hello, i'm nuala mcgovern, this is outside source. the uk government warns there will be difficult decisions after the prime minister pledged not to cut public spending. what we will make sure is that over the medium term the debt is falling. but we will do that not by cutting public spending but by making sure we spend public money well. liz truss has been defending her economic plans — following turmoil on the markets. also in the programme — western countries promise more weapons for ukraine — pledging to support kyiv for the long haul. and who is watching netflix?

the streaming giant's audiences will be measured independently for the first time. market turmoil and questions over how the british government will pay for promised tax cuts, after the prime minister liz truss said she would not cut government spending. have you wrecked the economy, minister? — have you wrecked the economy, minister? time for another u—turn? this was liz truss leaving number ten for her first session of prime minister's questions since last month's mini—budget sparked market turmoil. pension funds, the pound and the cost of mortgages have all been affected. once in the house of commons, she was tackled by the leader of the opposition on how she planned to pay for lower taxes. during her leadership contest the prime minister said and i quote her exactly,

"i'm very clear, i'm not planning "public spending reductions. " is she going to stick to that? absolutely, absolutely. what we're... mr speaker, what we will make sure is that over the medium term the debt is falling. but we will do that not by cutting public spending but by making sure we spend public money well. the markets are worried about the government borrowing needed to fund the tax—cutting plans announced in the mini—budget. investors remain nervous as they wait for the 31st of october when the chancellor kwasi kwarteng will publish details of how the government intends to fund those tax cuts. in the meantime, the cost of government borrowing has increased again today, while the pound fell against the euro and dollar overnight.

that was after this man, the governor of the bank of england, said he would not extend a financial support package beyond this friday. the emergency measures were launched nearly two weeks ago to calm the turmoil prompted by the mini—budget. the bank stepped in — buying bonds in the market — to stabilise their price and prevent a sell—off, which could put some pension funds in a tight spot. now that scheme will end on friday. this will give you an idea of how far the cost of government borrowing has surged in recent weeks. this is the yield on the 30—year, so long—term, government bond or gilt. sterling has today recovered some ground. this is how it was trading against the dollar a short while ago. speaking to bbc radio this morning, business secretary jacob rees—mogg rejected a suggestion that the turmoil in the financial markets was the result of measures in the chancellor kwasi kwarteng's mini—budget. what has caused the effect in

pension funds, because of some quite high risk but low probability investment strategies is not necessarily the mini budget, it could just as easily be the fact that the day before the bank of england did not raise interest rates as much is the federal reserve did. and i thinkjumping to conclusions about causality is not meeting the bbc�*s requirement for impartiality. it is a commentary rather than a factual question. that view is disputed by many economists. here's what one told mps today. external financing needs of the uk are certainly a big function of what we're seeing. when you throw on the september 23 event, you've got a sideline of fiscal watchdog, you've got lack of a medium fiscal plan, and one of the largest unfunded tax cuts that we've seen, packaged measures since the early 1970s. and it sort of the straw that kind of

broke the camels back, if you will. of course the global economy is facing headwinds. but the international monetary fund on tuesday said higher prices in the uk would stay with us for longer than elsewhere. it downgraded its forecast for uk gdp growth next year to just 0.3% from its previous prediction of 0.5%. the imf�*s chief economist also warned that the government's planned tax cuts — to be funded by borrowing — are at odds with the bank of england's requirement to bring down inflation. imagine a car with two drivers in the front at each of them with a steering wheel. and one was to go left and the other wants to go right. one is the central bank trying to cool off the economy so that price pressures will ease and the other one wants to sort of spend more to support families but beyond that is going to add to to aggregate demand. so if the car is going to try to go left and right at the same time, it's probably not going

to work very well. all this comes as the risk of recession has risen, with figures showing that the uk economy shrank in august. it contracted by 0.3% in the month of august, after growing 0.1% the previous month. joining me is vicky pryce, economist and former economic adviser to the uk government. so many competing narratives that we're hearing. how much of the turmoil do you think is due to the mini budget? i turmoil do you think is due to the mini budget?— mini budget? i think most of it, frankl . mini budget? i think most of it, frankly- it's _ mini budget? i think most of it, frankly. it's true _ mini budget? i think most of it, frankly. it's true that _ mini budget? i think most of it, frankly. it's true that interest i frankly. it's true that interest rates did not go up as fast as people expected the day before the mini budget. the bank of england raised by 15 points for that was quite right to do so because we already knew there was going to be an electricity price and that would bring inflation down anyway to something like four percentage points. it made a lot of sense for the bank of england to do with the dead. then of course the market was spooked by what happened the following day. it's worth adding that the bank of england also announce on that day when it raised

rates that it was going to start selling bonds it had acquired during the period of supporting government in this fiscal expansion. and in covid in particular so they were going to start selling those bonds, about 60 billion for this financial year, the markets i think would have accepted that. then of course gain the extra tax cutting measures, which i think gave them market a bit of indigestion. we saw what happened with the guilt. of indigestion. we saw what happened with the guilt-— with the guilt. indigestion is a aood with the guilt. indigestion is a good word- — with the guilt. indigestion is a good word- i _ with the guilt. indigestion is a good word. i wonder- with the guilt. indigestion is a good word. i wonder if- with the guilt. indigestion is a good word. i wonder if there i with the guilt. indigestion is a | good word. i wonder if there is with the guilt. indigestion is a i good word. i wonder if there is a way around it, a simple solution. can we talk about the bank of england? i was mentioning that they expected to end those emergency bond purchases on friday. do you think that will happen? i purchases on friday. do you think that will happen?— that will happen? i think they will look first that will happen? i think they will took first at _ that will happen? i think they will look first at what _ that will happen? i think they will look first at what happened - that will happen? i think they will look first at what happened with i look first at what happened with venture funds. they can't really take the risk of having serious financial stability crisis again. that is why they intervene before because of venture funds and potential badly hit by the following

guilt prices. if they manage to sort it out in a satisfactory way in teams of rebalancing books, by friday which is the deadline, perhaps the bank of england will be right to use that type of damage thatis right to use that type of damage that is been done so far. it's been very important in terms of calming the market sound. however, even if the market sound. however, even if the venture funds are out of the difficulties that we're in i think the markets are going to be still very concerned about the amount of debt that they were going to have to fund. they will test the bank of england again. they will test the government resolution again. i think they will be expecting that there may be some further reversals in the tax cutting plans that the government has announced before they start using that pressure. interesting. you think they might think there will be a reversal on that. you are in athens, i noticed.

i noticed a greekjournalist saying that the 30 year bond yield is higher now for the uk then for greece. what does it tell us, i did see some analysts referring to the uk as behaving like an emerging market, do you think that's fair? it market, do you think that's fair? it was very painful for greece going through the euro zone crisis are not being able to borrow on the capital markets. you don't want to be in that position. of course it's a completely different issue. because the bank of england is so independent, greece was depended very much on banks doing things for them. and the imf was straight down on them as well. i think the bank of england can actually intervene and the right way and do the right things a lot more easily than was the case of greece.— the case of greece. thank you so much for your— the case of greece. thank you so much for your analysis. - let's start in ukraine, which has endured a third day

of russian missile strikes. it's an escalation which us defence secretary lloyd austin says lays bare the "malice and cruelty" of the war. we'll be getting more details on those attacks shortly. but first, let's look at the diplomatic developments today. secretary austin has been leading a meeting of over 50 western countries at the headquarters of the nato defensive alliance in brussels. they've been discussing how to step up support for ukraine. here's what the us is promising. ukraine's forces have use systems like high bars to change the dynamics of the war that putin started. that's helped ukrainian forces seize the initiative during their counter offensive. so we will continue to rush in the capabilities to help ukraine in the current fight. i commend the contact group members who have moved heaven and earth to get weapons and equipment into the hands of the ukrainian

forces. we've also heard from germany. translation: germany has delivered | state-of-the-art defence systems to | ukraine, that's important support for ukraine in its fight against these missile attacks, disparate the population is being subjected to. —— this terror. it is one system and next year another three of these air defence systems will follow. both pledges have been welcomed by the ukrainian president — he's been calling for an �*air shield' against future russian attacks. let's remind ourselves of what he said on tuesday. translation: i ask you to increase yourjoint efforts to help financially to create the air shields for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to the group of seven. we're expecting more commitments over the two—day nato summit. we've heard from the netherlands — they've promised over $14 million worth of missiles to ukraine. and here's the estonian defence minister speaking to the bbc. first we will give ammunition, which

is stiii— first we will give ammunition, which is still very— first we will give ammunition, which is still very much needed and second part is— is still very much needed and second part is winter gear. will need to brigade — part is winter gear. will need to brigade for winter clothing, everything added to that. and thirdly, — everything added to that. and thirdly, we will also give the best for three — thirdly, we will also give the best for three brigades. that's quite a lot considering our size and our possibilities but it's not the time at the _ possibilities but it's not the time at the moment to think, will it somehow— at the moment to think, will it somehow affect us or our own capabilities? we need to help ukraine — capabilities? we need to help ukraine and we need to help them now, _ ukraine and we need to help them now, as soon as possible. the bbc has been getting reaction from one ukrainian mp. i think it's important to understand that russian federation has been escalating its military attacks on ukrainian civilians on the civilian infrastructure. and that is why we're asking for really increased efforts from our partners to step up

with air support, with the air defence but also with the weaponry that would allow us to conduct further counter offensives. there's another element to all this too. the global energy crisis — which has been fuelled by the war in ukraine, and the eu's dependence on russia's gas. in 2021, russia supplied eu countries with 40% of their gas. but in the last year, that supply has decreased by as much as 88%. this has caused the wholesale price of gas to increase by 210% over the same period. and remember, just last month two important pipelines, carrying gas between russia and europe, were ruptured in a series of explosions. speaking to an energy forum in moscow, mr putin blamed the west. translation: direct and open communication is necessary now when the world economy and the fuel and energy complex are experiencing frankly speaking, an acute crisis because of unstable energy prices,

in balance supply and demand as well as subversion by certain market players who are guided solely by their own geopolitical ambitions. they resort to outright discrimination in the market. and if that fails, they simply destroyed the infrastructure. in this case i'm referring to the sabotage of the north stream one adenoid stream to gas pipes. we mentioned that russian strikes have intensified over the last few days. here's a map showing you where they've been targeted. you can see that the western city of lviv is among the targets — it's rarely been hit before now. there have also been strikes in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. these are the latest pictures we have from there, showing the aftermath. we've been hearing from a resident of kyiv, who lives there with her three children. when the buzz began i was about to take my kids to the dentist and we were about to drive this road that

