, fuel, energy bills, then contact a debt advice charity. you don't have to pay for debt advice, plenty of charities do this for free. they can help you work out what you can afford. if you are very stressed, they can even talk to the lender on your behalf.— lender on your behalf. interest rates affect — lender on your behalf. interest rates affect not _ lender on your behalf. interest rates affect not just _ lender on your behalf. interest j rates affect notjust mortgages lender on your behalf. interest - rates affect notjust mortgages but bank loans, credit card rates, car loans, all these potentially are going up. it loans, all these potentially are auoin u. , loans, all these potentially are oiiin u, , ., , loans, all these potentially are

oiiin u, , ., i. loans, all these potentially are iioin u-. , ., ,~ , going up. it is really credit cards it affects the _ going up. it is really credit cards it affects the most. _ going up. it is really credit cards it affects the most. some - going up. it is really credit cards it affects the most. some credit| it affects the most. some credit card providers will put up rates for their existing customers. we are likely to see, even though there is a big disconnect between the interest rates and credit card providers and what the bank of england does, we have seen with recent rises that credit card rates have started to creep up. if you already have one, you could find your provider is contacting you to say they are putting the rates up. you don't have to accept. if you feel you can't pay, you can refuse it, but you then have to pay off the money that you all. bank loans, personal loans, they are generally a fixed rate, so you shouldn't be affected. but if you are looking for affected. but if you are looking for a loan now you can expect to be charged a lot more than someone looking for a loan a year ago. back when the interest rates were just 0.1%. when the interest rates were 'ust 0.196. �* , , when the interest rates were 'ust 0.1%. ~ , , ., ., 0.196. and everything is going to rise. we have _ 0.196. and everything is going to rise. we have to _ 0.196. and everything is going to rise. we have to leave _ 0.196. and everything is going to rise. we have to leave it - 0.196. and everything is going to rise. we have to leave it there. l rise. we have to leave it there. thank you.

the health secretary has set out plans to improve access to the nhs and social care in england, including recruiting more doctors and dentists, reducing ambulance hand over delays in freeing up hospital beds. there will also be a plan to educate people to live healthier lives. from gp appointments, to ambulances, to busy hospital wards — the nhs is under pressure and waiting lists are growing. they were amazing, on the ward, they were amazing. gareth is now in hospital getting treatment for leukaemia so we're speaking to him online. how have you been feeling? well, my treatment should have started last week but there was 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 we'd been waiting an hour and we've not heard nothing, and then by the time it come to it it was, like, we've been here ten hours, what's going on? and all they kept replying with was, we're short of doctors, we're waiting on doctors. the a&e was horrible, it was a horrible experience. the same pressures can be seen across england. here in essex... by the time i go home in the morning at eight o'clock, some of you will still be waiting for a doctor. ..and this sign in bolton warns of [10—hour waits for a medical bed. today, the new health secretary is setting out her plan to make things better. we will need a new national endeavour to help... under the plan there will be an expectation that patients should see a gp within two weeks.

pension rules could be changed to prevent some doctors having to retire early, and there will be a push to cut delayed discharges when patients get stuck in hospital because there's no care place for them. and more support for hospital trusts responsible for the longest ambulance delays. fiur responsible for the longest ambulance delays. responsible for the longest ambulance dela s. ., ., i, , , ., , ambulance delays. our analysis shows 4596 of the ambulance delays. our analysis shows 45% of the delays _ ambulance delays. our analysis shows 4596 of the delays are _ ambulance delays. our analysis shows 4596 of the delays are occurring - ambulance delays. our analysis shows 4596 of the delays are occurring in - 45% of the delays are occurring in just 15 hospital trusts and that is why the local nhs will be doing intensive work with those trusts to create more capacity in hospitals. labour, though, says the nhs needs more staff. if there were any evidence needed this as _ if there were any evidence needed this as a _ if there were any evidence needed this as a government and party out of ideals _ this as a government and party out of ideals and out of time and out of a clue _ of ideals and out of time and out of a clue as— of ideals and out of time and out of a clue as to — of ideals and out of time and out of a clue as to the scale of the challenge facing our country, it is this statement. this challenge facing our country, it is this statement.— this statement. this is a problem for patients _ this statement. this is a problem for patients like _ this statement. this is a problem for patients like rachel, - this statement. this is a problem for patients like rachel, who - this statement. this is a problem l for patients like rachel, who needs

surgery for endometriosis but will need to wait a year. i surgery for endometriosis but will need to wait a year.— need to wait a year. i want the government — need to wait a year. i want the government to _ need to wait a year. i want the government to do _ need to wait a year. i want the government to do something i need to wait a year. i want the - government to do something because i can't live like this. waiting lists are a problem, notjust in england but across the whole uk. how the health service in each nation responds can make a difference to millions. jim reed, bbc news. this is a question about staffing numbers and cash flow. what is the assessment on the statement we have seen? it assessment on the statement we have seen? , ., , ., ., seen? it is a startling fact about hos i itals seen? it is a startling fact about hospitals in _ seen? it is a startling fact about hospitals in england. _ seen? it is a startling fact about hospitals in england. as - seen? it is a startling fact about hospitals in england. as of - seen? it is a startling fact about hospitals in england. as of this | hospitals in england. as of this afternoon, currently 13,000 people are in hospital well enough to leave but who cannot, generally because there is not a care place for them either in a care home or a home care package. 0ne either in a care home or a home care package. one in seven patients. if you have people stuck in hospital that bonds up the whole system so you can't move people from amd into

hospital, one good reason why you have so many ambulances queueing outside —— a&e. 0ne have so many ambulances queueing outside —— a&e. one of the things announced today was to address that. £500 million of money for something called the social care discharge fund. it sounds very like a policy acted in covid scrapped in april this year where there is extra funding for care homes to take patients quickly away from hospital. it is a new plan, a big number attached to it, we are not sure if the 500 million is new money or not. then on ambulances, i know it is something viewers are concerned about at the moment, a figure for the target to get a category two ambulance, a stroke, heart attack or something, it's 18 minutes but currently it is over 40. that could

cause real problems. the secretary of state says 45% of those ambulance delays are in just 15 trusts. there are 219 hospital trusts in england so a lot of the problems concentrated in relatively few hospitals and so the idea is you give those hospitals extra help and support to support them and get ambulance tables to —— ambulances able to deliver patients and get back on the road more quickly. watching the debate, mps concerned these were just targets our aims, not guarantees, even the former health secretaryjeremy hunt saying the nhs needs more staff and why is the nhs needs more staff and why is the government not focused on training more staff? $1150 the government not focused on training more staff?— training more staff? also west street and. — training more staff? also west street and, the _ training more staff? also west street and, the shadow - training more staff? also west i street and, the shadow secretary training more staff? also west - street and, the shadow secretary of state for labour, made. we are waiting for the longer term workforce plan which has been delayed for over a year. there are currently around 130,000 open positions in the nhs they cannot

fill, one in ten nhs rules. that number is expected to climb because of the ageing population and more complex treatments, so that could get up to half a million plus half a million vacancies in social care. whatjeremy hunt and labour are talking about is a plan to fix that, which is proving very difficult not just for this government but previous ones as well.- just for this government but previous ones as well. how much is aned previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, _ previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, the _ previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, the loss _ previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, the loss of- previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, the loss of the - previous ones as well. how much is linked to brexit, the loss of the eu | linked to brexit, the loss of the eu workforce, as well as not being able to bring in people from other parts of the world?— to bring in people from other parts of the world? some of it is probably aned of the world? some of it is probably linked to brexit. _ of the world? some of it is probably linked to brexit. before _ of the world? some of it is probably linked to brexit. before that - of the world? some of it is probably linked to brexit. before that we - linked to brexit. before that we were bringing in nurses from places like greece for example. but we have seen a switch and we are taking more nurses from places like nigeria and india. it might be that brexit

doesn't have a huge effect if we can replace some of those workers with workers from elsewhere across the world. the problem every country has got, notjust the uk, germany, france, across europe, it's a shortage of health care workers and we are competing for the same stuff from overseas. the headlines. the bank of england raises interest rates. the health secretary sets out plans for the nhs. a 15—year—old boy is fatally stabbed outside a school in west yorkshire.

a 16—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed to death outside a school in huddersfield yesterday. 0ur north of england correspondent danny savage is at the scene. we danny savage is at the scene. know it was just befl o'clock we know it was just before three o'clock yesterday afternoon when that 15 year pupil from the north huddersfield trust schooljust across the road from me was crossing the road here where you can see police tape and where people have been leaving flowers. he was attacked, we understand, by another youth, and repeatedly stabbed. he was then given immediate treatment from teaching staff who were on duty nearby. they tried to resuscitate him and give other treatments before paramedics arrived. the 15—year—old was taken to hospital but died a short while laterfrom was taken to hospital but died a short while later from his was taken to hospital but died a short while laterfrom his injuries. this has become a murder scene with

investigations under way. police have made an arrest early this morning not farfrom here, a 16—year—old was arrested on suspicion of murder. since then we have seen people coming and going all morning and into the afternoon. leaving flowers here, talking about the young man the new. this was a shocking event. especially because it was outside a school. he had just left school, it happened in front of lots of other children, they have witnessed very traumatic scenes late yesterday afternoon. now there is a murder inquiry under way to find what happened and why it happened. the ban on fracking — to mine oil and gas from shale rock — is to be lifted in england, the government has confirmed. the business secretary jacob rees—mogg said the move would help to strengthen the country's energy security following russia's invasion of ukraine. fracking was suspended in 2019, amid concerns it could trigger earthquakes.

it is more environmentally friendly to use our own sources of fuel rather than to extract them from other countries and transport them here at great cost, both financially and in terms of carbon. it is something, therefore, that we need to revisit and we need to revisit the seismic limits to ensure that shale gas extraction can be done in an effective and efficient way. mr speaker, this is obviously a case of the dog ate my homework, and hardly surprising. let's start by taking his excuse for lifting the fracking ban, mr speaker, that it will make a difference to the energy bills crisis — it won't — because gas is sold on the international market. the current chancellor said so in february of this year and i quote, "no amount of shale gas would be enough to the to lower the european price of gas." even, mr speaker, the founder of cuadrilla, said the secretary of state is wrong in an article published yesterday.

so first, why doesn't he admit the truth that anyone who knows anything about this subject says his claim that fracking will cut bills is nonsense? next, let's come to safety. the 2019 manifesto on which he and every member of the party opposite stood said this, mr speaker — "we will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely. " they are lifting the ban, but they can't supply the evidence. and the british geological survey published today certainly doesn't do it. so in the absence of the evidence, his approach is to change the safety limits. he says in his written statement laid before this house, tolerating "a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest." i look forward to him and his colleagues explaining his charter for earthquakes to the people of lancashire, yorkshire, the midlands, sussex, dorset and indeed somerset, who will be part of his

dangerous experiment. let me tell the party opposite, we will hang this broken promise around their necks in every part of the country between now and the next general election. the conservative manifesto also said, "having listened to local communities, we have ruled out changes to the planning system." does he stand by that promise and how will he abide by the prime minister's commitment to local consent? the truth is he doesn't get this — that you can't escape a fossil fuels crisis by doubling down on fossil fuels. renewables are today nine times cheaper than gas. the only way to cut energy bills and have energy security is with zero—carbon, home—grown power, including on—shore wind and solar, which his wing of the conservative party hate and he continues to block. for communities in every part of our country, today shows they can never trust a word this government says again. and he has shown he is willing to break his promises to support dangerous, fringe ideas that put the interests of fossil fuel companies above that

of the british people. for more on the viability of fracking, i'm joined by kathryn porter, who is an energy consultant for watt logic. 0n on this plan, is that your view that it makes sense or is it a big mistake? i it makes sense or is it a big mistake?— it makes sense or is it a big mistake? ~ ., ~ , , , ., mistake? i think it makes sense to exilore mistake? i think it makes sense to exolore the _ mistake? i think it makes sense to explore the possibility _ mistake? i think it makes sense to explore the possibility of _ mistake? i think it makes sense to explore the possibility of fracking. | explore the possibility of fracking. i agree we should seek to produce as much domestically rather than importing energy. whether we can find large large amounts of valuable resources remains to be seen but if we don't investigate then we definitely won't have it. what proportion — definitely won't have it. what proportion of— definitely won't have it. what proportion of the _ definitely won't have it. what proportion of the uk - definitely won't have it. what proportion of the uk energy i definitely won't have it. what proportion of the uk energy needs it could supply, still fairly small, isn't it? , , could supply, still fairly small, isn't it? _ , could supply, still fairly small, isn't it? , , , ,, could supply, still fairly small, isn'tit? _ , ~'., isn't it? possibly, but i think as much as we _ isn't it? possibly, but i think as much as we can _ isn't it? possibly, but i think as much as we can produce - isn't it? possibly, but i think as - much as we can produce domestically is always a good thing. we heard just now people, ed miliband saying

it wouldn't change gas prices and thatis it wouldn't change gas prices and that is correct but it is forgetting the fact that the treasury earns a lot of money on domestic gas production and this would contribute.— production and this would contribute. �* , , ., . contribute. anything produced in the uk, does automatically _ contribute. anything produced in the uk, does automatically come - contribute. anything produced in the uk, does automatically come to - contribute. anything produced in the uk, does automatically come to the | uk, does automatically come to the uk, does automatically come to the uk or is it sold on global markets? it doesn't matter where it is sold, the treasury will still earn taxes and royalties from everything produced, the same as in the north sea, so we still get the benefit whether sold domestically or not, but it doesn't seem it would be sold internationally because you have to transport it, it would be more efficient to be sold domestically. we have seen concerns about earthquakes and that is why the initial fracking exploratory investigations were halted and the government on their manifesto said they wouldn't reopen them. what about those concerns, do you think there is legitimacy? i do

about those concerns, do you think there is legitimacy?— there is legitimacy? i do but we have had a _ there is legitimacy? i do but we have had a situation _ there is legitimacy? i do but we have had a situation where - there is legitimacy? i do but we have had a situation where if. there is legitimacy? i do but we l have had a situation where if you are drilling for geothermal energy you are allowed to have seismic activity up to 2.5 on the richter scale but the limit was set for fracking at 0.5. if you experience seismic activity i'm not sure you care what the cause is an 0.5 is negligible, not something you would notice, and you don't get damage to property until you are up to something like five or six. the richter scale is logarithmic so each time you move up a point is an order of magnitude, so these are small levels of seismic activity and i think it is right is set at parity with the geothermal drilling. ihmd with the geothermal drilling. and climate change, is this the right direction to go? in the last few weeks of the summer, we have seen terrible extremes of climate, still seeing it in many parts of the world

