this is bbc news. i'm luxmy gopal and these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. ukraine's president responds to russia's annexation of four of its regions by making a fast—track bid to join nato and says his country will continue to defend all of its territory. translation: the entire territory of our country will be liberated from this anime con the enemy not only of ukraine but of law, humanity and truth. russia already knows this, it feels apparent. millions of people in the uk begin paying more for gas and electricity as the new energy price cap comes into force. large parts of britain's train network grind to a complete halt

with only around one in ten services running, as 50,000 workers stage a walk—out in the biggest rail strike so far over pay and conditions. the action is getting stronger and the public is behind us so we are committed to it, we want a resolution and if the government can change their attitude, we can get a resolution very quickly. making landfall in the us for a second time — hurricane ian strikes south carolina with heavy rain and powerful winds after leaving a trail of devastation in florida and cuba. and, demand for world cup stickers reaches fever pitch in argentina as a shortage of cards kicks off massive queues while others come up with some inventive alternative ways of filling their album.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. president volodymyr zelensky has said that ukraine remains determined to liberate all of its territory, despite vladimir putin's declaration that four occupied regions are now part of russia. in his nightly address, mr zelensky said the path for his nation was difficult, but clear, and he was confident of victory. in a signing ceremony at the kremlin on friday, mr putin announced that donetsk, luhansk, zaporizhzhia and kherson were being absorbed into russia. the announcement follows discredited referendums staged by moscow and enforced by its soldiers. president zelensky says the ukrainian army is making significant progress in the east, where the russian—held city of lyman is reported to be almost encircled. mr zelensky added that negotiations with russia would only be possible once there was a new leader in the kremlin.

on friday, kyiv formally applied to join nato. translation: de facto we have already completed our path to nato, de facto we have already proven our ability with the alliance. they are real for ukraine, real on the battlefield and in all aspects of our interaction. we trust each other, we help we each other and we protect each other. this is what the alliance is. de facto, today ukraine is applying to make... ..0n proceedings consistent for the protection of our entire community. an accelerated procedure. we know it is possible. we have seen finland and sweden start accession to the alliance this year without a membership action plan. this is fair. this is also fair for ukraine. 0ur correspondent, hugo bachega joins us now from kyiv.

if we start first by talking about the annexation by president putin, it has been condemned by the us president but what other impact does it have on allies, the western response and on ukraine's military strategy? the response and on ukraine's military strate: ? ~ . ., , response and on ukraine's military strate: ? ~ . ., response and on ukraine's military strate ? ~ . ., strategy? the ukrainians are saying this doesn't change _ strategy? the ukrainians are saying this doesn't change anything, - this doesn't change anything, everything that happened in moscow yesterday was a farce. the announcement had no legal value, no legitimacy. they are going ahead with the offensive to retake towns and villages that are now under russian occupation. those four regions of ukraine are only partially occupied by the russians and fighting continues. in the last hour we had a military spokesperson saying ukrainian forces have

encircled the strategically important city of lyman, a major hub for the russians to resupply their troops in the east of the country so now it seems that ukrainians have managed to encircle this time. the town of lyman with thousands of russian troops completely cut—off and if they manage to retake the city, it will be a major victory for the ukrainians. this is happening just hours after the announcement by president putin that russia was going ahead with the annexation of these four regions of ukraine, an announcement that has been rejected by the ukrainians and by most countries around the world. so what im act countries around the world. so what impact does — countries around the world. so what impact does that _ countries around the world. so what impact does that have _ countries around the world. so what impact does that have on _ countries around the world. so what impact does that have on the - impact does that have on the ukrainian taking of lyman, given that as is in donates which president putin says is under russian territory and is seen as an act of aggression?—

act of aggression? ukrainians say nothin: act of aggression? ukrainians say nothing has _ act of aggression? ukrainians say nothing has changed, _ act of aggression? ukrainians say nothing has changed, they - act of aggression? ukrainians say nothing has changed, they are i nothing has changed, they are retaking territories that belong to ukraine. they say these announcements made by president putin are moscow's reaction to recent military defeats on the battlefield. ukrainians feel they have the momentum, they are going ahead with the counteroffensive. fighting is also happening in the kherson region, another region annexed by russia in these announcements by president putin yesterday. there is obviously the fear that the announcement could lead to a next collation of tensions. russia is seeing these regions are part of russia and any attack were busy and an attack on russia itself but the ukrainians say these declarations don't have any legaljustification these declarations don't have any legal justification and these declarations don't have any legaljustification and are going ahead with the offensive to take back territory and they are supported by most countries around the world. most international