was hit by russian missile. we didn't. they were explosions so instead i took them to the basement. another city we know has been targeted is zaporizhzhia — there've been several explosions reported there. that's important because the city is also home to an atomic energy site. this is it. it's europe's largest. it was captured by the russians early on in the invasion. and the plant lost power earlier today. although it's now been restored, the head of the international atomic energy agency said the outage had been caused by shelling damage to a substation — and that the situation there remains precarious. earlier, the us president had this to say about the attacks. the recent russian attacks on infrastructure and ukraine? same as alwa s. infrastructure and ukraine? same as always it's — infrastructure and ukraine? same as always. it's brutal. _ infrastructure and ukraine? same as always. it's brutal. it's— infrastructure and ukraine? same as always. it's brutal. it's beyond - infrastructure and ukraine? same as always. it's brutal. it's beyond the l always. it's brutal. it's beyond the pale. i'm joined by ian williams, deputy director of the missile defence project at the center

for strategic & international studies. i want to return to the beginning of what i was saying about ukraine, particularly germany promising and delivering the air defence systems on tuesday. this delivering the air defence systems on tuesday-— delivering the air defence systems on tuesday. this is been promised for cuite on tuesday. this is been promised for quite a — on tuesday. this is been promised for quite a long — on tuesday. this is been promised for quite a long time, mr - on tuesday. this is been promised for quite a long time, mr zelensky| for quite a long time, mr zelensky definitely looking forward for a long time. how much of an impact do you think a system like that can make and how?— make and how? these are very advanced _ make and how? these are very advanced systems, _ make and how? these are very advanced systems, some - make and how? these are very advanced systems, some of. make and how? these are very| advanced systems, some of the make and how? these are very - advanced systems, some of the most modern air defence systems in the world and they are considerably more sophisticated than the kind of your defences that ukraine is deploying now. i would anticipate that these systems will go a long way in helping send out some of these russian missile attacks. and in particular, allow them to focus their defence on protecting these pieces of critical civil infrastructure, things like water

treatment facilities and electric plants that they really need to protect to stave off a broader humanitarian crisis come this winter. humanitarian crisis come this winter. 50 humanitarian crisis come this winter. , , humanitarian crisis come this winter. . . . humanitarian crisis come this winter. , , , ., winter. so this is the first of four. ithink— winter. so this is the first of four. i think it _ winter. so this is the first of four. i think it was - winter. so this is the first of| four. i think it was predicted winter. so this is the first of. four. i think it was predicted to winter. so this is the first of- four. i think it was predicted to be delivered in december then they brought it forward because of these attacks. people will be wondering why it takes so long to deliver something like this. i know there are other systems promise but it doesn't look like they will arrive on ukraine's doorstep anytime soon. there is some preparation required. there is some preparation required. there is some preparation required. there is training, these are complex systems that do require specialised training. so i'm sure that training has been ongoing. i think the slowness of providing these air defence systems is a symptom of the fact that nato and the united states have been under investing in these kinds of air defence systems for decades now. and we're now starting to get back into the air defence

game and ramping up production of these kinds of systems. i think this is a symptom of that long time underinvestment. i is a symptom of that long time underinvestment.— is a symptom of that long time underinvestment. i was listening to an interview — underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on _ underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on the _ underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on the bbc _ underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on the bbc of - underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on the bbc of a - underinvestment. i was listening to an interview on the bbc of a former ukrainian president, he said this war is unlike any war that has gone before. do you see it in that way when it comes to the type of combat, the type of military systems being deployed? it’s the type of military systems being delo ed? �* . . the type of military systems being delo ed? 3 , deployed? it's interesting, if you look at the _ deployed? it's interesting, if you look at the attacks _ deployed? it's interesting, if you look at the attacks against - deployed? it's interesting, if you | look at the attacks against civilian targets, civilian areas that russia has been prosecuting here, we have seenin has been prosecuting here, we have seen in the past countries at war try to target civilians in order to achieve some kind of political objectives and it has always failed. it tends to just steal the resolve of the people that are being bombed and increases support for the

people, for their government and the policies. i don't see that. i think when you look at what roger is trying to do now, it seems clear that try to make life as miserable as possible for the ukrainian people in the hope that they put pressure on the government to come to some kind of negotiated settlement. something that allows russia to maintain some of the territory it is stolen. but i don't think if you look at history, i don't think there is any precedent for that strategy working. is any precedent for that strategy workinu. . ~ is any precedent for that strategy workinu. ., ,, i. is any precedent for that strategy workinu. . ~' ,, ,., is any precedent for that strategy workinu. . ~' ,, . is any precedent for that strategy workinu. . ~' . ., working. thank you so much for “oininu working. thank you so much for joining us- _ the world's biggest streaming giant netflix is ending the secrecy around its viewing figures — by signing up to the service that tracks audiences for all major uk broadcasters including the bbc. it means for the first time we'll get an idea how many viewers watch netflix�*s top titles like these — including the film arbitrage with richard gere and the new series of the crown about the british

royals. barb will begin reporting the streaming platform's ratings next month. previously, netflix has only released snapshots of its viewing data, highlighting the success of its most popular shows. what will it be for the viewers? tv critic says at last it means that flex failures as well as successes. i that flex failures as well as successes.— that flex failures as well as successes. , , . ., , ., successes. i guess the challenges of course not flexors _ successes. i guess the challenges of course not flexors got _ successes. i guess the challenges of course not flexors got such - successes. i guess the challenges of course not flexors got such a - successes. i guess the challenges of course not flexors got such a wide . course not flexors got such a wide amount of content, some of it good, some of the bad. i think it bad. i think the challenge is essentially trying to work out whether the shows on the bottom of this list will be actually into the state or two. it will mean that netflix failures are a bit more open because of course they can have all of the hype, all of the work going into a big new release and then i'll be able to come along with many other journalists and in the industry will be able to see straightaway that it hasn't worked through because viewers haven't come forward for it.

shares in netflix tumbled after loss of a huge amount of subscribers this year. it announced a net loss of 200,000 this year knocking around a third offered share price. it's said it expects to lose a further 2 million subscribers over the next three months. so where does this leave its place in the market compared with other broadcasters? gill hind is the chief operating officerfrom media research company enders analysis. an awful lot of pressing netflix is actually huge, we do know netflix is actually huge, we do know netflix is a presenter viewing in the uk. which is slightly larger than channel 4 by considerably saw samal or than itv and bbc. actually having this measure will help in the commercial takes advertising actually, what you would like is netflix to be on the same measurement system as you are so same measurement system as you are so that advertisers can see what additional reach advertising on that

flex brings to the standard audience that you get on itv, channel 4 or sky. that you get on itv, channel 4 or s . that you get on itv, channel 4 or s _ , that you get on itv, channel 4 or sky. so why are netflix doing this now? netflix _ sky. so why are netflix doing this now? netflix about _ sky. so why are netflix doing this now? netflix about it _ sky. so why are netflix doing this now? netflix about it release - sky. so why are netflix doing this now? netflix about it release at l now? netflix about it release at netflix funding service. advertisers can and want _ netflix funding service. advertisers can and want to _ netflix funding service. advertisers can and want to know— netflix funding service. advertisers can and want to know exactly - netflix funding service. advertisers can and want to know exactly how. can and want to know exactly how many apples are seeing the ads in the market want to take netflix is word for it. i think that flex finds itself where it has to use an external agency to do that. it is good to be interesting because netflix figures are its secret source, it's how it commissions hit after hit for them even want you think aren't obvious because it sitting on this enormous pile of data. it's got hundreds of millions of people watching content on netflix or may knows exactly what the most popular shows are, who the most popular performers are, the directors and it could mix those two together to make its not big hit. it's not only the advertisers looking at this newly released fewer data what is publicly available

because of broadcasters, other makers, tv shows are going to want to know exactly what's working on netflix. it's a very powerful business tool for them. barb isn't perfect either. the way it works is if you stream something by any device then barb will get that date orsay device then barb will get that date or say something is streaming that particular show. or say something is streaming that particularshow. it or say something is streaming that particular show. it doesn't know how many people watching you. if you're streaming something up your tv that might be seven or eight years but it will only register barb you as well. so also has a panel of about 16,000 households in the uk and it gets more granular data from them. it actually ask them when you were watching strictly convincing the other night. how many were in the room and it tries to figure out that way how popular a show actually is. netflix is probably only got the per device data to go on. actually it might find that barb is viewing figures by are better than its own estimates. we will have to see. aha,

estimates. we will have to see. a mounting guerrilla, algae blooms and bird courtship. these arejust mounting guerrilla, algae blooms and bird courtship. these are just some of the winning images of wildlife photographer of the year competition. it was this picture of male cactus be surrounding a single female that was crowned the overall winner. every year in hot deserts of the southern us, the normally solitary cactus bees gather in large numbers. when a female emerges from a burrow in the ground, the desperate males descend and a fierce scrum ensues as they grapple for the to meet. as they grapple for the to mate. descend and a fierce scrum ensues as they grapple for the chanmce to mate. this dramatic picture of the buzzing bundle was captured on a texas ranch by photographer carine aigner. only the fifth woman to win the grand title in their competition's 58—year history, thejudges praised the picture's movement and intensity. what i hope this picture does is bring to light this other world of beauty and all these lives that are going on that we don't even know about and what i want this to do

is to bring awareness and to get people to pay attention. some 38,000 entries competed for this years prizes. these ranged from this mournful photo of the last living moments of a much—loved mountain gorilla to the death of a lake as algae blooms poison the waters in guatemala. there are also humorous scenes, as polar bears make their home in a deserted house in the russian arctic. while the cruel beauty of nature is also captured as a snake snatches a bat in midair. this amazing close—up of a wales mouth was captured by a 16—year—old from thailand. the hairy baleen plates are used to filter food for that you can even see tiny anchovy is flying through the air as they try to escape. all the winners and runners—up will be on display to the public at the natural history museum in london from next monday. matt mcgrath, bbc news.