and many people think it is just unethical and wrong. i and many people think it is 'ust unethical and wrongi and many people think it is 'ust unethical and wrong. i mean, there are lots of— unethical and wrong. i mean, there are lots of things _ unethical and wrong. i mean, there are lots of things that _ unethical and wrong. i mean, there are lots of things that are - are lots of things that are unethical. people die when they can't afford to heat their homes, when they don't have secure sources of energy. climate isn't the only cause of those arms. we have to have a balance and get back to remembering the energy dilemma where we take account of all three aspects, carbonisation, affordability and supply. we can't get to energy security over the next 20, 30 years without still using hydrocarbons. there are no forecasts showing hydrocarbons declining to zero. how do we do it in the least harmful way? zero. how do we do it in the least harmfulway? up zero. how do we do it in the least harmful way? up domestic production is one way of doing that. thank harmful way? up domestic production is one way of doing that.—

we have some rain in the forecast for you today and it does look as though autumn really is knocking on the door. colder weather on the way in the days ahead, and this indeed is also a cold front which is crossing the country right now. behind it, it's feeling very fresh in the afternoon, 15 in aberdeen, still a bit of warmth left in the south, around 20 or so in london and norwich. so this is what it looks like through this evening. the cold front spreads further south so there will be some rain across other parts of the uk today as well. and a very fresh night, if not a cold night in the north in some rural spots, 2—3 degrees, but still relatively mild in the south. i think tomorrow will be quite cloudy at times across southern parts of england, the south—east too, rain at times, but elsewhere it's a mixture of sunshine and showers and temperatures between 13 in stornoway and just around 20 in the south.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the bank of england raises interest rates to a 14—year high of 2.25% to tackle soaring prices. it will be a good thing for me, but it will be a good thing for me, but i am very mindful of the younger members of my family, they have big mortgages. members of my family, they have big mortiiaes. . ,., members of my family, they have big

mortiiaes. . _, ., members of my family, they have big mortiiaes. . ,., ., , members of my family, they have big mortiaies. . ,., ., ,., mortgages. prices are going up and the interest — mortgages. prices are going up and the interest rates _ mortgages. prices are going up and the interest rates are _ mortgages. prices are going up and the interest rates are one _ mortgages. prices are going up and the interest rates are one part - mortgages. prices are going up and the interest rates are one part of i the interest rates are one part of it. the interest rates are one part of it the _ the interest rates are one part of it the cost — the interest rates are one part of it. the cost of living is going up and that— it. the cost of living is going up and that is— it. the cost of living is going up and that is something that is a concern — health secretary therese coffey sets out her plan for the nhs in england, but warns waiting times will rise before they fall following the pandemic. most of the time, patients have a great experience, but we must not paper over the problems that we face. we expect backlogs to rise before they fall. a teenager is arrested after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield in west yorkshire. five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are released in a prisoner exchange. ministers lift their ban on fracking in england in a bid to increase energy production — but critics are warning about environmental damage and a risk of earthquakes. sport now, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre.

talking tennis, i hope? there is a bit of tennis, yes. a lot to look forward to if you are a fan of roger federer. that is to come. firstly, football matches in england and wales saw their highest number of arrests and reported incidents of disorder for eight years of last season. there was a huge rise in numbers. lorna scott has more. a police a that the 2198 football —related arrests made last season highlighted arrests made last season highlighted a significant rise in football related criminality. the number of arrests was needy six t percent higher than the 2018—19 season. that is the loss were not affected by coronavirus. and the highest level since 2014. at the same time, there was a rise in the number of arrests at national team and international matches involving england and wales, and a number of pitch invasions rose

tjy and a number of pitch invasions rose by 127% compared with the 2018—19 season. manchester united have revealed the highest wage bill in premier league history in their latest annual accounts, which also show a net loss of £115 million despite an increase in revenue for the club after buying the likes of cristiano ronaldo mar jadon sancho, they spent a record amount on player salaries last season, when they finished sixth in the premier league. their net debt also went up by almost £100 million to more than half a billion. they say that recovery from the pandemic as well as a strengthening of the first—team squad. the former captain mark noble will return to west ham as the club's sporting director from january next year. the 35—year—old ended his playing career in the summer. he made 550 appearances for the club. the newly created role will see him

involved in all aspects of the operation. the proposals to reduce the county can be chipped to six matches per seasonis can be chipped to six matches per season is meeting some criticism. the high performance review also recommends dedicated windows for the one—day cup, the hundred and the t20 blast, the last of which will also be slimmed down. the changes in cricket's calendar would have to be agreed to by two thirds of the 18 first—class counties. the essex chief executive say they won't vote for any reduction in red ball cricket or t20 home games, and sussex's chair says that the proposals are unworkable. i would also we proposals are unworkable. i would also urge them — proposals are unworkable. i would also urge them to _ proposals are unworkable. i would also urge them to see _ proposals are unworkable. i would also urge them to see the - proposals are unworkable. i would i also urge them to see the advantages of this. anything to do with the domestic structure, you look on elements and say, i don't like that piece of it. taken together, this provides a compelling opportunity

for players, and more opportunity to rest and practice but also to play high—quality in blocks. of course, it is up to the counties to take that to their members and vote on it. i hope it is compelling. as a package of 17 recommendations, if we all buy into it and are all determined to execute on those recommendations. the rfu said the club had given assurances that they can safely host the game. the warriors are in financial trouble, with many not being paid at all. they met the deadline today to show they could stage the match, but they have to come up with a funding plan for the future. roger federer�*s final match will be alongside his great rival and friend, rafael nadal, after it was confirmed they will team up in the doubles on friday night. he has been granted his wish after saying it

would be wonderful to partner the spaniard. he will do so for team europe against team world at the 02 europe against team world at the o2 arena on friday. he struggled with a knee problem and does not feel able to play any more singles matches. i promise you tennis was up sorry for making you wait that long! more in one hour. any tickets? i imagine they have become a little bit harder to get hold of! absolutely, any donations welcome. thank you. five british men who were captured by russian—backed forces in ukraine have arrived back in the uk. aiden aslin, shaun pinner, john harding and andrew hill had been fighting with ukranian armed forces when they were detained. another man, dylan healy, had been providing humanitarian assistance. they were released last night as part of a prisoner exchange between russia and ukraine. emma vardy has this report. we just wanted everyone to know that we are now

out of the danger zone, we're on our way home to ourfamilies. their ordeal finally coming to an end. thanks to everyone that's been supporting us, it's really appreciated. aiden aslin and shaun pinner had been held by russian backed forces since they were captured in april. they'd both moved to ukraine four years ago and joined the ukrainian armed forces. they'd 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. last night, the saudi government confirmed it had been involved in negotiations to secure their freedom and release pictures of them arriving in riyadh. this morning, the men were flown back to the uk and reunited with family and friends. 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's 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 could 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's not yet clear exactly how their release was achieved and what treatment they endured while being held prisoner. emma vardy, bbc news. let's speak to our security correspondent, frank gardner.

ijust want i just want to show everyone one image that we have got both aidan reunited with his fiancee, who is ukrainian. that was taken at heathrow airport. what do we know about how this deal was brokered, the saudis were involved, as we heard?- was brokered, the saudis were involved, as we heard? there were two micro deals, _ involved, as we heard? there were two micro deals, essentially. i involved, as we heard? there were two micro deals, essentially. the l two micro deals, essentially. the release of the ten men was brokered tjy release of the ten men was brokered by the saudis. this was a personal initiative for the saudi crown, who has good connections with moscow, he gets on well with president putin, and he had a meeting as recently as 33 days ago with a special representative. —— is recently as two or three days ago. that was arranged by the saudis, they brought

thatis arranged by the saudis, they brought that is back here, which is why they are reunited with their families. separately, turkey brokered another deal, a much bigger deal in terms of numbers, with 215 ukrainian prisoners of war being released by russia, or separatists, prisoners of war being released by russia, orseparatists, including over 100 fighters, people who had held out in the steelworks in mariupol. in exchange, ukraine has given up 55 russian soldiers that were prisoners of war and a politician or oligarch, who was probably going to be the person russian was hoping to install as a puppet government in keith. it is shown that russia has given up on trying to impose a government in key. there are a number of hardliners in moscow who are angry about this deal they wanted to see the maximum penalty, not only for

the maximum penalty, not only for the foreign fighters, who are not mercenaries, they were members of the ukrainian army. , but also for the ukrainian army. , but also for the hard—core that hung out and hang on in the steelworks, and they want, the hardliners in moscow, them to face the death penalty. they almost feel cheated by this deal. for british soldiers and ex military, what is the current government advice on going to ukraine? they are saying don't go and join a war zone. it is massively complicated for everybody. liz it is massively complicated for everybody-— it is massively complicated for eve bod . ,, ., , ., everybody. liz truss initially had iiven a everybody. liz truss initially had given a rather— everybody. liz truss initially had given a rather more _ everybody. liz truss initially had given a rather more positive i given a rather more positive welcoming position, hadn't she? she had to welcoming position, hadn't she? 5ie: had to backtrack on that, welcoming position, hadn't she? 5“ie: had to backtrack on that, right. welcoming position, hadn't she? 5ie: had to backtrack on that, right. the government doesn't approve of british private citizens going off to fight wars in other countries. it

makes it massively complicated, however good or noble the cause or not, because you cannot have one rule for one... think of people who have gone off to fightjihad, for example. they might think they are doing the right thing, they are obeying their god, as they see it, a holy cause, but they will be prosecuted when the comeback to this country. i have no idea what the legal position is here. the fact they were members of the ukrainian army, and that is an official ally of the uk, britain are supporting ukraine in its fight for freedom, of the uk, britain are supporting ukraine in its fight forfreedom, i doubt we will see any kind of prosecution in this case. let's return now to the nhs plans revealed earlier today. it involves reducing ambulance waiting lists and freeing up beds. let's speak to helen.

what you make of what has been announced today? it what you make of what has been announced today?— announced today? it has been interesting — announced today? it has been interesting listening _ announced today? it has been interesting listening to - announced today? it has been interesting listening to her i announced today? it has been i interesting listening to her today. she said that the plans announced today build on the nhs's own winter plan, which was published some weeks ago. there are many things in the paper today which are actually not new. the plans to address backlogs have been previously published. there has been a lot of effort going into had over delays for ambulances and the emergency department. things that are more new are the points about primary care and access to gps, which were filed this morning. it is clear and understandable that the public value their ability to contact and see their gp easily. we have seen public satisfaction in recent years. it is good that the plan is addressing those issues. it

is also good that it is recognising that it is also good that it is recognising thatitis is also good that it is recognising that it is not possible to address that it is not possible to address that byjust that it is not possible to address that by just telling that it is not possible to address that byjust telling gps to work harder. that won't cut the mustard. the focus on other health care professionals and the support they can offer is welcome. very often, it is more appropriate for a patient to see another health care professional as opposed to a gp. i5 see another health care professional as opposed to a gp.— as opposed to a gp. is there not a risk in that, _ as opposed to a gp. is there not a risk in that, talking _ as opposed to a gp. is there not a risk in that, talking about - as opposed to a gp. is there not a risk in that, talking about gp i risk in that, talking about gp assistance and more colour five nurses, we have been hearing about early detection of cancer. you need someone with the right qualifications with this backlog come when people haven't been seeing a doctor for come when people haven't been seeing a doctorfor ages, to pick up on things, don't you? there is a risk there. ., , , ., there. that is exactly what i was i oin i there. that is exactly what i was iioin to there. that is exactly what i was going to go _ there. that is exactly what i was going to go on _ there. that is exactly what i was going to go on and _ there. that is exactly what i was going to go on and say. - there. that is exactly what i was going to go on and say. having i there. that is exactly what i was i going to go on and say. having seen those things which are welcome, we have seen nothing of the detail in this plant to actually address the issue that we fundamentally do not have enough gps for the needs of the population that we have, never mind their expectations. it is really

critical now that we see some good plans coming forward from the department. there will be developed and is in this plan, but it is critical to see what will be done. how quickly are the public going to see any changes? it how quickly are the public going to see any changes?— how quickly are the public going to see any changes? it should help, and i think see any changes? it should help, and i think there — see any changes? it should help, and i think there is _ see any changes? it should help, and i think there is a _ see any changes? it should help, and i think there is a point _ see any changes? it should help, and i think there is a point in _ see any changes? it should help, and i think there is a point in thinking i i think there is a point in thinking about the public thinking typically as well. we know that gps and the nhs have been working to develop other professionals in primary care for some time. members of the public don't always see that as a good service. to some extent, i can see why, because we know what agp does. we don't always know what other health care professionals can do. there is more to done to reassure people that having a range of

professionals in a practice is a good thing, will be helpful and will help to free up time for gps to focus on the issues that they are well—trained for. so i think this is an important step, a necessary step or stop our question is whether it is a sufficient step.— or stop our question is whether it is a sufficient step. what about the iuestion is a sufficient step. what about the question of — is a sufficient step. what about the question of ambulance _ is a sufficient step. what about the question of ambulance waiting i is a sufficient step. what about the i question of ambulance waiting times? we have seen alarming figures for even a heart attack or stroke. what do you make of what the health secretary has said on this? we don't think she has _ secretary has said on this? we don't think she has set _ secretary has said on this? we don't think she has set out _ secretary has said on this? we don't think she has set out significantly i think she has set out significantly more detail than was already in the nhs's own winter plan. the reason we have ambulance delay is that the ambulances we have on the road are full because the about city departments are full, at the emergency department is full because the hospital is full. the hospitals are full because we are struggling to get people discharged back to the homes or social care. getting discharged to social care improved, and that is part of today's plan, is

important but again it is not sufficient. we need to see investment in community rehabilitation services, we need to see much better support for people to be able to return to their own homes, whether with nhs support or social care support was up it is only by clearing up that whole system that we will address the ambulance issue. there is a commitment to increase the number of call handlers. we have had people waiting unacceptable lengths of time to even have their 999 call answered. having roll —— having more call handlers will address that. just having more call handlers doesn't in itself mean you will get an ambulance more quickly. thank you ve much an ambulance more quickly. thank you very much indeed. _ very much indeed. i am joined now by the president of the royal of surgeons of england. thank you forjoining us. what is your response to what the health

secretary has announced? does it go far enough? secretary has announced? does it go far enouih? , secretary has announced? does it go far enough?— far enough? first of all, i'm really ileased far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to — far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to hear _ far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to hear that _ far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to hear that the _ far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to hear that the nhs i far enough? first of all, i'm really pleased to hear that the nhs is i far enough? first of all, i'm really i pleased to hear that the nhs is one of the _ pleased to hear that the nhs is one of the new— pleased to hear that the nhs is one of the new prime minister's priorities. as everybody knows now, there _ priorities. as everybody knows now, there are _ priorities. as everybody knows now, there are thousands of patients waiting — there are thousands of patients waiting for surgery and dealing with that backlog is a must. as you heard, — that backlog is a must. as you heard, the _ that backlog is a must. as you heard, the health secretary agrees that the _ heard, the health secretary agrees that the backlog may get worse before — that the backlog may get worse before it — that the backlog may get worse before it gets better. so they clearly — before it gets better. so they clearly has to be adequate staffing and resource for elective surgical recovery — and resource for elective surgical recovery. we have been calling for surgical— recovery. we have been calling for surgical hubs, protected surgical capacity. — surgical hubs, protected surgical capacity, to be made available throughout the country to allow the backlog _ throughout the country to allow the backlog to be tackled. we hope there will continue to be funding and resource — will continue to be funding and resource to make that happen. we were _ resource to make that happen. we were pleased to hear that surgeons, anaesthetists and the whole surgical