countries have rejected the announcement made by president putin yesterday, more sanctions have been announced and the ukrainians enjoy support from western countries. they say they are going back with these offensives to take back territory. ukraine is reporting the director of the nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia has been detained by the russians. what details do we have a knack? we the russians. what details do we have a knack?— the russians. what details do we have a knack? we had a statement this morning _ have a knack? we had a statement this morning from _ have a knack? we had a statement this morning from the _ have a knack? we had a statement this morning from the nuclear- this morning from the nuclear operator saying the head of the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was detained by russian forces yesterday afternoon in a city in the south of the country. they say he was blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location. they are now pressing the international atomic agency to press the russians for his release. there has been fighting

around this nuclear complex which has caused concern about the safety of this nuclear power station. so now another development in the crisis there with reports that the head of the power station has been detained by russian forces. thank ou. that detained by russian forces. thank yon that is _ detained by russian forces. thank yon that is a _ detained by russian forces. thank you. that is a correspondent - detained by russian forces. thank you. that is a correspondent from j you. that is a correspondent from kyiv. that is a correspondent from kyiv. the cost of gas and electricity for uk households has increased today, but the rise has been restricted by the government's energy price guarantee. the average annual bill has risen from just under £2,000 to £2,500. even after the government's intervention prices are twice as high as last winter, and charities say many people will be struggling to pay the bills. our business correspondent, theo leggett reports. maxine flewitt is deeply worried. her husband, ron, has a serious lung condition and she needs to keep him warm but she's struggling to pay for heating. we stay in bed longer in the morning so that we don't get up to have

to need the heat. and this is already because it's got cold already this week, and we're like, what in the depths of winter, how are we going... how am i going to keep him healthy enough to live and be alive at the end of this winter? and that's no exaggeration, that's how i feel. the couple are among some 25 million households who will be paying more for their energy from today. the government's message is that it could've been a lot worse. with international energy prices soaring it's limited the amount of consumers can be charged. the new cap isn't for your whole bill, it's on the price your supplier can charge you for every unit of energy you use. so if you buy gas and electricity, and pay by direct debit, it will be 34p per kilowatt hour for electricity. and 10.3p per kilowatt hour for gas. and then, daily standing charges are added on top. all this means even with the cap, if you use more, you will pay more.

every household will soon get an extra discount of £400 on their bills, and the poorest are able to benefit from the government's existing package of cost—of—living payments. under pressure over her economic policy, the prime minister has pointed to the price cap as a key part of the government's support for struggling families. it was very, very important that we took urgent steps to deal with the cost that families are facing this winter, putting in place the energy price guarantee, for which we've had to borrow to cover the costs of that, but also making sure that we are not raising taxes at a time when there are global economic forces, caused by the war in ukraine, that we need to deal with. but critics point out that average bills will still be roughly twice the amount they were last winter. these people came looking for energy saving tips from the bbc�*s money box roadshow in llandudno. make sure all the lights are off when it's not necessary.

and the gas, you know, you check the thermostat on the wall, you check the thermostat on the radiators as well. the children, they're obviously used to go into shops and asking for things. at a time when things have doubled in price, you're trying to get them educated on the fact that we can't afford things like we did. it's quite difficult. that's true, yeah. the price cap will soften the impact high energy costs but it still threatens to be a difficult winter for many. theo leggett, bbc news. joining me now is our business reporter simon browning. if we start with what is really important, which is a clear distinction about what the price cap is. that £2500 figure, that is not the upper pack. it is is. that £2500 figure, that is not the upper pack-— is. that £2500 figure, that is not the upper pack. it is an important oint. the upper pack. it is an important point- the — the upper pack. it is an important point. the price _ the upper pack. it is an important point. the price cap _ the upper pack. it is an important point. the price cap is _ the upper pack. it is an important point. the price cap is the - the upper pack. it is an important point. the price cap is the cap - the upper pack. it is an important| point. the price cap is the cap that you will pay per unit of energy you use so the average user of an average home will pay on average