to stay with us here on the bbc. hello again. for many of you it's been a pretty cloudy day today as confirmed from the xers a few weeks earlier. southern and eastern parts of england seeing a few and during the afternoon it's of england seeing a few and during the afternoon its bright across the northwest. others have seen outbreaks of rain, most of the likes of patchy rain following along this weather front through the afternoon, across parts of northern england and wales. that weather front has made a big difference in scotland. a great cloudy and wet morning, the afternoon once the front is gone through a bit of sunshine they are in sterling. big improvements in the weather picture. overnight tonight that weather front continues southward and eastward. it will be bringing the heaviest rain across the county of england. there's a chance of more persistent rain

working cross wales, the midlands and east anglia just for a time. with those cloudier conditions and with rain around temperatures on the mouse, 12 degrees in london and plymouth. across the north of the uk with clear skies working in it is cold with patches of frost around. for thursday morning, should be a bright enough started the day with morning sunshine across northern areas. frost suit melting away. further south we will see rain across the south of england, perhaps he is angry at a time and through the afternoon another band of rate will to northwest scotland and northern ireland. that still lives wales, the midlands, north east england and eastern scotland with fine and dry weather where you will have some spells of sunshine through the day. for friday could end up with another weak cold front working in from the atlantic. again will bring some rain, slowly edging from scotland southward into northern england and north wales later in the day. behind that it gets quite windy and we will see a number of showers flowing into scotland and northern

ireland. temperatures continue to run on the mild side across a good part of england and wales, 16, 17 degrees, couplet degrees above average but in contrast that scotland and northern ireland close to or perhaps even a tad below the october average. to or perhaps even a tad below the octoberaverage. forweekend to or perhaps even a tad below the october average. for weekend low pressure days to the rest of the uk so we will maintain these fairly brisk west to south—westerly winds with weather fronts continuing to cross the country bringing bands of rain. could get quite windy on saturday at dusk reaching maybe a0 or 50 miles fro him a potentially gales and petitioner was in the forecast for the second half of the weekend. bye—bye.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? is a time for another u—turn? minister? is a time for another u-turn? , ., mourns there will be severe repercussions not to cut public spending. repercussions not to cut public sendina. ~ . . repercussions not to cut public sendina. . , ,., spending. will sure is over the medium-term, _ spending. will sure is over the medium-term, that _ spending. will sure is over the medium-term, that this - spending. will sure is over the medium-term, that this is - spending. will sure is over the - medium-term, that this is falling, medium—term, that this is falling, we would do this not by cutting public spending but by making sure we spend public money well. security forces intensified crackdown as protests continue across the country. problems at the

pump cause chaos in france causing workers to bow to continue their industrial action. and smart thinking, research proves rain cells and teaches them to play computer games. turning to iran now, and authorities there have charged more than 100 people, for their role in protests that have swept the country since the death of mahsa amini. the iranian judiciary says those charged are across two provinces — over the unrest that was sparked by the death of ms amini. she died after being arrested for allegedly disobeying the country's strict islamic dress code. wednesday's wave of prosecutions came as a leading reform campaigner, was jailed for five years. mostafa tajzadeh was arrested injuly, well before the recent unrest, and had made repeated calls for structural changes in iran. he's now been convicted of plotting against state security and publishing lies and propaganda.

iranian authorities appear to have stepped up their crackdown on protestors in recent days, as you can see in this video verified by our persian service. watch as a female protestor is chased by police, and then bystanders intervene, prying her from the grip of arrest. iranian officials have also been targeting journalists and celebrities, claiming that they are encouraging the unrest. ehsan karami is one of the most famous tv hosts and actors in iran, with a social media following of several million. up until recently, he worked for state tv but has now left the country. he told the bbc why. i'm here to be the voice of those who cried for the human rights. i believe this time is definitely different if it was not, i would be

facing the camera performing my show on tv or on stage. but i am here to be the voice of the people. it doesn't matter how long it takes including the theory towards the people and supporting them is the most important thing to do. the award—winning british—turkish novelist, elif shafak, says, the female—led protests in iran are part of a broader struggle for basic human rights. under authoritarianism, it is not easy to voice your opinion. there is no freedom of speech at all and also, we need to bear in mind that encourages extraordinary, the demands are not extraordinary at all. they're asking for equality, just living ordinary lives to be able to have dignity, equality, justice. not to bejudged on what you wear, the length of your skirt or the length of yourjob. so, it is basic human rights. and that's what

they're asking for basic human rights. msf to connect the dots all across the world in afghanistan, iran and many other places and all across the world, there is an overwhelming rollback on women's rights. now, although women spearheaded the protests, the demonstrations have spread around the country, and even to iran's energy sector. in southwestern iran, on strike on tuesday. meanwhile, the country's supreme leader continues to claim the protests have been provoked by agents outside iran. these recent matters are not home—grown and spontaneous, it is possible that they, the enemy, use some grounds to pursue their agenda. the provocative propaganda, attempted mental influence and such, promoting the incitement and encouragement in teaching how to create molotov cocktails are clearly occurring with outside influence.

well, i'm joined now by baran abbasi from the bbc persian service. many groups called for nationwide protests today and a lot of people responded to it, they showed up in several cities, universities and iranian lawyers who gathered in front of the bar association and the mid—tier gas, three lawyers were detained and it is very tense and it went off earlier than usual and four or five of the afternoon and started for midday and there was a time or people so that they were going out on the street and we have seen some videos that there are so many people out on the streets in several cities and police violence is continued. striking french oil workers have voted to continue their industrial action, which has led to shortages at fuel stations across the country.

this was the scene in paris today, where long queues of cars, waiting to use the pumps are now a regular sight. the trafficjams have created chaos for drivers, delivery companies and emergency services. here's what some commuters had to say. it is hell. it is a disaster because of the three behind us behind on the petrol pumps, there i'm very angry and nervous. i understand the strikes and i understand the strikes and i understand wanting to increase 1's salary. and i don't understand blocking the whole country like that. ., ., ., , blocking the whole country like that. ., ., ,. ,, , that. you have unions discussing but ou do not that. you have unions discussing but you do rrot have _ that. you have unions discussing but you do not have to _ that. you have unions discussing but you do not have to block— that. you have unions discussing but you do not have to block a _ that. you have unions discussing but you do not have to block a whole - you do not have to block a whole country~ — the french government has ordered key workers to go back to work. it has the power to fine or imprison those who refuse and can requisition refineries in an emergency. but today the authorities called for negations to continue.

we obviously have an obligation to ensure that the consequences for the french people are assured and as mild as possible. and so, the prime minister is called on numerous for everyone to get on the negotiating table and we are going to unblock a fuel depot centre that is still blocked by union by the majority of employees represented by them have agreed with the management to say, we are stopping the strike. the hard—left unions behind the stoppages see a threat to their right to strike. they've deined blocking fuel deposit centres. there are no blockades. there are employees— there are no blockades. there are employees exercising their right to strike _ employees exercising their right to strike and — employees exercising their right to strike and you can go to the front of the refineries, the front of the depots— of the refineries, the front of the depots which are currently on strike and there _ depots which are currently on strike and there is— depots which are currently on strike and there is no barricade. the non—striking employees can go to work _ so, what are the union's demands, and how bad is the sitation become across the country? they want a ten percent pay rise to match inflation, but also to take account of the huge profits being made by the company.

more than 60 percent of france's refining capacity has been taken offline by the strikes, driving diesel prices higher and prompting the country to increase imports of the fuel. it's shut six out of france's seven oil refineries and led to long queues at petrol stations as supplies of fuel run short. and 31 percent of service stations throughout the country are grappling with supply problems, leading to rationing in some regions we're joined from paris by the political scientist florence faucher from sciences po paris. quite happy with us and thank you forjoining us. do you think french government will force those workers to go back to work? the government will force those workers to go back to work?— to go back to work? the french government — to go back to work? the french government only _ to go back to work? the french government only for _ to go back to work? the french government only for some - to go back to work? the french . government only for some workers to go back to work? the french - government only for some workers to government only for some workers to go back to work. those are absolutely necessary in the unions have already asked the tribunals to adjudicate on the decision of the

government to make some people go back to work and there are people who have been asked to go back to work. ., ., , just who have been asked to go back to | work-_ just four work. commented to say? just four for now. work. commented to say? just four for now- in — work. commented to say? just four for now. in the _ work. commented to say? just four for now. in the refinery _ work. commented to say? just four for now. in the refinery and - work. commented to say? just four for now. in the refinery and so, - work. commented to say? just four for now. in the refinery and so, for| for now. in the refinery and so, for now, it is the government that is only making people go back to work if it has serious consequences for french society in general. whether it is or whether _ french society in general. whether it is or whether it _ french society in general. whether it is or whether it is _ french society in general. whether it is or whether it is in. _ french society in general. whether it is or whether it is in. it _ french society in general. whether it is or whether it is in. it was - french society in general. whether it is or whether it is in. it was in i it is or whether it is in. it was in 2010, how did that work out? there was a huge — 2010, how did that work out? there was a huge movement _ 2010, how did that work out? there was a huge movement at _ 2010, how did that work out? there was a huge movement at the - 2010, how did that work out? ii—ii” was a huge movement at the time but in the autumn, it's a good time for people to make their claims heard

and insensitive at the moment because the crisis in terms of standards of living and the attention of energy in the strike actually started when they were already providing lower costs for the pension itself and started to run out in some regions and it must�*ve given a few ideas, especially making huge profits. figs especially making huge profits. as mentioned earlier, strikers want to share of those profits and how does the general public feel about that? i think there are of two minds. a number of people, especially from the right in the extreme right who will consider that it is important for the rest of france to be allowed to go to work, to feed themselves

and to lead normal lives, the strike is starting to affect buses, transports of food and there will be some concerns for other employees but on the other hand, it is a strike and there are voices who claim this fight —— despite being deeply annoyed in the daily lives are going to go forward. {guild are going to go forward. could sread are going to go forward. could spread to _ are going to go forward. could spread to other _ are going to go forward. could spread to other sectors? - are going to go forward. could spread to other sectors? it - are going to go forward. could i spread to other sectors? it would not be unusual— spread to other sectors? it would not be unusual for— spread to other sectors? it would not be unusual for unions - spread to other sectors? it would not be unusual for unions to - spread to other sectors? it would | not be unusual for unions to strike and movement and very often, this happens and there is a demonstration thatis happens and there is a demonstration that is planned on sunday and so, it may indeed, it is true that in a

way, despitejust being may indeed, it is true that in a way, despite just being the elected a few months ago, his victory in the legislative election was not as high as he would've wished and therefore, there is a very strong division in there is a very strong division in the country in terms of the position thatis the country in terms of the position that is from an extreme right but also the left. that is from an extreme right but also the left-— that is from an extreme right but also the left. ., ,, i. . ., also the left. thank you so much for “oininu us also the left. thank you so much for joining us and _ also the left. thank you so much for joining us and giving _ also the left. thank you so much for joining us and giving us _ also the left. thank you so much for joining us and giving us a _ also the left. thank you so much for joining us and giving us a snapshot i joining us and giving us a snapshot of what is happening in france. at buckingham palace in london, the meeting between the new king and the uk leader brings the monarch up to speed on matters of governance on a one—to—one basis and his majesty the king remains politically neutral and will share his advice and tell ministers when necessary at the meetings are entirely confidential. it is a little unusual to see some of those pictures.