team will— anaesthetists and the whole surgical team will be able to carry on working _ team will be able to carry on working in the evenings and weekends with a _ working in the evenings and weekends with a new_ working in the evenings and weekends with a new look at the pension arrangements, which curiously at the moment— arrangements, which curiously at the moment are — arrangements, which curiously at the moment are a disincentive to working extra hours— moment are a disincentive to working extra hours and helping with the backlog — extra hours and helping with the backlog. in extra hours and helping with the backloi. , ., ., extra hours and helping with the backloi. ,, ., ,, extra hours and helping with the backloi. , ., ., , ., ~' backlog. in your view, do you think iatients backlog. in your view, do you think patients will _ backlog. in your view, do you think patients will see _ backlog. in your view, do you think patients will see a _ backlog. in your view, do you think patients will see a change? - backlog. in your view, do you think patients will see a change? and i backlog. in your view, do you think. patients will see a change? and how quickly? i patients will see a change? and how iuickl ? ~ , , ., quickly? i think they will see a chanie quickly? i think they will see a change eventually. _ quickly? i think they will see a change eventually. i— quickly? i think they will see a change eventually. i know i quickly? i think they will see a i change eventually. i know lots quickly? i think they will see a i change eventually. i know lots of colleagues around the country are trying _ colleagues around the country are trying really hard to make an impact on the _ trying really hard to make an impact on the backlog. but i think it will happen— on the backlog. but i think it will happen slowly rather than quickly. can you _ happen slowly rather than quickly. can you give us a timeframe at all? it is difficult to say. it will take a year — it is difficult to say. it will take a year or— it is difficult to say. it will take a year or two at least, i think. and in that time. _ a year or two at least, i think. and in that time, things _ a year or two at least, i think. fi.“ic in that time, things will get a year or two at least, i think. pic in that time, things will get worse, not better? we in that time, things will get worse, not better?— not better? we have this hidden waitini not better? we have this hidden waiting list _ not better? we have this hidden waiting list of _ not better? we have this hidden waiting list of people _ not better? we have this hidden waiting list of people that i not better? we have this hidden waiting list of people that have i not better? we have this hidden i waiting list of people that have not come _ waiting list of people that have not come forward yet. with better access to primary _ come forward yet. with better access to primary care, that will in the short-term _ to primary care, that will in the short—term aggravate the problem, i suspect _ short—term aggravate the problem, i suspect. patients waiting on the waitlist — suspect. patients waiting on the waitlist also has been deteriorating while _ waitlist also has been deteriorating while we _ waitlist also has been deteriorating

while we have been waiting, their conditions — while we have been waiting, their conditions worsen, their operation may he _ conditions worsen, their operation may be more difficult, cancer is more _ may be more difficult, cancer is more advanced and someone. it will not he _ more advanced and someone. it will not be easy— more advanced and someone. it will not be easy to quickly solve the problem — not be easy to quickly solve the problem of the backlog. but this is a step— problem of the backlog. but this is a step in— problem of the backlog. but this is a step in the right direction, i hope — a step in the right direction, i hoie. ~ ., ., ., ., hope. we need to hear more on the ilans, but hope. we need to hear more on the plans. but how _ hope. we need to hear more on the plans, but how acute _ hope. we need to hear more on the plans, but how acute is _ hope. we need to hear more on the plans, but how acute is the - hope. we need to hear more on the | plans, but how acute is the shortage of staff and what would you like to see on that? in of staff and what would you like to see on that?— see on that? in our world, in the sun ical see on that? in our world, in the surgical world, _ see on that? in our world, in the surgical world, the _ see on that? in our world, in the surgicalworld, the major- see on that? in our world, in the i surgical world, the major problem see on that? in our world, in the i surgicalworld, the major problem is surgical world, the major problem is the shortage of anaesthetists. there are thousands of anaesthetic posts which _ are thousands of anaesthetic posts which are _ are thousands of anaesthetic posts which are unfilled. that has to be a priority _ which are unfilled. that has to be a priority it — which are unfilled. that has to be a priority it is — which are unfilled. that has to be a priority. it is the whole surgical team, — priority. it is the whole surgical team, not— priority. it is the whole surgical team, notjust surgeons on their own _ team, notjust surgeons on their own so — team, notjust surgeons on their own so if— team, notjust surgeons on their own. so if something can be done about— own. so if something can be done about that, — own. so if something can be done about that, it would be brilliant, but of— about that, it would be brilliant, but of course surgeons don't grow on treesi _ but of course surgeons don't grow on trees, anaesthetists that grow on trees, _ trees, anaesthetists that grow on trees, and — trees, anaesthetists that grow on trees, and making an impact on improving — trees, and making an impact on improving that aspect of the workforce takes some time to solve. thank— workforce takes some time to solve.

thank you _ workforce takes some time to solve. thank you very much indeed. a mother—of—five with an acute dairy allergy died after eating a vegan wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk, an inquest has found. celia marsh suffered anaphylaxis shortly after eating the wrap bought from pret a manger store in bath in 2017. we can speak to our correspondence. tell us more about this. earlier today, the coroner gave her verdict at this court. the family had come here for answers. they had waited many years for answers. as the coroner read out her verdict, when she finished, they hugged each other and wiped away tears. they described celia marsh as the heartbeat of the family. they said that her death was entirely avoidable. it has been nearly five years since his family was left in morning after

a post—christmas shopping trip ended in tragedy. celia marsh had a severe allergy to dairy, and died after eating what she thought was a dairy free rap. today, her husband, andy, and their daughters welcomed the coroner's findings were stopped mum's death, like so many others, was entirely avoidable. brute mum's death, like so many others, was entirely avoidable.— was entirely avoidable. we need better testing, _ was entirely avoidable. we need better testing, better _ was entirely avoidable. we need better testing, better labelling i was entirely avoidable. we need i better testing, better labelling and better testing, better labelling and better health care. to prevent other families having to carry the grief that we will always hold. enough is enough. thank you. this was the kind of sandwich containing yoghurt that celia marsh eight in december 2017. she bought it from this pret a manger store in bath. the inquest heard that after eating the sandwich, she struggled to breathe. she collapsed, her husband called for an ambulance. passers—by with medical training stopped to help. when the family arrived at the hospital behind the

ambulance, they got the shocking news that celia marsh had died. the court heard that the yoghurt in the wrap contained an ingredient called ht one, which was contaminated with milk protein during its manufacture. the coroner said the company who supplied the yoghurt had documents about the risk of dairy contamination, but this risk was not passed on to customers. the yoghurt maker said they bought the ingredient from another company, and they say they were given assurances that it was made in a dairy free production environment. in a statement, pret a manger said it goes without saying that if they had ever known that the yoghurt made have contained milk, they would never have used the ingredient. celia marsh died the year after another who ate something containing

sesame seeds. her death sparked increased labelling on food. as you were hearing there, the family are calling for better testing, better labelling and better health care for people with allergies. the family also welcomed the coroner's comments that a product that is labelled as dairy free should be free from dairy. the product that celia marsh ate was labelled as containing a dairy free coconut yoghurt alternative. we have also heard this afternoon from the family of natasha, who said that lessons must notjust be learned but acted upon. they say that extra labelling is needed. they say that

anaphylaxis must be officially recognised as a notifiable disease. thank you. some news we are getting in about the 15—year—old boy who was stabbed outside his school in huddersfield yesterday in west yorkshire. locally, he has been named kairi maclean. -- m3 —— m3 macro maclean. there are more people from a catholic background than a protestant background in northern ireland for the first time, according to census figures released this morning. 0ur correspondent, chris page, is in belfast and outlined the significance of this data. to understand the importance of this, you actually need

to go back 101 years. that was when most of the island of ireland became independent from britain, and northern ireland was founded. back in 1921, it was thought that your religion was the best indicator of your politics, and so the border was drawn to try to ensure that there would be a long—term protestant majority in northern ireland. it was was believed that that would secure northern ireland's place in the uk. but the make—up of the population has been gradually changing, and the census figures published today show that 45.7% of people here are either catholic or brought up as catholic. so the figure for protestants is 43.5%. that means that, basically, people from a catholic background are the biggest group for the first time ever. people were also asked about national identity. about 32% said they identify as british only — that is a fall on previous census figures. 29% said they were irish only, and about 20% said they were northern irish, perhaps something between british and irish.

now, the figures will be interpreted differently, depending on political perspectives. for example, irish nationalist politicians will say this shows there is a growing trend towards a referendum on irish unity. unionists disagree — they say, for example, it's far from the case that all catholics support a united ireland. so it's certainly true that the link between religious background and politics is weaker than it was a century ago. nonetheless, these figures will be much analysed and well, i think, significantly play into the debate about northern ireland's future. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. well, summer's definitely come to an end now — we are past the equinox as well, so into autumn. i think we are in for quite a marked change in how the weather is going to feel over the coming days. certainly it is going to turn quite a bit colder than what we've been used to. a cold front is already crossing the country right now. you can see that cloud whooshing across the uk.

it has been raining in the north and, as we go over the next 24 hours or so, that weather front will make its journey across the country and reach southern areas as well. behind that, we will see a change in the wind direction and fresher air, colder air will arrive from the north atlantic. today's still relatively on the warm side in the south — 20 degrees. we've got rain in northern england, wales, the midlands through the course of this evening. then i think, by the early hours of friday morning, that weather front�*s actually going to stall across east anglia and the south—east, so quite a damp start. but not particularly cold, 14 in london. the much fresher air will be in place across scotland and, in ruralspots, it could be just a few degrees above freezing. so here is the forecast for tomorrow. that weather front i mentioned stalls in the south. so i think quite extensive cloud at times. outbreaks of rain now and then. still around 19 or 20 across the south, but we are talking about fresher conditions in northern ireland and in scotland —

13 for stornoway and in lerwick. now, let's have a look at the forecast for saturday. you can see northerly winds across the uk. it will feel very chilly on the north sea coast here, maybe 13 in newcastle, and we are all in the teens by this stage. so, in the south, at best 18 degrees briefly in the afternoon. as we head into sunday and next week, another cold front comes across, and that sweeps across the uk and brings even stronger, colder wind from the north. in fact, if we look at the air mass, so the temperature of the atmosphere, these blues start to invade the uk. so perhaps a little bit of wintriness across the scottish hills. you can see how low the temperatures do get. in fact, 10 degrees in aberdeen into next week. barely in the mid—teens even in the south at one point. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the bank of england raises interest rates to a 14—year high of 2.5% to tackle soaring prices. it will be a good thing for me but i am very mindful of the young members of my family with big mortgages. prices are going up and their interest— prices are going up and their interest rates are just one part of it, interest rates are just one part of it. the _ interest rates are just one part of it. the cost— interest rates are just one part of it, the cost of living is going up and that— it, the cost of living is going up and that is— it, the cost of living is going up and that is a concern. health secretary therese coffey sets out her plan for the nhs in england but warns waiting times will rise before they fall following the pandemic. most of the time patients have a great experience but we must not paper over the problem is that we

face. we expect backlogs to rise before they fall. a teenager stabbed to death outside a school in huddersfield is named locally as khayri mclean. he was 15. five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are released in a prisoner exchange. ministers lift their ban on fracking in england in a bid to increase energy production — but critics are warning about environmental damage and a risk of earthquakes. and what's birmingham's pitch to be the host of next year's eurovision song contest? good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. interest rates have been raised to 2.25% — the highest level since 2008.

it's the seventh consecutive time that they've been increased by the bank of england, in an attempt to curb soaring prices. the rate has gone up from 1.75%. the bank of england hopes it will help bring down inflation — which is the pace at which prices rise. inflation is currently at its highest level for nearly 40 years. the bank also forecast that the economy is already in recession. here's our economics correspondent andrew verity. it's been announced in the last hour that the chancellor will reverse the rise in national insurance. in st albans in hertfordshire, house prices have long been out of reach for most young people growing up here, even when lenders were offering the cheapest mortgage rates ever seen. now, after the bank of england raised interest rates by half a percentage point to their highest in 14 years, mortgage borrowers no longer have access to cheaper loans,

and repayments can only be expected to rise. i thought when i renewed i'd be able to drop it by 100 quid or drop the years, but now it looks like i will be paying more for the exact same years. i luckily booked a fixed term mortgage, so it doesn't affect me too much, but a couple of months ago i was more worried. at this local mortgage broker, the best fixed deals used to be as low as 1.2% — now you would be lucky to get 3.6%. so anxious that existing borrowers to fix their interest rates before they go up again that lenders offering the cheapest rates cannot cope with demand. 0ne lender's service levels went up to 40 working days to get an offer out. now, to get a mortgage offer out is normally 10—15 working days. rates are changing on a daily basis, lenders are pulling products on a daily basis. if you give a rate today, you don't know if it will be gone tomorrow. now, with the bank of england saying we have been in recession for the last five months, businesses are trying to protect themselves from further interest rate rises. this farm in chester invested £5 million seven years ago to turn

itself into a visitor attraction for kids, making and selling its own ice cream. because it fixed its interest rate on the money it borrowed, it is safe from further rises, at least for now. if i'm honest, it was more luck than judgment that we got a broker who advised us to move when we did last november, and we are fixed, we have a couple of years' grace. if we were not, the increases that people are experiencing now, well, the business just wouldn't work, to be blunt. after seven rises in official interest rates in a row, we now have the highest rates we have had since november 2008, and interest rates on savings accounts are higher than they have been for most of the past decade and a half. but because inflation is so high, it still means that the real value of those savings is falling. after today's rise in interest rates, in the city of london, the bank of england is now expected to continue to raise them to nearly 5% by next august, more

than double their current level. a short time ago i spoke to andy and started by asking what the effect the interest rate rise would have on people with mortgages. already you see the new deals on offer were much higher than a year ago, so you only have a minority of households, less than 10% on variable rate mortgages, and they will see their rates go up by about £30 on a tracker. but most houses have fixed rate mortgages if they have them at all. 0nly only about one third of households have mortgages. for those on fixed it is still a worry because when you come to the end of your fixed rate term, the new rate is going to be a lot higher than the old one.

there is concern for all households and questions about what you can do about it. if you are fixed for the next five years you are ok, but if you are only fixed for the next couple of years you could be better to pay a redemption charge. how quickly might we see the interest rate rise affecting inflation? there are so many factors driving it. it will take a long time. what will affect inflation more in the short term is the government measures to help with energy bills. they will bring down the headline rate but they are expected to cost more than £100 billion. we will find out more precisely tomorrow. when you add that to all the spending going on in the economy it can only mean it adds to inflationary pressure, which is recognised by the bank of england monetary policy committee. it said it was adding to inflationary pressure, which is part of the reason they expect rates to get up to nearly 5%. in terms of saying we are in recession, what does that mean? we should be clear, it means economic activity receding, all the buying and selling, goods and service, you produce less.