£2500 for your energy bill this winter. that is based on the amount of energy units you use but the more energy you use, the more your bill will be and the more expensive your bill will be at the end of the winter. the government has put in a huge amount of mitigation against these huge costs. they have been brought around by huge surge in demand for energy caused by the war in ukraine. liz truss the prime minister announced these measures in the first days of her premiership to say they were spending billions to support households. every household will get a 412 support package as part of their energy bills over the winter. those payments will appear in your bill automatically as a reduction in october. —— 409 support package. there is a comprehensive package. there is a comprehensive package from the government but there is no doubt the cost of your

energy bill will have doubled over when it —— overwinter. people have been advised to think about how much energy you're using and how you're using it. the bbc website has lots of tips from my colleague, talking about simple things to reduce energy usage by cooking your evening meal differently, you will save money if you use a slow cooker or microwave versus cooking on the stove or oven. things like a drying your close versus a tumble dryer. this is a difficult one, the government has made a substantial package to support you but everyone is advised to look at your energy usage and trim what she can wear you can. thank you very much, simon. the prime minister has acknowledged for the first time that last week's mini—budget caused "disruption" on the financial markets. writing in the sun today, liz truss insisted the government's approach was the right course

of action to get the economy moving. now, let's cross to our political correspondentjonathan blake. it seems there is no u—turn being considered imminently. where does that leave the criticism that this is a really disruptive mini budget thatis is a really disruptive mini budget that is causing economic turmoil? there is no sense that the prime minister and chancellor will change tack. they are digging their heels in and today mounting a charm offensive to persuade voters, investors and people in their own party that their plan is the right one. with all this, it is worth considering the pushback and criticism from within the conservative party is not necessarily about what liz truss and kwasi kwarteng did in the mini budget, unveiling sweeping tax cuts but more about how they did it. there was no forecast from the 0br

which would given idea of what impact these moves would have on the growth of the economy. as far as a lot of mps are concerned, they have not spent enough time explaining why they're doing this. the other changes that are coming from government that are coming to transform the economy to grow and to allow the government to afford it, they are notjust going to keep borrowing money endlessly. that is why we are hearing what liz truss wrote in the sun newspaper saying she knows the measures are not popular but they are necessary and admits it has caused disruption, using understated language. we had the chancellor writing in the telegraph as well saying he will come forward in november to set out a plan, new fiscal rules, making a commitment to discipline in bringing this down. and also the levelling up secretary had an interview with the

times, labelling spending cuts for government departments across whitehall saying the uk government has got used to spending habits which outstripped our ability to pay for an easter change. all these measures aimed at reassuring people and on the eve of the conservative party conference in birmingham, trying to shore up support amongst conservative mps for liz truss as well. . ., conservative mps for liz truss as well. . ~ , ., conservative mps for liz truss as well. . ~' , ., , conservative mps for liz truss as well. . ~ y., , . thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news... the ukrainian president response to the annexation of four of its regions by making a fast—track application to join nato. regions by making a fast—track application tojoin nato. millions of people in the uk begin paying more for gas and electricity is a new energy price cap comes into force. large parts of britain's train network grinds to a complete halt. 0nly

train network grinds to a complete halt. only one in ten services are running a 50,000 workers staged a walk—out in the biggest rail strike over pay and conditions. let us stick with that story. more than 50,000 rail workers are taking part in the biggest strike on the network in britain for decades. the action is part of a long—running dispute about pay, jobs and conditions. the red lines on this map are the only parts of the rail network where some trains will run, starting late and finishing very early. no trains are running between london and major cities including edinburgh, brighton and newcastle. joining me from london euston station is simon calder, travel editor for the independent. thank you forjoining us, we had a brief overview of parts of the country which are affected, but where do you see particular problem areas being? we

where do you see particular problem areas being?— where do you see particular problem areas being? we have a huge london terminal station, _ areas being? we have a huge london terminal station, london _ areas being? we have a huge london terminal station, london euston - terminal station, london euston closed completely, locked and barred. i can see a steady trickle of travellers, many who are foreign tourists unaware of the strike, turning up to get to the north midlands, scotland, they are unable to travel. london st pancras is fairly busy down the road, both with eurostar trains but also with east midlands railway which is running to leicester, derby and sheffield and nottingham. it is a very mixed picture across the country. in wales, the only services to cardiff, the valleys and newport. in scotland there is a fear number of trains running on the central belt and also a link to preston but that is not joining up with another line. wherever you are, people are being told remember services will be