stay with us on outside source — still to come. researchers have managed to grow brain cells in a lab, that have learned to play a computer game. a jury has been told that a nurse, accused of murdering babies on a neonatal ward, killed a premature baby girl on the fourth attempt and then sent the parents a sympathy card. lucy letby is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the countess of chester hospital in 2015 and 2016. she denies all the charges. our correspondentjudith moritz was in court. holding one of the babies in her care, lucy letby smiles for the camera, but today she was described in court as persistent, calculated and cold—blooded, deliberately sabotaging poorly and premature babies in the neonatal unit of the countess of chester hospital. it is alleged she attacked one baby after another until a pattern began to emerge. i am a consultant paediatrician and i have worked for the nhs all my career. thejudge heard this paediatrician had started to notice a coincidence

between several unexplained deaths and medical emergencies in the presence of lucy letby. the court was told that one night the doctor realised that lucy letby was on her own with a very premature, newborn baby and he felt uncomfortable about it and was concerned and he went to find her. when he entered the room he found lucy letby standing over the incubator. the baby's oxygen levels were falling dangerously, but the monitor alarms had not sounded as they should have done and the jury was told that lucy letby had made no effort to help the baby or to call for assistance. prosecuting, nicholasjohnson kc told the jury that the doctor found the baby's chest was not moving at a breathing tube had become dislodged. lucy letby is charged with the baby's attempted murder. she watched from the dock as mrjohnson said it was highly significant that children in her care persistently and consistently suffered emergencies.

the court heard that in one week lucy letby had tried to kill three babies, and one of them are known as baby i was said to have been resilient with the nurse trying three times to murder her and succeeding on the fourth occasion. then the court heard she sent a condolence card to that baby's parents, something she said she knew it was not normal. lucy letby denies all the charges he faces and the defence team are expected to outline their case tomorrow. judith morris, bbc news, manchester. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is insisting she will not cut public spending to pay for her package of tax cuts. the bbc investigation is found in vulnerable families and children are given access to phones and tick—tock accounts so they can go online for hours and beg for money to be sent to them.

chanting: send me gifts! they're asking for help, for follows, for gifts. this is a new trend on tiktok. working with bbc arabic, we found more than 300 tiktok accounts posting these kinds of videos with viewers sometimes spending more than $1,000 an hour in total on gifts. the idea behind tiktok gifts is to reward creators for interesting content. these gifts are bought with real money and can cost up to $500. the gifts are converted to a virtual currency that you can withdraw as cash. but how much of that goes to the families? and how much does tiktok take for itself? you can see there's a pattern. the children seem to be saying the same kind of things. they are asking for likes and gifts and if you listen closely, sometimes you can hear there's a voice off—camera actually telling them what to say. like, like, like. we asked a localjournalist to visit a camp in north—west syria.

mona lives here with her six daughters. they go on tiktok for two or three hours at a time several times a day. she's saving up to pay for medical treatment for her daughter, sharifa, who's blind. translation: | tell them | about my life in the camps and how we lost our home. and about my daughter's situation, so that people will support me. hameed also lives in the camp and is known as a tiktok middleman. he sold his livestock to buy a phone and now works with 12 different families, setting up their accounts, filming, and withdrawing their earnings. he says most of the gifts�* value is taken by tiktok before it even reaches his account. translation: the lion is the biggest gift. - it's worth $500, but by the time it reaches the money transfer shop, it's only $155. tiktok wouldn't tell us how much commission it takes on gifts in the app, so we decided to check for ourselves. we asked mohammed, a local journalist, to go live

from an account in syria. we sent him $106, around £90 in gifts, from another account. then he went to withdraw the money. from the $106 in gifts we donated, tiktok took 73. that's almost 70%. the money transfer shop charged a further 10% and people like hameed, who provide the phones, take a cut of what is left. so, from those $106, our syrian family would have just $19, and often, the families we spoke to get much, much less. in a statement, tiktok said that this type of content is not allowed on their platform and they would strengthen their global policies around exploitative begging. a charity that works in the camp told us it could help support these families as an alternative to making money from tiktok live streams. but there are still hundreds of families going live from camps in syria every day.

and the lion's share of the money donated lines the pockets of tiktok itself. hannah gelbert, bbc news. now, talk about a brainwave. researchers have managed to grow brain cells in a lab, that have learned to play a computer game. here's the lab—grown brain, created by researchers in australia. they say that their so—called "mini—brain", can sense and respond to its environment, and has the potential to develop more advanced robots and ai systems. other experts describe the work as exciting but say that calling the brain cells sentient is going too far. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. these little white blobs are clumps of brain cells that have been grown in a lab. researchers connected cells similar to these to a computer. under the microscope, you can see the tiny wires

that sent electrical impulses in and out. it learned to play a 19705 game called pong, in the rectangle on the screen. the lab grown brain moves a white line to try and stop the dot getting past. right now, we have the chance for drug discovering, disease modelling, understanding intelligence. the next stage could open up options such as cybersecurity management, or more autonomous devices. finally, perhaps we could even lead to sentient and fully autonomous robots that can act and change in the real world. the researches grew a clump of 800,000 brain cells from a mixture of mouse neurons and human stem cells. the plan is to see if more of those mini brains become worse at playing the game after they have been dosed with alcohol, just like a human player would. mini brains are being grown in a uk lab in order to study brain development. it's taken researchers six weeks

to grow these mini brains. you can see the electrical activity of the neurons on this screen here. it is precisely because they behave similarly to human brains, even though it is at a very rudimentary level, that researchers here are taking great care in the way they develop the technology. there may be the potential, probably much further down the line, to simulate something like certainly intelligence and cognition, and we want to make sure that we know ahead of time where that boundary is, so that we don't accidentally stumble over it. the scientists are working with ethics experts to develop new rules to regulate the research. will these so—called mini brains develop to the point where they can feel pleasure or pain? and how might we consider their moral status if they were conscious or sentient? and how should we regulate the use of this research in future technology?

these are questions that we haven't begun to consider. today's mini brains are a very long way off from becoming self—aware, and many researchers believe that is unlikely to ever happen, but they agree that they do need to proceed with caution. pallab ghosh, bbc news. for more, let's speak now to one of the co—authors of this research, dr brett kagan of cortical labs. the thing that struck me was the report about brains and the worry that you could accidentally create a conscious brain and are the ethical dilemmas that will come from that, is that something that keeps you awake at night? haste is that something that keeps you awake at night?— is that something that keeps you awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps _ awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps to _ awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps to make _ awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps to make sure -

awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps to make sure we - awake at night? we are taking very delicate steps to make sure we are j delicate steps to make sure we are aware of this in a technology that we develop is developed appropriately and applied responsibly. and we know that some of the sound bites bites like sentencing consciousness are used interchangeably. there are two different things that are defined in the way that we use the terms. it is a system that is able to receive external sensory input and receive information from the outside and act upon that information, doesn't have a feeling or consciousness to know what it is like to be but this is a very different perspective tell some people might phrase it but we indicate where we are doing this the right way. lest indicate where we are doing this the riaht wa . ~ ., indicate where we are doing this the riuhtwa .~ ., ., right way. w definition for sentiment. _ right way. w definition for sentiment. artists - right way. w definition for sentiment. artists that i right way. w definition for sentiment. artists that is | right way. w definition for i sentiment. artists that is our definition _ sentiment. artists that is our definition of _ sentiment. artists that is our definition of sentiment. - sentiment. artists that is our definition of sentiment. that| sentiment. artists that is our i definition of sentiment. that is been used. definition of sentiment. that is been used-— definition of sentiment. that is been used. , ., , been used. there is often debates about that which _ been used. there is often debates about that which are _ been used. there is often debates about that which are fascinating, i about that which are fascinating, but really surprised with the whole

ponca computer game aspect of it or is that the experiment you are setting out to try and achieve? that was very much _ setting out to try and achieve? that was very much the _ setting out to try and achieve? trust was very much the experiment that we set out to achieve achieve, we were pleasantly surprised with how robust we saw these results and how well these neurons are able to reconfigure their activity to be able to perform in this virtual environment.— able to perform in this virtual environment. , , ., ., , environment. just in a last minute or so, environment. just in a last minute or so. how — environment. just in a last minute or so. how can _ environment. just in a last minute or so, how can this _ environment. just in a last minute or so, how can this findings - or so, how can this findings research help people in the future because micas is about brain disease? is the endgame? brute because micas is about brain disease? is the endgame? we think it is a new beginning _ disease? is the endgame? we think it is a new beginning of _ disease? is the endgame? we think it is a new beginning of this _ disease? is the endgame? we think it is a new beginning of this type - disease? is the endgame? we think it is a new beginning of this type of - is a new beginning of this type of investigation in this type of technology. things like drug discovery, disease modelling, where we can look at how processes involved in intelligence are infected with the drugs are diseases and medium terms think about expanding this and other applications are basically, think of

neurons is a smart biomaterial that can process information with very low—power consumption and behave intelligently and what are the applications for that. we can begin to imagine all of them and really excited to focus on the road to explore these technologies. shire excited to focus on the road to explore these technologies. are you fascinated by _ explore these technologies. are you fascinated by the _ explore these technologies. are you fascinated by the attention - explore these technologies. are you fascinated by the attention the - fascinated by the attention the story has gotten question was somewhat, but we have had the opportunity to work with some brilliant researchers on this project. brilliant researchers on this ro'ect. ~ �* . . project. we're 'ust thrilled that other people— project. we're just thrilled that other people are _ project. we're just thrilled that other people are enjoying - project. we're just thrilled that other people are enjoying this| project. we're just thrilled that - other people are enjoying this work and i am excited to see where this will all go. and i am excited to see where this will all no. . ~ and i am excited to see where this will all no. ., ,, i. and i am excited to see where this will all no. . ~' ,, , and i am excited to see where this will all no. . ~' , . if you want more analysis from outside source a good place to find it is on twitter — i'm @bbcrosatkins. follow me, you'll see all of our videos, they're usually quite short with lots packed in. we're posting new material all the time.

hello again. for many of you, it's been a pretty cloudy day today as confirmed by the satellite pictures earlier. a few breaks here and there. southern and eastern parts of england seeing a few and during the afternoon its bright across the northwest. others have seen outbreaks of rain, most of the likes of patchy rain following along this weather front through the afternoon, across parts of northern england and wales. that weather front has made a big difference in scotland. a grey, cloudy and wet morning, the afternoon once the front is gone through, we're out into a bit of sunshine there in sterling. big improvements in the weather picture. overnight tonight, that weather front continues southward and eastward. it will be bringing the heaviest rain across the county of england. there's a chance of more persistent rain working cross wales, the midlands and east anglia just for a time.

with those cloudier conditions and with rain around, temperatures on the move, 12 degrees in london and plymouth. across the north of the uk with clear skies working in it is cold with patches of frost around. for thursday morning, should be a bright enough start to the day with morning sunshine across northern areas, frost soon melting away. further south we will see rain across the south of england, perhaps east anglia at a time and through the afternoon another band of rate will to northwest scotland and northern ireland. that still leaves wales, the midlands, north east england and eastern scotland with fine and dry weather where you will have some spells of sunshine through the day. for friday could end up with another weak cold front working in from the atlantic. again will bring some rain, slowly edging from scotland southward into northern england and north wales later in the day. behind that it gets quite windy and we will see a number of showers flowing into scotland and northern ireland. temperatures continue to run on the mild side across a good part of england and wales, 16, 17 degrees, couplet degrees above average but in contrast that

scotland and northern ireland close to or perhaps even a tad below the october average. for the weekend, low pressure stays to the west of the uk so we will maintain these fairly brisk west to south—westerly winds with weather fronts continuing to cross the country bringing bands of rain. could get quite windy on saturday at dusk reaching maybe a0 or 50 mph, a potentialfor gales and plenty of showers in the forecast for the second half of the weekend. bye— bye.