part of the reason that has happened is actually royal holidays, a jubilee in the second quarter and the period of mourning and the day off in this quarter. that is likely to have reduced economic activity. but it is not as serious as it looked a few weeks ago when the emergency measures came out. the bank of england said all through next year we would be in recession but they say it is milder now. but now we have stagflation. the bank of england says although 9.9%, dipped down from the last time, is likely to go back into double digits and stay there for months, it won't really come down until next year. we have heard from the rmt, the railway union, that railway workers

will hold another strike on october the 8th in their ongoing dispute overjobs, pay and working conditions. 0ver40,000 overjobs, pay and working conditions. over 40,000 members from network rail and other operatives will take to the picket line. the general secretary says it is encouraging that the new transport secretary had met the union will stop in a statement the union said they welcome the more positive approach from the government but no new offer has been tabled so they have no choice but to continue with strike action. they say they will continue to negotiate in good faith but employers and government need to understand the industrial campaign will continue for as long as it takes. another date announced for rail strikes, a the eighth. the health secretary, therese coffey, has set out plans to improve access to the nhs and social care in england. the measures include recruiting more doctors and dentists, reducing ambulance handover delays and freeing up more hospital beds. there will also be a focus on educating people to live healthier lives.

our health correspondent jim reed reports. from gp appointments, to ambulances, to busy hospital wards — the nhs is under pressure and waiting lists are growing. they were amazing, on the ward, they were amazing. gareth is now in hospital getting treatment for leukaemia so we're speaking to him online. how have you been feeling? well, my treatment should have started last week but there was 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 we'd been waiting an hour and we've not heard nothing, and then by the time it come to it it was like, we've been here ten hours, what's going on? and all they kept replying with was, we're short of doctors, we're waiting on doctors. the a&e was horrible, it was a horrible experience. the same pressures can be seen across england.

here in essex... by the time i go home in the morning at eight o'clock, some of you will still be waiting for a doctor. ..and this sign in bolton warns of 40—hour waits for a medical bed. today, the new health secretary has set out her plan to make things better. we will need a true national endeavour, supported by making it easier for clinical professionals to return to help the nhs. to prevent some doctors having to retire early, there will be a push to reduce delayed discharges when patients get stuck in hospital because there is no care place for them, and more support for those hospital trusts which are responsible for the longest ambulance delays. our analysis shows that 45% of the delays are occurring in just 15 hospital trusts. that is why the local nhs will be doing intensive work with those

trusts to create more capacity in hospitals. shadow secretary of. state, wes streeting. labour, though, said the policy would have a minimal impact ahead of the busy winter period. if there were any evidence needed that this is a government and a party that is out of ideas, out of time and out of a clue as to the scale of the challenge facing our country, it is this statement. all this is important to patients like rachel, on record waiting lists. she needs surgery for endometriosis but has been told it could take up to a year. you've got to wait to feel better, you've got to wait to be out of pain, and i'm just pleading with the government to just do something because i can't live like this. waiting lists are a problem, notjust in england but across the whole uk. how the health service in each

nation responds can make a difference to millions. jim reed, bbc news. joining me now is dr yasmin razak who is a clinical director of neo health and a gp in west london. what did you make of what the government has announced? figs what did you make of what the government has announced? $5 a what did you make of what the government has announced? as a gp on the iround government has announced? as a gp on the ground doing — government has announced? as a gp on the ground doing 12 _ government has announced? as a gp on the ground doing 12 hour _ government has announced? as a gp on the ground doing 12 hour days _ government has announced? as a gp on the ground doing 12 hour days six - the ground doing 12 hour days six days a week, it is the biggest priority to focus on the nhs. it is clearly not working at the moment and i think at least they are focusing on the first area as well as the other crises we are facing. from a gp perspective, we know targets can be more damaging. most patients are seen within two weeks, the majority especially since the pandemic, we have almost returned to same—day access. in cases where it takes longer, that is not good and we have to improve, but we have to think about what we have learned from high targets in the past that haven't worked. we saw deaths come about because targets were too

focused and unfortunately the outcome was worse, an increased rate of death. focusing on rapid access over continuity can prove a risk and i think providing rapid access all the time, we might be full of minor self—limiting ailments and not looking at other things. i think post—pandemic we have to free up time for outreach to more vulnerable patients who we don't want to be left behind by targets. it is not one size fits all. what doctors might be thinking, definitely they will value the changes to pensions, although many will be awaiting details on that. we have to think about why doctors are leaving and if

—— leaving f pay and conditions are so good. we are losing one doctor to suicide every three weeks. and one nurse every two weeks. this is a real crisis. doctors and nurses in every profession in the nhs have given all of themselves during the pandemic. given all of themselves during the iandemic. ., ., ., , pandemic. from what i have seen, these aren't _ pandemic. from what i have seen, these aren't even _ pandemic. from what i have seen, these aren't even targets - pandemic. from what i have seen, these aren't even targets on i pandemic. from what i have seen, | these aren't even targets on delays and waiting time, they are just expectations. the government is saying that patients should see other staff, saying that patients should see otherstaff, pharmacists saying that patients should see other staff, pharmacists and nurses, gp assistants, isn't there a danger that people who are not qualified as doctors could miss something that turns out to be serious? we have heard about non—early diagnosis of

cancer this week. heard about non-early diagnosis of cancer this week.— heard about non-early diagnosis of cancer this week. going back to what has changed — cancer this week. going back to what has changed in _ cancer this week. going back to what has changed in the _ cancer this week. going back to what has changed in the pandemic, i cancer this week. going back to what has changed in the pandemic, there i has changed in the pandemic, there are a lot more roles in the nhs now. a wide variety of professionals localised to population health and need. in my practice i have a physio and i know he is ten times better than we at diagnosing back pain or a knee problem and my patients would go to him. i think we probably have to realise what we have and pharmacy first is something we should be mindful of. pharmacists are highly trained and highly qualified professionals. and they are qualified to provide medical advice and signpost to a gp or elsewhere if they feel there is something they cannot deal with. that works very well. i would say going to a pharmacy before you pick up the phone to the doctor is not going to

harm you or the pharmacy or the system, it mightjust take a bit of pressure off. i understand that people worry and i think it goes back to continuity. people want to speak to someone the trust and getting to know new staff when they come in, people should find out what new stuff they have at their local practice because they are brilliant. the secretary general of the un is speaking. let's listen in. desperately needed food supplies for the people of afghanistan, the horn of africa and yemen. since the signing of the black sea green initiative, globalfood prices have dropped sharply although they are still almost 8% higher than one year ago. it is vital that food shipments

continue so that commodity markets are further stimulators. the un has an understanding with the russian federation of the full access of russian food and fertiliser products including ammonia to global markets. we are doing everything possible to facilitate this and to ease the serious fertiliser market crunch affecting farming already in africa and elsewhere. if the fertiliser market is not stabilised, next year could bring a food supply crisis. simply put, the world may run out of food. it is essential that all states remove every remaining obstacle to the export of russian fertilisers immediately. they have to get them to farmers at a reasonable cost and on to the fields as soon as possible. another concern is the impact of high gas prices on fertilisers and this must also be addressed without delay.

we will leave this as he repeats the statement in french. there is a focus on the global effects of the war in ukraine at the un and we are keeping across those events for you. the headlines. the bank of england raises interest rates to 14 year high of 2.25% to tackle soaring prices. the health secretary sets out her plan for the nhs in england but warns that waiting times will rise before they fall. a teenager stabbed to death outside a school in the huggers named locally as khayri mclean. he was 15.

a 16—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, after a 15—year—old boy was stabbed to death outside a school in huddersfield yesterday. 0ur north of england correspondent danny savage is at the scene. what we know now is it was just before 3pm yesterday when that 15—year—old pupil from the north huddersfield trust school, just across the road from me, was crossing the road here, where you can see the police tape still cordoning off parts of the road, and where you can see people have been leaving flowers. he was attacked, we understand, by another youth, and stabbed repeatedly. he was then given immediate treatment from teaching staff who were on duty nearby. they tried to give resuscitation and other treatment at the scene before paramedics arrived. the young man, the 15—year—old, was then taken to hospital but then died a short while later of his injuries. this has now become a murder scene, effectively, with the investigation is under way.

police have since made an arrest very early this morning not too far from here. a 16—year—old was arrested on suspicion of murder. and since then we have seen people coming and going all morning and into the afternoon, leaving flowers here, talking about the young man who they knew. but this was a really shocking event, especially because it was outside a school, he was a schoolboy who had just left school, it happened in front of lots of other children, they all witnessed very traumatic scenes late yesterday afternoon here, and now there is a murder inquiry under way to find what happened and why it happened. the ban on fracking — to mine oil and gas from shale rock — is to be lifted in england, the government has confirmed. the business secretary jacob rees—mogg said the move would help to strengthen the country's energy security following russia's invasion of ukraine. fracking was suspended in 2019, amid concerns it could trigger earthquakes.

it is more environmentally friendly to use our own sources of fuel rather than to extract them from other countries and transport them here at great cost, both financially and in terms of carbon. it is something, therefore, that we need to revisit and we need to revisit the seismic limits to ensure that shale gas extraction can be done in an effective and efficient way. mr speaker, this is obviously a case of the dog ate my homework, and hardly surprising. let's start by taking his excuse for lifting the fracking ban, mr speaker, that it will make a difference to the energy bills crisis — it won't — because gas is sold on the international market. the current chancellor said so in february of this year and i quote, "no amount of shale gas would be enough to lower the european price of gas." even, mr speaker, the founder of cuadrilla, said the secretary of state is wrong in an article published yesterday. so first, why doesn't he admit

the truth that anyone who knows anything about this subject says his claim that fracking will cut bills is nonsense? next, let's come to safety. the 2019 manifesto on which he and every member of the party opposite stood said this, mr speaker — "we will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely. " they are lifting the ban, but they can't supply the evidence. and the british geological survey published today certainly doesn't do it. so in the absence of the evidence, his approach is to change the safety limits. he says in his written statement laid before this house, "tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest." i look forward to him and his colleagues explaining his charter for earthquakes to the people of lancashire, yorkshire, the midlands, sussex, dorset and indeed somerset, who will be part of his

dangerous experiment. let me tell the party opposite, we will hang this broken promise around their necks in every part of the country between now and the next general election. the conservative manifesto also said, "having listened to local communities, we have ruled out changes to the planning system." does he stand by that promise and how will he abide by the prime minister's commitment to local consent? the truth is he doesn't get this — that you can't escape a fossil fuels crisis by doubling down on fossil fuels. renewables are today nine times cheaper than gas. the only way to cut energy bills and have energy security is with zero—carbon, home—grown power, including on—shore wind and solar, which his wing of the conservative party hate and he continues to block. for communities in every part of our country, today shows they can never trust a word this government says again. and he has shown he is willing to break his promises to support dangerous, fringe ideas that put the interests of fossil fuel companies above that

of the british people. the prince and princess of wales have met volunteers and operational staff to thank them for their work on the queen's committal service at windsor castle. william and kate arrived at windsor guildhall for their first royal engagement since the late monarch's funeral. the pair passed on their appreciation to volunteers and staff who worked on the service at st george's chapel on monday afternoon. five british men who were captured by russian backed forces in ukraine have arrived back in the uk. aiden aslin, shaun pinner, john harding and andrew hill had been fighting with ukranian armed forces when they were detained. another man, dylan healy, had been providing humanitarian assistance. they were released last night as part of a prisoner exchange between russia and ukraine. emma vardy has this report. we just wanted everyone to know that we are now out of the danger zone, we're on our way home to ourfamilies.

their ordeal finally coming to an end. thanks to everyone that's been supporting us, it's really appreciated. aiden aslin and shaun pinner had been held by russian backed forces since they were captured in april. they'd both moved to ukraine four years ago and joined the ukrainian armed forces. they'd 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. last night, the saudi government confirmed it had been involved in negotiations to secure their freedom and release pictures of them arriving in riyadh. this morning, the men were flown back to the uk and reunited with family and friends. 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's 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 could 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's not yet clear exactly how their release was achieved and what treatment they endured while being held prisoner. emma vardy, bbc news. the partner of aiden, one of the british men who were sentenced to death and released in the prisoner swap

with russians, has posted a selfie of the pair on facebook. diana 0kovyta, aiden's partner writes: he promised to come back and he did. i sincerely wish to wait for everyone who is waiting. don't lose hope, miracles happen to those who believe in them. so grateful to everyone who brought our defenders home and thanks to whom this miracle was possible. glory to ukraine! let's bring you the latest on the economic front. it has been announced in last hour or so that the chancellor will reverse the national insurance rise that was due to coming early november. let's get more on this. to coming early november. let's get more on this-— to coming early november. let's get more on this. what do we know? we know they will _ more on this. what do we know? we know they will announce _ more on this. what do we know? we know they will announce the - more on this. what do we know? wei know they will announce the national insurance row, something liz truss promised —— insurance rise. there are no official 0br forecasts going with it to cost it, is not being

announced first to the house of commons, a very unusual way to announce it. the government says it will be worth an extra £330 per year on average to 28 million families, and will be scrapped from november, the average household saving around £135. we have been expecting it so it is not much of a surprise in terms of what it is doing but what is unusual is to have this sort of announcement outside of a budget or even a fiscal event, and what the government is doing is saying they are going to reverse the national insurance to help stimulate the economy but there are questions about whether it is the best targeted way to do it. if you give a cut in national insurance, you give it to a lot of people who don't really need and there is a question on whether they will save it or spend. on whether they will save it or send. ., , ., on whether they will save it or send. ., ., on whether they will save it or send. ., i. ., ., spend. the more you earn, the more ou spend. the more you earn, the more you benefit? — spend. the more you earn, the more you benefit? because _ spend. the more you earn, the more you benefit? because it— spend. the more you earn, the more you benefit? because it is— spend. the more you earn, the more you benefit? because it is national. you benefit? because it is national insurance, that _ you benefit? because it is national insurance, that is _ you benefit? because it is national insurance, that is correct. - you benefit? because it is national insurance, that is correct. 1.2596 i you benefit? because it is national

insurance, that is correct. 1.2596 ofi insurance, that is correct. 1.25% of whatever you are in is what you will get back, so the more you earn, the more you benefit. there is a ceiling on national insurance so it is limited but it will not be the poorest to benefit not least because there is a threshold for paying national insurance, £12,500, which they are keeping. those who pay less than that will not be helped by this. but the government says by stopping the health and social care levy they were going to introduce next year, this will save families around £13 billion per year, but those £13 billion that the government will not have, and if you ask them where they will find it, the answer at the bottom of the press release says it will come from general taxation, which is ok if general taxation, which is ok if general taxation, which is ok if general taxation is growing but if the economy is flatlining... there recession has been announced. there is no spare £13 billion hanging around down the back of anyone's a sofa. �* , ., ~