finishing early. in a lot of cases it is about three, four or five o'clock. there will be no real replacement buses to get your home. every time there is a strike, the advice is only travel if necessary but for those people for whom it is necessary to travel, as there are clear and easy way of knowing how they can get from a to b with a few services that are running? yes. they can get from a to b with a few services that are running?- services that are running? yes. we have been — services that are running? yes. we have been seeing _ services that are running? yes. we have been seeing national- services that are running? yes. we have been seeing national rails - have been seeing national rails strike sincejune so the train operators are used to the sorts of timetable they can run. for example from london paddington to bath and bristol there are trains every hour. those are looking fairly reliable in terms of getting people where they need to be. worth seeing, today, although it's the biggest stoppage we have seen in years on the railway, the next ten days there is a kind of railway roulette. so there

will be an impact on today's strike on tomorrow operations, especially in the morning. we have a train driver strike, in the morning. we have a train driverstrike, members in the morning. we have a train driver strike, members of the aslef union stop work on wednesday which will wipe out services on the avanti west coast and on the midland railway and many other operators. thursday and friday, there will be a test at the end page attention, members of the gwr will be going on strike. they gwr says our limited service will run. also members of unite will strike and by next saturday i expect we will be sitting down here again because there will be another rmt union strike. the effect on network rail signallers in particular, half the national network will be taken out immediately. this so the unions say

they're desperate to get a settlement, the government says it wants a settlement, the new transport secretary has met the main union leaders but so far we have seen no further nearer agreement. thank you, that is simon calder there. hurricane ian has made landfall in the us state of south carolina as a category one storm, after pummelling florida. the historic coastal city of charleston has been lashed by winds and heavy rain. hundreds of kilometres of the south—eastern seaboard of the us are under severe weather alerts. this map shows the expected path of the storm on saturday. the bbc�*s nada tawfik is in south west florida and has sent this report. the category one storm made landfall friday afternoon near georgetown, just north of the historical city of charleston, with winds of 85 mph. its powerful storm surge downed

power lines, plunging 400,000 people into darkness and left a some stranded. at pawley�*s island, local police captured the end of a pier collapsing before it floated away. 0fficials did not feel evacuations were necessary but they have urged residents to avoid going out. if you don't need to go outside in the wind right now, stay inside. if you don't need to drive anywhere, don't drive. be careful and be smart. still, the damage was nowhere near as devastating as in florida, where the coastguard had to rescue people by helicopter from barrier islands cut off from the mainland. and beach destinations along the south—west coast such as fort myers were battered and forever transformed. clearly, there is still a lot of clean—up ahead, and besides the personal loss from this storm, businesses are now going to be suffering too. right ahead of what should have been

a busy tourist season here, the beaches, the marinas are devastated. the storm—weary lined up for hours to purchase petrol and water. they all said this was unlike any storm they had ever experienced. honestly, it's sad. hearing all the stories about it, my friend's house — underwater. so, everyone i grew up with, everyone that i knew, their houses are all underneath water, and it's sad. after making landfall twice in the united states, ian is forecast to weaken rapidly. it will now move inland. it's less than two months now until the football world cup kicks off in qatar. excitement is building for supporters all around the globe. a lucky few will travel to see the matches in person — while many more will be watching on television. but some are showing their

enthusiasm in a very particular way, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. football fever on a somewhat smaller scale. before every major tournament, people start collecting sticker books. but this year, for some, it's not been that easy. in argentina, there is a major shortage of stickers. shops have sold out, albums are yet to be filled. however, some are luckier than others. translation: my dad said, "i hope we get messi". he opened it, and we got messi. i went around the house, shouting, "i got messi! "i got messi!" here in buenos aires, they are literally queueing around the block.