hello, i'm nuala mcgovern. this is outside source. have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? _ have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? time — have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? time for— have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? time for another— have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? time for another u—turn? i the uk government warns there will be difficult decisions, after the prime minister pledges not to cut public spending. what we will make sure is that over the medium term, the debt is falling. but we will do that, not by cutting public spending, but by making sure we spend public money well. liz truss has been defending her economic plans, following turmoil on the markets. also in the programme: the us leads western countries in promising more weapons for ukraine, pledging to support kyiv for the long haul. and problems at the pump cause

travel chaos in france, as striking workers vow to continue their industrial action. welcome. market turmoil and questions over how the british government will pay for promised tax cuts, after the prime minister liz truss said she would not cut government spending. have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? _ time for another u—turn? this was liz truss leaving number 10 for her first session of prime minister's questions since last month's mini budget sparked market turmoil. pension funds, the pound and the cost of mortgages have all been affected. once in the house of commons, she was tackled by the leader of the opposition on how she planned to pay for lower taxes. during her leadership contest, the prime minister said,

and i quote her exactly, "i'm very clear. i'm not planning public spending reductions." is she going to stick to that? prime minister. absolutely, absolutely. mr speaker... what we will make sure is that over the medium term, the debt is falling. but we will do that, not by cutting public spending, but by making sure we spend public money well. the markets are worried about the government borrowing needed to fund the tax—cutting plans announced in the mini budget. investors remain nervous as they wait for the 31st of october, when the chancellor kwasi kwarteng will publish details of how the government intends to fund those tax cuts. in the meantime, the cost of government borrowing has increased again today, while the pound fell against the euro and dollar overnight.

that was after this man, the governor of the bank of england, said he would not extend a financial support package beyond this friday. the emergency measures were launched nearly two weeks ago to calm the turmoil prompted by the mini budget. the bank stepped in, buying bonds in the market to stabilise their price and prevent a sell—off, which could put some pension funds in a tight spot. now that scheme will end on friday. this will give you an idea of how far the cost of government borrowing has surged in recent weeks. this is the yield on the 30—year, so long—term, government bond or gilt. sterling has today recovered some ground. this is how it was trading against the dollar a short while ago. speaking to bbc radio this morning, business secretary jacob rees—mogg rejected a suggestion that the turmoil in the financial markets was the result of measures in the chancellor kwasi kwarteng's mini budget. in what has caused the effect in

pension funds, because of some quite high risk but low probability investment strategies, is not necessarily the mini budget. it could just as easily be the fact that the day before, the bank of england did not raise interest rates as much of the federal reserve did, and i thinkjumping to conclusions about causality is not meeting the bbc�*s requirement for impartiality. it is a commentary rather than the factual question. that view is disputed by many economists. here's what one told mps today. external financing needs of the uk are certainly a big function of what we are _ are certainly a big function of what we are seeing, and then you throw on the septum _ we are seeing, and then you throw on the septum or 23rd event, you have lack of _ the septum or 23rd event, you have lack of a _ the septum or 23rd event, you have lack of a meaningful physical plan, the largest unfunded tax cuts, measures we have seen since the 1970s. _ measures we have seen since the i970s. and — measures we have seen since the 1970s, and it is sort of the straw broke _ 1970s, and it is sort of the straw broke the — 1970s, and it is sort of the straw broke the camel's back, if you will.

the global economy is facing headwinds. but the international monetary fund on tuesday said higher prices in the uk would stay with us for longer than elsewhere. it downgraded its forecast for uk gdp growth next year to just 0.3% from its previous prediction of 0.5%. the imf�*s chief economist also warned that the government's planned tax cuts — to be funded by borrowing — are at odds with the bank of england's requirement to bring down inflation. imaginea carwith imagine a car with two drivers in the front, each of them with a steering wheel, and one wants to go left and the other wants to go right. one is the central bank tried to cool off the economy, so that price pressures will ease and the other one is wanting to spend more to support families. beyond that, it is going to add to aggregate demand. if the car is going to try to go left and right at the same time, it is probably not going to work very well. all this comes as the risk of recession has risen, with figures showing that the uk

economy shrank in august. it contracted by 0.3% in the month of august, after growing 0.1% the previous month. vicky pryce is an economist and former economic adviser to the uk government. interest rates d id interest rates did not go up as fast as people expected the day before the mini budget, the bank of england raised interest rates by 15 basis points, but of course it was quite right to do so because we already knew there was going to be a price cap and that cap would be bringing inflation down anyway by something like four percentage points, so it made a lot of sense for the bank of england to do what it did. and then of course the markets were spooked by what happened the following day. it is worth just adding that the bank of england also announced on that day, when it raised rates, that it was going to start selling bonds it had acquired during the period of supporting the government in this fiscal expansion that it undertook during covid in particular, so they're going to start selling those bonds, about 60 billion, 80 billion

per annum. the markets i think would have accepted that, then came the extra tax cutting measures which i think gave the market a bit of indigestion. and then we saw what happened with gilt.— indigestion. and then we saw what happened with gilt. indigestion is a aood word. happened with gilt. indigestion is a good word- i _ happened with gilt. indigestion is a good word- i am — happened with gilt. indigestion is a good word. i am just _ happened with gilt. indigestion is a good word. i am just wondering, i happened with gilt. indigestion is a good word. i amjust wondering, is| good word. i am just wondering, is there a way around it, a simple solution? can we talk actually about the bank of england? i was mentioning to our viewers there that they expected you and those emergency on purchases on friday. do you think that will happen? ithink you think that will happen? i think the will, you think that will happen? i think they will. when — you think that will happen? i think they will, when you _ you think that will happen? i think they will, when you look - you think that will happen? i think they will, when you look at - you think that will happen? i think they will, when you look at what i they will, when you look at what happened with the pension funds, they cannot take the risk of having a serious financial tiblisi crisis again. —— stability crisis... if they manage to sort it out in a satisfactory way, in terms of balancing the books by friday, which is the deadline, then perhaps the bank of england will be all right to ease that type of intervention it has done so far, which has not been

big in terms of the amount it has spent, but it has been very important in terms of calming the markets down. however, even if the pension funds are, if you like, out of the difficulties they were in, i think the markets are going to still be very concerned about the amount of debt that they are going to have to fund, and therefore they will test the bank of england again, they will test the government resolution again, and i think they will be expecting that there may be some further reversals in the tax cutting plans that the government has announced before they start using, if you like, that pressure on markets. if you like, that pressure on markets-— if you like, that pressure on markets. , ~' markets. interesting, so you think the think markets. interesting, so you think they think there _ markets. interesting, so you think they think there might _ markets. interesting, so you think they think there might be - markets. interesting, so you think they think there might be a - markets. interesting, so you think i they think there might be a reversal on that? you are in athens, i noticed, and just before i came to air, i noticed greekjournalist saying the 30 year bond yield is higher now for the uk than for greece what does it tell us, if

anything? i heard the uk be described as behaving like an emerging market, is that fair? it is emerging market, is that fair? it is ainfulfor emerging market, is that fair? it 3 painful for greece, going through the euro zone crisis and not being able to borrow in the market. you don't want to be in that type of position, but of course a completely different issue, because the bank of england is independent. greece was very much depending on the european central bank doing things, the imf was bearing down on them as well. the bank of england can do things a lot more easily than the case if greece went into difficulty again. let's move to ukraine, which has endured a third day of russian missile strikes. it's an escalation which us defence secretary lloyd austin says lays bare the "malice and cruelty" of the war. we'll be getting more details on those attacks shortly. but first, let's look at the diplomatic developments today. the defence secretaries of over 50 western countries have been meeting

at the headquarters of the nato defensive alliance in brussels. they've pledged to continue sending military hardware to ukraine "for as long as it takes" — a message echoed by the g7 group of powerful countries. let's hear from secretary austin. ukraine cosmic forces have used systems like himars to change the dynamics of the wer that putin started and that has helped ukrainian forces seize the initiative during their counteroffensive. so we will continue to russian capabilities to help ukraine in the current fight. and i commend the contact group members who have moved heaven and earth to get weapons and equip mitch into the hands of the ukrainian forces. we've also heard from germany. translation: germany has delivered a state-of-the-art — translation: germany has delivered a state-of-the-art defence _ translation: germany has delivered a state-of-the-art defence system - translation: germany has delivered a state-of-the-art defence system to - state—of—the—art defence system to ukraine _ state—of—the—art defence system to ukraine it — state—of—the—art defence system to ukraine. it is important support for ukraine _ ukraine. it is important support for ukraine in— ukraine. it is important support for ukraine in its fighting as these terror— ukraine in its fighting as these terror attacks this population has

been _ terror attacks this population has been subjected to. it is one system, and the _ been subjected to. it is one system, and the next — been subjected to. it is one system, and the next year another three of these _ and the next year another three of these air— and the next year another three of these air defence systems will follow — both pledges have been welcomed by the ukrainian president — he's been calling for an "air shield" against future russian attacks. let's remind ourselves of what he said on tuesday. translation: i ask you to increase our “oint translation: i ask you to increase yourjoint efforts — translation: i ask you to increase yourjoint efforts to _ translation: i ask you to increase yourjoint efforts to help _ yourjoint efforts to help financially _ yourjoint efforts to help financially to _ yourjoint efforts to help financially to create - yourjoint efforts to help financially to create the i yourjoint efforts to help i financially to create the air yourjoint efforts to help - financially to create the air shield for ukraine _ financially to create the air shield for ukraine. millions _ financially to create the air shield for ukraine. millions of— financially to create the air shield for ukraine. millions of people i financially to create the air shield. for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful— for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to _ for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to the _ for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to the group _ for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to the group of- for ukraine. millions of people will be grateful to the group of seven. | we're expecting to hear more military pledges as the week goes on. in the meantime, we've heard from france in the past hour. president macron has promised "radars, systems and missiles" for ukraine. and then there's the netherlands — they've promised over $1a million worth of missiles. estonia has also outlined its commitments — here's its defence minister speaking to the bbc. first, we will give ammunition to mulch is still very much needed. the second part is the winter gear, two

brigades of winter gear added to that, and thirdly we will also give the bullet proof vests for three brigades. that's quite a lot, considering our size and our possibilities, but it is not that time at the moment to think, will it somehow affect us or our own capabilities? we need to help ukraine and we need to help them now, as soon as possible. the bbc has been getting reaction from one ukrainian mp. i think it is important to understand that the russian federation has been escalating its mititary— federation has been escalating its military attacks on ukrainian civilians. _ military attacks on ukrainian civilians, the civilian infrastructure, and that is why we are asking — infrastructure, and that is why we are asking for, really, increased efforts— are asking for, really, increased efforts from our partners to step up with their— efforts from our partners to step up with their support, with the air defence. — with their support, with the air defence, but also with the weaponry that would _ defence, but also with the weaponry that would allow us to conduct further— that would allow us to conduct further counteroffensive. let's hearfrom jessica parker. she's at the nato headquarters

in brussels, where that meeting has been taking place. we heard from the canadians earlier today. they're talking about providing winter hats, boots and gloves, just so front line soldiers have the proper gear that they might need this winter as the conflict enters a new phase. and i think more broadly as well, in terms of how long this could last, countries are potentially digging in for the long haul in terms of how to supply weapons to ukraine but also build up their own bases again and replenish their own weapons stocks. and so what you've heard quite a lot surrounding this summit is work ongoing with the defence industry to try and get that industrial base in a position to meet those demands longer term, as also you see countries pledging higher defence spending. we mentioned that russian strikes have intensified over the last few days. here's a map showing you where they've been targeted. you can see that the western city of lviv is among the targets — it's rarely been hit before now.