around down the back of anyone's a sofa. �* , ., i ., sofa. let's get the weather. we have some rain in — sofa. let's get the weather. we have some rain in the forecast _ sofa. let's get the weather. we have some rain in the forecast today. i colder weather on the way in the days ahead, and this indeed is also a cold front which is crossing the country right now. behind it, it's feeling very fresh in the afternoon, 15 in aberdeen, still a bit of warmth left in the south, around 20 or so in london and norwich. so this is what it looks like through this evening. the cold front spreads further south so there will be some rain across other parts of the uk today as well. and a very fresh night, if not a cold night in the north in some rural spots, 2—3 degrees, but still relatively mild in the south. i think tomorrow will be quite cloudy at times across southern parts of england, the south—east too, rain at times, but elsewhere it's a mixture of sunshine and showers and temperatures between 13 in stornoway and just around 20 in the south.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the bank of england raises interest rates to a 14—year high of 2.25% to tackle soaring prices. health secretary therese coffey sets out her plan for the nhs in england but warns waiting times will rise before they fall following the pandemic. a teenager stabbed to death outside a school in huddersfield is named locally as khayri mclean. he was 15. five british captives who were held by russian—backed forces in ukraine are released in a prisoner exchange. ministers lift their ban on fracking in england in a bid to increase energy production, but critics are warning about environmental damage and a risk of earthquakes. sport, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. have you got me some tennis tickets

yet? i haven't. i like the fact you think i haven't. i like the fact you think i haven't. i like the fact you think i have any power to provide you with tickets! but i shall still plough on regardless. i have just got under way in karachi as england take on pakistan in their second t20 game in the seven match series, which is a build—up to the world cup in that format next year. they have chosen to bat first because they are playing three spinners come with liam dawson coming into the team. they only had three deliveries and england are two without loss. meanwhile, surrey have wrapped up their second county championship title in five years. they beat yorkshire by ten wickets at the oval, needingjust yorkshire by ten wickets at the oval, needing just 55 for victory. 0val, needing just 55 for victory. rory burns scoring the winning runs in that match. hampshire are the second—place team, having to kent, so sorry�*s 22 points have taken them clear in division one. they cannot

be reached. they will play 14 matches in the county championship, but the ecb want that reduced to ten. andrew strauss was macro plans to change the schedule have not been universally welcomed by the counties that will eventually decide if they will happen or not. the ecb's high performance review proposed dedicated windows for the hundred and the t20 blast, the last of which will also be slimmed down. the changes in the calendar have the idea of helping the cricket team, but have to be agreed by a number of county cricket sites. proposes are described as unworkable. i county cricket sites. proposes are described as unworkable.- described as unworkable. i would we described as unworkable. i would uri e them described as unworkable. i would urge them to _ described as unworkable. i would urge them to see _ described as unworkable. i would urge them to see the _ described as unworkable. i would urge them to see the advantagesi described as unworkable. i would i urge them to see the advantages in this. you can always look at elements and say, i don't like that piece of it. taken together, this provides a really compelling opportunity for players. there is

less cricket, more opportunity to rest and practice, but also to play high—quality in blocks. also, it is up high—quality in blocks. also, it is up to the counties to take that to their members and vote on it. i hope it is compelling. as a package of 17 recommendations, if we all buy into it and are all determined to execute on those recommendations. incidents were at the highest _ on those recommendations. incidents were at the highest level _ on those recommendations. incidents were at the highest level in _ were at the highest level in football matches for a0. -- for eight years. there have been high—profile invasions of pictures, including one who taunted the aston villa goalkeeper. they received a four year banning order. yesterday at a premier league shareholders meeting, it was announced there would be a minimum

length bad for supporters who took part in criminal behaviour. including those carrying pyrotechnics or smoke bombs, or entering the pitch without permission, they would receive a club band with a minimum term of one year. we saw that the football banning orders were extended last year to cover things like online hate crime. we have seen a strong reaction from the home office and police. the ministerfor reaction from the home office and police. the minister for the reaction from the home office and police. the ministerfor the home office said it was unacceptable that office said it was unacceptable that football was being tarnished by what he called a minority of selfish troublemakers was top man united have revealed the highest wage bill in premier league history in their latest accounts, which also show a net loss of £115 million, despite an increase in revenue.— increase in revenue. they bought their likes of _ increase in revenue. they bought their likes of cristiano _ increase in revenue. they bought their likes of cristiano ronaldo i increase in revenue. they bought i their likes of cristiano ronaldo and jadon sancho. the team finished sixth in the premier league last season. the net debt also went up by

almost £100 million to more than half a billion. they say the results reflect a recovery from the pandemic as well as a strengthening of the first—team squad. wister�*s premiership game against newcastle on saturday will go ahead after the rfu said the club have given them assurances that they can safely host the game. the club are in deep financial trouble with many nonplaying staff only receiving six to 5% of their august salaries. 0thers to 5% of their august salaries. others have not been paid at all. they met their deadline today to prove they could stage the game on saturday, but they have another on monday to provide a funding plan for the future. roger federer�*s final match will be alongside his great rival and friend, rafael nadal, after it was confirmed they will team up in the doubles at the cup tomorrow night. he has been granted his wish of partnering the spaniard. he will do for team europe against team world

at the 02 for team europe against team world at the o2 arena. rafael nadal says it be emotional teaming up together. tomorrow will be a special thing. it will be _ tomorrow will be a special thing. it will be a _ tomorrow will be a special thing. it will be a difficult one. it will be difficult — will be a difficult one. it will be difficult to handle everything, especially for roger. 0ne difficult to handle everything, especially for roger. one of the most _ especially for roger. one of the most important players in my tennis career~ _ most important players in my tennis career~ he _ most important players in my tennis career~ he is— most important players in my tennis career. he is leaving, and i have been _ career. he is leaving, and i have been a _ career. he is leaving, and i have been a friendly rival. it is not been — been a friendly rival. it is not been easy— been a friendly rival. it is not been easy because we are playing for such an _ been easy because we are playing for such an important thing throughout our tennis— such an important thing throughout our tennis careers, but at the same time _ our tennis careers, but at the same time we _ our tennis careers, but at the same time we are — our tennis careers, but at the same time we are able to understand that personal— time we are able to understand that personal relationships are more important — personal relationships are more important than professional things. just to— important than professional things. just to let _ important than professional things. just to let you know, a quick google of ticket prices for that match suggest that it is slightly prohibitive, even if you do want tickets was not that is all the sport one hour. thank you very much indeed. i will keep asking. thank you!

the rmc radial union has announced that rail workers will balk out on the 8th of october as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions. let's get the latest on this from katy austin. what has been announced? the this from katy austin. what has been announced? ii , this from katy austin. what has been announced? i, , , ,, this from katy austin. what has been announced?— this from katy austin. what has been announced? i, , , ~ ., announced? the latest strike date we have heard is — announced? the latest strike date we have heard is for _ announced? the latest strike date we have heard is for the _ announced? the latest strike date we have heard is for the 8th _ announced? the latest strike date we have heard is for the 8th of _ have heard is for the 8th of october, a saturday, involving more than 40,000 rail workers in a variety of roles from cleaners to train guards to signallers. they will walk out together, the latest in a wave of action we have seen over the summer. a couple of other strike date in the diary already, the next one involving the rmt is on the next one involving the rmt is on the 1st of october. the one of the eighth is the week after the other latest strike date that was announced recently. making this announcement today, the rmt said that they clench, their general secretary, had met with the new transport secretary, who recently replaced grant shap, but they said they were encouraged by the fact

that that meeting was arranged. they said no new offer has been put on the table, so strike action will continue and they have wanted could go on for as long as it takes. i5 go on for as long as it takes. is this the first time the transport secretary has met mick lynch? thea;r secretary has met mick lynch? they ke it callini secretary has met mick lynch? they kept calling for— secretary has met mick lynch? they kept calling for a _ secretary has met mick lynch? i“ie: kept calling for a meeting between themselves and the transport secretary at the chancellor, but they kept maintaining it was for the unions and the employers, the rail industry, to work the dispute out between them in formal negotiations, which isn't the place of transport secretaries or any other ministers to get involved in. broadly, what are the rmt asking for? they say the dispute is about pay and working conditions and aboutjob security. those 40,000 workers work for train companies themselves, so the companies that run the actual trains, and for network rail the body that runs and maintains the

infrastructure. at the moment, it is a fairly complicated dispute, but one of the issues is with the network rail side of things, over whether they will be a guarantee of compulsory redundancies, for example. there are different things going on in that dispute, but in terms of pay, they say that pain is to go up in line with inflation or to go up in line with inflation or to help cope with the rising cost of living that we are seeing. they say that so far there has been nothing on the table to go anywhere near addressing those rising cost pressures on members. a mother of five with an acute dairy allergy died after eating a vegan wrap that was contaminated with traces of milk, an inquest has found. celia marsh suffered anaphylaxis shortly after eating the wrap bought

from pret a manger store in bath in 2017. the nearly five years since this family was left in mourning after a post—christmas shopping trip ended in tragedy. celia marsh had a severe allergy to dairy. she died after eating what she thought was a dairy—free wrap. today, husband andy and his daughters welcomed the coroner's findings. mum's death, like so many other allergy deaths, was entirely avoidable. we need better testing, better labelling and better health care to prevent other families having to carry the grief that we will always hold. enough is enough. thank you. this was the kind of sandwich containing yoghurt that celia marsh ate in december 2017. she bought it from this pret store in bath. the inquest heard that, after eating the sandwich, celia marsh struggled to breathe. she collapsed, her husband called for an ambulance. passers—by with medical training stopped to help. when the family arrived at the hospital behind

the ambulance, they got the shocking news that celia marsh had died. the court heard that the yoghurt in the wrap contained an ingredient called hg1, and this was contaminated with milk protein during its manufacture. the coroner said that the company who supplied the yoghurt had documents about the risk of dairy contamination, but this risk was not passed on to customers. the yoghurt maker, planet coconut, said they bought the hg1 ingredient from another company, and they say they were given assurances that it was made in a dairy—free production environment. in a statement, pret a mangersaid... celia marsh died the year after natasha ednan—laperouse, who died after eating a pret a manger baguette containing sesame seeds. the teenager's death sparked new laws on food labelling. today, the marsh family welcomed the coroner's call for more changes,

including compulsory testing on products claiming to be dairy— or allergen—free. jenny kumah, bbc news. let's get more now on the bank of england raising the interest rate to 2.25%. we asked for your question super to personal finance correspondence. i certainly cannot answer these questions! let us start with one from gordon barclay in scotland, who says, this is shocking. people are already stretched to the limit because of the cost of essentials. how do banks think that by raising interest rates, this will slow down inflation?— rates, this will slow down inflation? , i, ,._ inflation? the first thing to say, it has been _ inflation? the first thing to say, it has been quite _ inflation? the first thing to say, it has been quite difficult i inflation? the first thing to say, it has been quite difficult to i inflation? the first thing to say, i it has been quite difficult to keep up it has been quite difficult to keep up with all of these announcements going on on tax, on rates and so

one. even on your energy bills. so this is particular to interest rates, the bank of�*s decision today. gordon's point, how will it slow things down? this is a long—standing theory, basically, that if you raise rates, then it discourages people from borrowing and spending, and encourages them to save. the idea being that there then takes the heat from those price rises. prices rising at a rate not seen for 40 years, so it is trying to dampen that demand, if you like. there is a delicate balancing act here, of course, which is the others of the coin. they want to do not so much that it stops any kind of economic growth and just leaves us in a real recession. brute growth and 'ust leaves us in a real recession. ~ ii growth and 'ust leaves us in a real recession. i ii ., ., , growth and 'ust leaves us in a real recession. i ii ii i, , , i, recession. we have already been told we are in recession! _ recession. we have already been told we are in recession! exactly. - recession. we have already been told we are in recession! exactly. so i we are in recession! exactly. so what they _ we are in recession! exactly. so what they are — we are in recession! exactly. so what they are trying _ we are in recession! exactly. so

what they are trying to - we are in recession! exactly. so what they are trying to do is i we are in recession! exactly. so i what they are trying to do is doing up what they are trying to do is doing up to take the heat out of the price rises while making sure that we are not in a recession for a long time. on the flip side, we have the 0n the flip side, we have the government saying, for example, with national insurance, here is more money in your pocket to help you through this cost of living situation. so that is the theory. there are quite a few forces at play here. i, ii , there are quite a few forces at play here. i, i, , i, , i, there are quite a few forces at play here. ,, i, , i, , i, i, here. similarly, a question from mand , here. similarly, a question from mandy. who _ here. similarly, a question from mandy, who says _ here. similarly, a question from mandy, who says that _ here. similarly, a question from mandy, who says that interest i here. similarly, a question from i mandy, who says that interest rates on mortgages are too high, people will lose their homes. it won't help inflation. we cannot afford the rise at all. what we do, lose our home? clearly, the real focus after an interest—rate rise is on mortgages. someone on a standard variable rate or a tracker rate will see an immediate rise in their monthly repayments. i will give you some numbers on that. for a typical tracker mortgage, you will now be

paying £49 more per month than a day orso paying £49 more per month than a day or so ago. since we... remember, paying £49 more per month than a day orso ago. since we... remember, we have had seven rate rises in a row now, so if we go back to last december, that is a £216 per month more that you are paying on a typical tracker mortgage. 0n more that you are paying on a typical tracker mortgage. on a standard variable, it is about 106 to £3 more per month. those are people whose mortgages move on a regular basis. for people, the majority of homeowners, who are on fixed rates, that is when they come to remortgage. they will be looking at these rates. you will probably be looking at 2% higher when it comes to remortgaging. that is a significant about more that people will have to pay on what is their biggest debt that they will ever take on. remember, not everybody has

a mortgage, of course. about a third of people with mortgages. we have another third who are renting the home or another third who have paid it off or never had one.— it off or never had one. another iuestion it off or never had one. another question from _ it off or never had one. another question from llewellyn - it off or never had one. another question from llewellyn who i it off or never had one. another i question from llewellyn who says, this could be positive for youngsters as we don't have mortgages and loans. the interest rates will hopefully lower some costs, especially the weekly food shops. prices seem so erratic and inconsistent. hopefully we will start to see some consistency. the current economic state is scary for me as a 20—year—old, as i dare to dream. the problem is that interest rates are predicted to go up to 5%, we don't know whether inflation will come down within the next year, that is the hope and the production. but there are so many forces at play

here, it is difficult to work out individually how you will be affected. ~ ii individually how you will be affected. i ii i, i, ~ affected. what we had from the bank of en i land affected. what we had from the bank of england is — affected. what we had from the bank of england is they — affected. what we had from the bank of england is they think _ affected. what we had from the bank of england is they think that - of england is they think that inflation, the rate at which prices are rising, will peak at about 11%. that is some good news, that we can almost see a peak coming there. what is important to reiterate, doesn't mean prices wilful. they will still be rising, but at slower rate than now. eventually. that is the hope, that they want to see these prices getting more under control. that is the thinking of the bank of england as well. remember, with rates, it often takes a long time for those who feed through to have an impact. the banks don't have to pass on the interest rates to savers, and they haven't done fully, have they? why not? i, ii haven't done fully, have they? why not? ,,., , i, haven't done fully, have they? why

not? , i, i, i, , not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i — not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i said, _ not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i said, it _ not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i said, it is _ not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i said, it is a _ not? saving is not matter how muddy times have i said, it is a tough i times have i said, it is a tough times have i said, it is a tough time for savers. we have had years now are very low rates, which have meant good news for mortgage borrowers, bad news for savers. the good news for savers now is they might be seeing more competition, slightly better returns on their savings, but that part of savings they have is just not going as far because prices are rising so much. the real value of that part is falling. that will clearly be tough for savers going on. if you are a 20—year—old, the likelihood of having a big savings pot is pretty slim. but, remember, many want to be building up those savings are noted to dry and buy their first home. building up those savings are noted to dry and buy theirfirst home. filth. to dry and buy their first home. 0h, dean to dry and buy their first home. oh, dear- more — to dry and buy their first home. oh, dear- more on _ to dry and buy their first home. oh, dear. more on this in the next 44 hours with the enactments from the government tomorrow. thank you. the headlines.