desperate times call for desperate measures. translation: i arrived at 5:00 in the morning and discovered they are selling stickers here in one of the few places you can find them right now, because they are not available anywhere. in mexico, santiago fills up his sticker book, but he has to glue it in. his father couldn't afford the real thing, so he had to improvise, printing off copies from the internet — although santiago doesn't seem to mind. translation: i had this light bulb moment. i couldn't do anything else. i got home. i gave him the album. i said to him, "take this, son." he hugged me, he kissed me, and he said, "daddy dearest, "i love you. "i love you, i love you." the devotion, the obsession, is clear. just imagine how excited they will be when some actual football gets under way. tim allman, bbc news.

there is a lot more information we can get on the bbc website but now we say goodbye to our viewers on bbc one. let's return to rising energy prices now, because as we've been hearing the new price cap comes into force today. 0ur wales correspondent, hywel griffith, has been to newtown in powys, to find out how the cost of living is impacting young people there. if things keep increasing and costs, and pay isn't rising itself, how are people going to be able to survive later on? it is going to be choosing between eating and heating at this stage. at 17, sam just wants to study and socialise. but rising costs keep putting limits on life. he has had to change college. the bus to his old one

cost too much. it's more or less a present stress. it's in the back of your mind, you think about it. how long am i the shower? do i really need to wash this or can i wear it another day? the idea that your family ise struggling is quite stressful itself. you're going away to study but you could be helping. in a rural place like south wales family often live miles apart so just meeting up comes at a cost. it is quite significant and you have to cut _ it is quite significant and you have to cut back a lot.— to cut back a lot. what are you cuttin: to cut back a lot. what are you cutting back — to cut back a lot. what are you cutting back on? _ to cut back a lot. what are you cutting back on? by _ to cut back a lot. what are you cutting back on? by not - to cut back a lot. what are you cutting back on? by not eatingj to cut back a lot. what are you i cutting back on? by not eating as much luxury _ cutting back on? by not eating as much luxury items. _ cutting back on? by not eating as much luxury items. only - cutting back on? by not eating as much luxury items. only having l cutting back on? by not eating as| much luxury items. only having it every _ much luxury items. only having it every so — much luxury items. only having it every so often. i much luxury items. only having it every so often-— much luxury items. only having it every so often. i am shortening the amount of time _ every so often. i am shortening the amount of time i _ every so often. i am shortening the amount of time i learnt _ every so often. i am shortening the amount of time i learnt to - every so often. i am shortening the amount of time i learnt to drive - amount of time i learnt to drive because i haven't got the money to pay for the fuel. i shorten the

drive to go down less routes because of the amount of petrol that is being used. in a rural place like south wales family often live miles apart so just meeting up comes at a cost. with fuel prices so high and every budget squeezed, there is a real risk children are missing out and becoming even more isolated. the children's commissioner for wales warns we are in a poverty pandemic. she has already seen the impact on young people. you can see etched in their face. they are just not sure theirfamily can cope. they are stressed. there is implication on the whole family dynamic. theyjust don't know how they will get through these next weeks let alone months. in wales the commissioner wants free public transport for everyone under 18. the welsh government says there are discounts for free travel which are under review.

commissioners for scotland and northern ireland havejoined the call to increase in universal credit. uk government has said it has provided additional support on energy bills for people in low—income households. for kesia, that support might not be enough. the cost of keeping little david warm and fed has spiralled since he was born three months ago. it's quite a sinking feeling really. every month you're thinking about ways you can cut back. we do everything as cheap as we can. the recommendation for getting kids into routine is a bath before bed. we can't afford to do a bath every night, that'sjust ridiculous. as every family feels the pressure of rising prices, it is hard to shield even the youngest from this crisis. beavers have been recognised as a protected species in england, making it illegal to deliberately capture, kill or disturb them. the animals are native to the uk, but were hunted

to extinction around 400 years ago. since 2015, beavers have been re—introduced at many sites across england, with the aim of helping to restore wetland habitats. more than 50,000 letters of condolence have been sent to buckingham palace following the queen's death. pictures released by the palace show some of the messages paying tribute to the late monarch. staff say letters will be carefully read and responses sent. now it's time for a look at the weather. a lot more sunshine today compared with yesterday, but there will be a few showers scattered around. they have been already across northern and western areas. the bulk of the showers across parts of central, western scotland and northern ireland. some showers across southern and eastern areas of all countries but generally dryer. in the breeze, quite a stiff westerly breeze and when the showers come

through it will feel that bit cooler. showers across the northern