apart from at the very beginning of the war. there have also been strikes in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. these are the latest pictures we have from there, showing the aftermath. we've been hearing from a resident of kyiv, who lives there with her three children. when the bombings began, i was about to take my kids to the dentist and we were about to try this road that was hit by a russian missile. but we didn't. there were explosions, so instead i took them to the basement. another city we know has been targeted is zaporizhzhia. there've been several explosions reported there. that is important because the city is also home to an atomic energy site. this is it. it's europe's largest. it was captured by the russians early on in the invasion. and the plant lost power earlier today. although it's been restored, the head of the international atomic energy agency said the outage had been caused by shelling damage to a substation and that the situation there remains "precarious". earlier, the us president had this

to say about the attacks. what is going to happen with russian attacks on civilian for structure in ukraine? it attacks on civilian for structure in ukraine? . . . attacks on civilian for structure in ukraine? , , ., , , ukraine? it is brutal. it is beyond the ale. let's hearfrom ian williams, deputy director of the missile defence project at the centre for strategic and international studies. these are very advanced systems, some of the most modern air defense systems in the world, and they're considerably more sophisticated than the kind of air defences that ukraine is deploying now. so i would anticipate that these systems will go a long way in helping thin out some of these russian missile attacks and, in particular, allow them to focus their defense on protecting and, in particular, allow them to focus their defence on protecting these pieces of critical civil infrastructure, things like water treatment facilities and electrical power plants that they really need to protect to stave off a broader humanitarian

crisis come this winter. so this is the first of four, as i understand it. i think it was predicted to be delivered in december and then they brought it forward because of these attacks. but, you know, people will be wondering, why does it take so long to deliver something like this? and i know there's other systems promised, but it doesn't look like they're going to arrive on ukraine's doorstep any time soon. right. well, there is some preparation that is required. there is training. these are complex systems that do require specialised training. so i'm sure that training has been ongoing. but, you know, i think the slowness of providing these air defence systems is a symptom of the fact that nato and the united states have been under—investing in these kinds of air defence systems for decades now. and we are just now starting to get back into the air defence game and ramping up production of these kinds of systems. so i think this is a symptom of

that long time underinvestment. you know, i was listening to an interview on the bbc earlier of petro poroshenko, a former ukrainian president, and he said this war is unlike any war that has gone before it. do you see it in that way, when it comes to at the type of combat, the type of military systems that are being deployed? well, you know, it's interesting that the... if you look at the attacks against civilian targets, civilian areas that russia has been prosecuting here, you know, we have seen in the past countries at war try to target civilians in order to achieve some kind of political objective. and it has almost... i think it has always failed. it tends to just steel the resolve of the people that are being bombed and increases support of the people for their government and for the policies. so i don't see that.

i think when you look at what russia is trying to do now, it seems clear they're trying to make life as miserable as possible for the ukrainian people, in the hope that they put pressure on the zelensky government to come to some kind of negotiated settlement that allows russia to maintain some of the territory that it has it has stolen. but i don't think... if you look at history, i don't think there is any precedent for that strategy working. thanks to you and williams. stay with us on outside source. still to come: france's oil workers vow to continue their strike, despite shortages at petrol stations across the country. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area, where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last

here, he's gone from being a little known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—lb bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost honour. this catholic nation hold its breath for the this catholic nation held its breath for the men they called the 33. and then... bells toll ..bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue, and chile let out an almighty roar. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story:

britain's prime minister insists she will not cut public spending to pay for her multi—billion—pound package of tax cuts. striking french oil workers have voted to continue their industrial action, which has led to shortages at fuel stations across the country. this was the scene in paris today, where long queues of cars waiting to use the pumps are now a regular sight. the trafficjams have created chaos for drivers, delivery companies and emergency services. translation: it is hell. it is a disaster because _ translation: it is hell. it is a disaster because there's - translation: it is hell. it is a disaster because there's at - translation: it is hell. it is a | disaster because there's at least translation: it is hell. it is a i disaster because there's at least a three hour queue behind us, but we have been around all the petrol pumps. there are not any. translation: i pumps. there are not any. translation:— pumps. there are not any. translation: . translation: i am very angry and nervous too- _ translation: i am very angry and nervous too- i— translation: i am very angry and nervous too. i understand - translation: i am very angry and nervous too. i understand the - nervous too. i understand the strike. — nervous too. i understand the strike. i— nervous too. i understand the strike, i understand wanting to increase — strike, i understand wanting to increase one's salary, what i don't understand — increase one's salary, what i don't understand is blocking a whole country — understand is blocking a whole country like that. there are discussions and you have unions. go and discuss. — discussions and you have unions. go and discuss, but don't block the whole _ and discuss, but don't block the

whole country. the french government has ordered key workers to go back to work. it has the power to fine or imprison those who refuse and can requisition refineries in an emergency. but today the authorities called for negotiations to continue. translation: we obviously have an obliuation translation: we obviously have an obligation to — translation: we obviously have an obligation to ensure _ translation: we obviously have an obligation to ensure that _ translation: we obviously have an obligation to ensure that the - obligation to ensure that the consequences for the french people are as short and as mild as possible, and so the prime minister has called on numerous occasions for everyone to get around negotiating table, so we are going to unblock a fuel depot centre which is still blocked by a union while the majority of employees are presented by the unions have agreed with the management to say, "we are stopping the strike." the hard—left unions behind the stoppages see a threat to their right to strike. they've denied blocking fuel depots. translation: there are no blockades, there are employees _ translation: there are no blockades, there are employees exercising - translation: there are no blockades, there are employees exercising their. there are employees exercising their i’ilht there are employees exercising their right to _ there are employees exercising their right to strike. you can go to the front— right to strike. you can go to the front of— right to strike. you can go to the front of the — right to strike. you can go to the front of the refineries, the front of the _ front of the refineries, the front of the depots, which are currently on strike — of the depots, which are currently

on strike. there is no barricade. the _ on strike. there is no barricade. the non—striking employees can go to work _ florence faucher is a political scientist from sciences po paris. she explained that the government can only force people back to work under certain strict conditions. the unions have already asked the tribunals to adjudicate on the decision of the government to make some people go back to work. there are four people who are being asked to go back to work. haifa are four people who are being asked to go back to work.— to go back to work. how many, did ou sa ? to go back to work. how many, did you say? just _ to go back to work. how many, did you say? just four _ to go back to work. how many, did you say? just four for _ to go back to work. how many, did you say? just four for now. - to go back to work. how many, did you say? just four for now. ok. i to go back to work. how many, did you say? just four for now. ok. at| you say? just four for now. ok. at one of the — you say? just four for now. ok. at one of the refineries. _ you say? just four for now. ok. at one of the refineries. that - you say? just four for now. ok. at one of the refineries. that is - you say? just four for now. ok. at one of the refineries. that is what| one of the refineries. that is what it is called. for now, it is proportional, and the government can only make people go back to work if it has serious consequences for french society in general stop what i understand, and i suppose that is where the debate is.— where the debate is. where it is or

is not for where the debate is. where it is or is rrot for i — where the debate is. where it is or is not for i did _ where the debate is. where it is or is not for i did say _ where the debate is. where it is or is not for i did say that _ where the debate is. where it is or is not for i did say that nicholas i is not for i did say that nicholas r kozy took this step against striping don't ask tracking workers in 2010. how did that work out? == don't ask tracking workers in 2010. how did that work out?— how did that work out? -- striking workers? we _ how did that work out? -- striking workers? we have _ how did that work out? -- striking workers? we have to remember. how did that work out? -- striking i workers? we have to remember that how did that work out? -- striking - workers? we have to remember that in the fall, in the autumn, it is a good time for people to make their claims heard, and it is particularly sensitive at the moment because of the crisis in terms of standards of living, and the tension on energy. the strike actually started when a provider already providing a low cost for the petrol itself started to run out of it in some regions, and it must have given a few ideas, especially because it is making huge profits. especially because it is making huge rofits. ~ , ., , especially because it is making huge rofits. ~ , ., ., , profits. with the profits actually, that is an interesting _ profits. with the profits actually, that is an interesting aspect - profits. with the profits actually, that is an interesting aspect of. that is an interesting aspect of it, because as i mentioned to our

viewers, the strikers on a share of that profit. i don't know, how does the general public feel about it, if you know? i the general public feel about it, if ou know? ~ , ., the general public feel about it, if ou know? ~' , ., ., the general public feel about it, if you know?— you know? i think they are of two minds. a number _ you know? i think they are of two minds. a number of people from | you know? i think they are of two i minds. a number of people from the right and the extreme right, who will consider that it is important for the rest of france to be allowed to go to work, to feed themselves and to have normal lives, because the strike is starting to affect buses, transport of food and so on, so they will be some concerns for other employees. on the other hand, it is a right to strike, and there are voices who claim that this is deeply annoying and perturbing in their daily lives. just is deeply annoying and perturbing in their daily lives.— their daily lives. just briefly, florence. — their daily lives. just briefly, florence, could _ their daily lives. just briefly, florence, could it _ their daily lives. just briefly, florence, could it spread - their daily lives. just briefly, florence, could it spread to | their daily lives. just briefly, - florence, could it spread to other sectors? i did hear rumours of that. at the moment, it is fuel workers.