interest rates rise to weight 14 year high of 2.25% to tackle soaring prices. health secretary set out her plan for the nhs, but once that waiting list will rise before they fall. a teenager stabbed to death in huddersfield is named as khayri mclean. he was 15. we have been hearing that russian men have been leaving the country through various routes were stops some have been trying to get through the border to georgia. two people who crossed told bbc that a queue of five kilometres has built up on the russian side. this is to avoid the mobilisation that has been announced by the government there. we were sent this update. behind me is the border crossing between georgia and russia. there is a slow

trickle of cars that are entering georgia. that is extraordinary, given what is happening on the others. there is a telegram channel created specifically dedicated to these border crossings, with tens of thousands of subscribers. they have been posting videos showing long queues on the other site. people we have spoken to, many of them are young men, saying that they decided to leave russia following vladimir putin's call for partial mobilisation. many of them look tired, they had to wait for up to 11 hours to cross the. they said there was no time for them to pack, they just grab their passports and left the country. they feel relieved to be here in safety. the new york attorney general has announced that she is suing former us 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 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 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. let's cross to new york, because the secretary of state has just begun

speaking. secretary of state has 'ust begun sieakini. i ii speaking. president putin picked this week, speaking. president putin picked this week. as — speaking. president putin picked this week, as most _ speaking. president putin picked this week, as most of— speaking. president putin picked this week, as most of the - speaking. president putin picked this week, as most of the world | this week, as most of the world gathers at the united nations, to add fuel to the fire that he started. it shows his contempt for the un charter, for the general assembly, and for this council. the very international order that we have gathered here to uphold is being traded before our eyes. we cannot, we will not allow president putin to get away with it. defending ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is about more than standing up for one nation's right to choose a zone path, fundamental as that right is. it is also about protecting international order where no nation can redraw the borders of another by force. if we fail to defend his principal, when the kremlin is so flagrantly violating it, we send a message to aggressors everywhere that they can ignore it as well. we put every country at risk. we open the door to

a less secure, less peaceful world. we see what that word looks like in the parts of ukraine controlled by russian forces. wherever the russian tide recedes, rediscover the horror thatis tide recedes, rediscover the horror that is left in its wake. i had a window into that horror myself when i travelled there a few weeks ago, to meet with ukrainian investigators compiling evidence of war crimes committed there. i saw up close the gaping holes left in residential buildings by russian shelling, indiscriminate at best, intentional at worst. as we assemble here, ukrainian and international investigators continue to examine bodies in an area controlled by russia for six months before they were given out by a ukrainian counteroffensive. 0ne site contained 440 unmarked graves. a number of

bodies there purportedly shown signs of torture, include broken arms and a rope around his neck. survivor accounts are also emerging, including a man who described being butchered by russian forces for a dozen days, during which he was repeatedly electrocuted and in his words, eat me to the point where i did not feel anything. words, eat me to the point where i did not feelanything. —— words, eat me to the point where i did not feel anything. —— beat me to the point. these are not the act of rogue units. they cut a clear pattern across the areas controlled by russian forces. this is one of the many reasons we support a range of national and international efforts to collect and examine the mounting evidence of war crimes in ukraine. we must hold the perpetrators accountable for these crimes. it is also one of the reasons why more than 40 nations have come together to help ukrainian people defend themselves, right enshrined in article 51 of the united nations charter. the more

setbacks russian forces endure on the battlefield, the greater the pain they are inflicting on ukrainian civilians. russian attacks on dams, power stations, ukrainian civilians. russian attacks on dams, powerstations, hospitals, other civilian infrastructure are increasing, constituting a violation of haematuria. this week, president putin said that russia would not hesitate to use all weapon systems available in response to a threat to its territorial integrity. a threat which is all the more menacing given russia pot intentions to annex swathes of ukraine in the days ahead. reconnect spec present putin will claim any ukrainian effort to liberate this land as an attack on so—called russian territory. this from a country that, injanuary of this year, in this place, joined other permanent members of the

security council in signing a statement affirming that nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought. yet another example of how russia violates the commitments it has made before this body, and yet another reason why nobody should take russia at its word today. every councilmember should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately. russia's attempts to annex ukrainian territory is another dangerous action. it is also alarming when coupled with the infiltration operation that russian forces have been carrying out across parts of ukraine that they control. this is a diabolical strategy, violently uprooting thousands of ukrainians, bussing in russians to replace them,

holding a vote to support annexation. it is imperative that every memo of this council and every member of the united nations reject the sham referendum and declare that all ukrainian territory is and will remain part of ukraine. and no russian time to annex territory can take away ukraine's right to defend its own land. putin's invasion is also distracting this council. in fact, the entire un system, from working on the serious issues that we all want to focus on. like preventing a climate catastrophe. aiding people on the brink of famine, fulfilling the 2030 agenda for sustainable development for shoring up our interconnected health security. all issues that make a tangible difference in the lives of

citizens that we are to represent. and that they are looking to us to deliver on. place all the overwhelming majority of un member states are committed to working on these issues and our action show that, yet while more than 100 countries have signed onto a road map to provide food aid to those who need it and partners across africa, asia is of the americas and europe are working together to improve the resilience of global food systems, russia four months locked the export of grain to the world until the united nations and turkey secured a deal to let the grain go. and russia —— and russia continues to bomb silos, raising the cost of food for people everywhere. and while governments around the world are teaming up with international organisations with the private sector, with philanthropies to end this pandemic and make sure we are better prepared for the next

one, russia is spreading misinformation and disinformation about who approved vaccines, fuelling vaccine hesitancy that puts people in all our country is at greater risk. here is the reality. none of us chose this war. not the ukrainians. who knew the crushing toll it would take. not the united states, which warned that it was coming and worked to prevent it. not the vast majority of countries at the vast majority of countries at the united nations. and now the did our people. 0ther the united nations. and now the did our people. other people virtually every un member state who are feeling the worst consequences in greater food feeling the worst consequences in greaterfood insecurity feeling the worst consequences in greater food insecurity and feeling the worst consequences in greaterfood insecurity and energy prices. nor did the russian mothers and fathers whose children are being sent off to fight and die in this war, orthe sent off to fight and die in this war, or the russian citizens who continue to risk their freedom to protest against it, including those who came out into the streets of

moscow after president putin announced his mobilisation to chant, let our children live. indeed, it must be asked, how has this aggression against ukraine by president putin improved the lives or prospects of a single russian citizen? 0ne or prospects of a single russian citizen? one man chose this war, one man can end it. because if russia stops fighting of the war ends. if ukraine stops fighting, ukraine ends. that is why we will continue to support ukraine as it defends itself and strengthen its hand to achieve a diplomatic solution on just terms at the negotiating table. as president zelensky has said repeatedly, diplomacy is the only way to end this war. but diplomacy cannot and must not be used as a cudgel to impose on ukraine a settlement that cuts against the un charter or rewards russia for violating it. president putin is

making his choice. now it is up to all of our countries to make ours. tell president putin to stop the horror that he started. tell him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people. tell him to stop debasing this council and everything it stands for. we, the people of the united nations, determined, that is how the preamble of the charter starts. let's not forget that we the people still get to choose the fate of this institution and our world. the stakes are clear. the choice is ours. let's make the right choice. for the world that we want and that our people so desperately deserve. thank you.

our people so desperately deserve. thank ou. �* i, , �* ~' our people so desperately deserve. thank ou. �* i, , �* ~ ii thank you. anthony blinken, the us secretary of — thank you. anthony blinken, the us secretary of state, _ thank you. anthony blinken, the us secretary of state, saying _ thank you. anthony blinken, the us secretary of state, saying the i thank you. anthony blinken, the us secretary of state, saying the us i secretary of state, saying the us will continue to support ukraine as it defends itself and wanting to strengthen its hand in an attempt to get around the diplomatic table. but of course, at the moment, we know that things are very tense. anthony blinken is due to meet his chinese counterparts tomorrow, friday. we willjust counterparts tomorrow, friday. we will just see whether we counterparts tomorrow, friday. we willjust see whether we can get a translation on this. let's just listen n. translation: , listen n. translation: i, ii translation: china's position on ukraine is consistent _ translation: china's position on ukraine is consistent and - translation: china's position on ukraine is consistent and clear. i ukraine is consistent and clear. president dennis two pointed out that the sovereignty and integrity of all countries should be respected. the purposes and principles of the un charter should

be observed. —— president xi. the reasonable security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and all efforts that could help resolve the crisis should be supported. china follows ukraine's humanitarian situation very closely and has assisted ukraine with 35 million un humanitarian supplies. this year, we have provided other developing countries with 15,000 tonnes of emergency humanitarian food assistance and contributed positively to easing the global food crisis. in response to the current situation, china would like to make the following four proposals. first, we must stick to dialogue and negotiations. the top priority is for the parties to resume dialogue without precondition. , to a dialogue without presuming the

outcome. include reasonable concerns into negotiations and put feasible options on the table —— to commit to a dialogue. so that hooks can produce results and the bringing about of peace. second, we must work together for de—escalation, the parties concerned should exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions. the international community should play a constructive role to help de—escalate and create conditions and space for political settlement. when it comes to the safety and security of nuclear facilities, there is no room for trial and error. accidents and risks must be prevented. we support the iaea in upholding a fair and objective position and playing a positive role. third, we must honestly ease the humanitarian situation. it is vital to observe

the international humanitarian law, prevent any attacks against civilians, civilian facilities and to minimise civilian casualties. vesta gay and is into violations of the international humanitarian law should be objective and fair, based on fairfax rather than an assumption of guilt and without being politicised —— investigations into violations. the international community needs to support the un humanitarian agencies in upholding neutrality and equity and continue to provide assistance to those affected in ukraine and its neighbouring countries. fourth, we must contain spill—overs. energy suppliers and consumers should work together to keep the global energy market stable. we support the secretary—general in helping facilitate the export of russian and ukrainian grains. china, on its

part, has put fourth the international food security cooperation initiative and we welcome positive response from all countries. no country should result to arbitrary unilateral sanctions still as developing countries pay the price. madame president, the security mechanism should uphold the basic principles of objectivity and impartiality on the issue of ukraine, stick to the right direction of ceasefire and peace talks and prioritise mediation towards the pursuit of settlement. we need positive energy for peace and reconciliation ante constructive and reconciliation ante constructive and responsible actions towards political the ukraine crisis is closely linked to the international situation. the more challenging the situation. the more challenging the situation is, the more important it is to stay united and to seek

cooperation. we must work in coordination to uphold un centred international systems, abide by the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the un charter, accommodate legitimate concerns of all parties, abandon power politics and prevent any form of hot war or the so—called new cold war. let's, to common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable stability, seek common ground despite differences, accommodate and understand each other and work tirelessly for restoring security in europe and peace in the world. thank you. europe and peace in the world. thank ou. ii europe and peace in the world. thank ou. i, i, " europe and peace in the world. thank ou. i, i, ~' , europe and peace in the world. thank ou. ii ii ~ , i europe and peace in the world. thank ou. ii i, ~ , i i, you. china talking very much about u-hioldin you. china talking very much about upholding the _ you. china talking very much about upholding the un _ you. china talking very much about upholding the un charter, - you. china talking very much about upholding the un charter, calling i upholding the un charter, calling for peace, saying no country should result to arbitrary unilateral sanctions. and calling for stability

in energy supplies. so an interesting statement from china. obviously, they have been a key backer of russia. but we know that there was a meeting between the two leaders, president xi and putin in the last couple of weeks and how much pressure china might be putting on russia to try to end the war in ukraine. 0f on russia to try to end the war in ukraine. of course, we don't know. but interesting to hear that statement from china and the us before that. well, of course, here we have had out a lot of news on the economic and financial front today. interest rates have been raised to 2.25% — the highest level since 2008. it's the seventh consecutive time that they've been increased by the bank of england, in an attempt to curb soaring prices. the rate has gone up from 1.75%.

the bank of england hopes it will help bring down inflation, which is the pace at which prices rise. inflation is currently at its highest level for nearly 40 years. the bank also forecast that the economy is already in recession. in a separate announcement, the government has announced it's reversing the 1.25 rise in national insurance planned for november. here's our economics correspondent, andrew verity. in st albans in hertfordshire, house prices have long been out of reach for most young people growing up here, even when lenders were offering the cheapest mortgage rates ever seen. now, after the bank of england raised interest rates by half a percentage point to their highest in 14 years, mortgage borrowers no longer have access to cheaper loans, and repayments can only be expected to rise. i thought when i renew, i'd be able to drop it by 100 quid or drop the years, but now it looks like i will be paying more for the exact same years. i've luckily booked a fixed—term mortgage, so it doesn't affect me too much, but a couple of months ago, i was more worried.

at this local mortgage broker, the best fixed—rate deals used to be as low as 1.2% — now you would be lucky to get 3.6%. so anxious are existing borrowers to fix their interest rates before they go up again that lenders offering the cheapest rates can't cope with demand. one lender's service levels went up to 40 working days to get an offer out. now, to get a mortgage offer out is normally 10—15 working days. rates are changing on a daily basis, lenders are pulling products on a daily basis. if you give a rate today, you don't know if it will be gone tomorrow. now, with the bank of england saying we have been in recession for the last five months, businesses are trying to protect themselves from further interest rate rises too. this farm in chester invested £5 million seven years ago to turn itself into a visitor attraction for kids, making and selling its own ice cream. because it fixed its interest rate on the money it borrowed,

it's safe from further rises — at least, for now. if i'm honest, it was more luck than judgment that we got a broker who advised us to move when we did last november, and we are fixed, we have a couple of years' grace. if we weren't, the increases that people are experiencing now, well, the business just wouldn't work, to be blunt. after seven rises in official interest rates in a row, we now have the highest rates we've had since november 2008, and interest rates on savings accounts are higher than they have been for most of the past decade and a half. but because inflation is so high, it still means that the real value of those savings is falling. after today's rise in interest rates, in the city of london, the bank of england is now expected to continue to raise them to nearly 5% by next august — more than double their current level. now we'll speak with jasmine birtles, a personal finance expert.

what we see in terms of people affected by this interest rate rise, who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed _ who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed out, _ who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed out, a _ who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed out, a lot _ who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed out, a lot of- who will be hit by them? is andrew verity pointed out, a lot of people | verity pointed out, a lot of people are currently on fixed—rate mortgages so, for the moment, i would say about three quarters to 80% of borrowers will not be affected. it will really hit them once they come to the end of their fixed—rate period. i have been saying to people over the last few months, fix now. and i myself have fixed. i have taken out a five year fixed. i have taken out a five year fixed mortgage because i would like to know what i am going to be paying for the next five years. so if you are on a fixed, you are all right until you come to the end of it. but those who are on track a more judicious or variable rate mortgages, this will be a substantial increase in their monthly payments —— tracker mortgages. ii monthly payments -- tracker mortgages-— monthly payments -- tracker mortiiaes. i i, , i, mortgages. if interest rates are iredicted mortgages. if interest rates are predicted to _ mortgages. if interest rates are predicted to go _ mortgages. if interest rates are predicted to go up _ mortgages. if interest rates are predicted to go up to _ mortgages. if interest rates are predicted to go up to 596, i mortgages. if interest rates are| predicted to go up to 596, should predicted to go up to 5%, should people think about coming out of

mortgages and paying the penalty and fixing now? mortgages and paying the penalty and fixini now? i , , «i mortgages and paying the penalty and fixini now? i , i ,, i, fixing now? well, yes, i think that is something _ fixing now? well, yes, i think that is something many _ fixing now? well, yes, i think that is something many people - fixing now? well, yes, i think that is something many people could l is something many people could consider. and i have been saying to people, speak to a broker, get them to crunch the numbers. as you say, you do have a penalty to pay if you come out. however, if you are going to finish within the next six months, you can actually sort out a new fixed deal now and schedule it to start in five or six months or whenever it finishes. if you have got another year to go or another few years to go and you are thinking, no, i really need to fix, then you would have probably quite a substantial penalty, so you would need i would say a mortgage broker with a good calculator to work out whether it would actually be worth switching now.— switching now. what about credit cards, switching now. what about credit cards. how _ switching now. what about credit cards. how are — switching now. what about credit cards, how are those _ switching now. what about credit cards, how are those rates i switching now. what about credit cards, how are those rates are i switching now. what about credit i cards, how are those rates are going to be affected? that cards, how are those rates are going to be affected?— to be affected? that is a good ioint. to be affected? that is a good point. credit _ to be affected? that is a good point. credit card _ to be affected? that is a good point. credit card rates i to be affected? that is a good point. credit card rates have i to be affected? that is a good i point. credit card rates have been really high. even when we had half a

percent or 0.1% bank of england base rates, the averages were 19%, more like 21, 20 2% l. so credit card borrowing is a very expensive way to borrowing is a very expensive way to borrow unless of course you manage to pay off within the 0% period. so credit cards are one of the first loans, elements of credit i usually suggest people pay off first. simply because they are so expensive. and i think right now, the only way is up with those rates. the think right now, the only way is up with those rates.— think right now, the only way is up with those rates. the government has also announced _ with those rates. the government has also announced they _ with those rates. the government has also announced they will _ with those rates. the government has also announced they will not - with those rates. the government has also announced they will not have i also announced they will not have the national insurance rise, presumably to try to offset this interest—rate rise in people's mines, how will that affect people's finances? i i' ii mines, how will that affect people's finances? i ,, i, , i, finances? well, i think that is a mod finances? well, i think that is a good idea _ finances? well, i think that is a good idea because _ finances? well, i think that is a good idea because it _ finances? well, i think that is a good idea because it covers i finances? well, i think that is a good idea because it covers a i finances? well, i think that is a i good idea because it covers a lot of people. whereas at the moment, the interest rate is only going to be affecting relatively small chunk of

mortgage borrowers, bringing down national insurance, that is pretty much all workers, not quite, but nearly all workers. and i think the problem really that the government has is that we have stagflation, where you have inflation, as you explained, the rates that prices are going up, but we also have a stagnant economy, essentially. we are effectively in a recession. and you need different things to deal with them. with a recession, you need to increase the money, get people to buy more. with inflation, ideally, you need to decrease the money flow and stop people buying so much. i think the government, together with the central bank and bank of england are trying to do two things at once, so let's see how it works out. things at once, so let's see how it works out-— things at once, so let's see how it works out. �* , i, i, i works out. are they going to cancel each other out? _ works out. are they going to cancel each other out? for _ works out. are they going to cancel each other out? for people - works out. are they going to cancel each other out? for people trying i works out. are they going to cancel| each other out? for people trying to plan their finances over the next year or two, three years, if you are thinking about selling the house, buying the house, whether you should rent, all these things, it is very

difficult, isn't it? you want to know the financial basis on which you are operating. you need to know if you are taking out a mortgage, you can afford it, if the rate rises do carry on over five years.- you can afford it, if the rate rises do carry on over five years. yes, so i think do carry on over five years. yes, so i think what — do carry on over five years. yes, so i think what we _ do carry on over five years. yes, so i think what we are _ do carry on over five years. yes, so i think what we are expecting, i do carry on over five years. yes, so i think what we are expecting, we i i think what we are expecting, we have been expecting it for a while, is as they say a softening in the housing market, possibly even a full crash. although we don't know what will be possibly pulled out of the hat tomorrow because the government realises if you put the skids on the housing market in the way, half a percent rise is a big dealfor mortgage and people are very concerned, they are confused. there is a lot of uncertainty. so a lot of people will put off moving, buying, selling, and that could mean the housing market comes to a halt and goes into a crash. the government may pull something out of a hat, they are talking about reducing stamp duty, which might change that.

but that is i think what is going to happen now because of this level of uncertainty. in the figures that are being bandied about. i think we could see the housing market finally start to clog up. find could see the housing market finally start to clog up— start to clog up. and that is even if there is — start to clog up. and that is even if there is a _ start to clog up. and that is even if there is a stamp _ start to clog up. and that is even if there is a stamp duty - start to clog up. and that is even if there is a stamp duty cut i start to clog up. and that is even if there is a stamp duty cut and l start to clog up. and that is even i if there is a stamp duty cut and tax cuts? because for every individual, this raft of measures is going to affect people differently, it is quite difficult to predict? it is very difficult _ quite difficult to predict? it is very difficult to _ quite difficult to predict? it :i very difficult to predict. of course, businesses as well as individuals, they don't like this uncertainty, particularly when you are talking about significant amounts of money. your home is probably going to be the biggest amount of money you shell out in one go ever in your life so we are talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds. so people are going to be wary if they think hold on a minute, is it going to continue to be worth that amount? as you say, am i going to be able to service the mortgage evenif to be able to service the mortgage even if i get a fixed rate mortgage,

will i keep myjob? there are all these variables running around in these variables running around in the minds of people. which is not going to be good for the housing market. but many would say, well, it has been really increasing far too fast, far too much for a while, maybe it is time for a crash. ibsnd fast, far too much for a while, maybe it is time for a crash. and if ieo i le, maybe it is time for a crash. and if people. just _ maybe it is time for a crash. and if people. just to _ maybe it is time for a crash. and if people. just to go _ maybe it is time for a crash. and if people, just to go back _ maybe it is time for a crash. and if people, just to go back to - maybe it is time for a crash. and if people, just to go back to national insurance, i know we touched on it already, can you give an idea as to how much it will affect people and different incomes? because the more you earn, the more it benefits you. yes. yes, i don't have the figures in front of me. yes, you are right. the more you earn, the more it will benefit. not everybody pays national insurance. so really, with the very, very low income, it will make very little difference at all. but i think what it should do is enable people to just have a little bit of extra leeway. that, together with the extra money that is being paid

for energy prices, etc, that i think will give people the ability to just spend a little more over the winter because, as we have heard over the last few months, a lot of people have been thinking they won't even put their heating on, they won't go out, they won't be spending on x, y and z. not only is that bad for individuals from a human point of view, but it is bad for the economy. so what the government is trying to do is put the brakes and spending to a degree, but not to the point where the entire economy crashes, which is what with a lot of western economies and notjust us, a lot of western economies are staring into that abyss at the moment.- abyss at the moment. jasmine birtles, thanks _ abyss at the moment. jasmine birtles, thanks very _ abyss at the moment. jasmine birtles, thanks very much i abyss at the moment. jasmine i birtles, thanks very much indeed. the health secretary, therese coffey, has set out plans to improve access to the nhs and social care in england. the measures include recruiting more doctors and dentists, reducing ambulance handover delays and freeing up more hospital beds.

there will also be a focus on educating people to live healthier lives. 0ur health correspondent jim reed reports. from gp appointments, to ambulances, to busy hospital wards — the nhs is under pressure and waiting lists are growing. they were amazing, on the ward, they were amazing. all gareth is now in hospital getting treatment for leukaemia so we're speaking to him online. how have you been feeling? well, my treatment should have started last week, but there was 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'd been waiting an hour and we've not heard nothing, and then by the time it come to it, it was like, we've been here ten hours, what's going on? and all they kept replying with was, we're short of doctors, we're waiting on doctors. the a&e was horrible, it was a horrible experience.

the same pressures can be seen across england. here in essex... by the time i go home in the morning at eight o'clock, some of you will still be waiting for a doctor. ..and this sign in bolton warns of 40—hour waits for a medical bed. today, the new health secretary has set out her plan to make things better. we will need a true national endeavour, supported by making it easier for clinical professionals to return to help the nhs. under the plan, there will be an expectation that patients should see a gp within two weeks, pension rules will be changed to prevent some doctors having to retire early, there will be a push to reduce delayed discharges when patients get stuck in hospital because there is no care place for them, and more support for those hospital trusts which are responsible for the longest ambulance delays. our analysis shows that 45% of the delays are occurring in just 15 hospital trusts.

all that is why the local nhs will be doing intensive work with those trusts to create more capacity in hospitals. shadow secretary of. state, wes streeting. labour, though, said the policies would have a minimal impact, ahead of the busy winter period. if there were any evidence needed that this is a government and a party that is out of ideas, out of time and out of a clue as to the scale of the challenge facing our country, it is this statement. all this is important to patients like rachel, on record waiting lists. she needs surgery for endometriosis, but has been told it could take up to a year. you've got to wait to feel better, you've got to wait to be out of pain, and i'm just pleading with the government to just do something because i can't live like this. waiting lists are a problem, notjust in england, but across the whole uk.

how the health service in each nation responds can make a difference to millions. jim reed, bbc news. professor la m pa rd professor lampa rd is professor lampard is chair of the medical royal colleges, thanks for your time today. what is your reaction to what has been announced by the government, will it make the difference across the range of acute problem is that the public are seeing now?— problem is that the public are seeini now? i i, i, i , seeing now? well, the announcements toda are seeing now? well, the announcements today are certainly _ seeing now? well, the announcements today are certainly welcome _ seeing now? well, the announcements today are certainly welcome as - seeing now? well, the announcements today are certainly welcome as a i today are certainly welcome as a starting point, but from our perspective, they only scratch the surface of the fundamental challenges we are facing. off the back of a decade of underinvestment in the nhs prior to the pandemic, the pandemic and the pressures we know that has created, 1.6 million people had covid at a time of economic severity where the poor are going to get poorer and that in turn will directly adversely impact on the health of people. we are facing a real triple whammy this winter problems and while some of the measures in here are very welcome, it is great to hear additional money to help with discharges from hospital, that is good, it is great

to hear suggestions technology will be improved and there will be some useful things signed off we have been asking for for a long time, but this really is only scratching the surface of the fundamental issues that need to be addressed. we need a big conversation without blame or for anybody or any party how we can fix the nhs for the future. are fix the nhs for the future. are eo - le fix the nhs for the future. are peeple going _ fix the nhs for the future. are people going to see changes to how quickly they can see their gp? how fast an ambulance turns up if they ring because they have had a heart attack? these are the really acute problems the public is facing everyday now. 1 problems the public is facing everyday nova— problems the public is facing eve da now. ., ., . everyday now. i am not convinced that we are _ everyday now. i am not convinced that we are going _ everyday now. i am not convinced that we are going to _ everyday now. i am not convinced that we are going to see - everyday now. i am not convinced that we are going to see any - everyday now. i am not convinced . that we are going to see any massive difference. certain gp surgeries may change that appointment systems and put a ban on bucking anything more than two weeks in advance, that would answer that question, you can only book two weeks ahead. in my own surgery, we asked people to book on the day because we have had so many challenge with people booking in advance and people are unwell or they can't get there. although i do like booking appointments three or four weeks ahead for some patients i want to follow up, so we want to be

clear we're not throwing the baby out of the bath water that regard. but we see over a million people every day in general practice already so creating an extra million orso already so creating an extra million or so appointments in a year, whilst it is welcome, it is very small fry in the big picture of what is really needed. we have a serious shortage of doctors throughout the system, serious shortage of nurses and all sorts of health care professionals, sorts of health care professionals, so there is a fundamental workforce plan that is needed, a fundamental review of investment in the nhs that is needed and we need to look at the social care picture, that is a massive challenge that impacts on all areas of the nhs. this is a start, but we need a lot more. what will the next — start, but we need a lot more. what will the next few _ start, but we need a lot more. what will the next few months _ start, but we need a lot more. what will the next few months belike regardless of this announcement, what are you most worried about? i am worried about multiple points of failure across the nhs. we have had awful headlines recently with backlogs of ambulances and delays getting people into emergency care, but those are the headline grabbing failures. it is the multiple small failures. it is the multiple small failures that impact on individual

lives, the examples we heard about it earlier, and i am afraid we will hear an awful lot more of those happening all over the country, not just on a handful of trusts or surgeries. and that is awful for everybody, it is awful for the public and also the health care professionals whose job and lives are dedicated to providing the very best for patients. we put patients first every minute of our day as health care professionals, that is what we trained to do, so we are all in this together to fix, we are all in this together to fix, we are all in this together to fix, we are all in this together to move forward. what i don't want is to be pitting anyone against anyone, we have to pull together as a society as health care professionals and government and policymakers to get through the winter, it is going to be tough, we have to be honest about that, we need an honest conversation. professor stokes—lampa rd, need an honest conversation. professor stokes—lampard, thank you professor stokes—lampa rd, thank you very professor stokes—lampard, thank you very much indeed, thank you. a 16—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, after a 15—year—old boy — being named locally as khayri mclean — was stabbed to death outside

a school in huddersfield yesterday. let's speak to our north of england correspondent, danny savage, who's in huddersfield. happened yesterday afternoon, just before 3pm, when tim throw was crossing the road after school. he was attacked by another teenager. —— when khayri mclean was crossing the road. you can see the blue and white police tape that was cordoning off this scene, which has since been released. people that knew him and knew him well have been coming here today, desperately upset about what happened. it was just after school, the attack took place in broad daylight, in front of many children, who werejust coming daylight, in front of many children, who were just coming out of school at the same time. what west yorkshire police have described this is as a senseless attack. they have arrested a 16—year—old youth at around five this morning, who lives here in huddersfield. he is now

being questioned by detectives. the head teacher at the school says they are devastated by what happened yesterday. investigations continue by the police, but khayri mclean's family and friends are devastated by what has happened. another victim of knife crime here in britain, a 15—year—old boy, a 16—year—old arrested and questioned by detectives. this community is slowly coming to terms with what has happened, and are coming here and leaving flowers and messages to their friend who they were at school with. thank you. today's interest rate rise comes ahead of the mini budget tomorrow. we have also heard about the national insurance non—rise

ahead, announced alongside those interest rate rises. there is a lot of economic news to get our heads around. there is, and what we will see, which has been announced this afternoon, what we were expecting, what has been trialled through the conservative election campaign through the summer, and is now confirmed will be happening in what the chancellor tells us tomorrow is this reversal of the increase in national insurance contributions that went ahead earlier this year. that was in april. employees saw an increase of 1.25% in national insurance contributions taken out of their pay packet. liz truss said in her campaign that she would undo that, she would reverse that. that will now go ahead. we are being told that it will happen from november, so should be from people's november

pgy- so should be from people's november pay. it will then be going forward into the future. it was going to be branded next year the health and social care levy, that segment of it, to go directly to fund social care. that will not happen. i think about 12 billion a year, this was due to race. what the chancellor is saying is that he will continue to provide that money for social care and health services, but that will be funded from general taxation and he won't be increasing any other taxes to pay for it. they say this is following through with a promise they made during their campaign. 0k, thank you. let's go back to the un in new york now. the russian foreign minister is speaking.