it would not be unusual for unions to call to strike and movement in the autumn. this very often happens, and there is a demonstration that is playing on sunday, so it may indeed. it is true that, in a way, despite the election a few months ago, the victory in the legislature was not as high as he would have wished and therefore there is a strong division in the country in terms of the position from a strong extreme right, but also the left —— emmanuel macron. florence faucher, thanks to her. a reminder of our top story. downing street has warned there will be "difficult decisions" on public spending after liz truss pledged not to make any cuts. there has been market turmoil since the chancellor

unveiled his tax—cutting mini budget last month. the bank of england stepped in with an emergency bond—buying intervention designed to stabilise the economy — that scheme will end on friday. hello again. for many of you, it's been a pretty cloudy day today, as confirmed by the satellite pictures. there have been a few breaks here and there. southern and eastern parts of england seeing a few. and during the afternoon, it's brightened up across the northwest as well. but others have seen outbreaks of rain. most of the light and patchy rain has been falling along this weather front through the afternoon, across parts of northern england and wales. and that weather front has made a big difference in scotland. here, it was a grey, cloudy and wet morning. the afternoon, once the front had gone through, you're out into a bit of sunshine there in stirling, so a big improvement in the weather picture. overnight tonight, that weather front continues southwards and eastwards. it will be bringing the heaviest rain across southern counties of england, but there's a chance we could see a zone of more persistent rain working across wales, the midlands and east

anglia just for a time. with those cloudier conditions and with rain around, temperatures on the mild side — 12 degrees in london and plymouth. but across the north of the uk, with those clearer skies continuing to work in, it's cold with some patches of frost around. now, for thursday morning, should be a bright enough start to the day, with morning sunshine across northern areas, that frost soon melting away. further south, we'll see rain across the south of england, further south, we'll see some rain across the south of england, perhaps east anglia for a time. and through the afternoon, another band of rain will start to work into parts of northwest scotland and perhaps northern ireland. that still leaves wales, the midlands, north east england and eastern scotland with fine and dry weather, where you'll have some spells of sunshine through the day. now, for friday, we could end up with another weak cold front working in from the atlantic. this one, again, will bring some rain, slowly edging from scotland southwards into northern england and north wales later in the day. behind that, it gets quite windy and we'll see a number of blustery showers flowing into scotland and northern ireland as well. temperatures continue to run

on the mild side across a good part of england and wales, 16,17 degrees. that's a couple of degrees above average. but in contrast to that, scotland and northern ireland close to or perhaps even just a tad below the october average. and for the weekend, low pressure stays to the west of the uk, so we're going to maintain these fairly brisk west to south—westerly winds, with weather fronts continuing to cross the country, bringing bands of rain. could get quite windy as well on saturday, gusts maybe reaching around a0 or 50 mph for some, so potentially gales, and plenty of showers in the forecast for the second half of the weekend. bye— bye.

hello, i'm nuala mcgovern, this is outside source. have you wrecked the economy, prime

minister? the uk government warns there will be difficult decisions after the prime minister pledges not to cut public spending. what we will make sure is that over the medium term, the debt is falling. but we will do that not by cutting public spending, but by making sure we spend public money well. liz truss has been defending her economic plans following turmoil on the markets. also in the programme: the us leads western countries in promising more weapons for ukraine — pledging to support kyiv for the long haul. problems at the pump cause travel chaos in france, as striking workers vow to continue their industrial action. liz truss has been meeting backbench conservative mps tonight — to try and secure support for her economic policy. a number of backbenchers are already calling for the pm to reverse some

of her planned tax cuts anounced in last month's mini budget. at pmqs earlier liz truss insisted she won't cut public spending to pay for her multi—billion pound package of tax cuts, and to help families and businesses with energy bills. with his take on the day's development�*s here's our political editor chris mason. at lunchtime, i was sitting in the house of commons press gallery looking at on the conservative benches. it was a sea of glum faces, people who did not remotely look happy will stop there was a big cheer when the prime minister arrived, that came from the labour benches. it appeared tonight that the government has inadvertently driven down a cul—de—sac and doesn't want to be seen to be reversing out of bed. they hope of course after some twists and turns and adventures over the grass, they will find a way through, things might turn out to be ok. but there are plenty including on their own side who are questioning the navigation and questioning the navigation and

questioning the navigation and questioning the driver. the chancellor kwasi kwarteng has flown to the united states for the annual meeting of the international monetary fund in washington. shortly after he arrived new figures showed the british economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.3% in august — strengthening predictions of a recession. the imf are sceptical about the chancellor's plans and our economics editor faisal islam who's in washington told us what sort of reception mr kwarteng is likely to get. well, it's not just well, it's notjust that prediction arising from the shock august figure going into reverse, it's also as we'd been hearing from simon, the fact that the government borrowing costs have effectively gone off to a 20 year high because of the bank of england saying they would stop that emergency intervention at the weekend, but on top of that the bank of england chief economist was saying that the biggest risk arising from the energy shock is not inflation but the public finances,

which puts the ball firmly back in the court of the chancellor in terms of finding a solution to this market turmoil and if that wasn't enough, when he arrived here this building, the imf, the chancellor was having meetings with fellow g7 finance ministers for the worlds biggest economies and there are questions across the world, from these financial ministries, about what's going on in the united kingdom and whether the sort of situation is just adding unnecessarily to financial fragility as and already concerning time. when you put it all together, you are left with the prime minister saying that there will be no spending cuts, but also saying there will be no tax rises, that borrowing is going to stay under control, and you don't have to be a bond trader or a finance minister or even have a gcse in maths to say how is that going to work in the next 2.5 weeks? and that is the question being posed at the highest levels here at the imf.

well, afterfacing keir starmer at pmqs this lunchtime, the prime minister went to buckingham palace this afternoon for herfirst weekly audience with the king. the meeting is a regular opportunity for the pm to bring the monarch up to speed on matters of governance, on a one—to—one basis. his majesty the king in turn remains politically neutral but he is able to shares his advice and warn his minsters when necessary. the meetings are entirely confidential. but it is unusual to see some of these pictures. police searching for a 19—year—old who has not been seen for more than three years, say they have found human remains. leah croucher disappeared while walking to work in milton keynes in february 2019. thames valley police say they have launched a murder investigation. our correspondentjo black has the latest yes, leah croucher went missing on the 15th of february 2019 and she

was captured just after 8am in the morning on cctv making her way to work about half a mile away from where i'm standing talking to you now. if you look around the city of milton keynes, there are plenty of posters here because her parents, as you would imagine, launched numerous appeals about her disappearance. now, here today at this house in thurston in milton keynes, there's been lots of activity, lots of officers going in and out of this address, many of them in forensic suits. now what we've been told today by the police is that on monday after a tip—off from a member of the public, the police came to this address and started searching and they found leah's rucksack and other personal items. today they announced they had launched a murder investigation. a few hours later, they announced they had found human remains. the police told us that a call on monday was the first occasion that they were alerted to this address behind me. and they say the forensic work will continue and

it will be some time to formally identify the deceased. as you can imagine, this is a very anxious time for leah's friends and family. they are being kept updated and supported by specialist officers. a jury has been told that a nurse, accused of murdering babies on a neonatal ward, killed a premature baby girl on the fourth attempt and then sent the parents a sympathy card. lucy letby is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the countess of chester hospital in 2015 and 2016. she denies all the charges. our correspondentjudith moritz was in court. holding one of the babies in her care, lucy letby smiles for the camera. but today she was described in court as persistent, calculated and cold—blooded, deliberately sabotaging poorly and premature babies in the neonatal unit of the countess of chester hospital. it's alleged that she attacked one baby after another, until a pattern began to emerge. i'm dr ravi jayaram. i'm a consultant paediatrician

and i have worked for the nhs all my career. the jury heard that this paediatrician who worked with her had started to notice the coincidence between several unexplained deaths and medical emergencies and the presence of lucy letby. the court was told that one night, drjayaram realised that nurse letby was on her own with a very premature, newborn baby, that he felt uncomfortable about it given his concerns, and so he went to find her. when he entered the room, he found lucy letby standing over the incubator. the baby's oxygen levels were falling dangerously, but the monitor alarms hadn't sounded as they should have been, and the jury was told that lucy letby had made no efforts to help the baby or to call for assistance. prosecuting, nicholasjohnson kc told the jury that the doctor found the baby's chest wasn't moving and her breathing tube had become dislodged. lucy letby is charged with a baby's attempted murder. she watched from the dock as mrjohnson said it was highly

significant that children in her care persistently and consistently suffered emergencies. he said... the court heard that in one week, lucy letby had tried to kill three babies. one of them — known as baby i — was said to have been resilient, with the nurse trying three times to murder her and succeeding on the fourth occasion. then the court heard she sent a condolence card to that baby's parents, something she later told police she knew wasn't normal, though she'd kept an image of the card on her phone. lucy letby denies all the charges she faces. her defence team are expected to outline their case tomorrow. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. the nhs in england has declared an amber alert for critically low blood supplies for the first time.

a spokeswoman said there were just over three days worth of overall blood stocks, but supplies of o—type blood, which is important during emergencies and when someone's blood type is unknown, had fallen to below two days. dr gail miflin is the chief medical officer at nhs blood and transplant what we really need people to do is if you are an existing donor and you are group o if you are an existing donor and you are group 0 positive or negative, we would really like you to make an appointment and an eight in one of our centres, we are welcoming people to all of our centres. the best way to all of our centres. the best way to do that is through our app and we are asking specifically for existing donors because we already know your blood group and we know that you know the what it takes to donate, so that's a key message today. if you are an existing donor, we would love to see you if you can. our health correspondent catherine burns has more.

so this means for the first time as the 19905 they could be thinking about cancelling nonemergency surgery. it isn't going to affect people receiving cancer care or people receiving cancer care or people with long lasting conditions, but there are about 6.8 million people waiting for treatment. as to why this is happening, the main reason is staff shortages and sickness. we are talking about donor carers, the people who look after you when you give blood. this is an ongoing problem since the start of the pandemic. existing donors are being asked to make appointments impossible, but it might not be that easy because it is just a handful of cities in england that have more than 50 free appointments this week. the supreme court has been hearing a second day of legal arguments on whether the scottish parliament can legislate to hold second independence referendum. the two sides made their final legal arguments before five justices. as proceedings concluded, the court's president lord reed said they would deliver theirjudgment

"as soon as we can". families living in syrian refugee camps are using tiktok to beg people for donations but the social media company is keeping up to 70% of what they're sent. a bbc investigation has found that vulnerable families and children are being given access to phones and tiktok accounts so they can go online live for hours and beg for money to be sent to them as hannah gelbart reports. chanting: send me gifts! they're asking for help, for follows, for gifts. this is a new trend on tiktok. working with bbc arabic, we found more than 300 tiktok accounts posting these kinds of videos with viewers sometimes spending more than $1,000 an hour in total on gifts. the idea behind tiktok gifts is to reward creators for interesting content. these gifts are bought with real money and can cost up to $500.

the gifts are converted to a virtual currency that you can withdraw as cash. but how much of that goes to the families? and how much does tiktok take for itself? you can see there's a pattern. the children seem to be saying the same kind of things. they are asking for likes and gifts and if you listen closely, sometimes you can hear there's a voice off—camera actually telling them what to say. like, like, like. we asked a localjournalist to visit a camp in north—west syria. mona lives here with her six daughters. they go on tiktok for two or three hours at a time several times a day. she's saving up to pay for medical treatment for her daughter, sharifa, who's blind. translation: i tell them | about my life in the camps and how we lost our home. and about my daughter's situation, so that people will support me. hameed also lives in the camp and is known as a tiktok middleman.