he speaks in russian translation: dozens were burned alive and died. _ translation: dozens were burned alive and died. the _ translation: dozens were burned alive and died. the same _ translation: dozens were burned alive and died. the same category | translation: dozens were burned | alive and died. the same category of political murders of public figures and journalists. political murders of public figures andjournalists. in political murders of public figures and journalists. in spite of that, there is an attempt today to impose on us a different narrative about russian aggression as the origin of the tragedy. this ignores the fact that, for over eight years, the ukrainian army and fighters from the nationalist formations killed and continue to kill inhabitants of donbas with impunity, simply because they refuse to recognise the coup

d'etat in kyiv. they refused to uphold the rights upheld by the ukrainian constitution, including freely using russian, their mother tongue. just recall how, in 2015, the then prime minister declared that nonhumans lived in donbas. the present prime in a not go far from that. he said that there are people and being spare. this seems to be a very common reference by the ukrainian authorities. they declared that those who don't agree there as terrorists. for eight years, the kyiv regime has been conducting a

military exercise against the civilians. for many years now, total mobilisation of all adult population, including women, is being conducted. in order to recruit them to nationalist battalions. i declaring its agreement of the minsk agreement, people were denied their pensions, their subsidies, their access to education, they were denied their basic civil rights, including those that were guaranteed by the international pacts of 19 city six. —— 1966. mr zelensky

stated was it was impossible to implement the minsk agreement. a couple of months ago, it was proudly stated that they minsk agreement, that they signed, they never had any intention of signing them. they were needed to win time in order to obtain weapons from the west for the war against russia. the secretary of the national security and defence council said something very similar. they kyiv regime owes its impunity to the western sponsors who stop instead of pushing kyiv to follow the minsk agreement, they cynically ignored the growing threats of kyiv

to resolve the problem of donbas by force. the kyiv regime has conducted a frontal assault on the russian language, brazenly trampling on the rights of russian and russian—speaking people in ukraine. the scandalous language laws were enacted on education in 2016, ensuring the role of ukrainian lag which is the state language in 2019. our native peoples of ukraine in 0ur native peoples of ukraine in 2021. all of these laws are aimed at ousting the russian language, in essence a complete ban will stop at the same time, laws were adopted that promoted the theory and practice of not —— nazism. there were calls to amend the

language, which were ignored by kyiv. they did not find the courage or were not allowed to convince the kyiv authorities to fulfil their obligations that they undertook in the area of human right. they have excluded russian and russian literature from the school curriculum. books are being destroyed, just as in nazi germany. ethnic russians are being subjected to intolerance. today, the officials from ukraine have no longer even tried to hide their anti—russian feelings, calling on the killing of russians. just a few examples. the ukrainian ambassador declared in an interview, we are trying to kill as many russians as possible. the more we kill today, the fewer our

children will need to kill. did anyone notice this quote? just earlier this april, a mayor said something simple. the time of cold—blooded fury has come. now we have a full moral right to calmly and with a right to kill these people, as many as possible. the 13th of september this year, just recently, it was stated, in towns where the ukrainian armed forces enter, people will undergo education into ukraine, regardless of their views. not only russians but people of other nationalities. if you want to study any other language, such as romanian, polish, please go ahead,

but not financed by our state. you can do so with your own money. we are not even talking about... they spoke about representatives of other ethnic groups that live in ukraine. 0f ethnic groups that live in ukraine. of course, the ultimate was the interview with mr zelensky on the 5th of august, who suggested to everyone that feels they are russian, for the good of their children and grandchildren, to get the hell out and to go to russia. i think the decisions that have been adopted by a whole range of regions of ukraine about conducting referendums are the result of his advice. underthe referendums are the result of his advice. under the guise of combating russian aggression and separatism,

ukraine is strengthening its persecution of dissidents. a march ban on little under the pretense of their legs to russia, any attempted provide an alternative view to the official view, journalists are persecuted. a well—known public official, who has often spoken at the un, is in the prison of the security services. we have no doubt that ukraine has become a completely totalitarian, nazi —like state, where the norms of international humanity are trampled on. they are using the tactics of terrorists, using the tactics of terrorists, using peaceful civilians as human shields. here, what is particularly cynical other states that are pumping ukraine full of weapons, training the soldiers, to drag out

the fighting for as long as possible, in spite of the victims and destruction, in order to bear down and weaken russia. that policy means the direct involvement of the west in the conflict, making the party to the conflict. an attempt to foment this conflict, it remains unpunished with the people not punish yourselves was to be have no illusions that the armed forces of russia are being opposed not only by the neo—nazi formations of the kyiv regime but by the military regime of the collective west. in real—time, they are using modern systems, weapons, ships, satellites, drones, nato is providing intelligence to the ukrainian armed forces and

stating, convincing them that russia should be defeated on the field of battle. official representatives of the european union have stated this. and that russia should be punished by having any sovereignty stripped from it. this isn't even latent racism, but over racism. against a backdrop of mass shelling of towns and cities of donbas. we feel how powerful western artillery has begun to operate. the weapons we have received from our western partners. it is exact what we need. he is cynically stating. at the same time, there were no military or strategic targets located in the towns that were shelled. only peaceful citizens of donbas. since the end ofjuly,

the armed forces are lobbing mortar rounds to the centre of donetsk, band antipersonnel rounds called plates. this violates a convention of 1997 on the ban of antipersonnel mines, codified by ukraine. such outrages are unpunished because the united states and their allies, with the connivance of international human right institutes, have been covering up the crimes of the kyiv regime, based on the policy that zelensky... it is carefully hushed up, but sometimes deleted. even western human rights organisations amnesty international, which is difficult to accuse of some of these to russia,

has been severely criticised and called a pawn of the kremlin because it reported that kyiv places heavy weapons at civilian facilities. also, the criminal shelling of the nuclear power plant remains unpunished. even though, from the 1st of september, representatives have been present there. it is not difficult to establish was guilty for the shelling. i want to recall that the visit of the mission to this power plant was artificially delayed, even though already, on the 3rd ofjune, all details were agreed and the mission could have gone to the power plant already. it was a very unpleasant situation where the

department for security at the un refused to give authorisation to the specific itinerary, and then this was not a very honest action. it simply delayed the visit to the power plant by two months, even by three months. or practically three months. we are also concerned about the fate of russian soldiers who were taken prisoner. there are many examples of torture, including violation of international military and law. i'm sure that those who are interested in what actually happened saw a video of the torture atrocities by a ukrainian neo—nazi

against russian soldiers, who were thrown to the ground with their hands tied, and were shot in the head. did anyone hear comment on this crime at all? we have many witnesses of these criminal activities by the kyiv regime that have been happening since 2014. russian law enforcement bodies are cooperating with the colleagues in donetsk and luhansk. over 20 individuals have been found to be complicit, including the high command of the ukrainian armed forces, commanders of units who sheued forces, commanders of units who shelled the civilian population. also, there were cases against mercenaries from uk, canada, the netherlands and so on. all perpetrators will be held

accountable. i also want to join your attention to the following. when russian and ukrainian negotiators at the end of march practically reached an agreement on the parameters of an agreement proposed by kyiv, just a couple of days later, a tragedy occurred. the fact it was staged to leaves no doubt in anyone's mine. i want to join your attention that western colleagues immediately after that event cried outraged and introduced a new package of sanctions, spuriously accusing us of killing innocent civilians since then. when that propaganda operation was conducted, no one has mentioned it other than us. once again, in the presence of the secretary—general and ministers, iwould presence of the secretary—general and ministers, i would address you and ministers, i would address you and say, please demand the ukrainian

authorities take a simple step to publish information about those individuals whose bodies were shown. i have been asking this for the past month, secretary—general. please use your authority for this. it would be very useful to get to the bottom of this episode. if course, we also notice an increased activity of internationaljustice notice an increased activity of international justice with notice an increased activity of internationaljustice with regard to ukraine. supposedly efforts to investigate crimes committed in ukraine that are ascribed to russian authorities. all of this is simply a propaganda operation. now that the coup d'etat in 2014 nor the tragedy in odesa or the shelling of donetsk

orany in odesa or the shelling of donetsk or any other crimes have led to any reaction from the international criminal court. this international criminal court. this international criminal court, by the way, some 3000 references sent to the international criminal court for crimes against the inhabitants, and there has been no reaction. they have received instructions to step up have received instructions to step up its activity full so we have no confidence in this body. we have been waiting for steps to be taken against ukraine, and we don't expect anything more from this institution or a range of other international institutions was everything i have said today simply confirms that the decision to take the special

military activity was inevitable. we have provided a fusion of artefacts which show how ukraine prepared to a role of anti—play russia, to act as a staging grounds. i can assure you that we will never accept this. —— aid the role of nancy russia. —— of an anti—russia. translation: i an anti-russia. translation: ., ~ ., , translation: i thanking for his statement- _ translation: i thanking for his statement- i— translation: i thanking for his statement. i give _ translation: i thanking for his statement. i give authority - translation: i thanking for his statement. i give authority to i translation: | thanking for his| statement. i give authority to mr james _ statement. i give authority to mr james cleverly. i want to apologise for the swearing in the translation there. thank you. 77 years ago, un members agreed principles of the un charter vital for international peace and security. they undertook to refrain

from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or the political independence of any state. yet seven months ago, president putin invaded ukraine illegally and without justification. he ignored the resounding pleas for peace that i heard in this council on the 17th of february. since then, ukrainian spirit of defence and defiance in the protection of their country continues to inspire free people and nations. every day, the devastating consequences of russia's invasion become more clear. un agencies have confirmed more than 14,000 civilian casualties so far. the actual total is likely to be much higher. more than 17 million

ukrainians in humanitarian need. 7 million displaced within ukraine, and more than 7 million ukrainian refugees in europe. we see the mounting evidence of russian atrocities against civilians, including indiscriminate shelling and targeted attacks on over 200 medical facilities, and targeted attacks on over 200 medicalfacilities, and 40 medical facilities, and 40 educational medicalfacilities, and 40 educational institutions. and horrific acts of sexual violence. we see from the reports of the office of the high commissionerfor human right that in parts of ukraine currently, under russian control, civilians are subject to torture, arbitrary detention and forced deportation. we have seen more grisly discoveries elsewhere. it is notjust ukrainians who are the

victims. president putin's war has spread hardship and food insecurity across the globe. plunging millions of the world's most vulnerable into hunger and famine. and, of the world's most vulnerable into hungerand famine. and, once of the world's most vulnerable into hunger and famine. and, once again, as we have seen here today, russia has sought to deny responsibility. it has tried to lay the blame on those who have rightly imposed sanctions on president putin's regime in response to his illegal actions. let us be clear, we are not sanctioning food. it is russia's actions that are preventing food and fertiliser getting to developing countries. it is russia's tactics and bombs that are to blame for destroying ukraine's farms, infrastructure and delaying its exports. i sat here in february,

listening to the russian representative assuring this council that russia had no intention of invading its neighbour. we now know that was a lie. today, i have listened to further instalments of russia's catalogues of distortions, dishonesty and disinformation. he has left the chamber. i'm not surprised with them i don't think he wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council. but we saw through him then, and we saw through him again today. we have information which means that we know that russia is about to hold sham referendums on sovereign ukrainian territory. with no basis in law.

under the threat of violence, after mass displacement of people in areas that voted overwhelmingly for ukrainian independence. we know what flood may putin is doing. he is planning to fabricate the outcome of those referendums. he is planning to use that to annex sovereign ukrainian territory. and he is planning to use it as a further pretext to escalate his aggression. that is what he plans to do. we call on all countries to reject this sherrard, and refused to recognise any results. we are used to seeing russian lies and distortions. but

let us listen to the testimony of ukrainians, who tell us the truth, who tell us the reality of president putin's war. a doctor, her husband, and their 22—year—old son were abducted by russian forces from their home in march. russian soldiers shot her husband twice in the legs before they were all blindfolded and bundled into an armoured personnel carrier. iwant to use a here her story in her own words. first, they took us to a bombed out house. russian soldiers kept saying they were going to kill us. my husband was left for hours,

lying on the floor in a pull of his blood. i don't know why, we had done nothing wrong. then they took my son away from us, i don't know where. i don't know if we will ever see him again. ijust want my boy back. end of quote. her story, and those of many others, tell us the truth, the real truth. this is a war of annexation, a war of conquest. to which president putin now wants to send even more of russian's young men and women, making peace even less likely. mr putin must understand the world is watching and we won't give up. members of the security council, we must unequivocally reject russia's attempt to annex ukrainian territory, we must make clear to

president putin that his attack on the ukrainian people must stop, that there can be no impunity for those perpetrating atrocities. and that he must withdraw from ukraine and restore regional and global stability. if he chose to, he could stop this war, a war that has done untold damage to the ukrainian and the russian peoples. his war is an assault on ukraine, an assault on the un charter and an assault on the international norms that protect us all. so we stand with our ukrainian friends for as long as it takes. because ukraine's fight for freedom is the world's fight for freedom, it is the world's fight for freedom, it is ourfight forfreedom, is the world's fight for freedom, it is our fight for freedom, and is the world's fight for freedom, it is ourfight forfreedom, and if ukraine's sovereignty and territory are not respected then no country is

truly secure. these are the reasons why