he sold his livestock to buy a phone and now works with 12 different families, setting up their accounts, filming, and withdrawing their earnings. he says most of the gifts�* value is taken by tiktok before it even reaches his account. translation: the lion is the biggest gift. - it's worth $500, but by the time it reaches the money transfer shop, it's only $155. tiktok wouldn't tell us how much commission it takes on gifts in the app, so we decided to check for ourselves. we asked mohammed, a local journalist, to go live from an account in syria. we sent him $106, around £90 in gifts, from another account. then he went to withdraw the money. from the $106 in gifts we donated, tiktok took 73. that's almost 70%. the money transfer shop charged a further 10% and people like hameed, who provide the phones, take a cut of what is left. so, from those $106,

our syrian family would have just $19, and often, the families we spoke to get much, much less. in a statement, tiktok said that this type of content is not allowed on their platform and they would strengthen their global policies around exploitative begging. a charity that works in the camp told us it could help support these families as an alternative to making money from tiktok live streams. but there are still hundreds of families going live from camps in syria every day. and the lion's share of the money donated lines the pockets of tiktok itself. hannah gelbert, bbc news. if you would like to see more, you can search for "tiktok begging in syria" on iplayer to watch the full documentary. for the first time — three of the uk's biggest conservation groups are joining forces to challenge what they call a government u—turn on protecting nature. the national trust, the wildlife trusts and the rspb —

which have more than eight million members between them — say new government policy is an attack on nature and they urgently need assurance about legal protections for wildlife and changes to farming subsidies. the conservation groups say if they have to they may encourage their members to take to the streets and protest. here's our rural affairs correspondent, claire marshall. today in parliament square, activists glued themselves to the road. over the last ten days, police say they've arrested almost a00 people. this is a world away from the tactics of more mainstream conservation groups. so this is all about trying to get this message across... but their direct action has begun, in a more genteel way. this was in the environment secretary's constituency last weekend. and now, in a highly unusual step,

the heads of three of the biggest conservation organisations in the uk have come together to show their unity. this is the biggest attack on nature that i have certainly come across in my lifetime, never mind my career. this is unprecedented, i have to say, and that is why we are stepping forward, the same as the wildlife trust and the rspb. to be fair to the environment secretary, he has said that these claims are simply not right, that going for growth will not come at the expense of the environment. there have been these assurances. we can see, in black—and—white, tabled in parliament, proposals to remove all eu—derived legislation on protecting the environment, something around 570 pieces of legislation that's taken decades to put in place. it's going to take more than a few bland reassurances. so what do they see as an attack on nature? there's the u—turn on the fracking ban, the review of environment—focused farming subsidies, the loosening of planning laws in new investment zones and the potential ditching of vital european wildlife protections. rspb members have written over 100,000 letters to mp5. what next? this is something that we just can't allow to go forward. it is such a threat to nature, in terms of its cumulative impact, that we have to be able to do

something about it. so i think all options are on the table, in terms of what might happen next. this administration's priority is growing the economy. this business park was boosted by government investment. investment zones have got to have housing. now, if you are in a predominantly rural area like wiltshire, getting housing into these green zone areas, you have to be careful how you do it. you've got to do it with people, not against them. despite all the pressure, the government insists that it is committed to halting the decline in nature and its obligations to the environment will not be undermined by the pursuit of growth. claire marshall, bbc news. now, talk about a brainwave.

researchers have managed to grow brain cells in a lab which have learned to play a computer game. here's the lab—grown brain, created by researchers in australia. they say that their so—called mini—brain can sense and respond to its environment and has the potential to develop more advanced robots and ai systems. other experts describe the work is exciting but say that calling the brain cells sentient is going too far. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. these little white blobs are clumps of brain cells that have been grown in a lab. researchers connected cells similar to these to a computer. under the microscope you can see the tiny wires that sent electrical impulses in and out. it learned to play a 19705 game called pong, in the rectangle on the screen. the lab grown brain moves a white line to try and stop the dot getting past.

right now, we have the chance for drug discovering, disease modelling, understanding intelligence. the next stage could open up options such as cybersecurity management, or more autonomous devices. finally, perhaps we could even lead to sentient and fully autonomous robots that can act and change in the real world. the researches grew a clump of 800,000 brain cells from a mixture of mouse neurons and human stem cells. the plan is to see if more of those mini brains become worse at playing the game after they have been dosed with alcohol, just like a human player would. mini brains are being grown in a uk lab in order to study brain development. it's taken researchers six weeks to grow these mini brains. you can see the electrical activity of the neurons on this screen here. it is precisely because they behave similarly to human brains, even though it is at a very rudimentary level, that researchers here are taking great care in the way they develop the technology.

there may be the potential, probably much further down the line, to simulate something like certainly intelligence and cognition, and we want to make sure that we know ahead of time where that boundary is, so that we don't accidentally stumble over it. the scientists are working with ethics experts to develop new rules to regulate the research. will these so—called mini brains develop to the point where they can feel pleasure or pain? and how might we consider their moral status if they were conscious or sentient? and how should we regulate the use of this research in future technology? these are questions that we haven't begun to consider. today's mini brains are a very long way off from becoming self—aware, and many researchers believe that is unlikely to ever happen, but they agree that they do need to proceed with caution. pallab ghosh, bbc news.

dr brett kagan of cortical labs is one of the co—authors of the research. he told me his team is being very careful about ethics. we're taking very dedicated steps to make sure we are aware of it. so any technology we develop is, one, developed appropriately and then eventually applied appropriately and responsibly. but i will note that people sometimes are using sound bites — "sentience" and "consciousness" — interchangeably. we think that they are distinct things, and we're very defined in the way that we use this term. we simply mean that it's a system that's able to receive external sensory input, so it can receive some information from the outside, and it can act upon that information. it doesn't have a feeling or a consciousness to know what it's like to be some cells in a dish. and so this, i think, is a very different perspective to how some people might phrase it, but we definitely need to be aware that as these systems develop, we're doing it in the right way.

i want to bring you some breaking news that is coming into us in the past few minutes. a jury in connecticut has reached a verdict on damages after alex jones falsely claimed the 2012 sandy hook mass shooting was a hoax. the jury says alex jones must shooting was a hoax. the jury says alexjones must pay $195 million in the second defamation trial. the iury the second defamation trial. the jury decided how much us conspiracy theorist must pay victims after he falsely claimed they were actors who faked the tragedy. let's turn to the courtroom where this happened. these are live pictures in waterbury, connecticut where the verdict has been carried out. let's listen. check yes or no. and well then were

the plaintiffs at a later date. if you check no, thejudge will the plaintiffs at a later date. if you check no, the judge will award $1 to the plaintiffs. we, thejury, found that the standard charge for the costs have been met. yes it is checked. reasonable attorneys fees will be awarded by the judge. the last page is your number 1's signature and the date and is initialled byjuror number one. initialled by juror number one. ladies initialled byjuror number one. ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do you all agree that this is your verdict? . you all agree that this is your verdict?- thank- you all agree that this is your verdict? yes. thank you. anything further, council, _ verdict? yes. thank you. anything further, council, before i discharge thejury? _ further, council, before i discharge the 'u ? ., ., . the “ury? nothing from the defence. as the jury? nothing from the defence. as ou will the jury? nothing from the defence. as you will recall _ the jury? nothing from the defence. as you will recall when _ the jury? nothing from the defence. as you will recall when we _ the jury? nothing from the defence. as you will recall when we started i as you will recall when we started the case. — as you will recall when we started the case. i— as you will recall when we started the case, i read _ as you will recall when we started the case, i read some _ as you will recall when we started the case, i read some preliminaryj the case, i read some preliminary instructions — the case, i read some preliminary instructions to _ the case, i read some preliminary instructions to you _ the case, i read some preliminary instructions to you and _ the case, i read some preliminary instructions to you and i - the case, i read some preliminary instructions to you and i now- the case, i read some preliminaryj instructions to you and i now brief and i_ instructions to you and i now brief and i promise _ instructions to you and i now brief and i promise you _ instructions to you and i now brief and i promise you a _ instructions to you and i now brief and i promise you a brief- instructions to you and i now brief. and i promise you a brief statement to read _ and i promise you a brief statement to read to _ and i promise you a brief statement to read to you — and i promise you a brief statement to read to you regarding _ and i promise you a brief statement to read to you regarding post - to read to you regarding post verdict — to read to you regarding post

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the weather is becoming more unsettled as we head towards the weekend. forthursday, many of unsettled as we head towards the weekend. for thursday, many of us will see sunny spells, but blustery and squally showers developing in the far north—west. over the next few hours, we will start to see this weather front easing away from the channel coast. it might continue to bring early morning rain on thursday. the temperatures are in double digits because of the cloud and rain around. further north that will be a chilly start with a touch of light frost in rural parts. as we go through the day, a good slice of dry and sunny weather to look out forfor dry and sunny weather to look out for for most of us. when this will strengthen and showers developing into northern ireland and north—west scotland in particular. elsewhere, temperature are pretty similar to the last few days by the middle of

the last few days by the middle of the afternoon, looking at highs of 11 to 17 celsius, that's 63 fahrenheit. that weather front will continue to move its way steadily south and east and weakening all the time, going to be replaced by another one moving through scotland and northern ireland as well. at the same time there is potential for a little bit of showery rain once again. clinging onto the coast on friday. sandwiched in between the two we should see drier and brighter interludes and behind it will be drier and brighter with showers. friday is a messy story, i now time your picture. warm in the sunshine with 17 degrees the high. low pressure never too far away as we head towards the weekend. plenty of isobars particularly the further north you go. gus went driving weather fronts in around those areas of low pressure. on saturday is a case of sunny spells and squally showers. the showers most frequent out towards the west, but some of

those pushing further inland as the day continues. parts of aberdeenshire and south—east england the best of the weather. here we will see highs again at around 11 up to 70 celsius. not much change going into sunday and monday. the winds stayed blustery from a warm sauce, plenty of showers to dodge as well. take care.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. have you wrecked the economy, prime minister? time for another u—turn? liz truss' commitment to not cut public spending did nothing to ease the turmoil, with the government's borrowing costs rising again. in only her second appearances at prime minister's questions, liz truss defends her government's record, amid another difficult day on the financial markets. joe biden says he will advise congress to look again at the relationship with saudi arabia. it could mean the united states walking away from key defence agreements. on the eve of the final hearing into the capitol riots, the january 6 committee says it will provide new evidence that links the former president with the violence. tonight with the context, mick mulvaney, president trump's former chief of staff,

and the former conservative cabinet ministerjustine greening.